Subjects: Business Skills

Southwest Airlines started with a simple idea, and managed to stick with it through decades of unprecedented growth. Many have tried (but failed) to emulate their success. According to Colleen Barrett, the idea is so simple, nobody quite believes it: customers return because they like the experience and they like the way they are treated. But how do you keep your customers this satisfied? By keeping your employees satisfied. Barrett spends 70-80% of her time assuring that her employees are valued as people, and encouraged to do the right thing rather than doing things right. She acknowledges that you can’t expect employees to be saints, but you can expect integrity and commitment to the team. Her guiding rule is to hire on attitude and then train for skills, seeking individuals who will take the business-but not themselves-seriously.

NetApp has successfully navigated through every major cycle in business: from the frenetic mentality of a startup, through the tumultuous period of the dot-com boom and bust, and finally to the relative stability of a mature enterprise organization. Core values of candor, integrity, teamwork, and simplicity helped the company transition through these growth phases-and thrive.

Microsoft is now in the midst of a multi-year initiative to transform itself once again-to a software-plus-internet-services provider. Despite the global economic downturn it sees opportunity in rallying all parts of the company behind “big, big bets” for the next five to ten years.

Organizations are built for stability, not for change. But in today’s highly competitive business environment, organizations must be ready to change-and change frequently. They need to replace long-term planning with a succession of short-term advantages. They must increase their “surface area” with the outside world; drive leadership to lower levels in the company; and reward decision makers for change management as well as results. Lawler and Worley discuss methods for creating strategies, structures, communication processes, and human resource management practices that are designed to facilitate an organization’s ability to change.

Organizations are built for stability, not for change. But in today’s highly competitive business environment, organizations must be ready to change-and change frequently. They need to replace long-term planning with a succession of short-term advantages. They must increase their “surface area” with the outside world; drive leadership to lower levels in the company; and reward decision makers for change management as well as results.

Hiring decisions and performance evaluations are affected by common biases, such as favoring tall or attractive candidates. Professor Flynn provides effective techniques for conducting objective employee interviews and evaluations.

Chunka Mui and Paul Carroll researched 750 of the most significant business failures of the past quarter-century and found the Number 1 cause of failure was not sloppy execution, poor leadership or bad luck. It was, instead, misguided strategy.

China’s GDP will catch up to that of the U.S. by 2025, predicts Professor Gupta. By 2050, GDP of both China and India will reach or surpass that of the U.S., Europe and Japan combined. Strategies that capture market share, talent, and innovation opportunities in these emerging giants necessitate understanding their unique yet complementary strengths.

Inspiring others is a “soft skill,” one that many believe you need to be born with to possess. But in their research, Dr. Zenger and his colleagues determined that inspiring others to greatness is, in fact, something that can and should be learned.