Superbosses: How Exceptional Leaders Master the Flow of Talent

by Sydney Finkelstein

Since superbosses are always learning and growing themselves, they see interactions with their people as an irreplaceable opportunity to freshen their perspectives and continue to innovate. The apprentice relationship we introduced in the last chapter thus turns out to be very much a two-way street: protégés get an unforgettable, career-making experience, while superbosses, who realize they can’t achieve their visions alone, get to move their life’s work just a bit further. Pretty good deal all around, if you ask me.

“People are much more productive when they feel they’re part of a team. It should be a collective force. No one should stand on top of someone else.”

superbosses encourage teamwork and they also deliberately encourage sharp competition among their intensely unified teams.

the more you help people become better, the more they help one another get better.

why not notice and celebrate specific rituals—such as quirky vocabulary or inside jokes—that have naturally emerged at work? Why not build team identity and collaboration by delegating more, sharing the credit, and modeling devotion and commitment to the team? Why not structure work so as to spur competition? Why not create forums in your organization where bosses and employees mingle to share ideas, and publicly recognize top performers? Be sure, of course, to emphasize both competition and collaboration in equal measure.

The time to start thinking about succession is now, particularly since we should assume that many of our best employees will leave. When you get right down to it, what this means is that managers should evaluate current employees with an eye toward their eventual departure.

The best people are constantly looking for more opportunity, more challenge, more accomplishment. The only question is whether you will leverage your best talent to create career-long connections that provide ongoing payback via new opportunities for business transactions, talent acquisition, and investment deals. And this will be even truer as the careers of millennials accelerate.