At one point he talks about a lack of imagination and uses Steve Jobs as a kind of anti-example:

And some of it, to be quite frank, Robert, is an appalling lack of imagination and guts on the part of these same CEOs who are complaining and pointing the finger at every else. You know, these guys are very good at cutting. They’re very good at blaming others. They’re a little less good at coming up with creative new products and services, and they’ve got a little flabby in that regard in the last few years where the focus has been on surviving and cutting, as it should had been. But they’re not the gutsiest group of people in the world.

Look, do you hear Steve Jobs complaining out at Apple about this?

It is true.  In the midst of high unemployment and little growth, Apple has managed to capture the imagination of the world with not one but two innovative new products.  Is it possible for simple creativity to save a company?

Well, it couldn’t hurt.  There’s plenty of evidence that investing in new creative ideas when things look worst is a smart move.  Partly because your competition is so much less.  Also because the talent and resources to be creative are priced lower.

But this isn’t a strategy just for CEOs.  Creativity is often driven from the ranks.  So whether you sit in a corner office or the middle cubical, cranking up the creativity may not just be a smart move.  It may be the necessary move.

Listen to the full interview here:  http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128519775

Why This Can Be Bad

The problem with making everything about consensus building is that it pre-ordains mediocrity.  People build toward the positive point of least resistance and consider the point they’ve happily reached together the best outcome.  Often it’s a good outcome but not a great one.  Without risk, originality, or passion, ideas rarely have the chance to be great.

Solution: Force an Argument

Lay out 3 or 4 scenarios and have teams argue the pros of each.  Make it clear that no one can come to agreements. Everyone is right about the argument and everyone else is wrong.   Your decision can be nuanced, but the arguments don’t need to be.

Prepare for the Backlash

You may shock people with this approach, but think about it this way: the power of a decision often rests in one person’s hands.  So does the responsibility.  All that consensus building goes out the window when the buck stops at your desk.  Also, be consistent in how you assign decision making.  Put it in the hands of one person and not a committee.

The next consensus may be that you made a good decision.

Current economic problems and high unemployment numbers are distorting many employers’ perception of the overall happiness and satisfaction of their employees. When unemployment is high and uncertainty in the job market reigns supreme, people with jobs tend to hold onto those jobs, even if they’re not fulfilled in their current position.

Finding and retaining talent may be the most important jobs that any manager performs. Talent is always difficult to find and those employees who demonstrate the greatest potential need to be invested in so that they remain challenged and invested in your company.

Now is the time to invest in their professional development. According to New York Times bestselling business author and organizational behavior expert Dr. Richard Boyatzis, you need to create energy and excitement around your most talented staff members to keep them engaged and enthusiastic. If you invest in them now, then they’ll be less likely to consider other employment options when they emerge (as they certainly will).

Sit down with your best employees to discuss how they want to direct their professional development. Do they need additional training? Do they need to become involved with other departments to develop cross-functional skills? Are there strategic projects that they can help develop and implement with other key members of your staff?

Find interesting opportunities that communicate your respect for their talent and potential, and they won’t jump at the first fresh opportunity that comes along.

The report found that only 21% of workers were truly engaged to their jobs and about 38% were completely disengaged.

From a cynical perspective, this shouldn’t surprise anyone.  In a down economy, people stay in jobs that they don’t love because the option of moving somewhere else simply isn’t there.  If you really want to get cynical, you could say that managers know this and are less concerned about keeping people happy.

Hamel has another view: low levels of employee engagement make companies not only less productive — it makes companies less competitive.

From the blog:

In a world of commoditized knowledge, the returns go to the companies who can produce non-standard knowledge. Success here is measured by profit per employee, adjusted for capital intensity.

What does that have to do with employee engagement.  A lot, claims Hamel:

In every industry, there are huge swathes of critical knowledge that have been commoditized—and what hasn’t yet been commoditized soon will be.

Given that, we have to wave goodbye to the “knowledge economy” and say hello to the “creative economy.”

What matters today is how fast a company can generate new insights and build new knowledge—of the sort that enhances customer value.

To escape the curse of commoditization, a company has to be a game-changer, and that requires employees who are proactive, inventive and zealous.

Problem is, you can’t command people to be enthusiastic, creative and passionate.

These critical ingredients for success in the creative economy are gifts that people will bring to work each day only if they’re truly engaged. (Eric Raymond made this point way back in 2001 when he argued that in the new economy, “enjoyment predicts productivity.”)

Basically, we have moved from an information/knowledge economy to a creative economy.  Knowledge in how to do something is less important than what to do with that knowledge and technology.

Of course, the post relies heavily on the iPhone example.  Why is it that we always rely on Apple for the “How to do it right…” example?  Is it a cliche or is it just true?

Read the complete post here: Link

And let us know what you think?  Is Hamel right? Wrong?  Both?

An orchestra conductor faces the ultimate leadership challenge: creating perfect harmony without saying a word. In this charming talk, former conductor Itay Talgam demonstrates the unique styles of six great 20th-century conductors, illustrating crucial lessons for all leaders.

After a decade-long conducting career in his native Israel, Itay Talgam has reinvented himself as a conductor of people in business and shares his humorous yet insightful leadership lessons with corporate executives worldwide.

How do executive know when new staffers are qualified for the job?

Jim Collins, the author of Good to Great, explains on bigthink that the key is to instill your company’s core values in your new employees so your company culture is continually extended and reinforced.

Advice to managers:  Encourage this and don’t be threatened.

Advice to employees: Frame your arguments in terms of ‘the good of the company’ or you’ll be seen as self-serving.

Listen to it here: Link