"Superbosses" Part II

Several months ago, I read Sydney Finkelstein's Best Seller "Superbosses," and it prompted me to write about it, and to reach out to a number of my past colleagues, many of whom I still advise and mentor, for a check in.

Last week, I had the opportunity to spend a day with Professor Finkelstein at Dartmouth's Tuck Business School, learning more of the details around his research on "Superbosses." These individuals are leaders who grow multiple leaders, and according to Finkelstein's research, they share some common characteristics:

*Superbosses develop great talent. They foster a growth environment, selecting mentees who are creative, competitive, and smart, and they are great motivators.

*They look for talent where others do not -- finding smart, inquisitive people who the system may have overlooked.

*Superbosses won't hesitate to create a job for great talent... even if that's not the way their Human Resources Department selects, hires or retains people.

*Superbosses can be very tough taskmasters. They ask for excellence, expect high performance, and develop a performance-driven culture.

*They inspire. Superbosses instill confidence, and drive people to execute at very high levels.

*Superbosses deliver a shared vision that every team member can support. That vision is often simple, but team members buy into it - often because they don't want to disappoint that Superboss.

*They unleash creativity, and ask for and expect ideas from all team members. Superbosses may ask tough questions, and they create an environment of adaptability and agility.

*They foster a master/apprentice relationship with their team members, teaching and creating opportunities through hands-on delegation. They also customize how they work with different team members.

*Superbosses manage teams by creating strong bonds between team members and across matrixed organizations, through both collaborative and competitive means.

I thoroughly enjoyed the day with Professor Finkelstein, and I look forward to reading his follow-up, "The Superbosses Playbook".

Leaders become better leaders by observing, embracing and internalizing the positives demonstrated by the best bosses they've worked with. While many senior executives like to think they are strong leaders, it's often not the case. In my career, I've been fortunate to work for some superb leaders, and a handful of great role models, along the lines of those described in Jim Collins' book "Good to Great;" perhaps only one or two of those leaders would fit the "Superboss" model described by Finkelstein's metrics, but regardless, I consider myself privileged to have worked and served with them.

We should all be so blessed as to have amazing leaders we tell others about, but more importantly, we all have the tools to be amazing leaders ourselves... and reading books like "Superbosses" and "The Superbosses Playbook" gives us a pathway to success. Good luck!