Superbosses Research Paper

Sydney Finkelstein says, “workplaces could be transformed from dull, dreary places to powerhouses of innovation. But the stakes are greater than that. Ultimately, more companies may survive if superbosses’ practices become widespread.”

Superbosses, according to Finkelstein, are much better than good managers because they redeem unexpected creativity, engagement, and accomplishment in their teams, generating and regenerating great talent under their supervision. In short, they let people grow under their nourishment.

Finkelstein discussed about the five traits of superbosses, they possess extreme confidence, even fearlessness, they are highly competitive when they want to achieve some goal and furthering their agendas, they have clear vision.

According to research, all three types of superbosses are extraordinary at generating talent, and that’s what ultimately matters. This reminds me of the topic “Leadership in Organizations” by Greenberg, specifically “Transformational leaders”. The behaviour of leaders fully influences the working culture in an organization.

Finkelstein develops what he calls as “Superboss Playbook,” which describes the common habits and practices of world’s greatest talents. It discusses every aspect of superboss and offers suggestions for how regular managers can incorporate some of these behaviors to enhance their management style.

For example, in the chapter on networking, he says to not be afraid of attrition, but consider it inevitable. When employees leave, “be smart: act like a concerned godparent and stay in touch with them.” Ensure that succession plans are in place for all top jobs, and when employees leave, do your best to sustain the bonds that were built while your former employees were still with you. You don’t know how or when opportunities will come up to work together

Even if you have an extremely demanding boss, one who is working all hours of the day and night or who assigns you gargantuan tasks, you are not stressed of working because it is a life changing experience. Just like it is explained by Greenberg in chapter “Motivation in Organization”, people are motivated because of Challenging work and opportunities.

He mentioned superboss is a skill and in the end is a list of questions to train yourself like a superboss, just like the “Skill” mentioned by Greenberg in chapter “Individual Differences”, it can be learned. Some of the questions are: Do you have a specific vision for your work that energizes you, and that you use to energize and inspire your team? How much affection or connection do members of your team feel with one another? What is the balance of competition and collaboration on the team? Do you continue to stay in touch with employees who have left to work elsewhere?

In short, he wants to convey the message that becoming a superboss is not impossible. The superbosses picturised in this book are role model people—those who doesn’t settle for mediocrity in their careers—but there’s no reason why we can’t start to think like a superboss on daily