Summary: In a Washington Post video (embedded at the bottom of this post), Google CEO Eric Schmidt says establishing and maintaining a certain culture and certain values at the company helps create success as a by-product as well as employees who do not need (as much of or a certain type of) managing [via SteveOuting.com].
My interpretation: Do not define goals and tactics. Do define a purpose for your business, organization or self. Create the cultural conditions where the construction, pursuit and achievement of goals arise naturally from the beliefs, systems and values that make you who you are.
Broader implications: We are moving toward a networked-era mindset of holistic integration. We are moving away from an industrial-era mindset of straight-line, conceptually autonomous paths to objectives.
Some examples of this trend:
- In the medical field, the growing acceptance of naturopathy.
- Products bought and sold with an accounting for their total life cycle and environmental legacy.
- MBA students at Harvard responding to the financial crisis with an acknowledgment of ethics in an era of interconnectedness.
If you think of other examples, please share them in the comments.
Finally, the video: