In this masterclass, Harvard Business School Professor Linda Hill teaches you the politics of influence. The process begins with managing yourself, then ripples out to your team and your broader networks.
What You'll Learn
How to manage your network
How to lead effective meetings
How to manage working relationships
How to hire for better management
- Professor of Harvard Business School
1. Manage Your Network
Harvard Business School Professor Linda Hill studies organizations as inherently political entities. In this lesson, she argues that our success is determined by how well we manage the political dynamics associated with all organizational life.It’s not easy today, says Hill, “because the global economy is very unforgiving. I meet people all the time that have two and three bosses, for example. And the number of peers they are dependent on can be just phenomenal, particularly in these global co...
2. Lead Effective Meetings
At this point it’s common knowledge, and a not-so-funny-anymore inside corporate joke that meetings are often a waste of time. This has been studied and verified, scientifically. Yet we persist in having meetings, and are sluggish about changing how we organize and run them. So how can we have better (and fewer) meetings, especially considering the growing challenge of virtual management in our increasingly mobile and globalized workforce? Linda Hill of Harvard Business School has some practica...
3. Authority and Friendship
Should a manager avoid friendship altogether with people over whom she has direct authority? For Linda Hill, and so many others who work long hours with colleagues they like and admire, this is not only undesirable, it’s a virtual impossibility. Where troubles arise, says Hill, is when the lines between business and friendship get blurred.
4. Modern Management
What does a good boss do? These days it’s significantly more complex than either barking orders at people or subtly inspiring them to be their best selves. The marketplace is becoming more complex and competitive daily, and the role of the manager is following suit.
5. Hiring Hard, Manage Easy
One of the least scientific aspects of running a business, and one that companies often get wrong as a result, is the hiring process. Studies have shown that the factors hiring managers tend to focus on––good schools, impressive past positions––are poor predictors of long-term success in a new position. So what else is there? Linda Hill, professor of business administration at HBS, offers a series of questions that can help you prioritize the right things in a potential hire––it’s a littl...
Supplemental Materials