Superbosses

How Exceptional Leaders Master the Flow of Talent

By: Sydney Finkelstein

Narrated by: Mel Foster

Length: 8 hrs and 31 mins

Publisher's summary

Based on years of research, Sydney Finkelstein, professor at Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth and author of Why Smart Executives Fail, looks at how a select few visionaries develop the most successful talent in every industry

After meeting chef Alice Waters at her legendary restaurant, Chez Panisse, Sydney Finkelstein got to thinking about the dozens of chefs who had come from her establishment to open their own restaurants and gain notoriety as some of the country's most creative culinary figures. Waters, he found, had spawned a family tree of geniuses. Could this pattern exist in other industries?

After years of research, Finkelstein found that similarly powerful mentors did indeed exist across every industry from finance to entertainment to fashion and the arts, and they created a network of superstars in their communities using techniques that are varied and often counterintuitive.

Finkelstein profiles luminaries such as Waters, Lorne Michaels, Miles Davis, Ralph Lauren, Larry Ellison, and Bonnie Fuller. Drawing on fascinating first-person accounts and surprising best practices, Finkelstein explores a phenomenon that has never been researched before and explains how any leader can create a powerful network and nurture extraordinary talent.

©2016 Sydney Finkelstein (P)2016 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved. Recorded by arrangement with Portfolio, an imprint of Penguin Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC.

Loved it

Great ideas for fuyure and current business leaders.. I plan to share with all of my peers

First step in understanding Superbosses

The gist of the book is that Superbosses are a blend of demanding leaders and excellent teachers. If they were simply demanding, they would be successful leaders. If they only guided younger generations, they would be mentors. They are Superbosses because they have developed a lot of successful proteges during their tenure, many of them moving on to becoming successful leaders themselves. There were a few interesting insights about Superbosses, such hiring individuals for their exceptionality not necessarily qualification for a job or randomly talking to employees in the company and getting a fresh perspective. Superbosses encourage both collaboration and competition among employees. This is analogous to coaching a team - everyone needs to work together to win the game but yet at the same time, each person wants to be the best player on the team. The book is more of a collection of success stories than how to be a Superboss or to pick out a Superboss to work for. Using sports as an analogy again, it is easy to pick out the winning teams, find all the commonalities among the coaches, and say this is what it takes to be a winning coach. If only it was that easy....

Better in the second half

Could've been shorter, but a great subject. Obvious first few chapters, but picks up in second half.

Book ok

Book was worth reading for a couple of good concepts and nuggets. Author gets preachy at times trying to convince us of importance of being a super boss. Target audience must have been college students or something like that. Could have cut those portions out would have been shorter

Awesome and helpful

This gave solid examples to use and apply in the everyday. Practical and ideas for everyone.

Just what I needed

As a soon to be owner of a business, I've known how I want to do it and who I want to be for my people. Superbosses has given me clarity and, if you will, "permission" or maybe validation of my ideas around being an owner.
Thanks for a great book and inspiration!

A Must read for anyone in leadership

For those in any Leadership role who want to take it to the next level...

buried lede

author doesn't tell a good story. buries the lead. the sitting , early on, fails to advance concepts aligned with the book's title. just wasn't engaging at the outset.

Political Hack ruined a good theory

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

If the author stayed with the title instead of injecting politics it would have been great. I am okay with the assertion that the author feels Donald Trump is not a superboss and Hillary Clinton is. However, when he dedicates an in-ordinate amount of time to describe Donald Trumps ego, when Trump is not even in his list of superbosses, it is apparent that the author simply wants to be political. It would be the equivalent of me writing a book about the top 20 US chefs, but then spend time tearing someone apart who is not on my list just to grind my axe.

What could Sydney Finkelstein have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Give a heads up that his book is a political statement in disguise.

Have you listened to any of Mel Foster’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

The reader was fine.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Anger because I thought the premise was great and I was looking forward to listening to the whole thing and learning. Keep politics out.

Ordinary

The book is on the wrong side of obvious and the only thing I was able to find for myself is the subdivision of superbosses into three categories. Ok, now you know - no point of listening.