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Just as a good musician has a feeling for rhythm and an athlete has a feeling for the game, so a good businessperson has a well-developed business sense. How do we develop this sense? How does a good business sense enhance our business judgment, our ability to trust our intuition, think on our feet, make and execute decisions? These and other questions will be answered by examining the life experiences of CEO's who are recognized for excellence in their feel for the business. The business sense of, amongst others, Jack Welch, Andrew Grove, and Ricardo Semler will be explored.
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Business Feel From the Science of Management to the Philosophy of Leadership Steven Segal Business Feel This page intentionally left blank Business Feel From the Science of Management to the Philosophy of Leadership Dr Steven Segal © Steven Segal 2005 All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without written permission. No paragraph of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted save with written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, or under the terms of any licence permitting limited copying issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency, 90 Tottenham Court Road, London W1T 4LP. Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages. The author has asserted his right to be identified as the author of this work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. First published 2005 by PALGRAVE MACMILLAN Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS and 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N. Y. 10010 Companies and representatives throughout the world PALGRAVE MACMILLAN is the global academic imprint of the Palgrave Macmillan division of St. Martin’s Press, LLC and of Palgrave Macmillan Ltd. Macmillan® is a registered trademark in the United States, United Kingdom and other countries. Palgrave is a registered trademark in the European Union and other countries. ISBN 1–4039–3592–0 This book is printed on paper suitable for recycling and made from fully managed and sustained forest sources. A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Segal, Steven, 1959– Business feel : from the science of management to the philosophy of leadership / Steven Segal. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 1–4039–3592–0 (cloth) 1. Industrial management. 2. Leadership. I. Title. HD31.S438 2004 658v.001–dc22 10 14 9 13 8 12 7 11 2004048579 6 10 5 09 4 08 3 07 2 06 1 05 Printed and bound in Great Britain by Antony Rowe Ltd, Chippenham and Eastbourne To Margot, my wife, Di, my sister-in-law and Annette, my mother-in-law Whose love and support have liberated me. This page intentionally left blank Contents 1. In the Cracks of Conventions 1 2. Philosophical Experiences 6 3. Managers and Leaders: The Unnamed Philosophers 18 4. Unmasking Management Theoreticians 31 5. From a Science to a Philosophy of Management 44 6. Leading Managers out of Plato’s Cave 54 7. Strange Bedfellows: Jack Welch and Martin Heidegger 67 8. How Touchy Feely is Jack Welch? 75 9. Welch’s Outsiders Perspective from the Inside 87 10. Turning Intuitions into Visions 101 11. Leading out of Confusion: Grove’s Crisis at Intel 113 12. Fr