I am an ardent reader of the Politico Playbook blog by Mike Allen. It always provides a quick and insightful look at the world of politics.
In the most recent Playbook blog Mike Allen referenced a recent Elle magazine article on the 10 most powerful women in Washington DC.
One profile was on Kim Kingsley, POLITICO chief operating officer. Kingsley began her career as a journalist. She had reached a supposed career peak by joining the prestigious The Washington Post – a goal many journalists aspire to. In 2006 she left The Washington Post and took a major career risk by joining a little Internet start-up called Politico. By 2010—at only 30 years old¬—she was their Chief Operating Officer.
When asked her view on how to lead the extremely talented people working at Politico Kim Kingsley said that "There's no one-size-fits-all approach to managing our talent” and shared three very simple but insightful rules on how to manage talented people
Always be direct
Smart people respect someone who is direct and clear with their communication. They appreciate objective feedback that gets to the point and is clear and concise with no room for ambiguity
Remember an idea is just an idea unless it's implemented correctly
Talented people are great idea generators – this can happen in a creative or technical environment. A great leader is one that can marshal this creativity into action that makes a difference
Never settle for pretty good - demand great
Being a leader can be challenging when it comes to pushing for excellence with your team. By demanding great you can meet resistance, turnover, and dislike amongst your team. A great leader accepts this challenge – sees the bigger picture – and drives their organization forward.
This sums up the three simple yet insightful rules on how to manage the talented people on your team.
At The Frontier Group – an OI Global Partner company – we work with organizations frequently on executive coaching assignments to help their leaders learn to practice smart leadership practices like that of Kim Kingsley at Politico.
Contact us at (770) 455 – 1244 or patl@frontiergroupusa.com to learn more.
