Work Rules!: Insights from Inside Google That Will Transform How You Live and Lead

by Laszlo Bock

In addition to testing technical hires on their engineering ability, we realized that there were four distinct attributes that predicted whether someone would be successful at Google: General Cognitive Ability. Not surprisingly, we want smart people who can learn and adapt to new situations. Remember that this is about understanding how candidates have solved hard problems in real life and how they learn, not checking GPAs and SATs. Leadership. Also not surprising, right? Every company wants leaders. But Google looks for a particular type of leadership, called “emergent leadership.” This is a form of leadership that ignores formal designations—at Google there is rarely a formal leader of any effort. I recall being asked what it meant that I was the “executive sponsor” for a project that culminated in 10 percent salary increases for everyone in the company. I explained that not only did I not know, but that within Google it was a meaningless designation. In all likelihood, a relatively new hire had put those words next to my name because my title was Senior Vice President, but my role on the project was the same as anyone else’s: Provide an opinion, do some analysis, and help get the right outcome. At Google we expect that over a team’s life, different skills will be needed at different times, so various people will need to step into leadership roles, contribute, and—just as important—recede back into the team once the need for their specific skills has passed. We have a ...