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Talking points make things as simple as possible, but not simpler. (2007).
| Content Provider | CiteSeerX |
|---|---|
| Author | Mccall, Morgan W. Einstein, Albert |
| Abstract | There is a certain appeal in thinking (and, apparently, advising others to act on the thought) that the road to success lies in “playing people to their strengths. ” An effective strategy, perhaps, for some outstanding football quarterbacks, world-class quarter milers, and champion chess masters, this approach may not work as well for leadership roles. Its appeal is that it sounds simple, and that it avoids the difficult and often futile effort to “fix ” people. But for people with leadership potential, that simplicity is overly simple and even may be dangerous. The limitations of a strength-based approach to development are suggested by research on the derailment of talented executives, on how executives develop through experience, on the transitions required for career success, and on the acquisition of expertise. All support the conclusion that relying on one’s strengths is a dangerous strategy in the corporate leadership world. Derailment of Talented Executives Research on derailment (defined as successful managers who were expected to continue being successful, but something went wrong) has identified four dynamics (see McCall, 1998, for a summary): • Strengths that have led to success become weaknesses in a new situation. “The skills that made him a brilliant engineer—obsessive problem solving and an ability to envision elegant design solutions—were of less use in an executive position. ” (BuisnessWeek on the derailment of Boeing CEO Phil Condit) “His greatest strengths…turned out to be critical flaws. [His] high-minded resolve began to look to others like simple-minded obstinacy. ” (BusinessWeek on former Sun CEO Scott McNealy) |
| File Format | |
| Publisher Date | 2007-01-01 |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Content Type | Text |
