The “strange” thing about Hackman’s four rules, as he put it, was what they didn’t include. There was nothing in there about a person’s personality, or values, or charisma. There was no mention whatsoever of their talent. Leading a team effectively wasn’t a matter of skill and magnetism, it was all tied up in the quotidian business of leadership. To Hackman, the chief trait of superior leaders wasn’t what they were like but what they did on a daily basis. The trouble with this idea is that it makes the job of identifying a worthy leader considerably more difficult. You could interview someone
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