Texas Tech Still Looks Like Apple (But Here Are Some Great Points)

Here were a couple of emailed comments from people regarding the “Texas Tech Looks Like Apple to Me” post from a few days ago.

Rusty Rueff, our former HR leader here at EA and an all-around credit to the human race (now that Rusty doesn't work here I can say nice things about him), replied:

I have a different take – the analogies and metaphors we create in business are only there to create a stimulus for discussion, alignment and enthusiasm – not to be taken literally.

Business, when it comes down to it, very seldom strikes the emotional chord that brings us to your best.  Of course there are moments when it happens and when we see the Wal-Mart team doing the cheer on Saturday AM it does bring a tear to your eye but it also conjures those pictures of the Japanese parking lots with hundreds of people doing morning calisthenics. We seem to think that is a little too cultish don’t we?

What we need in business are more leaders who can draw from many areas of life that are varied and to the point of the individual.  It is through parables that the best teacher(s) taught lessons.  Sports are just one example.  Parenting, Religion, Military, Government, Life Mistakes, Literature, Civilization, Films, Music, etc, etc, are all analogies and metaphors we can draw upon.

You can read more of Rusty’s thoughts, along with the insights of his co-author Hank Stringer, on their blog: Talent Partners. Make sure you pick up their book Talent Force – it is a great read (you’ll just have to trust me since it isn’t out yet). And let me just say that one of the coolest business moments I have ever experienced was a meeting with Rusty where I was explaining a particular business problem I was wrestling with and he was able to relate it to battle between objectivism and humanism. You don’t run into people who can intelligently talk philosophy at a business meeting (I should know - I always tell people that I majored in Philosophy in college, but that like John Cleese’s newt in The Holy Grail, I got better).

Allan Schweyer, the leader behind the amazing success of the Human Capital Institute (HCI), wrote:

I loved Moneyball and tend to like sports analogies despite their shortcomings. This one made me think of an organization I've worked with recently, a top Canadian university (see passage appended below). The university recruited a "star" from the U.S. Ivy League to head development (fundraising). She bombed, in my view because fundraising at an Ivy League school is a cakewalk in comparison to fundraising even in the best branded Canadian schools. They should have looked for someone from a tier two university whose "numbers leapt out as positively freakish" (to borrow from Lewis' description of Leach's success at Texas Tech.

The point is, sometimes you have to look a few layers down to find the real metrics and the real reasons for success or failure - the real "market inefficiencies" for talent, and that's what I love about Lewis' stories. Sports simplifies things as you point out, but as long as you keep that in mind, I think there are good lessons and real clarity to be had from these examples.

Allan also found the Michael Lewis article I spoke of for free (thanks Allan!) here.

Overall there seemed to be consensus that that sports analogies serve their purpose. Since my original point was that most people tend to confuse the forest for the trees (they think that business is actually just like sports), I can agree with them without giving up on my point. What a happy world we live in.

And since Allan brought up Moneyball, let me jump on the bandwagon: it is a great book, and very worthwhile for any business professional to read. The point that our beliefs (orthodoxies, dogmas, etc.) get in the way of being able to maximize the value of talent is a great one. Mr. Lewis’ book and article both support this conclusion. And in a country that is obsessed with the “star-system” concept of talent (which of course is completely unsustainable and puts us at a disadvantage against economies where they focus on raising the tide rather than finding a better boat), it is something that we all need to be thinking about.

Thanks to everyone for contributing. And since this will likely be my last post before the New Year – Happy Holidays everyone. And to Bill O’Reily and Stephen Colbert– Merry Xmas.

Comments

[Jer]

i posted:

http://www.talentism.com/business_talent/2005/12/texas_tech_look.html#comment-12138030