The Hindu Business Line : Is there any place for losers in this world?

What's better: To work for a bad boss at a good company, or a good boss at a weak company? That may be a tough question for many, but not to Jack and Suzy Welch. "To us this is an absolute no-brainer," they write in `Winning: The Answers,' from Harper Collins.

Their book brings together answers to `74 of the toughest questions in business today'. Beginning with what does bother many: How can you prevent the Chinese from copying whatever method you come up with? Answer is straight: "You can't! You can't prevent the Chinese from copying any of your efficiency-boosting processes." If that comes like a blow, here's more: "And guess what, you can't prevent the Romanians, Mexicans, or the Americans, either." The Welchs counsel that you have to assume all competitors are `eager and able to imitate your best practices'.

From Orlando, Florida is this poser: "How can we change things in the US so we don't have to outsource to India and other countries anymore?" Again, the answer is direct: "We can't - and we shouldn't." Kyon? The question now is not how to stop outsourcing, explains the book. Instead, ask yourself, "How do we use outsourcing to enhance competitiveness in what is, and forever will be, a global marketplace?"

To a question from Brazil, on whether leaders are born or made, the answer is not `neat or simple'. Jack and Suzy discuss the `five essential traits' of leadership. The first is positive energy, that is, "the capacity to go-go-go with healthy vigour and an upbeat attitude through good times and bad."

The second trait is `the ability to energise others, releasing their positive energy, to take any hill.' Next comes edge - `the ability to make tough calls, to say yes or no, not may be'. The fourth trait is the talent to execute, or `get things done'. And the final trait of leaders is that they have passion - "They care deeply. They sweat; they believe."

A `tough' question from Bangalore is whether one can think of pulling a team from a former job to a new company. Another query, from closer home, is down-to-earth: "All this talk about winning makes me wonder, is there any place for losers in this world? Only a small percentage of people succeed; what should all the non-winners do, just kill themselves?"

To this, the authors exclaim: "What a question!" Winning and losing can't be quantified, they explain. "Losing happens only when you give up. Seen that way, then, the world can be filled with winners, and there is room for them all."

Coming back to the `no-brainer' we'd started off with, which is better? "If you had to pick between these options, by all means, work for the good company," counsel the Welchs. Why so? "If you truly are at a good company, its leaders will eventually find the bad boss and get him or her out."

Good read!

SayCheek@TheHindu.co.in