Posted by CathyG on Aug 15, 2007 in
career coaching,
leadership,
pfeffer Good leaders are supposed to be compassionate, modest and always cordial. But, says Stanford University Professor Jeffrey Pfeffer, these qualities won’t help you reach the top.
In a fascinating essay, published in his new book
What Were They Thinking, Pfeffer describes the skyrocket career of one Keith Ferazzi. Ferazzi didn’t just do the work and wait to be recognized. He was a standout even as a junior consultant, where he immediately began developing client relationships.
Perhaps his most mind-bogging move came very early in his career. As a recent MBA, juggling offers from McKinsey and DeLoitte, Ferrazi told DeLoitte he wanted one unique perk: dinner with the president three times a year. They said yes.
Pfeffer’s point is, “Don’t be afraid of standing out and recognize the trade-offs.” Everyone talks about being a good team player, but actually you’re competing with your teammates to get promotions, raises and visibility.
Pfeffer ends the chapter with a great quote from Steve Spurrier, the football coach who left U of Florida to coach in the NFL: “Call me arrogant, cocky, crybaby, whiner or whatever names you like…At least they’re not calling us losers anymore. If people like you too much, it’s probably because they’re beating you.”
Posted by CathyG on Apr 23, 2007 in
apprentice,
leadership By the time the Finale rolled around, did we really care? Did we ever get a clear decision about who wrote the best commercial for the final task?
On the positive side, I think Stefani deserved to be the winner. I was afraid Donald would cave in to demographic pressure. We’ve had winners who are male, female and African-American. It would be so tempting to balance with an Asian-American — and such an appealing, genuinely nice guy, too!
But Stefani remained a calm, quiet presence. She was the only woman on a team of four and she conducted herself with dignity. She got the work done without stepping on egos.
Is she a leader? Frankly, I’m not sure that matters. Her first year will be mostly about learning, not leading. At the end of the year, she’ll be well-positioned to take a position with a law firm, specializing in real estate and construction, earning as much as she will get from serving as The Apprentice.
I hope Trump finds room for Frankie somewhere else in the organization. He’s got so much heart (and he could get a little polish along the way.)
I’ve always enjoyed The Apprentice but this year, I get the feeling NBC says to The Donald, “You’re fired!”
Posted by CathyG on Feb 19, 2007 in
apprentice,
leadership On the surface, last night’s Apprentice was all about leadership.
But I believe it was all about luck.Both teams hated their project leaders.
Team Kinetic recognized that Aime (pronounced “Amy”) wasn’t fully present. She seemed unaware of her environment (Spanish speaking culture — hello!) and she delegated to the max. Still, her team came up with a clever concept, dressing up in bright costumes to attract visitors to their booth.
And as her team realized they needed to communicate in Spanish, they should have fought for an interpreter. Instead, they said nothing. They walked the mall, trying to drum up business but didn’t bother to call Aime to clue her in.
I don’t blame Aime for being angry, as she stormed off to her waiting limo. Consciously or not, her team set her up. In the real world, employees are supposed to make their bosses look good and avoid dumb mistakes.
Suriya didn’t fare much better. He got emotional. He wandered up to strangers, one at a time – a very inefficient process. His team made fun of him.
Suriya does show some insight. As he pointed out, “We all have jobs to go back to.” He does have some marketing savvy. And for some reason, teams begin winning when he joins them.
Despite the differences, the teams were only about $40 apart. They were evenly matched as far as creating a team vs. leader conflict.
I think the real lesson is something I repeat to myself often, “Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good.”
