This story appears in the
November 2004 issue of
Entrepreneur.
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Every field has organizations that assemble long strings of
successes, while others seem stuck in endless failure. Harvard
business professor Rosabeth Moss Kanter says both are caused by the
same force. ln Confidence (Crown, $27.50), the renowned
management writer says some people and groups succeed not because
they're more talented, but largely because their leaders give
them the confidence to rise to the challenge.
In Kanter's view, confidence rests on three pillars:
accountability, collaboration and initiative. Accountability comes
from setting high internal standards and pursuing them whatever the
cost. Collaboration begins with reaching out yourself, then
encouraging others to do the same. Initiative gets going when you
present your people with achievable steps, then insist on
action.
Most of Kanter's business examples are big firms, and she
says instilling confidence usually requires new leadership at the
top. But even if her answers don't fit all entrepreneurs, she
raises worthwhile questions about what it takes to win over the
long haul.
Game On!
Years of playing quake and simcity have created a new wave of
employees and executives very different from those who grew up
playing kick the can and touch football, according to John C. Beck
and Mitchell Wade. In Got Game (HBS Press, $27.50), these
authors say video gamers are better at group communication,
creative problem solving and risk taking than nongamers. Gamers
aren't necessarily better employees overall, they say. But if
you employ any of the tens of millions of people who grew up during
gaming's ascendancy, you can use this information to manage
them by, for instance, understanding that gamers would rather be
leaders than followers.
Mark Henricks is Entrepreneur's "Smart
Moves" columnist.