The Champalimaud Foundation, Lisboa (Portugal). Instituto de pesquisa científica, instalada em um predio fantastico do arquiteto indiano Charles Correa
The future is all about connections, build relationships, build partnerships. It's all about collaboration and communication. Go for it. Make the links. Connect the dots. Build the future. Make things happen. Doesn't matter your size. Doesn't matter where you come from. Go! And go fast (but never rushing!).
Nao precisamos ser líderes em todas as áreas. This is impossible! Mas, baseado no conceito da "individual uniqueness" podemos e devemos ser lideres em nossas áreas de expertise, onde temos os "skills" necessários.
Em uma era de recursos limitados, ha que ser criativo. Ha que identificar áreas de conhecimento e set de skills adequado. O sucesso (ou nao) esta na habilidade de connectar esse conhecimento e fazer a soma das partes muito melhor que cada uma individualmente. Como? Fazendo as perguntas certas, connecting dots e pessoas. E isso e liderança.
Conheça-se. Identifique seus pontos fortes. Adqurida o "tool's set" necessario. Entenda o ambiente, a concorrência e as tendencias. E se jogue, com confiança, credibilidade e etica! E claro, the cherry of the cake: Promote yourself!!! E mais livros sobre liderança:
1. Meditations by Marcus Aurelius (Gregory Hays translation) 2. Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankel 3. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho 4. The Truth About Leadership by James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner 5. Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap…and Others Don’t by Jim Collins 6. The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven R. Covey 7. Delivering Happiness by Tony Hsieh 8. The Innovator’s Dilemma by Clayton Christensen 9. Tribes by Seth Godin (e depois leia tudo o que o Godin escreveu!!! sim, incluindo Purple Cow) 10. Drive by Daniel H. Pink 11. How to Win Friends and Influence Peopleby Dale Carnegie 12. Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin 13. Endurance by Alfred Lansing 14. Daring Greatly by Brené Brown 15. The War of Art by Steve Pressfield 16. Never Give In by Winston Churchill’s 17. Wooden on Leadership: How to Create a Winning Organizationby by John Wooden 18. Onward: How Starbucks Fought for Its Life Without Losing Its Soul by Howard Schultz 19. On Becoming a Leader by Warren Bennis 20. Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors by Piers Paul Read 21. Primal Leadership: Realizing the Power of Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman 22. The Art of War by Sun Tzu (5th century B.C.) 23. The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli (1532) 24.Questions of Character: Illuminating the Heart of Leadership Through 25. Literatureby Joseph L. Badaracco Jr. 26. The Manager’s Bookshelf: A Mosaic of Contemporary Views by Jon L. Pierce, John W. Newstrom 27. Talent is Overrated: What Really Separates World-Class Performers from Everybody Else by Geoff Colvin 28. Shackleton’s Way: Leadership Lessons from the Great Antarctic 29. Explorer by Margot Morrell and Stephanie Capparell 30. The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You’re Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are by Brené Brown 31. Steering by Starlight: The Science and Magic of Finding Your Destiny by Martha Beck
Volto e meia vejo alguem no Facebook, Instagram e afins dizer "estou em Brasilia" / "estou indo para Brasilia" e lembro de quando eu batia ponto por la. Nao sinto a menor saudade! Mas como missão dada é missão cumprida, esses anos de Brasilia (dos meus 22 aos 30) me ensinaram o que sei do meu trabalho. Me ensinaram a "ler situações" , a construir argumentos e a negociar. E ultimamente tenho percebido a importância desses skills. Obrigada, Brasilia!
"It’s that time of year when you’re measuring your success for the past twelve months and thinking about your goals for the coming year. While you’ve been pondering what you want to accomplish and how you want to be rewarded for your hard work, I’ve been reaching out to members of my brand community – The Reach Personal Branding Master Strategists – to get their best advice. They shared these ten time-tested tips for building your brand and expanding your success. Interestingly, their pointers (along with a couple of bonus tips from me) fall into two categories: self-awareness/authenticity and visibility/building relationships. Integrate these words of wisdom into your personal branding strategy, and put your career in the fast lane. Happy 2014!
Self-awareness and Authenticity
Effective personal banding is all about being your true self – and your best self – always. Here are some tips for increasing your self-awareness so that you can get clear about your brand.
Become a neutral observer of yourself. Watch your actions, interactions with others, and how you present yourself. Ask yourself, “Is this on-brand for me?” Susan Chritton, Pathways
Uncovering your personal brand involves introspection to identify the values, passions, and talents that make you stand out. But don’t forget your story. It’s a powerful way to connect with key people who are seeking someone like you – someone who is relevant to their needs, interests, and goals. Tell your story in a compelling way. Walter Akana, Threshold ConsultingIdentify your uniqueness!
Writing your ideal job description is one of the simplest, most powerful exercises you can do to advance your career. Include more than just tasks and responsibilities. Incorporate company revenues, size of the team, culture, values, salary, benefits, and other details. You’ll be amazed at the results once you have this clarity. Larry Boyer, Success Rockets
Never let anyone else define you. Although getting feedback from others is a great way to monitor your blind spots and enhance your brand, feedback is very different from a label. There are many good-hearted, well-meaning people who will try to define you using their frame of reference and experience. When they try to impose their definition on you, perhaps choosing traits that are low-risk, they may overlook your uniqueness out of concern for your emotional well-being. Stand firm. Your traits may seem awkward or different to them, but you know what makes you unique and what drives you. Only you can define you. Randi Bussin, Aspire
William’s tip: Work your quirks. Know what makes you unique and integrate it into everything you do, every day. You’ll distinguish yourself from your peers and be memorable.
Visibility and Building Relationships
Business is about relationships. Here are some tips on growing your network and nurturing relationships.
If you work in a large building, expand your network by taking different routes when entering and leaving your office. Use the opportunity to reconnect with people you know and introduce yourself to people you don’t.Project the happy, friendly persona of someone who is keen to network.If you’re seeking a future role in a different department of your company, ensure that this department is a regular visit on your flight path. Richard Andersen, Managing Partner,Point Ahea
Practice empathy. Develop the habit of trying to understand something from the other person’s perspective. Susan Chritton,Pathway
Never be so arrogant as to reject someone’s offer to help. Instead of turning within, gather the abundant resources being offered by others. Many people will offer to help, which gives them the opportunity to showcase their strength area – usually in a task that would take you a tremendous amount of energy and time to do yourself. You’re not imposing on someone who offers to help. Accept their assistance with an enthusiastic “Thanks!” Maria Elena Duron,Buzz to Bucks
It takes a village to empower success. Be sure you have an “unofficial” board of directors to help mentor and guide you. Because they know you so well, they can also become your ultimate brand ambassadors! Randi Bussin, Aspire
Integrate a personal (appropriate) photo into the end of your emails showing you doing something you are passionate about. Each month, change the photo, but be sure it is on-brand. The positive comments you receive are fun to read and will serve as reinforcement of your brand. Cheryl Berrington,The Berrington GroupHmmm, really? It doesn't appeal to me.
Are you invisible? In today’s increasingly virtual world, your online bio is a substitute You – and if it doesn’t capture the real you, you ARE invisible! So get gutsy. Kick out the corporate lingo and create a bio that reveals the real you. Replace tired jargon with your true voice, and pair your career history with content that brings to life your passions and interests. Your new 3D Brand Bio will sing with magnetic authenticity and propel people to want to know more about you. That’s good branding! Deb Dib, Executive Power Brand
William’s tip: Personal branding is not about being famous. It’s about being selectively famous. Know your target audience – the people who are making decisions about you and those who will impact your goals. Focus most of your brand-building efforts on this important group. You will squander your efforts if you try to be visible to the whole world."
Eu contei nas entrelinhas de algum post anterior que mudei de emprego, sem mudar de emprego. Continuo na mesma empresa, no mesmo departamento, so mudei de região e de chefe (e minha terceira posição e terceiro chefe desde que cheguei aqui). E uma ótima oportunidade pra ganhar novas experiências. E assim, o ano começa com emoções mil, em um ambiente novo, com pessoas novas, desafios novos e muita adrenalina. As duas ultimas semanas foram uma prova do que sera o ano, intenso. And I love it! E tem trilha sonora sim senhor(a). Esta deve ser a terceira ou quarta vez que esta musica aparece por aqui, but I don't care, I damn love it!
Veja aqui e abaixo transcrito. Editors’ Note: Following the huge popularity of this post, article source Amy Morin has authored a Dec. 3 guest post on exercises to increase mental strength here. Cheryl Conner has also interviewed Amy Morin in a Forbes video chat that expands on this article here.
For all the time executives spend concerned about physical strength and health, when it comes down to it, mental strength can mean even more. Particularly for entrepreneurs, numerous articles talk about critical characteristics of mental strength—tenacity, “grit,” optimism, and an unfailing ability asForbes contributor David Williams says, to “fail up.”
However, we can also define mental strength by identifying the things mentally strong individuals don’t do. Over the weekend, I was impressed by this list compiled by Amy Morin, a psychotherapist and licensed clinical social worker, that she shared in LifeHack. It impressed me enough I’d also like to share her list here along with my thoughts on how each of these items is particularly applicable to entrepreneurs.
1. Waste Time Feeling Sorry for Themselves. You don’t see mentally strong people feeling sorry for their circumstances or dwelling on the way they’ve been mistreated. They have learned to take responsibility for their actions and outcomes, and they have an inherent understanding of the fact that frequently life is not fair. They are able to emerge from trying circumstances with self-awareness and gratitude for the lessons learned. When a situation turns out badly, they respond with phrases such as “Oh, well.” Or perhaps simply, “Next!”
2. Give Away Their Power. Mentally strong people avoid giving others the power to make them feel inferior or bad. They understand they are in control of their actions and emotions. They know their strength is in their ability to manage the way they respond.
3. Shy Away from Change. Mentally strong people embrace change and they welcome challenge. Their biggest “fear,” if they have one, is not of the unknown, but of becoming complacent and stagnant. An environment of change and even uncertainty can energize a mentally strong person and bring out their best.
4. Waste Energy on Things They Can’t Control. Mentally strong people don’t complain (much) about bad traffic, lost luggage, or especially about other people, as they recognize that all of these factors are generally beyond their control. In a bad situation, they recognize that the one thing they can always control is their own response and attitude, and they use these attributes well.
5. Worry About Pleasing Others. Know any people pleasers? Or, conversely, people who go out of their way to dis-please others as a way of reinforcing an image of strength? Neither position is a good one. A mentally strong person strives to be kind and fair and to please others where appropriate, but is unafraid to speak up. They are able to withstand the possibility that someone will get upset and will navigate the situation, wherever possible, with grace.
6. Fear Taking Calculated Risks. A mentally strong person is willing to take calculated risks. This is a different thing entirely than jumping headlong into foolish risks. But with mental strength, an individual can weigh the risks and benefits thoroughly, and will fully assess the potential downsides and even the worst-case scenarios before they take action.
7. Dwell on the Past. There is strength in acknowledging the past and especially in acknowledging the things learned from past experiences—but a mentally strong person is able to avoid miring their mental energy in past disappointments or in fantasies of the “glory days” gone by. They invest the majority of their energy in creating an optimal present and future.
8. Make the Same Mistakes Over and Over. We all know the definition of insanity, right? It’s when we take the same actions again and again while hoping for a different and better outcome than we’ve gotten before. A mentally strong person accepts full responsibility for past behavior and is willing to learn from mistakes. Research shows that the ability to be self-reflective in an accurate and productive way is one of the greatest strengths of spectacularly successful executives and entrepreneurs.
9. Resent Other People’s Success. It takes strength of character to feel genuine joy and excitement for other people’s success. Mentally strong people have this ability. They don’t become jealous or resentful when others succeed (although they may take close notes on what the individual did well). They are willing to work hard for their own chances at success, without relying on shortcuts.
10. Give Up After Failure. Every failure is a chance to improve. Even the greatest entrepreneurs are willing to admit that their early efforts invariably brought many failures. Mentally strong people are willing to fail again and again, if necessary, as long as the learning experience from every “failure” can bring them closer to their ultimate goals.
11. Fear Alone Time. Mentally strong people enjoy and even treasure the time they spend alone. They use their downtime to reflect, to plan, and to be productive. Most importantly, they don’t depend on others to shore up their happiness and moods. They can be happy with others, and they can also be happy alone.
12. Feel the World Owes Them Anything. Particularly in the current economy, executives and employees at every level are gaining the realization that the world does not owe them a salary, a benefits package and a comfortable life, regardless of their preparation and schooling. Mentally strong people enter the world prepared to work and succeed on their merits, at every stage of the game.
13. Expect Immediate Results. Whether it’s a workout plan, a nutritional regimen, or starting a business, mentally strong people are “in it for the long haul”. They know better than to expect immediate results. They apply their energy and time in measured doses and they celebrate each milestone and increment of success on the way. They have “staying power.” And they understand that genuine changes take time. Do you have mental strength? Are there elements on this list you need more of? With thanks to Amy Morin, I would like to reinforce my own abilities further in each of these areas today. How about you?
Achei esta reportagem da Forbes (aqui e abaixo transcrita) sobre gestao de carreira bem pe no chao. E acredito que estas 7 coisinhas sao bem realistas e de acordo com o que penso e tento praticar. Entao, ei-la, a reportagem:
"We human beings like to operate in tribes. We have done since the beginning of time: a bunch of people have a better shot at survival than one or two. It’s easier to kill big things to eat, grow crops, build shelter, raise children and defend yourself from enemies if you have a group.
The main downside of operating in groups, though, is that whenever there’s more than one person involved in something, they will be continually trying to figure out how things are going to happen. How will decisions get made? Who gets the final say? Who treats who in what ways and what impact does that have? Who does which work? Who has the right to change that? What happens if someone disagrees with the tribe? How do we keep things from falling apart?
In other words, any collection of human beings is a complex web of power and influence. It was true 10,000 years ago, and it’s true today. Today, though, we call our tribes “organizations” or “companies” and we call that web “politics.”
Succeeding at work is at least partly a matter of learning how to navigate that web.
The single most important person in terms of successful navigation is quite often your boss. Cultivating him or her as an ally is key to your survival in this modern tribe. So it’s in your best interest to make sure your boss thinks you’re awesome, and wants to support your success. Here, then, are 7 ways to help make sure that happens:
1) Do what you say. This is important on every level. If you can be relied upon consistently to do what you say you’re going to do – all the way from showing up on time, to sending the email you promised to send, to completing the big project by the agreed-upon deadline, to achieving the EBITDA targets for your business – your boss will learn to see you as a go-to person, and more responsibility and autonomy will come your way. Think about it this way. If you had two chairs, and one of them tended to wobble or even break on occasion, and the other one was solid as a rock and completely reliable, which one would you sit in? Be that solid chair reative to your boss.
2) Take responsibility vs. make excuses. Sometimes, of course, it’s simply not possible to do what you say. In that case, take full responsibility….even if the mistake was out of your control. Here’s how that sounds. Late for a meeting because you had to take your kid to the doctor? Instead of coming into the meeting and saying, “I was at the doctor with my kid, and theres’s no way I could get here on time,” say, “I’m so sorry I’m late. Please keep going – I’ll catch up and get the notes for what I missed afterwards.” If your boss asks you after the meeting why you were late, you can tell him or her the reason – and let him or her know you’ve made arrangements to keep it from happening again.
3) Make requests vs. complaints. This is an important habit to build just in general, but it’s especially important relative to your boss. Here’s the distinction: a complaint says, “This is bad/You’re bad.” A request says, “This is what I’d like to have happen instead.” Complaints feel accusatory and whiny: childish. Requests feel respectful, reasonable, and solution-focused. So instead of saying to your boss, “It’s impossible to get anything done with marketing, they’re so difficult to work with!” (a complaint) say, “I’d really appreciate some help in figuring out how to work better with marketing” (a request).
4) Come with solutions. If requests are good, solutions are even better. I was talking with someone recently, the head of HR for a small but growing company, and she moved herself from complaint to request to solution before going to her boss. At first, she was going to complain to him: “Nobody respects my role, and they won’t do what I ask them to,” but then realized that sounded (and was) lame. So then she thought about making a request to him,“I’d like it if you could tell the GMs they need to respond to my emails and make time to meet with me.” A request – better, but still not great. Finally, she wrote up a simple strategic plan for her role and took it to her boss, saying.“Here’s how I see my role. I want to make sure you and I agree on this, then I’d like to sit down with each of the GMs, talk through it, and come to agreement with them.” A solution! Her boss loved it.
5) Manage your own growth. I’ve noticed, over the years, that there are some employees who “wait to be grown,” and other employees who understand that they are the master of their own career fate, and that they need to figure out where they want to go and how to get there. Most bosses love this second kind of employee, and are happy to support them. An example: rather than expecting your boss to hand you new opportunities, ask for what you want. Decide what you’re interested in, and ask for specific chances to grow in that area. For example, if you want to become a manager of people, ask your boss if you can manage an intern, or team lead a project of your peers.
6) Be a good corporate citizen. Most bosses notice how the people on their team get along. And if one person seems to make things easier for everyone; figures out how to work with others to get things done; supports his or her team mates’ success; doesn’t create drama or gossip…your boss (assuming he or she is a reasonably smart, reasonably well-adjusted person) will appreciate it. If that person is you, it demonstrates to your boss that you’re a positive influence, a good person to have around, and probably capable of doing more. It’s also a big relief to your boss not to have to spend time and energy dealing with your interpersonal difficulties.
7) Make your boss’ life easier. Which brings us to the final thing you can do. Most bosses get tired of feeling as though their employees are only focused on their own benefit, their own careers, and how the boss can help them. If you, as an employee, spend some time thinking about what you can do to support your boss’ success, and then offer to do it, you will automatically be a welcome change from the norm. My assistant Dan is a great example of this, in ways both large and small. He regularly comes to me with small suggestions that save me time, and he also thinks about bigger issues – work processes that will allow me to delegate more or that let all of us accomplish things more easily. His support of me makes me want to support him.
And when you’re the boss, you’ll want exactly the same kind of employee."
E preciso estarmos lindas, belas, elegantes, fit, saudáveis, informadas e atualizadas. Para nos, para os que amamos, para o mundo. E SEMPRE sorridentes. Enquanto desempenhos nossos papeis: filha, irma, mae, amiga, mulher, profissional. Ha que gerir (incluindo planejar e executar) a vida, a casa, o escritorio. A rotina do escritorio tem que ser "smooth", todas as tarefas tem que ser cumpridas com garbo e elegância, as reuniões tem de ser brilhantes e os resultados devem ser sempre superados. Mas tem o segundo turno. A casa tem que estar impecável. As compras saudáveis sempre feitas, as refeições na mesa a horas, as roupas impecáveis no guarda roupas e o lixo reciclado. Enquanto o cabelo, a maquilagem, as unhas, os músculos, a celulite (no caso, a falta dela!) e a leitura e filmes tem que estar sempre em dia. E claro, os amigos e família tem que estar sempre "in the loop". Os aniversários sempre lembrados, as datas especiais celebradas, os parabens pelas conquistas dados, e tambem as condolencias quando necessario. E as maes ainda tem que desempenhar seu papel de criar e educar alem de gerir a rotina dos pimpolhos. On top of everything! E aqui no norte do planeta, empregada domestica e item de LUXO. Por que isto, agora?! Ouvi reclamações mil nas ultimas semanas. Analisei e percebi que algumas dao conta do recado, sem drama. Para outras ha um constante drama. E me lembrei da minha mae. Ela sempre geriu a casa, cuidou de mim, do meu irmão, pai, avo, gatos e chachorra, alem de trabalhar de segunda a sábado. E nao me lembro de queixumes. Quanto mim, sou neurótica com planejamento, uso a tecnologia a meu favor, e tenho aprendido a delegar (deveria ter aprendido melhor com a minha mae!). E apesar de nao ser mae, acho que tenho dado conta do recado, com alguns itens a melhorar, claro (projeto fit on track). Mas sempre tenho flores em casa (aprendi com minha avo).
0) Smiling and being gentle 1) Having an internal driver
2) Having a dream 3) Having a vision 4) Share the vision / educate people on that 5) Focus on niches
5a) "If I try to compete with the big guys, they'll kill me." (by Jim Koch) 6) Strive for excellence
6a) Be the best
6b) Have the best product / service
6c) Little things make big things happen 7) Working hard, very hard 8) Managing several plates in the air 9) Taking risks 10) Passion, a lot of passion 11) Be persitent. If things are not yet fine, it is not yet the end.
Por falta do que fazer (wakaka, #soquenao) comecei um mestrado. Quero entender a dinâmica de como algumas coisas funcionam na Europa e acredito que ele vai me ajudar. É na Alemanha, mas é em Inglês!!! 10 módulos de uma (intensiva) semana cada, a cada 6 semanas. Com direito a homework, a uma provinha aos sábados, ao final de cada um dos módulos .. e uma tese no final. Ok, eu sobrevivo. Ou não... O que é interessante? Os participantes do curso. Um mix super interessante. Meus colegas tem diferentes formações, backgrounds e interesses e vem de todos os cantos da Europa e claro, de outros continentes também. Somos mais de 12 nacionalidades diferentes. Os speakers também são interessantes e experientes. Professores de diversas universidades européias, varias consultorias da Europa e alguns membros (e ex membros) de regulatory agencies (eu trabalho com regulatory affairs). E claro, a viagem de trem todos os dias, onde encontro figuras hilárias como a senhora siciliana que resolveu escrutinizar-me (medo!), os mocos alemães liiiiiiindos e belas paisagens de Baden Wutenberg com vinhas e mais vinhas. Eu também tenho cada vez mais certeza que nasci no lugar errado. Eu gosto muito da Alemanha, de sua gente direta e objetiva. Super me identifico, tanto que todos sempre dizem que sou filha da minha tia (que é alemã) e não da minha mãe. Tudo isto pra dizer que esta semana foi punk. Mas eu sobrevivi. PS: Eu descobri que sou uma pessima aluna!! Meus colegas se preparam super bem para a provinha de hoje. Estudaram ontem em grupo ate as 10 da noite, depois de uma semana intensa de lectures. E hoje as 9 da manha (sábado) todos estavam la para a discussao em grupo, com resumos mega detalhados. Disciplina pura. Quanto a mim, compareci a discussao hj pontualmente as 9, mas sem nenhuma preparação previa. Shame on me! Image: http://news.everestonline.edu/post/2011/12/how-to-make-study-time-work-for-you/#.UjSIlRY_Nok
Vi uma apresentação da Ann Fudge sobre Diversity & Inclusion e achei o maximo. Bem, achei a Ann o maximo, claro! Mas o speech dela arrasou! Eis algumas "tips" que vale super a pena considerar.
- Diversity is a given. Inclusion is a choice.
- Business is relationship! Business is personal! Doesn't matter where in the world!
- Honesty is the first step in any relationship. Trust is an essential platform.
- Step outside your comfort zone always.
- It's all you. All depends on you. - Build relationships is like Kaisen: Continuous improvement, Continuous focus, Continuous attention, Small changes, Takes time
Eu estou encantada com o Papa Francisco, simplemente encantada. Um lider, de verdade!
Aparentemente, nao sou a única. Minha mae esta maravilhada e diz que ele e igualzinho ao meu bisavó.
E adorei esta nota da época @ As dez liçoes de liderança do Papa Francisco, abaixo transcrita!
Transparente, generoso, disponível e, principalmente, carismático. Na avaliação de especialistas em gestão, ouvidos por Época NEGÓCIOS, o papa Francisco é o líder certo, na hora certa. Ao menos para a Igreja Católica, instituição que tenta reverter uma imagem de organização arcaica e que lida com a notória perda de fiéis em todo o mundo – dados do último Censo mostram que, apenas no Brasil, a Igreja perdeu 465 fiéis por dia entre os anos 2000 e 2010.
Daniela Simi, diretora do Hay Group, pondera: é preciso lembrar que o papel de líder não se restringe ao de ser carismático. “Não se pode pressupor que, para ser líder, tem que ter carisma. Você pode ser generoso, estar próximo e disponível, ser transparente e não necessariamente ser carismático.”
Para Van Marchetti, diretora da Attitude Plan, carisma em excesso pode até mesmo ser um problema. “O líder que é visto só como bonzinho perde autoridade. Quando se vive um momento que exige grandes mudanças, é preciso ser firme. Ele, ao que me parece, consegue fazer esse contrapeso.”
Na avaliação de Homero Reis, coach ontológico e sócio-diretor da Homero Reis e Consultores, os desafios do Papa Francisco à frente da Igreja são semelhantes aos desafios enfrentados por muitas corporações e líderes ao longo da história. “Não vivemos em mundos perfeitos, vivemos em mundos possíveis. O papel do líder não é viver a perfeição, mas viver a possibilidade. O que dá pra fazer dentro dessa instituição? Não dá pra fazer tudo, mas alguns resultados, com certeza ele conseguirá atingir.”
Abaixo, listamos os principais pontos no perfil de liderança do papa Francisco, destacados pelos especialistas.
Transparência Homossexualismo, mau uso do dinheiro, ostentação, perda de fiéis. Em passagem pelo Brasil, o papa Francisco falou dos temas mais espinhosos para a Igreja. No mundo corporativo, gestor que não tem transparência, perde credibilidade.
Generosidade Mesmo sob os holofotes, Francisco se colocou em posição de igualdade perante os fiéis que se aproximavam. Está com os dias contados o líder que quer aparecer sozinho, não dá espaço para seus liderados se destacarem e faz de tudo para não perder recursos para outras áreas.
Participação Como gestor, o papa Francisco não se restringe a fazer o trabalho de gabinete. Ele vai às ruas e coloca a mão na massa. Líder que também executa vira exemplo positivo e sabe cobrar melhor.
Proximidade Descer de um automóvel em plena carreata e parar para conversar com fiéis. Essas foram cenas que se repetiram na visita do papa Francisco. Ao gestor, não basta dizer que mantém suas portas abertas. É preciso estar realmente disponível. Mais ainda, é preciso demonstrar interesse pela equipe.
Coerência Usar um carro popular em sua aparição oficial, adotar a simplicidade em sua hospedagem, no modo de se vestir etc. As atitudes do papa casam perfeitamente com seu discurso contra a ostentação e a busca desenfreada por bens materiais.
Objetividade A mesma simplicidade das atitudes do papa Francisco pode ser observada em seu discurso. Palavras fáceis, mensagens diretas, uso de metáforas e foco na solução.
Motivação Como líder, o papa trabalha o lado emocional das pessoas. Dessa maneira, eleva o entusiasmo dos fiéis, gera a percepção de que todos fazem parte de algo maior e angaria a confiança do público.
Referência A imagem de integridade moral que o papa Francisco transmite tem capacidade de criar seguidores. No papel de líder, ele se transforma em uma referência a ser seguida.
Inspiração Quando um líder inspira sua equipe, propicia a geração de mudança, cria um ambiente favorável a transformações. E essa é uma mudança que não é outorgada, mas que acontece de dentro para fora.
Autocracia Se em suas aparições públicas o papa Francisco transmite uma imagem de bonzinho, nos bastidores, é um líder assertivo. No Vaticano, ao assumir, cortou equipe e trabalha apenas com quem confia. Investigou as pessoas mais próximas, tem metas e objetivos claros, determinou papéis e cobra resultados. Em um momento tenso, que exige uma grande mudança, ser firme é necessário.
When the Harvard Business Review published a post called Seven Rules For Managing Creative People a few months back, the reaction was an almost universal, Oh, please! This was due to the fact that most of the advice in the piece was bizarrely off base ("surround them with semi-boring people." What?), but also because of the patronizing tone and the assumption that "creatives" are a breed of brats demanding a different set of operating instructions.
That said, the topic is a valid one--there is an art to getting the most out of your teams of creative professionals. When the job is to conjure the next brilliant idea out of thin air, against deadline, via a combination of inspiration, hard work, experience, intuition, and confidence, getting the best work out of creative people on a consistent and efficient basis can be tricky business.
Nurturing and managing a workforce of creative professionals requires a certain degree of sensitivity to individual skills. “Creatives are individual people and have unique things that motivate them. So when you respect understand that, that’s a pretty good cocktail,” says Evan Fry, executive director of creative development at Crispin Porter + Bogusky.
Evan Fry and Dave Swartz
Fry is speaking from experience. CPB recently installed Fry and creative director Dave Swartz in positions dedicated to inspiring, encouraging, teaching, supporting, and organizing the agency’s creative and design departments.
Seen as an investment in creative talent, the new roles have allowed Swartz--a longtime agency fixture--and Fry--who recently returned to CPB after nearly four years at crowdsourcing agency Victors & Spoils--to focus on helping creative people succeed. As experienced creative leaders, both say the most important element in fostering the talent of others is instinct, or as Fry puts it, “A Spidey sense for creative talent"--but there are a number of distinct things that business leaders can do to set its people up for success.
Here, Fry and Swartz share 10 ideas on how to manage creative talent. While they admit some seem deceptively simple, they say that the mere process of introspection required in understanding what a company needs from its talent--new and veteran--aids in clearing the way to help others.
It’s one of those things that often just happens: Through a series of deadlines, projects, staff turnover, and a lack of constructive navel gazing, a company’s processes and DNA become routine and unspoken. But Fry and Swartz say a useful starting point for any creative company looking to evaluate how to foster its talent is to first look at the overall entity. “Ask questions like, 'what kind of team do we need here; what works well for the individual agency process that we have?' Every agency works differently, so different skill sets or different temperaments work better at different places,” says Fry. “This is helpful when building new relationships with new people, but it’s also helpful in pointing out to people who are here that these are the areas you need to foster.”
When undergoing this process at CPB, Fry says that he and Swartz took what can be considered a creative inventory of each person’s skills. The idea? To have an up-to-date understanding of their talent. "We thought, What traits work best at CPB in those roles?" says Fry. "We got really clear about that, maybe for the first time, and put it down on paper. These are the skills and traits people need for certain roles, not just for new roles but for people here as well. If you have an objective assessment of everyone, you can work to optimize those strengths by assembling the right skills and talents for projects. This sounds extremely simple, but in the ad agency world, I’ve seen it’s not always that overt.”
Knowing the ways in which people produce great work is as important as knowing what specific skill they can add to the team. “Sometimes you just need to empower," says Fry. "Certain creative talent responds really well to having a long leash, and we like to encourage CDs to let this happen with people we’ve identified as having the stuff to do it, no matter what their title may be or their level of experience. Sometimes certain people really respond to healthy competition. You’ll see it will inspire and motivate certain creatives to dominate and crush it, where others don’t respond to competition at all. We encourage whatever suits a person. We’ve seen what trial by fire can do. Some people really respond and then all of a sudden they’re your next leader.”
While Fry and Swartz are tasked with mentoring and managing the agency’s talent, they also get involved in the actual work, be it running a pitch or covering a shoot, when needed. “We will be called in as a creative team so not only do we have our duties running the design department and helping art directors, we’re thrown into a pitch and will run those things and set the tone, and that helps. It’s leading by example,” says Swartz. “And it helps when it comes to people respecting what we do. If we have a suggestion, they know it’s because we’re also experiencing the process day to day.”
Creative people are often as protective of their process as they are of their ideas. Someone waltzing in with a do-it-like-this mandate is about as welcome as . . . well . . . it’s not usually welcome. Yet individual processes are prone to log-jams that outsiders are better equipped to see. Suggesting process therefore must be done delicately. “There can be some method to the creative madness,” says Fry. “In any process, like a pitch, we kind of know the beats. We know there’s a client meeting, when they’ll want to see a strategy, then early work, then finished work. Sometimes helping someone is as simple as putting a calendar up and outlining when certain pieces get done or being clear about when they’ll get feedback on work. It can make it more efficient and make sure the thinking happens at the right times without the worry getting in the way. Some people are more predisposed to organization than others. But sometimes it’s about making little lightbulbs go off.”
While structure has its benefits, so does a bit of chaos. Or, as Swartz calls it, healthy confusion. He says that when working with designers, it’s actually more productive to keep them busy with multiple projects at once. “There’s’ always a lot on everyone’s plate and that’s kind of by design because part of the creative process is incubating ideas,” Swartz says. “Idea incubation comes from when you read your brief, do a few hours of work, and then you stop. You may hit a wall and then suddenly you’re in a grocery store and you think of something. That’s because your brain works on it over time. So when you’re in a healthy confused state, you get a lot of work done. You learn how to manage it. It’s important to have a lot on your plate--not to burn you out but to give your brain time to focus on something else.”
All that said, burning creative talent out is a legitimate concern. As Fry says, “You can’t switch on unless you have an off position.” It may be easier said than done--many agencies, CPB included, have a reputation for tough hours. Fry says he and Swartz are working at being more conscious about keeping weekends a little more free at CPB, and that means getting everyone from account teams to CDs on board. “It takes some work, but organization can help a lot. I keep a calendar when everyone’s on vacation, when meetings are. . . . Being prepared ahead of time is the biggest key. It doesn’t always happen, but we’re taking steps wherever we can to anticipate things and alleviate the pressure so it’s not crushing people all the time.”
Creative talent lives to make stuff. When they’re not making things, they get unhappy, prone to relocate, or worse, creatively uninspired. So Fry says it’s important to ensure people are continually putting new work out into the world. “It sounds simple, but it’s about keeping in mind how to keep people in positions to get things done. We focus on getting work into the meeting because beyond that, it’s often out of your control--budgets shift, clients change things, work dies. . . . Ideally the work being sold is spread around. And if it’s not working for a creative talent and a given place, you have to encourage people to keep going for it, and get in a situation where you can be producing. From a leadership standpoint, you have to remember why they’re here so they don’t lose perspective.”
That creatives routinely switch agencies after a couple of years is accepted practice in advertising. But Fry and Swartz believe it doesn’t need to be that way. Swartz, a 25-year CPB veteran, and Fry, who is among the agency’s many “boomerang” employees (those who leave and then come back), say part of their job is to foster an environment that people don’t want to leave. “Everyone’s going to get itchy feet here and there, and anyone who’s doing good work is going to get courted. But keeping your culture healthy is huge. You have to understand it’s not just about money as these people are being courted. It’s always about culture. Culture is what retains talent,” says Fry.
Fry says the creative management work he and Swartz do is essentially about helping people take charge of their own careers. This can be through encouragement, organization, keen pairing, and sometimes offering really tough advice. Say Fry, “Sometimes saying the hardest thing is the best mentorship you can give, as opposed to letting someone stay in a rut.”
