Saturday, June 30, 2007

What I'm reading: The G quotient

From Kirk Snyder's The G Quotient: Why gay exectuvies are excelling as leaders... and what every manager needs to know:
Snyder presents reseach on traits the best gay executives use in their daily work. The book contains leadership tips for any sexual orientation, including:
  • Knowledge + Interconnection = Employee Empowerment
  • Types of motivation: Achievement, authority and power, affiliation
  • Inclusion affects both personal and professional relationships: employees wonder "What is the organization committed to and how do I fit in?" "How do these commitments apply to the daily processes of my work?" "Is my work making a difference?"
  • Creativity with concepts, possibilities, and people
  • Adaptability and ability to work with ambiguity, nonconformity, and flexibility
  • Connectivity through external networking and internal awareness
  • Communication: listening to all organizational levels in an ethical manner
  • Intuition or perceptual intelligence as a business skill
  • Creating a professional community through collaboration
These skills are said to come from gay men "survival skills" including: adaptability, intuitive communication, and creative problem solving. A key message of this book is that quality of life and personal skills outside of the workplace contribute to workplace engagement and performance. Snyder suggests inclusion is profitable, happiness matters, mistakes can lead to innovation, and employees need to own their jobs. He closes with 10 things every manager should know about G Quotient Leadership:
  1. G Quotient leadership is both objective and subjective.
  2. G Quotient leadership focuses on the processes of work rather than the final product.
  3. G Quotient leadership models a systems approach to management.
  4. G Quotient leadership places value on experiential learning.
  5. G Quotient leadership focuses on the present.
  6. G Quotient leaders are still in the trenches.
  7. G Quotient leaders manage inspiration.
  8. G Quotient leaders focus on positive employee characteristics.
  9. G Quotient leaders run their organizations like entrepreneurs.
  10. G Quotient leaders understand and value themselves.

Mood: working working

No comments: