Google Tried To Prove That Mid-Level Leaders Didn’t Matter. They Were Wrong.
Many of you have seen the study that Google launched called Project Oxygen, to prove that the quality of a manager didn’t impact a team’s performance. Their hypothesis was that some of Google’s mid-level managers and leaders are, “at best, a necessary evil, and at worst, a layer of bureaucracy” -- the study was supposed to help Google move towards a flat organizational structure without any managers.
But in the end, you can guess what the research proved: Manager were an absolutely critical driver to effective teams and performance. Teams with great managers were happier and more productive. Google then went to identify the behaviors used to determine what made great managers (Leaders) so awesome. Here are their results:
Be a good coach.
Empower teams and don’t micromanage.
Create an inclusive team environment, showing concern for success and well-being.
Be productive and results oriented.
Be a good communicator -- listen and share information.
Have a clear vision/strategy for the team.
Support career development and discuss performance.
Have the expertise to advise the team.
Collaborate.
Be a strong decision maker.
Bottom line -- it’s all about Leadership. And this is the fundamental belief for us at MilSpec Capital.
Our team focuses on matching exceptional mid-career Veterans, with industry experience and proven Leadership foundation, to key Management/Operator positions for our Employers. We believe that military Veterans are a select group of people who are not only incredibly capable and experienced, but have had the mindset to voluntarily put themselves in harm’s way to protect others. They are defenders who are willing to personally sacrifice their own comfort and safety for the benefit of the greater good.
What organization cannot benefit immensely from having Leaders with this mindset?
But because we know that not all Veterans are created equal, and that there are those who may be a better fit for various types of Leadership positions, we screen our Veteran candidates thoroughly for job & culture fit. Our ‘secret sauce’ is that we measure each of our candidates against our Five Tenets of Leadership factors, largely inspired by Professor Harry Kraemer’s From Values to Action.
Our core belief is that Veterans who live these Tenets of Leadership will demonstrate the behaviors that Google’s research team described above, if not more. These values enable a Leader to continually seek self-improvement while focusing on his strengths. They are the foundations for what the Veteran is rooted on, to live a Servant Leader lifestyle.
We assess our candidates against these Tenets through one-on-one video interviews and also 360 degree reference checks of peers, subordinates, and managers. These are our Five Tenets:
Self-awareness- does the Veteran know and live her values and understand how she fits into an organization as a corporate Leader?
Balance- does the Veteran have the ability to see multiple facets of any given situation and invite differing point-of-views to gain holistic understanding?
True Self-confidence- does the Veteran know and accept herself as she is -- to understand her strengths and weaknesses, and how to address her blind-spots?
Genuine Humility- does the Veteran remember her humble beginnings to then appreciate every individual and treat others respectfully?
Grit- does the Veteran have a ‘never surrender’ attitude to accomplish the mission despite unexpected outcomes?
How do you measure up to our Five Tenets?
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MilSpec Capital is a boutique Operator Search Group that connects High-Impact Veterans to our client companies in various industries. Our Veterans typically have 5-15 years of private sector experience, in addition to their successful track record of Leadership.
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