Бизнисот е екосистем, а не бојно поле

Jeffrey James has been interviewing the world’s most successful CEOs for years on end to learn their management secrets, he tells Inc.com. It turned out that the best of the best, as a rule, adhere to the following eight rules.

1. Business is an ecosystem, not a battlefield

Ordinary bosses see business as a conflict between companies, departments and groups. They gather impressive «troops» to defeat the «enemies» in the face of competitors and win «territory», that is, customers.

Prominent bosses see business as a symbiosis where different companies work together to survive and thrive. They build teams that adapt easily to new markets and build partnerships with other companies, customers, and even competitors.

2. The company is a community, not a machine

Ordinary bosses perceive the company as a machine in which employees play the role of cogs. They create rigid structures, set rigid rules, and then try to maintain control over the resulting colossus by pulling levers and turning the wheel.

Great bosses see the business as a collection of individual hopes and dreams, all geared towards a greater common goal. They inspire employees to dedicate themselves to the success of their associates, and therefore the entire company.

3. Leadership is a service, not a control

Line managers want employees to do what they are told. They can’t stand the initiative, so they build an environment where the mentality “wait what the boss says” rules with all their might.

Great bosses set the direction and then take it upon themselves to provide employees with the resources they need to succeed. They give decision-making power to subordinates, which allows the team to develop their own rules, and intervene only in emergency situations.

4. Employees are peers, not children

Ordinary bosses perceive subordinates as infantile and immature creatures who cannot be trusted under any circumstances and who must be kept in check.

Great bosses treat every employee as if they were the most important person in the company. Excellence must be pursued everywhere, from the loading docks to the board of directors. As a consequence, employees at all levels take responsibility for their own destiny in their own hands.

5. Motivation comes from vision, not fear.

Ordinary bosses are sure that fear — of being fired, ridiculed, deprived of privileges — is an important component of motivation. As a result, employees and department heads become numb and afraid to make risky decisions.

Great bosses help employees see a better future and the way to be a part of that future. As a result, employees work with more dedication because they believe in the goals of the company, they really enjoy their work and, of course, they know that they will share the reward with the companies.

6. Change Brings Growth, Not Pain

Ordinary bosses view any change as an additional challenge and threat that should be addressed only when the company is on the verge of collapse. They subconsciously undermine change until it’s too late.

Great bosses see change as an essential part of life. They do not value change for the sake of change, but they know that success is possible only if the company’s employees use new ideas and new approaches to business.

7. Technology opens up new possibilities, and not just a tool for automation

Ordinary bosses hold the outdated opinion that IT technologies are needed only to increase control and predictability. They install centralized software solutions that annoy employees.

Outstanding bosses see technology as a way to inspire creativity and improve relationships. They adapt the systems of their back offices to work with smartphones and tablets, because these are the devices people are used to and want to use.

8. Work should be fun, not hard labor

Ordinary bosses are convinced that work is a necessary evil. They sincerely believe that employees hate work, so they subconsciously assign themselves the role of an oppressor, and employees — victims. Everyone behaves accordingly.

Great bosses view work as something that should be enjoyable, so they believe that the main task of a leader is to put people in jobs where they will be truly happy.