What’s one of the most powerful things a manager can do? According to the chairman of Starbucks, Howard Schultz, it’s to recognize the traits and skills you don’t have—and then have the good sense to go out and hire people who have them. Schultz, in a Fortune magazine article titled “The Best Advice I Ever Got,” says that Warren Bennis, a respected scholar on the subject of leadership, gave him the advice.
Schultz says that over the years Bennis has been an invaluable source of guidance.
“Early on … he said … that I needed to invest ahead of the growth curve and think beyond the status quo in terms of the skill base, the experience and the quality of the people around me. He also told me that the art of becoming a great leader is in developing your ability to leave your own ego at the door and to recognize the skills and traits you don’t possess and that you need to build a world-class organization.”
Schultz says this was harder to achieve than you might think, because he also wanted to build a company with a conscience. He said he not only had to find people with the skills that complemented his qualities, but that he also had to be sure and attract people who thought the same way he did.
“What tied us together was not our respective disciplines, and it was not chasing an exit strategy driven by money. What tied us together was the dream of building a company that would achieve the fragile balance of profitability, shareholder value, a sense of benevolence and a social conscience.”
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