Good People

Book excerpt: "Based on the viral Harvard Business Review article, bestselling author Anthony Tjan argues that leaders have a new imperative: you must have competent people on your team--but more importantly, they must also be of high character. As a leader you need to help develop and mentor for character further. Until now, we have only had ways of assessing competency in business, but we must also have the tools to help us judge, develop, and lead good people. Author of the bestsellingHearts, Smarts, Guts and Luckand venture capitalist Anthony Tjan offers insight into and a methodology for developing character, first in yourself and in those around you. Good people are your organization's most important competitive advantage. We all know that finding good people is difficult, as being good on paper doesn't always translate to being good in practice. While competence is necessary, Tjan argues that "goodness" is just as crucial as what's on a resume--and that a fantastic resume can never compensate for mediocre character. Yet most people who are in the business of finding and developing good people still focus on the "what" more than the "who" of the individuals surrounding them. Tjan writes that character is a lifelong proactive commitment that, like any skill, can be exercised, honed, and developed. Only when leaders learn to develop these qualities in themselves and others will great and lasting change take place throughout an organization. Good Peopleestablishes a new understanding of goodness--a word we use frequently in business without always understanding what we mean. Tjan also profiles "good people" who are extraordinary leaders and motivators in their fields, providing insights from Tony Hsieh of Zappos, Beth Comstock of GE, Dominic Barton of McKinsey, author Deepak Chopra, M.D., Dean Nitin Nohria of Harvard Business School, Army General (ret.) Stanley McChrystal, jazz pianist Herbie Hancock, and a range of everyday unsung heroes. Packed with practical, often surprising advice, Good Peopleshows that the most transformative changes in business and life come down to the people we choose, and who choose us, and the values of goodness we have in common"--