« 50 in 50. #21: Leadership Lessons from THE BOOK | Main | 50 in 50. Kindle lust »
December 15, 2009
50 in 50. #22: Clever
Here’s a promising premise for a book: “Leading Your Smartest, Most Creative People”.
The authors of Clever, Rob Goffee and Gareth Jones, define “clever” the British way—especially smart and talented—not the American way—smart and a bit difficult (as in “too clever by half”).
And the authors further define how “clever” works within an organization: “Clever people are highly talented individuals with the potential to create disproportionate amounts of value from the resources that the organization makes available to them.”
So far, so good, right? Unfortunately, while the book is strong on defining clever people, it’s weak on giving advice on how to manage them. Actually, it’s almost the same advice you’d find in any book on how to manage any employee. And the book feels thin: a slim premise, under-researched.
Still, Clever did contain a handy guide, helpful for remembering how to manage (any) people. Here’s an excerpt:
Dos and don’ts for leading clevers
| Do | Don't |
| Explain and persuade | Tell people what to do |
| Use expertise | Use hierarchy |
| Tell them what | Tell them how |
| Provide boundaries | Create bureaucracy |
| Talk straight | Use bull or deceive |
Despite this, overall Clever isn’t especially . . . clever.
Posted by Alison Davis at December 15, 2009 06:24 AM
(Find me around the web)
