Comments on: Why Most Corporations Homogenize Remarkable People, Part 5: Identifying Strengths

By: Professional Destiny » Five Unspoken Rules All Great Leaders Follow

Professional Destiny » Five Unspoken Rules All Great Leaders Follow — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 15:21:55 +0000

[...] I’ve written previously in Leadership 101 and Why Most Corporations Homogenize Remarkable People, great leadership is more about trust than it is about charisma. Too often these days, leaders [...]

By: Chicago Jobs

Chicago Jobs — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 04:30:09 +0000

valerie+attitude?…

I found your entry interesting thus I’ve added a Trackback to it on my weblog …

By: Professional Destiny » What is Professional Destiny? My Interview with Jen Spencer

Wed, 07 Jul 2010 16:45:13 +0000

[...] Recognize people’s natural talents and that they may have “spiky” skills (i.e. they are remarkable at 1-2 things). Don’t try to “homogenize” them and make them well-rounded. Great leaders are like conductors of an orchestra. It’s not about how they look behind the podium; it’s how they bring out the unique brilliance of each of their players. For more information I write a blog series on this very subject called “Why Most Corporations Homogenize Remarkable People.” [...]

By: Valerie Hausladen

Valerie Hausladen — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 19:15:44 +0000

@Henry: You raise a great point. The best leaders and organizations find a way to recognize and promote both soft skills and spiky skills. It takes insight and flexibility, but the rewards to the individuals and companies are well worth it.

By: Henry

Henry — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 18:31:05 +0000

Valerie,
Engineers as a group are apt to have spiky skills. I have a feeling that companies are mostly valuing people with good soft skills e.g. people management, project management and communication compared to the drive to understand and resolve technical issues. I think what often happens is good technical problem solving results in promotion to positions where the work is not really well matched to the personality. Everyone ends up unhappy. Of course there are engineers that become excellent at everything, I don’t think they are a big percentage of the total engineering workforce. I’m not sure I’m saying anything new here, maybe just venting a bit.

By: Valerie Hausladen

Valerie Hausladen — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 14:14:14 +0000

Why thank you Glen. I’ve had the opportunity to be a keen observer during my 20 years in the workplace and then venturing off to follow my passion. I now consider even the poorly run companies to have been fertile training ground! Glad you’re enjoying the blog and the book. Thanks for commenting–and good luck with your endeavors.

By: Glen

Glen — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 12:43:05 +0000

Valerie,

Spot on. Reading each of your blogs makes me realize how much incredible analysis and framing you have done to support your outlook on a person’s passion(s) and matching that (those) within the workplace. As always, I enjoy reading your works and am thankful for your inspiration! All the best in your career endeavors.

By: Tweets that mention Professional Destiny » Why Most Corporations Homogenize Remarkable People, Part 5: Identifying Strengths -- Topsy.com

Tue, 22 Jun 2010 13:36:35 +0000

[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Valerie Hausladen, jenna_berardi. jenna_berardi said: Great productivity and passion at work always starts with people. Always. http://lnkd.in/A4FT2k [...]