Teema 9. Two well known IT managers with different types of management (leader, communicator, coach)
For this week's topics i will take two well known IT bosses from the same company: Microsoft. Steve Ballmer who was CEO of Microsoft from 2000 to 2014 and Satya Nadella who is current CEO since 2014.
While don't have the privilege to know them personally, will base my blog post on their public image and corresponding wiki articles:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Ballmer
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satya_Nadella
You cannot be appointed as a CEO of the world's leading IT company without being an lvl80 in pretty much all management traits and styles:
- be leader, when required to drive the team forward, be a coach to get the whole team to pull as one, be drive agent is needed constantly when pressured by developing technologies. So undoubtedly both Ballmer and Nadella have excelled in using all management styles at once. But nonetheless they also have their own unique and favorite styles.
Ballmer
Charismatic and energetic (even to the point of needing a doctors intervention to fix his vocal chords) presentations of Steve Ballmer are inseparable from his personality. It could have been one separate, staged occurrence, but over the years Ballmer did his famous shouting and clapping appearances time and time again, attaining much success and tons of viral videos and memes. You cannot fake it so many times. It is who he is.
Undoubtedly Ballmer falls under a types of:
- Leader - replacing Bill Gates having and implementing own and different vision of the MS future is clearly a sign of a Leader.
- Communicator - from ability to deliver in one catchy sentence the benefits of MS product to ability to communicate to ten-thousand fold MS workforce his vision of MS - great communicator.
- Change Agent - when MS stagnated in separate and competing engineering silos organised by Gates, Ballmer upon becoming a CEO changed that and led to more open and innovative culture in MS.
- Power Broker - if the 14 year president and CEO of the world's largest IT company (at that time) is not an exemplary Power Broker figure, then who else?
Nadella
In his 6 years so far as CEO, we already can see many same strong features characterizing Nadella as one of the strongest leaders in IT industry. Bold decisions, strategic vision, excellent financial results and humble appearance, all but last make him very similar to Ballmer.
- Leader, Communicator, Change Agent - Nadella have proven in six years as CEO his leadership, communication and Change agent management styles are used and well practiced.
- Coach - his approach to Microsoft partnerships with free-software is making him absolutely different form Ballmer's and this drives and motivates his teams towards self development even more.
- Mentor - as Nadella coming from electrical engineering and cloud computing background, being not only a strong manager, but very skilled technical professional - he commands an authority based not only on the strength of his position, but also on a depth of his knowledge. Essential for the Mentor.
Two different CEO's. One Company. Many challenges ahead.
Personally I like Nadella approach more, as more productive and long term oriented.
Although you simply cannot argue about Ballmer's energy and drive - click for Youtube video
While don't have the privilege to know them personally, will base my blog post on their public image and corresponding wiki articles:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Ballmer
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satya_Nadella
You cannot be appointed as a CEO of the world's leading IT company without being an lvl80 in pretty much all management traits and styles:
- be leader, when required to drive the team forward, be a coach to get the whole team to pull as one, be drive agent is needed constantly when pressured by developing technologies. So undoubtedly both Ballmer and Nadella have excelled in using all management styles at once. But nonetheless they also have their own unique and favorite styles.
Ballmer
Charismatic and energetic (even to the point of needing a doctors intervention to fix his vocal chords) presentations of Steve Ballmer are inseparable from his personality. It could have been one separate, staged occurrence, but over the years Ballmer did his famous shouting and clapping appearances time and time again, attaining much success and tons of viral videos and memes. You cannot fake it so many times. It is who he is.
Undoubtedly Ballmer falls under a types of:
- Leader - replacing Bill Gates having and implementing own and different vision of the MS future is clearly a sign of a Leader.
- Communicator - from ability to deliver in one catchy sentence the benefits of MS product to ability to communicate to ten-thousand fold MS workforce his vision of MS - great communicator.
- Change Agent - when MS stagnated in separate and competing engineering silos organised by Gates, Ballmer upon becoming a CEO changed that and led to more open and innovative culture in MS.
- Power Broker - if the 14 year president and CEO of the world's largest IT company (at that time) is not an exemplary Power Broker figure, then who else?
Nadella
In his 6 years so far as CEO, we already can see many same strong features characterizing Nadella as one of the strongest leaders in IT industry. Bold decisions, strategic vision, excellent financial results and humble appearance, all but last make him very similar to Ballmer.
- Leader, Communicator, Change Agent - Nadella have proven in six years as CEO his leadership, communication and Change agent management styles are used and well practiced.
- Coach - his approach to Microsoft partnerships with free-software is making him absolutely different form Ballmer's and this drives and motivates his teams towards self development even more.
- Mentor - as Nadella coming from electrical engineering and cloud computing background, being not only a strong manager, but very skilled technical professional - he commands an authority based not only on the strength of his position, but also on a depth of his knowledge. Essential for the Mentor.
Two different CEO's. One Company. Many challenges ahead.
Personally I like Nadella approach more, as more productive and long term oriented.
Although you simply cannot argue about Ballmer's energy and drive - click for Youtube video
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