Lessons from Karl Moore

Karl Moore is a renowned professor at McGill University's Desautels Faculty of Management. His work primarily focuses on leadership, strategy, and the evolving dynamics of the business world, with a particular emphasis on personality types in leadership and intergenerational management.

On Ambivert Leadership

"We are all ambiverts now." A central theme in Moore's recent work, this suggests that in today's complex world, leaders must be flexible and capable of acting both like introverts and extroverts depending on the situation. [1][2]
"If you want to be a senior leader, you need a degree of flexibility in order to meet the varied demands of the job." This highlights the necessity for leaders to adapt their style rather than being rigid in their natural tendencies. [1]
"An ambivert is someone who acts like an introvert at times and an extrovert at other times, depending on the context and what is the appropriate and most useful leadership approach." This is Moore's working definition of the modern leader. [3]
"I'm very much an extrovert, but to be an effective leader, I need to act like an introvert from time to time. But it's exhausting, so don't do it too much." Moore uses his own experience to illustrate the energy cost of flexing one's personality, emphasizing the need for self-awareness and "recharge" breaks. [4]
"The working title of our soon-to-be-released book is We Are All Ambiverts Now. An ambivert is someone who acts like an introvert at times and an extrovert at other times, depending on the context and what is the appropriate and most useful leadership approach." This quote from an interview summarizes the core thesis of his upcoming book. [3]
"Ambiverts make excellent salespeople because they can listen to the client – as introverts are apt to – but, after understanding the client's needs, can also present their product or service with the energy and enthusiasm more typical of an extrovert." This learning explains the practical advantage of an ambivert approach in a business context. [1]
"As a senior leader, you have your hard-wiring; you're more introverted or more extroverted, but in some contexts, you need to act more extroverted or more introverted to be effective." This reinforces the idea that while one's core personality is fixed, behavior can and should be adapted. [4]

On Introverted Leadership

"It has long been believed that the natural leaders of our society were the extroverted types, those that were– outspoken, sociable, and decisive." Moore often starts by challenging this traditional view of leadership. [5]
"What our interviews with many executives suggest is that clearly, it is an old-school view that only extroverts are excellent leaders. We are taking a more nuanced view these days." This reflects the shift in understanding leadership that Moore's research has contributed to. [3]
"Research done by a team of faculty from Harvard, Wharton, and UNCT has shown that introverted leaders are more effective than extroverted leaders when dealing with proactive employees." Moore frequently cites this research to support the value of introverted leaders. [5]
"Introverted leaders are more likely to apply suggestions made by employees, and are less likely to modify these suggestions and make them their own." This highlights a key strength of introverted leaders in fostering innovation from their teams. [5]
"One of the great strengths of an introvert is that to listen better. And that's something you need in today's business world to be a good successful business person." Moore emphasizes listening as a critical leadership skill at which introverts naturally excel. [6]
"To our surprise (I am an extrovert), from 30 per cent to 35 per cent of C-suite executives happen to be introverts." This surprising statistic from his research underscores that introverts are already succeeding at the highest levels. [7]
"As an introverted leader, he had to put on his “game face” whenever he left his floor. If you want to be the CEO of a big organization, he implied, you need to act like an extrovert at times." This anecdote from a CEO illustrates the need for introverts to also be flexible. [8]
"After studying introverts in the C-suite, I have come to the conclusion that extroverts, like myself, must put on our “game face” and act like an introvert at times, in order to be effective leaders. What is good for the goose is good for the gander." This is a key learning about the mutual adaptation required of both introverts and extroverts. [8]

On Leading Millennials and Gen Z

"The biggest misconception that boomers have about millennials/Zers is that they're self-focused whiners. And the biggest complaint that millennials/Zers have about boomers is that they're entirely stuck in the past and will never change." Moore identifies the core of the generational conflict in the workplace. [9]
"Young people are looking at the world so differently than older people have." This is the foundational observation for his work on intergenerational leadership. [10]
"Their top priority is for their work to have meaning and impact... and they're determined to bring their full, honest, authentic selves to work, smashing the work/life boundary that previous generations have erected." These are two key insights into the motivations of younger generations from his book "Generation Why". [11]
"Young people are more careful about where they work and they're going to look at cultural fit, values, environmental impact and EDI [Equity, Diversity and Inclusion]. They are driving these agendas." This learning highlights the influence of younger generations on corporate social responsibility. [9]
"We've gone from an age of deference to an age of reference. In the past week, defer to the older people... young people are taught my story is as good as your story." This explains the shift in how younger generations perceive authority and knowledge. [12]
"If you're a good capitalist, shut up and listen to younger people because they see the world differently and that is valuable." This is a direct and pragmatic piece of advice for older leaders. [9]
"One solution? Reverse mentoring, in which junior employees teach skills to senior ones." Moore is a strong advocate for reverse mentoring to bridge the generational gap and foster learning. [11]
"We need to be mentored by young people so that we can do a better job and be in greater touch with today's turbulent world." This emphasizes that mentoring should be a two-way street. [13]
"A central one is purpose and the purpose of the organization... The younger generations say they want to do something beyond money-making." This points to the growing importance of purpose in attracting and retaining young talent. [10]
"The old school of going out and saying, here's what we're going to do and here's my vision, go forward and go do it is seen as rude, insulting, and authoritarian, where we need to spend more time listening and getting their side." This illustrates the changing expectations of leadership style. [12]

On Leadership and Management

"Leadership is about going and taking us in the right direction, often a new Direction... Management is saying we're doing this, we're going to do it more effectively, more efficiently, but we're going to do the same things." Moore's clear distinction between leadership and management. [14]
"A general's fight the battles of their youth... it's a danger as you get older you've got success you've got experience, but you're dealing with the world today in a way that made sense 5 or 10 or 20 years ago." A key learning about the pitfalls of relying on past successes. [14]
"Successful people can fall in the Trap of the old ways are still adequate when they're not." This is a concise warning against complacency for successful leaders. [14]
"The job of Senior Management is not to have the Strategic idea so much as to spot good ones as they arise within an empowered Workforce." This reflects Moore's belief in emergent strategy and empowering employees. [14]
"Culture eats strategy for breakfast." While a famous quote by Peter Drucker, Moore frequently uses it to emphasize that changing the organizational culture is the biggest challenge for leaders. [13]
"As you progress in your career, you must learn to turn the spotlight from yourself and beam it on the people who work for you. This is part of going from being a star performer to being a manager; from me to we." A fundamental lesson for new managers. [8]
"Power listening: Gen Z wants to be heard, be involved, and be part of the solution." A key skill for modern leaders is active and empathetic listening. [11]
"Benefits come from the external exposure if you have properly communicated your message." A learning from his experience with media and public engagement. [15]
"Part of that purpose is helping young people find their purpose. And that may mean they leave your company. But if you do that, I want to work for you." This counterintuitive advice suggests that truly caring for employees' growth builds loyalty. [13]
"The ability to think is a lifetime skill that is human." In an age of AI, Moore emphasizes the enduring importance of critical thinking. [13]

On Strategy and the Business World

"If you live in a turbulent environment what you must do is change inside how we do things how we're organized who reports and stuff like that we need to change that more rapidly to a line with that turbulent environment." This is a key principle of strategic agility. [14]
"Emergent strategy argues that most strategy comes from the frontlines of an organization: from those who deal with customers, suppliers and other stakeholders in the organization's operating environment." This is a core concept in Moore's teaching on strategy, influenced by Henry Mintzberg. [1]
"In an emergent world, everyone in an organization can be a strategist, while those at the top have to bless, spread and develop synergies among the emergent strategies." This further elaborates on the role of leadership in an emergent strategy framework. [1]
"We've also broadened what the word success means that it's financial performance no question about it... but there's an element of delivering results but in a way today which is appropriate and respectful of the diversity we have in our Workforce and you gotta think about the environment." This reflects the shift towards a stakeholder view of success. [14]
"Origins of Globalization draws widely on ancient sources and modern economic theory to detail the concept of “known world” globalization, arguing that a mixed economy – similar in many respects to our own – existed in a variety of forms throughout the ancient world." A key learning from his historical research on globalization. [16]
"The authors... provide readers with a unique historical interpretation of the contemporary globalizing economy and a durable theoretical framework for future historical economic analyses." This summarizes the contribution of his work on the history of globalization. [16]
"There's less truth with a capital T, and truth changes." This postmodern perspective, which he argues is prevalent among younger generations, has significant implications for strategy and decision-making in a world of uncertainty. [12]
"The future of work is clear: 'I think you have to be a multi-hyphenate, it's almost like the portfolio career.'" This quote from an executive in one of Moore's articles reflects a key trend in modern careers. [17]
"Many participating CEOs took winding roads to get to the top, but they remained intentional about their career choices and relationships throughout the journey." An observation from his many CEO interviews about career paths. [18]
"He also emphasizes the importance of striking a balance between long-term vision and short-term profit in order to succeed in a rapidly evolving business environment." A classic but crucial learning from his interactions with CEOs. [18]

On Personal Development and Happiness

"Stop feeling sorry for yourself – and you will be happy." A direct quote on happiness from his book "The 18 Rules of Happiness".
"Every single one of us spends 24 hours a day in search of happiness. Everything we do, every action we take, is intended to take us closer to happiness, and away from pain." A foundational idea from his work on happiness.
"True happiness, self-development, freedom, comes from inside - and is expressed externally in bright faces, a big smile, and plenty of laughing." This quote emphasizes the internal source of happiness.
"Paying greater attention to an individual customer's needs fosters greater customer loyalty and can generate positive word-of-mouth marketing for the company." A learning from his work on marketing, connecting customer focus to business success.
"Follow your bliss. and doors will open for you where they wouldn't open for anyone else and where there wouldn't even be a door for anybody else." A quote by Joseph Campbell that Moore loves and often shares, reflecting a belief in following one's passion.

Please note that while sources are provided, some of the more general "learnings" are synthesized from the entirety of the referenced articles and interviews, reflecting the core of Karl Moore's teachings.

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