In Roman Catholic theology, limbo is that afterlife condition for those who die without being assigned to hell. For employees in companies waiting for the post-acquisition dust to settle such as Genentech, or for those waiting for part of the organization to be halved off, such as Barclays Global Investors (BGI) with its iShares division, limbo is a pretty good description of what it’s like to be inside the organization.… Read the rest
Naismith’s Pride: Teamwork Spells Success
Eight United States teams – four men’s and four women’s – of sweaty, baggy-shorted collegiate basketball players will be running up and down a wooden court that is 94 feet long and 50 feet wide trying to claim the winner’s trophy in what’s known as basketball’s Final Four over the next few days.
Basketball, more than any other sport, is the ultimate team experience: nothing else comes close in the way five players must play well together and the lessons for business are endless.… Read the rest
[New Rules] The Interview: People Aren’t That Curious
“What do I say?” he asked. Do I tell people that I found it impossible to work with her because she swoops in, swoops out, and leaves a trail of poop behind? “I mean.” he added, “she didn’t get the nickname ‘The Seagull” because she had webbed feet.”
It’s not likely to happen, I assured him. Let the interviewer simply know that there are some parts of her that you’d work with in a second, and there were some parts that you found challenging because you had very different styles.… Read the rest
[Through the Glass Door] Does Art Levinson Stay at Genentech?
With the Roche’s acquisition of Genentech finalized the next obvious set of question surrounds who stays and who goes.
More specifically, does somebody like CEO Art Levinson, arguably the singular driving force since 1995 – albeit playing the point on an executive group that behaves from a distance like a real team – stay?
The quick answer is not likely .… Read the rest
[Land of Spin] The Job Hunt: Five Things to Look for in the New Boss
Land O’Spin is an occasional set of writings focused on best practices in coaching and assessment: how do take what you observe, know what it means, and draw conclusions about what outcomes will occur in the future.
As I’ve noted before, the ideal goal of any job hunt should be to find a right job at the right place with the right people .… Read the rest
[Land O’Spin] On the (Mini) Beach
Land O’Spin is an occasional set of writings focused on best practices in coaching and assessment: how do take what you observe, know what it means, and draw conclusions about what outcomes will occur in the future.
There is nothing quite like a plumbing tract infection to cause you to slow down and lay low. One minute you’re watching March Madness, and the next moment you’re piling on the blankets to ward off chills that alternate with hot flashes – still with the TV as “company”.… Read the rest