Future of Work Briefs

Selecting a new chief executive is critical because so much rides on a positive outcome. Is this the right person to lead the company in this particular business, at this particular time? Will he or she collaborate with the board, or fight it?

Using a rigorous, data-driven hiring process, Google goes to great lengths to attract young, ambitious self-starters and original thinkers. It screens candidates’ résumés for markers that indicate potential to excel there — especially general cognitive ability.

When is the best time for a CEO to leave the top spot? I can’t help but think of the Mel Brooks film Blazing Saddles — a satirical comedy of what happens when a new sheriff comes to town. In those days, it usually meant the old sheriff failed or was fired – or worse!

A recent Wall Street Journal article quotes Steve Ballmer as saying: “the best way for Microsoft to enter a new era is with a new leader who will accelerate change.” Amen to that. Since I didn’t load up on Microsoft stock when Mr. Ballmer took the reins, I have no personal peeve against him.

One of the key lessons that Huggy Rao and I learned from studying scaling up excellence is that, to spread new ways of thinking and acting, just talking about the importance of new beliefs and behaviors isn’t enough. You need to live the mindset that you aim to instill in others.

Eric Clayberg, Google software-engineering manager, talks with Harvard Business School professor David Garvin about the feedback and training that he and others at the company receive through Project Oxygen.

“No more curve,” said Lisa Brummel, Microsoft’s EVP of HR last week, curtly dismissing Microsoft’s much-derided but iconic practice of ranking each team member on a forced distribution. This was big news, the lead of many a business section.

There are a variety of places where corporations and boards look for potential CEOs, but the leagues of management consulting generally isn’t one of them. However, new unreleased research from Spencer Stuart, a global executive search firm, suggests that we’re giving this sector short shift.

Let’s face facts: Most boards invest heavily in executive assessments, exposing chief-executive candidates to C-suite responsibilities and checking their P&L performance — while simultaneously scanning outside prospects.