Good2Work - Questions & Situations

Threat of Loss of Control over Company as a Result of Hiring an Outsider CEO

Kate Zakomurnaya — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 19:49:44 +0300

How Sergey Brin and Larry Page hired Erich Schmidt, not wishing to hire anybody at all.

Your Boss Thinks You Don’t Fit for General Manager Position

Kate Zakomurnaya — Sun, 28 Oct 2007 18:27:19 +0300

“Why not me? Why him? I deserve this position more than someone else!” Everyone feels so not being promoted. How to improve the situation? May be to jump into a boss’ car and pound him with your qualification for the job for an hour? Sounds crazy? Jack Welch did it and it worked.

Keeping a Promise When It Turns out to be Much More Difficult Than It Was Supposed to Be

Kate Zakomurnaya — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 17:49:20 +0400

How Jeff Bezos flew to Japan to deliver a customer’s order.

Employee Doesn’t Fit for the Job

Kate Zakomurnaya — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 14:38:22 +0400

How Welch fired people not fit for their jobs.

The Right Person for a Top Position Is Not Interested in the Job

Kate Zakomurnaya — Sun, 21 Oct 2007 13:56:09 +0400

A brilliant candidate does not want to join your going broken company for some reason? Oh, sometimes they are so unbearably capricious. Don’t worry! Lou Gerstner agreed to become the first non-IBMer to claim the executive suite, at the time when most of the candidates felt that resuscitating IBM was next to impossible.

Key Executive Has Turned out to Be Deeply in Debts

Kate Zakomurnaya — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 17:51:53 +0400

How Bill Gates paid a big debt for his executive.

Office Robbery Threatens Business Idea and Manager’s Good Name

Elias Zinenko — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 13:49:00 +0400

To investigate an office robbery is not the most pleasant job for an executive, isn’t it? But Igor Salita preferred not to delegate it to someone else, analyzed every detail and turned out to be armed with sufficient ammunition to defend not only the future prospects of the company, but the reputation of the regional director as well.

Business Cartoons: Lighthearted Look at Leadership

Kate Zakomurnaya — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 19:39:00 +0400

After collecting more than a hundred stories about leaders, we began to think how to systematize them without being boring. Finally we just divided all of them into some small groups of similar situations they describe, and illustrated each group by flash animation. The ideas for animation were born at a series of brainstorming sessions. So please don’t judge us too severe! Just see and enjoy!

Company’s Usual Meetings Are Unproductive and Formal

Kate Zakomurnaya — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 19:06:15 +0400

If you are tired of endless meetings and boring presentations with a lot of buzzwords, you will smile for sure hearing about a game contrived by Art Levinson to prevent culture atrophy at Genentech. gBuzz Bingo: the more buzzwords are said, the more cards’ boxes are checked off. Does not it deserve to be probed at your very next meeting?

Amount of Work Makes the Job Seem Impossible to Be Done

Kate Zakomurnaya — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 21:41:22 +0400

How Rudolph Giuliani learned to start with small things and achieve the larger result.

A Team Groups Around an Informal Leader against Its New Boss

Kate Zakomurnaya — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 10:08:40 +0400

You have no chance to be a real leader if your team thinks that the boss is someone else. No panic! You will have enough time to fire this lucky rascal. But first try to find out if he is really so lucky. Andrey Yanovsky, CEO of Nidan Soki, once managed to put an informal leader in his place without destroying the whole team.

Key Employee Is Firmly Resolved to Leave the Company in Protest

Kate Zakomurnaya — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 08:59:00 +0400

After first big lay-off in Apple a bright young programmer decided to slam the door because his software project partner turned out to be fired. He had only one weak spot – passion for Macintosh. But it was enough for Steve Jobs to rake him and his computer up, put them both in a car and drive them to the date with their real love.

Break up with Close Associate

Kate Zakomurnaya — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 00:17:00 +0400

To get to know about a close peer and friend’s betrayal, to bluff through the crisis, to “drive а wedge” between the evildoer and the team, to fire him without losses, but let the door open for the future. Is it possible in real life? Richard Branson could do it all while running one of his first enterprises.

Career Turning Point of Choosing Between Several Opportunities

Kate Zakomurnaya — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 12:19:00 +0400

Good advice from Pierre Omidyar, eBay founder, who has become a millionaire at the age of 29: “To truly prepare for unexpected, you’ve got to position yourself to keep a couple of options open – so when the door of opportunity opens, you’re close enough to squeeze through.”

The Headquarters Make the Branch Leader Apply a Wrong Solution

Elias Zinenko — Sun, 22 Jul 2007 13:57:18 +0400

How Boris Volpe Had Not Agreed With His Bosses.

Top Manager’s Career Reaches Its Plateau in a Big Corporation

Kate Zakomurnaya — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 16:17:22 +0400

How Andrey Yanovsky moved from a global corporation to a young Russian company.

Important Project to be Launched in the Impossible Short Period of Time

Kate Zakomurnaya — Fri, 25 May 2007 09:18:00 +0400

How Dee Hock “borrowed” bank executives to help launch the card program in impossible short period of time working under clerical employees supervision.

Employees Are Skeptical About You as Their New Boss

Kate Zakomurnaya — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 19:01:28 +0400

Haven't you ever been in a situation - new place of work or a new project - when people around didn't took your expertize and abilities for granted. It is a difficult situation. Lou Gerstner faced it when he made his first steps as the IBM boss.

Successful Hired Manager Career Abandoned in Favor of One’s Own Business

Kate Zakomurnaya — Fri, 13 Apr 2007 10:56:15 +0400

How Jeff Bezos decided to give up his successful career as an employee to start his own business.

Company’s Usual Meetings Are Unproductive and Formal

Kate Zakomurnaya — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 16:01:29 +0400

How Jack Welch broke the cycle of ‘dog-and-pony shows’ at GE.

Outside Analysts Are Not Ready for New Communication Style of Company’s CEO

Kate Zakomurnaya — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 15:57:01 +0400

How Jack Welch turned meetings with Wall Street's analysts into intellectual duels.

Employees are Demoralized by Company’s Bad Management and Performance

Kate Zakomurnaya — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 15:05:01 +0400

How Mary Sammons increased Rite Aid revenues through giving its employees the feeling that they are valued and important.

Employees are Demotivated by Corporate Bureaucracy

Kate Zakomurnaya — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 15:00:46 +0400

How Blake Nordstrom saved family business giving “nice people” the freedom to dump the rules.

Key Employee Has Decided to Leave the Company Feeling Undervalued

Kate Zakomurnaya — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 14:50:16 +0400

How Jack Welch put his superior on trial period and learned about differentiation

Key Employee Can’t Devote Himself to a Job Because of His Family Member Illness

Kate Zakomurnaya — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 14:45:09 +0400

How Lou Gerstner acknowledged the commitment of his close associate through many years.

An Employee is Responsible for a Serious Accident

Maria Pikalova — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 14:41:14 +0400

How Jack Welch being responsible for a serious accident learned about importance of encouragement for an employee who made a mistake.

Promoted Person Appears to Be Wrong for the Job

Kate Zakomurnaya — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 14:34:19 +0400

How Jack Welch promoted the wrong person instead of his friend and was courageous enough to admit and correct the mistake in time.

Team Leader Disregards His Team’s Achievements

Kate Zakomurnaya — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 13:30:26 +0400

How Jack Welch used bad example method to “kick” a top performer when needed.

Employees Uninspired by Leader and Feel Depressed

Kate Zakomurnaya — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 13:26:39 +0400

How Welch advised an ex-consultant Thomas-Graham to let her team see her sweat.

Devoted Employees Won’t Face the Reality

Kate Zakomurnaya — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 13:22:06 +0400

How Jack Welch used his mother’s admonition to save GE’s nuclear reactor business.

The Sales Team Doesn’t Give the Product the Attention It Needs

Kate Zakomurnaya — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 13:03:53 +0400

How Welch pushed the sales team to give the product the attention it needed.

Habitual Management Style Which Worked Before Doesn’t Fit Anymore

Kate Zakomurnaya — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 12:55:18 +0400

How Andy Pearson at age 76 transformed himself into a new kind of boss.

An Expensive Experimental Product Fails a Key Trial

Kate Zakomurnaya — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 12:48:28 +0400

How Art Levinson didn’t give way to panic and produced a billion-dollar-a-year blockbuster.

A Serious Product Flow Directly before the Launch

Kate Zakomurnaya — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 12:28:04 +0400

How Jack Welch by hard work won over product flaw that nearly ruined his career and was promoted.

The Attack of a Serious Competitor in a Critical Period

Kate Zakomurnaya — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 19:17:09 +0400

How Jack Welch put a right person to head GE medical business, and how the dedicated team won over dangerous competitor through extra effort.

You Are Responsible for a Serious Accident That Can Ruin Your Career

Kate Zakomurnaya — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 18:55:56 +0400

How Jack Welch being responsible for a serious accident learned about importance of encouragement for an employee who made a mistake.

The Decision to Promote a Wrong Person Can Ruin Your Career

Kate Zakomurnaya — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 18:53:44 +0400

How Jack Welch promoted the wrong person instead of his friend and was courageous enough to admit and correct the mistake in time.

You Fight for a Higher Position but Your Boss Favors Another Candidate

Kate Zakomurnaya — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 18:42:18 +0400

How Jack Welch won the GE CEO race by doing what he thought was right.

Successful Hired Manager Career Abandoned in Favor of One’s Own Business

Kate Zakomurnaya — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 18:16:22 +0400

How Pierre Omidyar's internet service provider pushed him to make money on his hobby project.

Force Majeur Factor as a Test for Leader’s Qualities in Extreme Circumstances

Kate Zakomurnaya — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 18:10:44 +0400

How Rudolf Giuliani became "America's Mayor" on 9/11/2001.

Force Majeur Factor as a Test for Basic Values

Kate Zakomurnaya — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 18:03:47 +0400

How Sergey Brin and Larry Page solved the problem of Google’s presence in China while trying to stick to their principle “Don't be evil”.

Lack of Knowledge to Develop Business

Kate Zakomurnaya — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 17:58:02 +0400

How “finance for little folks” helped Jack Welch to turn small GE Credit into big GE Capital.

Lack of Resources for Settling Disputes between Clients

Kate Zakomurnaya — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 17:26:40 +0400

How Pierre Omidyar found the most effective way to solve disputes between eBay users.

Lack of Human Resources for Managing the Increasing Number of Clients’ Requests

Kate Zakomurnaya — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 17:18:46 +0400

How Pierre Omidyar hired online character "Uncle Griff" and let community take care of itself.

Lack of Funding for Hobby Project

Kate Zakomurnaya — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 17:10:34 +0400

How Pierre Omidyar's internet service provider pushed him to make money on his hobby project.

Lack of Funding for Start

Kate Zakomurnaya — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 17:05:56 +0400

How Howard Schultz during one year talked to 242 potential investors of his first coffee business and 217 of them said “No”.

Lack of Funding for Growth

Kate Zakomurnaya — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 16:57:28 +0400

How Pierre Omidyar brought money into eBay by hiring the right person as CEO.

Lack of Funding for Growth

Kate Zakomurnaya — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 16:50:52 +0400

How Pierre Omidyar received financial backing from outside investor without writing a business plan.

People Say an Employee is a Misfit but Your Gut Feelings Say He Can Be Useful

Kate Zakomurnaya — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 14:07:29 +0400

How Lou Gerstner supported an employee, who was regarded as a misfit by his colleagues and it payed off.

Talented Employee Leaves Company Feeling That He Could Grow Quicker Elsewhere

Kate Zakomurnaya — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 14:05:00 +0400

How Lou Gerstner decided to leave McKinsey.

A Client Raises Unexpected but Very Important Theme

Kate Zakomurnaya — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 14:02:31 +0400

How Lou Gerstner showed expertise in a matter he never dealt with before.

Lack of Information to Determine Company’s Real Strengths and Weaknesses

Kate Zakomurnaya — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 13:59:48 +0400

How Lou Gerstner used his McKinsey consultant experience to pick the experts' brains.

A Client Doesn’t Accept Your Creative Idea

Kate Zakomurnaya — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 12:27:42 +0400

How Lou Gerstner trusted a young executive from the advertising agency and launched one of the company’s most successful ad campaign.

Highly-Regarded Consultants Advice is Contrary to Your Gut Feeling

Kate Zakomurnaya — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 12:23:47 +0400

How Lou Gerstner disregarded McKinsey's advice and gave junior executive a chance to turn around his problem-ridden division.

A Client Can’t Find Time for Your Presentation

Kate Zakomurnaya — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 12:19:21 +0400

How Lou Gerstner’s strongly worded letter jogged a busy client so that he found time for a meeting.

Legal Mistake Allows Landlord to Take Over Successful Business

Kate Zakomurnaya — Mon, 09 Apr 2007 20:12:14 +0400

How Sam Walton was ‘kicked out of town’ by landlord who wanted to give Walton’s store to his son.

Lack of Facts Needed to Make a Final Decision

Kate Zakomurnaya — Mon, 09 Apr 2007 19:48:56 +0400

How Richard Branson could not get through to a low-price airline and decided to open his own one.

Management Team Can’t Find New Worldwide Name for Major Product

Kate Zakomurnaya — Mon, 09 Apr 2007 18:26:05 +0400

How Dee Hock solved the problem of the new credit card common worldwide name with all his staff help.

An Important Partner Feels Offended and Wants to Leave the Meeting

Kate Zakomurnaya — Mon, 09 Apr 2007 18:18:54 +0400

How Dee Hock convinced an offended important partner to stay at the meeting plunging for him into the ocean.

Threat of Loss of Control over Business after the Company Has Gone Public

Kate Zakomurnaya — Mon, 09 Apr 2007 16:53:52 +0400

How Branson’s Virgin Group went public and then got back private to save the company’s reputation.

Unexpected Collapse of a Company’s Usual Business Due to Force Majeur

Kate Zakomurnaya — Mon, 09 Apr 2007 16:52:27 +0400

How Branson launched Virgin Records as a shop and then as a record lable

Risk to Be Imprisoned and Necessity to Pay a Very Large Sum of Money in a Short Time

Kate Zakomurnaya — Mon, 09 Apr 2007 16:36:58 +0400

How Branson got strongest possible incentive to make his company grow fast.

Making a Decision in a Situation with Hardly Calculated Risk

Kate Zakomurnaya — Mon, 09 Apr 2007 16:35:55 +0400

How Branson appreciated reality show participant’s ability to calculate risk

Impossibility to Break Through on a Monopolized Market

Kate Zakomurnaya — Mon, 09 Apr 2007 16:34:25 +0400

How Branson used himself to put Virgin Atlantic on the map.

Highly Overqualified Person on a Low-level Job

Kate Zakomurnaya — Mon, 09 Apr 2007 16:32:47 +0400

How Branson rewarded many talents of a common record shop clerk.

Physical Disability

Kate Zakomurnaya — Mon, 09 Apr 2007 16:21:42 +0400

What made Branson start his first enterprise and become an entrepreneur.

Loss of a Job

Kate Zakomurnaya — Mon, 09 Apr 2007 16:11:39 +0400

How Andy Grove met a man who learned to manage his own career.

Costly Project Heading to a Dead-End on an Advanced Phase

Kate Zakomurnaya — Mon, 09 Apr 2007 16:07:02 +0400

How Bill Gates learned to be alert to bad news.

Management Team Prevents a Company from Much Needed Radical Change

Kate Zakomurnaya — Mon, 09 Apr 2007 10:54:45 +0400

How Andy Grove changed half of his management team to lead Intel in a new direction.

Threat of Loss of Control over Business after the First Big Outside Investment

Kate Zakomurnaya — Mon, 09 Apr 2007 10:47:04 +0400

How Sergey Brin and Larry Page retained control over Google after first big outside investment.

There is No Ready Product to Impress a Star Candidate from the Big Rival

Kate Zakomurnaya — Mon, 09 Apr 2007 10:40:25 +0400

How Steve Jobs hired a star salesman from IBM just showing him a monitor stand.

Key Executive Wants to Quit Because of Unfair IPO Money Distribution

Kate Zakomurnaya — Mon, 09 Apr 2007 10:36:51 +0400

How Steve Jobs had to come down with money to retain a key executive.

Lack of Funding for Making a Breakthrough

Kate Zakomurnaya — Mon, 09 Apr 2007 10:32:46 +0400

How Steve Jobs talked Bill Gates into investing in Apple.

Petty Breach of Company’s Corporate Culture Principles

Kate Zakomurnaya — Fri, 06 Apr 2007 18:00:34 +0400

How Bill Hewlett cut the padlock off the lab stock door on a HP plant.

Burning Business Necessity Probes the Company’s Basic Values

Kate Zakomurnaya — Fri, 06 Apr 2007 17:58:02 +0400

How Page and Brin changed Web ads completely but stuck to their principles.

Mutual Corporate Culture (Dress-code) Misunderstanding

Kate Zakomurnaya — Fri, 06 Apr 2007 17:54:56 +0400

How IBM executives met with Bill Gates for the first time.

The Attack of a Serious Competitor Three Days Before IPO

Kate Zakomurnaya — Fri, 06 Apr 2007 17:37:35 +0400

How Jeff Bezos responded to the rival attack three days before Amazon went public.

The Arrogance of Well-Established Service Provider Towards a Young Company as a Client

Kate Zakomurnaya — Fri, 06 Apr 2007 17:32:15 +0400

How Steve Jobs made young Apple a client of the high-statured ad agency.

Board Does Not Want to See the Company’s Informal Leader as CEO

Kate Zakomurnaya — Fri, 06 Apr 2007 17:24:58 +0400

How Jobs enticed the president of PepsiCo to become his CEO of Apple.

Hiring a Key Person for the Risky and Costly Urgent New Project

Kate Zakomurnaya — Fri, 06 Apr 2007 17:21:19 +0400

How Steve Jobs hired the key man for the iPod project.

Boss Tries to Make New Employee Fulfil Humiliating Errands

Kate Zakomurnaya — Fri, 06 Apr 2007 17:17:08 +0400

How Dee Hock dug in the garbage cans to find a lost deposit.

Business Owner Refuses to Share Profit as He Promised Hiring the Manager

Kate Zakomurnaya — Fri, 06 Apr 2007 17:11:10 +0400

How Dee Hock acted when the owner did not keep his word and refused to share profit.

Successful Manager Gets Tired of Corporate Bureaucracy and Decides to Retreat to Family

Kate Zakomurnaya — Fri, 06 Apr 2007 17:00:41 +0400

How Dee Hock took up “retirement on the job”.

Key Manager Wants to Devote Himself to Big Risky Project in Public Interest

Kate Zakomurnaya — Fri, 06 Apr 2007 16:26:01 +0400

How Dee Hock’s boss let him work full tme in the public interest retaining his position as VP with all the bank’s resources at his disposal.

Troubles with Office Machines Make Impossible Finishing Work in Time in a Usual Way

Kate Zakomurnaya — Fri, 06 Apr 2007 15:17:00 +0400

How Dee Hock saw spontaneous order emerged out of chaos fighting at crisis night with office machines.