REPOST: Why Bad People Make The Best Leaders

According to this article from Forbes, effective leaders are less like Santa Claus, but based on reality. Read more below:

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Want to build a great leader? Don’t start with a good person. Start with a bad person–then chisel, sandpaper and polish as necessary.

Most of the modern leadership development industry is based on a myth. It’s a feel-good myth, spread by consultants and academics and “gurus,” about how the best leaders are collaborative, compassionate, empathetic and free of most defects of character.

But it’s false. The best human beings are collaborative, compassionate, empathetic and free of most defects of character. But the best leaders usually are not.

By “best leaders,” I’m talking mainly about people who consistently show the ability to get things done—the ability to sell others on an idea, the ability to take them in new directions, the ability to talk their way out of a jam, the ability to come back from a setback, and so on.

When will we admit it? Effective leaders are less like Santa Claus handing out gifts, less like Mother Teresa blessing sick people, and more like Kobe Bryant coolly sticking a dagger into the heart of an opponent as he drops a three-point buzzer beater to win a tight game.

I saw a column in another publication this morning that captured the modern management myth in all its naïve purity. It was a listicle offering signs of bad leadership—and it included the usual suspects like lack of empathy, bossiness and lack of humility.

Yet then why do we hail the Steve Jobs and the Bill and Hillary Clintons of modernity and the Caesars of antiquity? Their management styles and personalities are often the opposite of what the gurus preach.

The key question is this: If your organization is looking for a strong leader who can really get things done, can you afford to take a chance on the idealized notion that the gurus preach? Or you do you have to admit that you may need someone who has rough and unpleasant edges?

Most management consultants have nice ideas about what it would look like to build the perfect leader from scratch, from warm and fuzzy emotions and kind ingredients. But the influential book Cradles of Eminence revealed years ago that most big-stage leaders had unhappy childhoods. That unhappiness fuels the desire to “make a dent in the universe,” to use the words of Steve Jobs. That unhappiness also fuels the nasty streak that lets them get things done—and that nasty streak is always a mixed blessing.

Also, these leaders’ legacies are always more complicated than we pretend. There are disappointments and hurt feelings and near-disasters along the way. Indeed, big-time leaders usually need a certain amount of luck to retire with their reputations intact.

To the extent that management consultants (like myself) have anything to offer to the discussion of leadership, it’s our ability to challenge strong leaders to build a little humanity into their leadership practice, for their own long-term happiness and for the well-being of their organizations. It’s our ability to remind them that being too determined to put a dent in the universe may well put a dent in the lives of people around them.

But ultimately to build a good leader, you perhaps have to build on a foundation of “bad” qualities—that classic nasty competitive streak, excessive risk-taking, dangerous stubbornness and so on. And then you try to add in the restraint, the wisdom, the compassion and the other qualities that keep leaders from racing off a cliff in their zeal.

That notion of leadership is quite different from what most management gurus are trying to sell you. But at least it’s based on reality, as revealed from ancient times to our own.

The Bertrand Management Group specializes in business coaching. To know more about its work, like this Facebook page.

Doing business: Does the plan include actually having a business plan?

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Among financial advisors, whether or not to develop a business plan is a much debated topic. Some analysts think that creating a plan and actually implementing it are two different concepts, and business owners should place more focus on the actual implementation rather than the design. From their perspective, too much time is spent crafting lengthy proposals that sound and look nice but have no real substance. Still, there is a great number of analysts who highly recommend building a business plan to new companies.

The importance of a business plan seems obvious, but there are more reasons it should be done. A few of them are the following:

Learning how to deal with displacement: Defined simply, displacement is understanding the "what-ifs" of the plan. This is where the business owner takes into account the effects of pursuing action A compared to action B; and knowing that by doing action A, actions C and D will not be done. There is a certain amount of forecasting required here, and this cause-and-effect analysis is crucial to any developing business.

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Understanding tax obligations: Business plans are very detailed and include such information as the number of expected employees, targeted business alliances, etc. These proposals require a basic understanding of tax.

The important thing to remember is that business plans are just that, plans. They should be used to guide and set specific objectives for the company. There is always the danger of overthinking and there are plans that are not implemented because of too much detail. However, this should not prevent companies from starting one. It is still generally believed that caution is better than just blindly running the race.

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Bertrand Management Group has helped hundreds of businesses achieve structure through proper business planning. Learn more about sound business plans by visiting this Facebook page.

REPOST: 5 Tips to Supporting a Connected Workforce

With the pervasive effect of technology today, experts from Asure Software advises that companies utilize this in order to maximize employee mobility. Read more tips from this article featured on Mobile Enterprise.

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Managers and business leaders who still rely on spreadsheets, forms and manual process (despite the pervasive use of smartphones, tablets, laptops etc.) may need help to realize how to enhance workforce agility, productivity and engagement—while optimizing their organization's workforce spend and improving profits. Asure Software offers 5 tips to better mobility.

"Progressive organizations are seeing many strategic operational advantages, even imperatives, to leverage technologies in new and better ways for enhanced workforce agility and productivity, while enabling managers and business leaders to track employees more effectively, protect profit loss related to time fraud, and accurately plan and manage staffing," said Steven Rodriguez, Asure Software COO, who outlined these tips:

1. Automate processes: Timecards, paper timesheets submitted to supervisors in-person or via fax, work schedules posted on bulletin boards, PTO forms left in a manager’s in-box—these are all things of the past. Today's user-friendly TLM systems consolidate these processes online, eliminating issues with illegible entries, lost or misplaced forms, data re-entry errors and duplication of efforts, and the risk of manual errors that can occur in this process, and help organizations manage regulatory compliance requirements that are prone to costly errors. And, all data is processed and reported in real-time, eliminating delays and guesswork.

2. Leverage employees’ personal technologies: Most workers are highly connected to technology 24x7 via their own mobile devices, meaning nearly all are "agile workers" to varying degrees. Enabling them to access work systems via their own familiar technologies helps to enhance their engagement and work satisfaction. Organizations can leverage employees' connectivity and help to make their lives easier and more efficient by enabling them to conduct self-service tasks online, such as checking PTO balances, submitting schedule availability or timesheets, searching and signing up for extra shifts, etc. at their convenience.

3. Move to the cloud: Cloud-based TLM solutions free employees from the office walls and work, enabling them to access scheduling systems at their convenience with their own technologies. Using the Cloud also ensures that all employees throughout the organization, regardless of their location, are using the same technology—a key benefit for organization whose employees are increasingly mobile and global. For HR and payroll managers, the Cloud's benefits also include assurance that technology is always current and less reliance on over-stretched corporate IT staff.

4. Explore emerging biometric and geolocation technologies: TLM mobile apps make it convenient and fast for mobile workers and those whose work involves time off-site to log their time and location by enabling their mobile devices to function as a timeclock fueled by selfies. Facial recognition and geolocation technologies combine to quickly verify the user’s identity and location, enabling supervisors to ensure the right people are in the right place at the right time, and helping the organization to prevent time fraud—which can account for up to five percent of payroll costs.

5. Optimize Scheduling: TLM scheduling systems now offer many useful functionalities that spreadsheets can’t even touch, empowering employees to better track and manage their schedules. For instance, employees who want to pick up extra hours can go online to look for open shifts and bid on them. Supervisors have visual dashboards to quickly check availabilities, as well as robust data to optimize staffing and reallocate staff, as needed. If they have shift spot to fill quickly they can push out notices to employees who are eligible to cover.

"Traditional paper-based and manual time and labor tools are cumbersome, error-prone and do not provide the conveniences, efficiencies and flexibilities that workers have come to expect with today's technologies," said Rodriguez. "Most workers have and use their own technologies to plan and organize their lives, and they appreciate and quickly adapt to solutions that enable them to use their own familiar technologies."


The Bertrand Management Group provides extensive seminars and training modules for efficient workflow organization and employee motivation. Subscribe to this blog for more related articles and reports on the latest business trends.

Five ways to empower workers for improved productivity and job performance

Employee empowerment is a term that's often tossed around in management circles, but what does it really mean?

Employee empowerment can mean many things, depending on the organization's culture. Generally, employee empowerment is defined as the process of giving employees the means to make their own decisions regarding their work and the ability to share suggestions and ideas on their work, while ensuring that the choices they make are in line with the company's policies and goals.

The following are five ways for business leaders and executives to empower their workers:


Allow employees to make decisions regarding their work

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Placing decision-making rights in the hands of those who have the most knowledge and the best insight both empowers workers and improves organizational results. However, managers should stress the importance of accountability. This can be accomplished by letting workers know when workers are not meeting their goals and the consequences of wrong decisions.


Encourage creative thinking and idea sharing

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One way is to arrange group brainstorming sessions wherein everyone has a chance to voice out their ideas.


Allow flexibility when possible

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Telecommute options and flexible working hours when possible give employees greater autonomy and free up time for more important tasks.


Clearly explain job roles and expectations

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Workers whose roles are clearly defined can better focus on their own work and are less likely to expend valuable time negotiating roles, avoiding disputes, and protecting turf.


Enforce an open-door policy

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Empowered workers require more than monetary compensation for their hard work. They want to feel that their participation in company efforts matters. An open-door policy lets workers know that their leaders appreciate them and value their contributions to the company.

The benefits of employee empowerment are numerous. Empowered employees feel comfortable with thinking out of the box, asking questions, and sharing new ideas, all of which are critical in preventing organizational stagnation and ensuring that the company stays ahead of the competition. Empowered employees feel more invested in the future of the company they're working for and take pride in their contribution to its success. Another benefit is increased employee satisfaction, which in turn leads to higher levels of loyalty, decreasing turnover rates, and translating to higher productivity and better job performance.

For related articles and industry news, subscribe to this Bertrand Management Group blog.

REPOST: Blurred lines: why working through the weekend works

 It has always been tricky to get that perfect life and work balance. This article by Alexandra Tselios of The Age talks about how work and life need not be separate. 

Busy, and happy to spread the load across the weekend. Photo: iStock | Image Source: theage.com

Every Friday, I will inevitably receive a ‘Happy Friday!’ greeting from an overly excitable colleague or client; or, if it’s a Wednesday, I’ll get at least one ‘Happy Hump Day!’ (which just sounds gross, sorry). But the worst of all of these is the ‘ugh, it’s Monday’ comment.

I really don’t understand the disappointment felt when Sunday night comes to an end. Similarly, Fridays don’t really mean ‘countdown till wine-o’clock’ for me, it is simply another part of my week; and being a grown-up, I can technically have a glass of wine any time I like.

Do I feel anxious about Mondays? Never. Do I feel overly excited about Friday 5pm? Nope.

The reason is that my work and home life have blurred into one. I don’t feel the need to have a clear separation between the two, and while my work doesn’t define who I am, it is definitely a very inclusive part of my life (regardless of the day of the week).

It seems a shame that emotions and mood can be determined simply by what day it is, especially as each new day is inevitable and out of our control.

Staying connected 24/7

 

In a 24/7 connected world, it is misguided of us to manically draw the line between work and pleasure. When once one would rise and check the business papers for an update on the news that broke overnight, now we can check using our phones at 2am while getting a glass of water in the middle of the night.

Almost everything we need to know is at our fingertips at a moment’s notice. But with that overabundance of information (and misinformation), comes a new set of responsibilities. Most professional roles and industries have an expectation that their workers don’t switch off at 5pm, and the onus is on the individual to manage this using clear communication with their employer (or employees).

Working as the online publisher for opinion site The Big Smoke, I wouldn’t think twice about responding to an email at 7am on a Sunday. Instead of it stressing me out on a weekend, it does the opposite; I feel less anxious about coming into the office on Monday.

The best approach to work, and to life in general, is to take it in bite-sized chunks, while referring back to the big picture. This means I don’t have the luxury of ‘switching off’ on the weekend, and nor do I want to. It also gives me the flexibility to work in a way that is conducive to nurturing other important areas of my life -  family, friends and hobbies.

Because I don’t have strict parameters around work and life, it means I can take that hour-long call from a friend who’s having a crisis at 2pm on a Tuesday, because I know that the time I’ve spent with her will be made up working later that evening.

Blurred lines

 

If you have a fixation on these boundaries and an attitude of ‘No I won’t answer a work call, it’s 6pm’, it will only cause you extra stress and pressure over the coming weeks, because you can bet that there will be  a competitor who will happily take five minutes out of their dinner to answer a quick question.

I don’t know about you, but that’s a risk I am not willing to take. It is not viable to assume that in a global marketplace your clients are going to fit in with what you deem to be reasonable hours.

For many professionals, completely switching off is the only way they can feel completely in the moment and if that’s what works, then fantastic. However, there always needs to be some level of connectivity to ensure things aren’t missed.

The concept of the end of the work-free weekend isn’t about turning people into workaholics. It’s about removing the angst that comes with battling to remove all facets of work from your social time, which inevitably builds up the to-do list and results in an unhealthy dislike for Mondays. 

At the end of the day, clients and competitors don’t disappear just because you want to spend the weekend in the Blue Mountains. So look at your career differently and don’t be misguided into taking a technology detox. Instead, continue working on the smaller tasks so that when you return from your break, your duties are manageable.

Take control back

 

If you Google work/life balance, there are a range of self-help articles available, but the common thread between all of these is that the searcher has lost an element of control and needs direction. Get control back by stepping out of the constant internal conflict to compartmentalise your social, family and work time – and embrace them all as parts of your messy, illustrious, productive and sometimes confusing life – whether it’s Monday or Friday.  

I’m not suggesting we all turn into robots. But we do need to become professionals who can discern, focus and include their work organically as part of the bigger picture of their lives

The Bertrand Management Group provides extensive organization and employee training seminars to help improve business workflow and efficiency. Read more articles like this by subscribing to this Facebook page.

REPOST: 15 Great No-Cost Ways to Supercharge Your Employees

This article from Inc.com shares some tips for business leaders on how they can motivate their employees to achieve more.

Image source: http://www.inc.com/

Many bosses think that the best and perhaps the only way to get their employees motivated to do a better job is to pay them more, in the form of higher salaries, bonuses, or other cash rewards. This is a mistake. In reality, there are a lot of things you can do to supercharge employee performance that won't cost you a single dime.

Consider the example of Factory 360, an experiential marketing firm based in New York City. Company founder Michael Fernandez decided to convert an unused office into a yoga studio for employees. Together they practice their yoga moves in the repurposed space. Not only has team morale improved but Fernandez reports that the amenity has helped employees build stronger bonds with one another--and with him.

Try the following no-cost ways for supercharging your employees' morale and performance. You (and your customers) may be surprised at what a difference they make.

1. Don't just tell your employees what to do, explain why they should do it. (And while you're at it, make sure the reasons are good ones!)

2. Provide employees with prompt and candid feedback on their performance. (If improvements are needed, help them understand what they need to do to do better.)

3. Catch your employees doing something right. (And praise them when you do.)

4. Ask your employees what you can do to improve your business. (And implement their suggestions whenever it makes sense to do so.)

5. Really listen to what your employees have to say. (Show your sincere interest by focusing your full attention on your people when they are talking to you.)

6. Ask your employees, "What's one thing I can do better for you this month?" (And then tell them one thing they can do better for you that month.)

7. Assign small projects to your employees that require them to learn new tasks and grow in their jobs. (Serving on a task force to deal with a pressing business problem or presenting a proposal to top management are just two possible options.)

8. Rotate team leadership positions among all members of the team. (Provide all employees with leadership training so they are prepared to lead.)

9. Don't punish employees when they try something and fail. (Instead, help them learn lessons that will help them succeed the next time.)

10. Open your books to employees. (When employees know how what they do at work contributes to the bottom line, they will do more of it.)

11. Communicate a long-range vision for your company. (Make sure it's inspiring and clearly stated.)

12. Share customer letters and email messages of complaint and praise with all employees. (And do it promptly and regularly.)

13.  Expect perfection. (But accept excellence.)

14. Always treat your employees with dignity and respect. (Just as you yourself want and expect to be treated.)

15. Allow your people to be great. (You have the power to let your employees be great, or to shut them down.)







The Bertrand Management Group offers series of organizational and employee trainings to help businesses enhance the performance of their workforce. Follow this Twitter page for more resources on better business practices.

Motivated employees are best for business

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It is no secret that employers need to keep their team motivated to keep the business intact, but how should they do it?

Having a pleasant atmosphere inside the workplace is an asset that not many have. Employees spend most of their day in their work areas, and it is the employer’s job to keep his or her people as comfortable as possible. This involves proper analysis of logistics and making sure that all employees get enough access to facilities that will let them feel at ease while doing their work.

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Next is letting employees visualize the end process of what they are doing. Just like employers and business owners, employees also have something that drives them to work hard. They came to the company with their goals in their hands. Thus, employers have to make sure that they are able to connect the current tasks to the goals that they have set not only for the business but also for the employees.

Last is paying close attention to what makes employees do better at work. This may be from as simple as providing free coffee in the cafeteria to giving them monetary bonuses periodically. Giving positive reinforcements and providing trainings that can be useful to them in the future are also great motivators that employers can use.

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Employers must keep in mind that the key to a good business are the employees, which is why it is important for them to be the best employer they can be to keep their team intact.

Bertrand Management Group is a consulting firm based in Ontario, Calif., that specializes in providing trainings for skills development and operational improvement. Get to know more about the company by visiting this Facebook page.

The daily habits of effective leaders

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Being a leader is no easy feat. Apart from having the responsibility of making important decisions that could make or break a team, leaders are constantly under a microscope, where everything they say and do is scrutinized and met with strong reaction. Thus, it is truly remarkable when a leader excels in his or her duties given the intense pressure he or she is in. However, being a good leader isn’t an innate skill; it requires a daily effort to fully understand what it means to lead.

The following are some habits that successful leaders practice each day:

Image Source: Success.com

Listening - Regardless their industry, one thing is certain: Effective leaders are great listeners. It is by listening to their subordinates’ concerns and opinions that leaders determine the strengths and weaknesses of their team and create a friendly environment that encourages employees to participate and speak up.

Making decisions - Of course, a big part of a leader’s responsibilities is decision making. But what sets apart the effective leaders is their ability to make decisions and stand by them. Effective leaders earn the respect of their employees when they show that they are firm on their beliefs and are not easily swayed.

Trusting their people - Leaders who trust their workers foster a healthy working relationship with them because it makes workers feel that they are important in the team. This goes both ways, too. Leaders should also prove themselves worthy of their workers’ trust as they carry the responsibility of representing the whole team.

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By practicing these habits, leaders and those aspiring to be one can ensure the success of their team’s endeavors and create lasting friendships with their workers. 

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REPOST: How to Make Yourself Work When You Just Don’t Want To

Employees, even leaders, sometimes lack motivation to accomplish tasks. However, procrastinating can affect a project's timeline or a deliverable negatively. Thus, it's best to find solutions on how to deal with it. This Harvard Business Review article provides some strategies on how to beat procrastination.

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There’s that project you’ve left on the backburner – the one with the deadline that’s growing uncomfortably near.  And there’s the client whose phone call you really should return – the one that does nothing but complain and eat up your valuable time.  Wait, weren’t you going to try to go to the gym more often this year?

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 Can you imagine how much less guilt, stress, and frustration you would feel if you could somehow just make yourself do the things you don’t want to do when you are actually supposed to do them?  Not to mention how much happier and more effective you would be?

The good news (and its very good news) is that you can get better about not putting things off, if you use the right strategy.  Figuring out which strategy to use depends on why you are procrastinating in the first place:

Reason #1   You are putting something off because you are afraid you will screw it up.

Solution:  Adopt a “prevention focus.”

There are two ways to look at any task.  You can do something because you see it as a way to end up better off than you are now – as an achievement or accomplishment.  As in, if I complete this project successfully I will impress my boss, or if I work out regularly I will look amazing. Psychologists call this a promotion focus – and research shows that when you have one, you are motivated by the thought of making gains, and work best when you feel eager and optimistic.  Sounds good, doesn’t it?  Well, if you are afraid you will screw up on the task in question, this is notthe focus for you.  Anxiety and doubt undermine promotion motivation, leaving you less likely to take any action at all.

What you need is a way of looking at what you need to do that isn’t undermined by doubt – ideally, one that thrives on it.  When you have a prevention focus, instead of thinking about how you can end up better off, you see the task as a way to hang on to what you’ve already got – to avoid loss.   For the prevention-focused, successfully completing a project is a way to keep your boss from being angry or thinking less of you.  Working out regularly is a way to not “let yourself go.”  Decades of research, which I describe in my book Focus, shows that prevention motivation is actually enhanced by anxiety about what might go wrong.  When you are focused on avoiding loss, it becomes clear that the only way to get out of danger is to take immediate action.  The more worried you are, the faster you are out of the gate.

I know this doesn’t sound like a barrel of laughs, particularly if you are usually more the promotion-minded type, but there is probably no better way to get over your anxiety about screwing up than to give some serious thought to all the dire consequences of doing nothing at all.    Go on, scare the pants off yourself.  It feels awful, but it works.

Reason #2     You are putting something off because you don’t “feel” like doing it.

Solution: Make like Spock and ignore your feelings.  They’re getting in your way.

In his excellent book The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can’t Stand Positive Thinking, Oliver Burkeman points out that much of the time, when we say things like “I just can’t get out of bed early in the morning, “ or “I just can’t get myself to exercise,” what we really mean is that we can’t get ourselves to feel like doing these things.  After all, no one is tying you to your bed every morning.  Intimidating bouncers aren’t blocking the entrance to your gym.  Physically, nothing is stopping you – you just don’t feel like it.  But as Burkeman asks,  “Who says you need to wait until you ‘feel like’ doing something in order to start doing it?”

Think about that for a minute, because it’s really important.  Somewhere along the way, we’ve all bought into the idea – without consciously realizing it – that to be motivated and effective we need tofeel like we want to take action.  We need to be eager to do so.  I really don’t know why we believe this, because it is 100% nonsense. Yes, on some level you need to be committed to what you are doing – you need to want to see the project finished, or get healthier, or get an earlier start to your day.  But you don’t need to feel like doing it.

In fact, as Burkeman points out, many of the most prolific artists, writers, and innovators have become so in part because of their reliance on work routines that forced them to put in a certain number of hours a day, no matter how uninspired (or, in many instances, hungover) they might have felt.  Burkeman reminds us of renowned artist Chuck Close’s observation that “Inspiration is for amateurs.  The rest of us just show up and get to work.”

So if you are sitting there, putting something off because you don’t feel like it, remember that you don’t actually need to feel like it.  There is nothing stopping you.

Reason #3   You are putting something off because it’s hard, boring, or otherwise unpleasant.

Solution:  Use if-then planning.

Too often, we try to solve this particular problem with sheer will:  Next time, I will make myself start working on this sooner.  Of course, if we actually had the willpower to do that, we would never put it off in the first place.   Studies show that people routinely overestimate their capacity for self-control, and rely on it too often to keep them out of hot water.

Do yourself a favor, and embrace the fact that your willpower is limited, and that it may not always be up to the challenge of getting you to do things you find difficult, tedious, or otherwise awful.  Instead, use if-then planning to get the job done.

Making an if-then plan is more than just deciding what specific steps you need to take to complete a project – it’s also deciding where and when you will take them.

If it is 2pm, then I will stop what I’m doing and start work on the report Bob asked for.

If my boss doesn’t mention my request for a raise at our meeting, then I will bring it up again before the meeting ends.

By deciding in advance exactly what you’re going to do, and when and where you’re going to do it, there’s no deliberating when the time comes.   No do I really have to do this now?, or can this wait till later? or maybe I should do something else instead.   It’s when we deliberate that willpower becomes necessary to make the tough choice.  But if-then plans dramatically reduce the demands placed on your willpower, by ensuring that you’ve made the right decision way ahead of the critical moment. In fact,  if-then planning has been shown in over 200 studies to increase rates of goal attainment and productivity by 200%-300% on average.

I realize that the three strategies I’m offering you – thinking about the consequences of failure, ignoring your feelings, and engaging in detailed planning – don’t sound as fun as advice like “Follow your passion!” or “Stay positive!”  But they have the decided advantage of actually being effective –which, as it happens, is exactly what you’ll be if you use them.

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Always aim to have a highly productive day. Learn tips by following this Bertrand Management Group blog site.

REPOST: How Intel Gets Social Responsibility Just Right

This Time.com article shares how Intel incorporates "social responsibility" to achieve success.

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Intel co-founder Andy Grove once noted that some of his fundamental views on running a business were based on reading Peter Drucker’s foundational work, The Practice of Management, 30 or so years after its publication in 1954.

The experience, Grove said, illustrated “how long some of the principles . . . last and retain their appropriateness, even as things change.”

Another 30 years down the road, whether they know it or not, the folks at Intel are living out what Drucker prescribed on those very same pages—especially in the book’s concluding chapter, “The Responsibilities of Management.”

Last week, at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Intel Chief Executive Brian Krzanich announced that Intel was the first company to reach a significant milestone: It is now manufacturing and shipping only “conflict-free” microprocessors—that is, computer chips devoid of minerals that come from those mines that pass their profits on to warlords in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and other violence-ravaged parts of Africa.

Armed groups, which reap more than $100 million a year from the mineral trade in eastern Congo, regularly slaughter innocents as they jockey to control the region’s most valuable mines and transportation routes. Meanwhile, the minerals being illegally extracted—coltan, tin, tungsten and gold—wind up in a host of name-brand electronic products.

“The minerals are important, but not as important as the lives of the people who work to get them,” Krzanich said.

At a most basic level, Intel’s initiative is a reminder that businesses do not exist in a vacuum and that many of their everyday decisions ripple far out into the world—a notion that Drucker spelled out in The Practice of Management, long before the term “social responsibility” first came into fashion.

“What is most important is that management realize that it must consider the impact of every business policy and business action upon society,” he wrote. “It has to consider whether the action is likely to promote the public good, to advance the basic beliefs of our society, to contribute to its stability, strength and harmony.”

Lest there be any question as to what he was driving at, Drucker reinforced this idea in his 1973 book Management: Tasks, Responsibilities, Practices: “One is responsible for one’s impacts whether they are intended or not,” he asserted. “The social impacts of the organization are management’s business.”

Drucker added that management has a particular responsibility “whenever its special competence gives it authority” to act.

Such was certainly the case here. Intel—and Intel alone—possesses the knowledge to manage its supply chain in a manner that promises to eliminate the company’s use of conflict minerals.

Even then, it was “a significant challenge for us,” Carolyn Duran, who helps direct Intel’s global sourcing and procurement, told NPR’s “All Things Considered.” Indeed, it took several years for the company to figure out how to trace what is mined in the Congo to a series of smelters and then verify the provenance of the various minerals through third-party audits and on-site visits. Already, she said, Intel has seen smelters “changing their behavior” because of the pressure.

Some observers have dismissed Intel’s efforts. They point out that Krzanich and his team have been motivated, at least in part, by a 2010 law that requires companies to publicly disclose whether their products contain conflict minerals.

“The new U.S. law doesn’t restrict any sort of trade,” the web magazine Engadget remarked when the measure first came out. “It does, however, allow companies that don’t use bloody rocks to label their products ‘conflict-free,’ so we’re sure astute marketing gurus are developing plenty of new all-plastic gizmos even as we speak. For the children, of course.” Another report suggested that Intel and other companies aren’t “too keen on the bad PR” that might stem from their electronics being branded full of conflict minerals.

But so what? If customers care about this issue—and I sure hope they do—then what is wrong with trying to give them what they value in this regard? What’s the problem with using “conflict free” as a marketing advantage?

“The ideal approach,” Drucker declared, “is to make the elimination of impacts into a profitable business opportunity.”

Duran leaves no doubt that Intel is, in fact, aiming to do just that. “It will be up to the public and ultimately consumers to determine and highlight those that are doing the right thing and those that are choosing to turn away,” she said.

After all, many companies have failed to respond as aggressively as Intel has. A 2012 report by the Enough Project, which is working to end the atrocities in Sudan, eastern Congo and elsewhere, ranked Intel, HP, Motorola Solutions and Apple as having made the most progress on conflict minerals. It put Nintendo, HTC, Sharp, Nikon and Canon at the bottom of the industry list.

Intel’s latest step—though neither foolproof nor a panacea—marks a “huge breakthrough,” said Sasha Lezhnev, an Enough Project senior policy analyst. “It really does help move the supply chain from being opaque and turning a blind-eye on its sourcing to being more transparent.”

If Intel attracts customers as a result, that should be a cause for celebration, not cynicism.


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