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The best way to guarantee lots of media exposure is to be successful and in some way on the bleeding edge of your market—two feats that Google has managed since its inception.

Although it recently blew away its financial nay-sayers the media seems to grab for anything that looks like a weakness and pundits love nothing better than taking a poke at a high-flyer.

This is expecially true when high-profile employees leave, which they do no matter how great the company—it’s a personal thing—people get restless, annoyed, bored, follow their friends. Then there’s change—change that messes with people’s comfort zones because stuff is different.

CEO Eric Schmidt’s comment when asked about those leaving helps put things in perspective, “Let’s do some math. We have 18,000 people. What is 1% turnover [per month]? 180. Do you think 1% turnover is reasonable? In this area, it’s quite low. Ours is some small percent, 1, 2, 3%.

What bothers me is that some people write: “So-and-so left the company.” Well, they don’t also write that we hired 120 people that week, five of whom have Nobel prizes, three of whom have PhDs, and so on, who are beginning their career here now.”

Whereas most companies tightly control IT, Google keeps it’s people happy by giving them as much choice as possible in technology.

CIO Douglas Merrillsays, “Google’s model is choice. We let employees choose from a bunch of different machines and different operating systems, and [my support group] supports all of them. It’s a little bit less cost-efficient — but on the other hand, I get slightly more productivity from my [Google’s] employees.”

Other companies, not just technology, take heed. A wave of that could easily turn into a tusami fueled by Millennials and iPod lovers are agitating for and getting Macs in the workplace—an effort not instigated by Apple.

Considering how much money companies spend on incresing productivity and improving retention catering a bit on tech issues seems like a no-brainer.

How open are you/your company to choice?

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Are you tired of the Chinese deficit,
do you want to see less of it?
Are you waiting for the Feds to fix it
when you have the power to nix it?

When you shop to avoid that sin
check the country of origin,
or if you must, buy second hand
at garage sales, thrift stores or Aunt Pam.

Best trick yet, join the boycott that’s brewing
from 6/4 to 7/4 that people are doing.
If just one third of us avoid a hundred bucks of Chinese goods
it’ll kick a billion dollar hole in our trade deficit woods.

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“When asked if Google’s strategy would change as the economy heads into a likely recession, Schmidt replied: “What recession? Innovation has nothing to do with downturns. A hot product will sell just as well in a recession as it will in a nonrecession…by what degree we can get people to substitute [our product] for the other. The strong companies understand this, and during a recession, they invest.”

Google’s vaunted innovation culture is always talked about in terms of catered food and in-house massages, but those and similar perks aren’t what continues to attract and retain the best and brightest.

The real key is Google’s own variation of the 80/20 rule.

In Google’s case, the 80% is the work time that people owe Google, while the 20% is the time they have to work on their own ideas. “It means the managers can’t screw around with the employees beyond some limit. I believe that this innovation escape-valve model is applicable to essentially every business that has technology as a component.”

It works, because no matter how far on or off-the-wall, “The No. 1 thing we do require is: You can do whatever you want as long as you track it.” Further the focus need to fit, “We make an explicit decision to favor the end-user. [We] do not say, “Newspapers should be happy. Advertisers should be happy. Telcos should be happy. Competitors should be happy.” Those are fine if we can do it. But it’s all about end-users.”

Just how earth-shattering are the results of the 20%? How about Google’s entry into cloud computing?

What started as one programmer’s idea to teach the next generation of students how “to work—and to dream—on a vastly larger scale” morphed into cloud computing using the enormous muscle available in Google’s global hardware.

Finally, Schmidt doesn’t believe that innovation is “managed.” “You have to have a set of necessary conditions for innovation to occur. To start with, you have to listen to people…Innovation comes from places that you don’t expect.”

What does your company do to foster innovation?

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“The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects the wind; the realist adjusts the sails” — Anonymous

I love this quote and would love to know who really said it.

I’ve been telling people for years that no matter how much they want to change something and how hard they’re willing to work to do it they still need to deal with the reality of now.

There are many things that I disagree with or plain don’t like in the world I inhabit, but I have no magic wand to wave to change them, nor do I have the energy to fight for all of them.

I choose my battles and work to change the ones that are most important to my MAP.

I teach myself to function within the existing reality because railing against them merely wastes my energy, while ignoring the important (to me) ones offends my psyche.

How do you handle your world?

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After all this talk about the need for managers to possess strong leadership traits, I have another question for you.

According to Warren Bennis’ list, a leader

• innovates;
• is an original;
• develops;
• focuses on people;
• inspires;
• investigates reality;
• long-range perspective;
• asks what and why;
• eye on the horizon;
• originates;
• challenges the status quo;
• is his own person;
• does the right thing.

What percentage of these traits is possessed by the people you see who are termed leaders?

“Influence” has become the hallmark of leadership. What percentage of these traits is possessed by those around you who influence?

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This is a summing up in a series discussing whether Warren Bennis’ 13 differences between leaders and managers still holds in light of today’s modern workforce.

In a comment on the prequel to this series Phil Gerbyshak said, “I agree wholeheartedly that great managers have BOTH qualities…though I know plenty of average managers who don’t have either. I’d like it required that managers have at least one half of Bennis’ qualities in order to lead a team. Is that too much to strive for?”

On day one Nii said, “Regarding the differences between a manager and a leader, I believe that the gap is closing between the two. In today’s global and technologically advanced world, managers still need to have the leadership qualities to succeed. They need to be able to take risks, inspire, innovate and challenge conventional thinking. Otherwise, they will be history.”

Day four Fred commented, “I believe to be a successful manager in today’s new work environment managers must posses the skills to be effective leaders and coaches in team oriented “open door” environments. Young employees entering the work force from High School or College do not possess the same work ethics of baby boomer’s. If managers attempt to train this new work force using the same tactics as we did in the past retention will suffer greatly. It is truly a kinder and gentler world we live in.”

I’m in passionate agreement with the consensus that managers need to marshal many so-called leadership skills if they plan to succeed today.

In a world where multiple job changes are both easy and acceptable the currency that buys loyalty isn’t money, rather it’s achieved by creating an environment that stimulates and satisfies each individual’s needs.

Finally, in a sister post over at Slacker Manager Nick McCormick says, “Too much is made of the difference between managers and leaders. I think we do it to make ourselves seem more important. “I’m a leader, not a lowly manager!””

Amen, Nick. While management is what you do, leadership is the way you think. Great management is composed of equal parts leadership and accountability. True leaders are proclaimed as such by those around them, not by themselves.

The best way to find success is to work constantly at incorporating as many to Bennis’ 26 traits as possible into your skillset and your MAP (mindset, attitude, philosophy™) and stop worrying about what you’re called.

What are your thoughts?

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Today is the the final difference between leaders and managers as delineated by Warren Bennis, then tomorrow we wrap up the question with an overview of the two roles in the light of today’s modern workforce.

The manager does things right; the leader does the right thing.

Great sound bite, but I think it’s both meaningless and insulting. Ignoring the fact that ‘the right thing’ is situational, why is doing it strictly the purview of leaders? Does doing the wrong thing correctly make it OK?

What do you think?

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This is the fifth in a series discussing whether Warren Bennis’ 13 differences between leaders and managers still holds in light of today’s modern workforce.

The manager has his or her eye always on the bottom line; the leader has his or her eye on the horizon.

In today’s global workplace managers who concentrate exclusively on bottom lines and forget to look up are likely to trip and fall, just as leaders who don’t keep and eye on the bottom line may find themselves out on their bottoms.

The manager imitates; the leader originates.

What’s the manager imitating? The leader, in order to achieve her vision? How would that work. Can anyone imitate another and still be seen as authentic? If a manager could successfully imitate Steve Jobs, Jeff Immelt or Sam Palmisano wouldn’t that person morph into being a leader—who was also a manger?

What do you think?

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This is the fourth in a series discussing whether Warren Bennis’ 13 differences between leaders and managers still holds in light of today’s modern workforce.

The manager has a short-range view; the leader has a long-range perspective.

If a manager truly focused only on the next few days, weeks, or even months he would have little chance of challenging/developing his people, driving innovation and productivity in the department/group/team, or any of the myriad of things that most managers are responsible for in today’s world. Further, without a decent understanding relative to his position of the company’s long-range plans how can he manage efficiently.

The manager asks how and when; the leader asks what and why.

That may be true of a manger who follows blindly, but considering how often rank and file employees at all levels, especially knowledge workers, demand to know why they are doing something as well as why they’re doing it a certain way a manager who doesn’t ask those questions is probably in big trouble.

What do you think?

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Not all innovation yields the next big thing, nor is that necessary to be a success, but entrepreneurs who can see around corners should be careful to whom they listen. If their experts/advisors can only see ahead, no matter how far, the revolution won’t happen.

“A cookie store is a bad idea. Besides, the market research reports say America likes crispy cookies, not soft and chewy cookies like you make.” –Response to Debbi Fields’ idea of starting Mrs. Fields’ Cookies.

“The concept is interesting and well-formed, but in order to earn better than a ‘C,’ the idea must be feasible.” –Yale University management professor in response to Fred Smith’s paper proposing reliable overnight delivery service. (Smith went on to found Federal Express Corp.)

Of course, the entrepreneur’s vision may be totally inaccurate, too.

“I think there is a world market for maybe five computers.” –Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM, 1943

What off-base predictions have you heard?

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