Lenovo CEO Distributes His Bonus - Wanna Bet What's Happening in HR ?
Really great leadership is more inspiration than mandate, which is why it's unusual. When I read or am captured into a discussion about management and leadership, the orientation is about execution (in almost all the possible uses of that word). Against this tactical perspective, there is a growing embrace for relationship management as crucial to the balance of every compex organization. It's about building trust and lowering the cost of every negotiated transaction and hand-off. If I can trust someone to deliver their report by the end of the week, I can concentrate on my responsibilities, without distraction.
Creating a culture of trust is a tough job. So, it's incredibly inspirational that Yang Yuanqing passed over his 3 Million dollar bonus to about a third of the company, through a "Yuanqing Special Reward." It sounds as though he took his bonus and rewarded others that were also producing exemplary work. The term I know for someone who acts like that to those that surround him is "mensch."
Michael Krigsman for IT Project Failures notes the value of being a mensch, looking for opportunities to enrich others. He cites a conversation that Guy Kawasaki had with Bruna Martinuzzi, and notes eleven rules. Yuanqing took the tenth rule to the limit:
Resolve to become a philanthropist of know-how. What knowledge, expertise or best practices can you share with colleagues, customers and other stakeholders as a way to enrich them?
Being a mensch is not really the same thing as taking leadership up a notch. It's good, and a time proven strategy for creating confidence, though, but it needs to be institutionalized. Carrying this model forward are new developments in social psychology and relationship management. Probably the leading advocates for promoting the benefits of relationship management would be Charles Green, and his crew at Trusted Advisor. It's great stuff, and I believe it to be effective.
Back to Yuanqing's benevolance: is it a reflection of his character, or a new institutional direction ? My guess is that the increase in Lenovo worker productivity will have a good run this year.
Hm. I wonder what Michael Dell is thinking about all of this ?
For years it seemed that every vendor could have manuals, missives, and tomes stacked at the local Borders--except for the anemic showing of Lotus Domino. IBM would point to the ocassional RedBook (again, never seen on a booksellers shelf). And now ? Well, my local Borders is closing, RedBooks have been replaced by up-to-date wikis and PACKT Publishing is on a tear with the coolest in technology, including Lotus.




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