Tag Archives: leadership

The role of leadership in software development

Posted on August 30, 2010 by John Hunter

The webcast of Mary Poppendieck’s talk, The role of leadership in software development, at Google. As usual Mary does a very nice job of providing some good historical background while exploring wise management practices (tied to software development but plenty … Continue reading →

Posted in Lean thinking, Management, Software Development | Tagged leadership, Lean thinking, management history, management webcast, Poppendieck, Software Development | Comments Off

Dee Hock on Hiring

Posted on August 16, 2010 by John Hunter

Great quote from Dee Hock, founder of Visa: Hire and promote first on the basis of integrity; second, motivation; third, capacity; fourth, understanding; fifth, knowledge; and last and least, experience. Without integrity, motivation is dangerous; without motivation, capacity is impotent; … Continue reading →

Posted in Management, quote | Tagged curiouscat, hiring, leadership, managing people, quote | 3 Comments

Build an Environment Where Intrinsic Motivation Flourishes

Posted on August 8, 2010 by John Hunter

50 years after Douglas McGregor’s classic, The Human Side of Enterprise, too many managers still have not learned that using extrinsic motivation is not an effective way to manage complex human systems (organizations). The issue is important to me because … Continue reading →

Posted in Career, Deming, Management, Process improvement, Psychology, quote, Respect, Systems thinking | Tagged Career, curiouscat, Deming, intrinsic motivation, Joy in Work, leadership, managing people, motivation, Psychology, quote, Systems thinking | 12 Comments

Building on Successful Improvement

Posted on July 13, 2010 by John Hunter

Do ‘Quick Wins’ Hurt Lean Initiatives? This becomes very difficult, since in many organizations these executives have the strategic attention span equivalent to the life-cycle of a mayfly. When the ‘quick win’ approach is taken, the savings / impact becomes … Continue reading →

Posted in Management, Psychology, quote, Systems thinking | Tagged build capacity, coaching, leadership, management, managing people, Psychology, quote, tips | 3 Comments

Management Improvement Carnival #100

Posted on June 10, 2010 by John Hunter

I started the management improvement blog carnival in 2006. At the time the number of blogs posting useful management ideas had already grown to a large number. It took years after I started my Curious Cat Management Improvement site, in … Continue reading →

Posted in Carnival, Management | Tagged blogs, Carnival, leadership, Lean thinking, management | 7 Comments

Bill George on Leadership

Posted on March 15, 2010 by John Hunter

Bill George is professor of management practice at the Harvard Business School and former chairman and CEO of Medtronic, the world’s leading medical technology company. Under his leadership, Medtronic’s market capitalization grew from $1.1 billion to $60 billion, averaging 35 … Continue reading →

Posted in Management | Tagged leadership, management, webcast | 6 Comments

The CEO is Only One Person

Posted on December 14, 2009 by John Hunter

The CEO is important but they are only one person. Rarely do they determine the success of a company. The instances where they seem to are so rare as to almost seem like just random luck. I think they can … Continue reading →

Posted in Management, Systems thinking | Tagged executive pay, Investing, leadership, management, Systems thinking | 6 Comments

No More Executive Bonuses!

Posted on November 30, 2009 by John Hunter

Henry Mintzberg, wrote an excellent article for the Wall Street Journal today, No More Executive Bonuses! Don’t pay any bonuses. Nothing. This may sound extreme. But when you look at the way the compensation game is played – and the … Continue reading →

Posted in Deming, Management, Performance Appraisal | Tagged bonus, commentary, ethics, executive pay, leadership, management, overpaid executives, respect for people | 5 Comments

The Best Leadership Is Good Management

Posted on September 6, 2009 by John Hunter

The Best Leadership Is Good Management [the broken link has been removed] by Henry Mintzberg Let me suggest that you should, because what we’ve been calling a financial crisis is actually one of management. Corporate America has had too much … Continue reading →

Posted in Management, Management Articles, Systems thinking | Tagged Books, leadership, management, management experts, Systems thinking | 7 Comments

CEO’s Castles and Company Performance

Posted on August 8, 2009 by John Hunter

Where are the Shareholders’ Mansions? CEOs’ Home Purchases, Stock Sales, and Subsequent Company Performance by Crocker H. Liu, Arizona State University and David Yermack, New York University – Stern School of Business We study real estate purchases by major company … Continue reading →

Posted in Data, Economics | Tagged executive pay, leadership, management research, overpaid executives, research | 3 Comments