The Hallmarks of a Great Boss

Great 4 minute video of Stanford professor and author Bob Sutton discussing the proper level of involvement of a manager:

http://venturebeat.com/2010/11/26/the-hallmarks-of-a-great-boss/

A key point is that the level of involvement and the approach has to be appropriate for the task and the people involved (their level of experience, preferences regarding work environment, etc.)

The entire 58 minute talk is here: http://ecorner.stanford.edu/authorMaterialInfo.html?mid=2564

The Art of the Quick Phone Call

Mark Suster has written a really useful blog post called The Art of the Quick Phone Call.

The main points are:

1. You can start informally with banter (but not too much)
2. Let them know why you’re calling
3. Don’t hang yourself (by droning on without giving them a chance for feedback)
4. Ask questions
5. Know what “the ask” is (only one)
6. Stick to your budgeted time – maybe less