Superbosses: How Exceptional Leaders Master the Flow of Talent, by Sydney Finkelstein

Inspired by the knowledge that some of the most highly regarded talent in the restaurant industry had not all been trained by the same prestigious culinary arts university, but had instead been mentored by a creative and energetic entrepreneur, Sydney Finkelstein was curious whether this story was an anomaly or an insight into how industry talent is identified and developed universally. Exploring a variety of industries, Finkelstein found that a disproportionate share of top-level talent “had once worked for or had been mentored by one or a few talent spawners” (p. 3). He calls these cultivators of talent “superbosses. ” Though he never gives a concise definition of “superbosses,” Finkelstein describes them as powerful mentors who employ aspects of transformational leadership (Bass, 1995), and also engage in somewhat unconventional leadership practices. Most importantly, he says, “superbosses” can be identified by the extensive network of talent that they’ve developed. Since the subtle details that differentiate “superbosses” from traditional leaders and mentors are difficult to distinguish, Finkelstein employed a team to assist with extensive qualitative investigations that would allow his research to benefit from the insight of industry insiders. The result was a series of integrated case study snippits that collectively illustrate what he argues is a new perspective on the role of leadership in talent propagation. Superbosses is the latest installment in an extensive body of research by Finkelstein. His work has appeared in publications such as the Academy of Management Journal, Organization Science, Administrative Science Quarterly, and Strategic Management Journal. He is the author of 17 books, including Why Smart Executives Fail, Think Again, and Breakout Strategy. Finkelstein received his PhD from Columbia University and is currently the Steven Roth Professor of Management, director of the Tuck Executive Program, and faculty director for the Tuck Center for Leadership at Dartmouth College. This book is the result of a 10-year study. Finkelstein started by using inductive methods of data collection to find potential “superbosses. ” Using a balance of quantitative and qualitative analysis, he identified a sample of 18 leaders who were responsible for generating a disproportionate share of talent in their industries and called them “superbosses. ” This sample included 16 White males, one Black male, and one White female. Finkelstein addresses this lack of diversity, noting that it is reflective of “white men’s traditional dominance of top leadership roles” (p. 10). The sample had nine leaders who launched their careers by founding their own businesses. Of the remaining nine leaders Finkelstein identified as “superbosses,” only two managed in the corporate world. The rest were from the fields of entertainment, media, and athletics. This is consistent with Finkelstein’s observation that the type of organizational camaraderie that most “superbosses” consider to be crucial to success is often absent in corporate environments. While a sample of 18 can be rather large for a theory-building qualitative study (Eisenhardt, 1989), the composition of this sample raises some questions about the boundary conditions for which Finkelstein’s theory will be applicable. Data collection for this study involved more than 200 interviews and reviews of thousands of articles, books, and magazines. Since this study attempts to build a theory focusing on leadership behaviors that should result in the successful development of subordinates, it may be more appropriate to consider the versatility of the theory than its actual generalizability (Van de Ven, 2007). To help illustrate the versatility (basic applicability of core concepts) of his theory, Finkelstein incorporates more than 300 examples of “superboss” behaviors into this book, with approximately 25 of these examples providing enough detail for the reader to feel truly immersed in the narrative. The vast majority of these examples come from each of the 18 “superbosses,” but he also utilizes several that come from people whom he calls “likely superbosses. ” While some may question why Finkelstein includes data from “likely superbosses,” it is consistent with his assertion that becoming a “superboss” is more about executing behaviors than it is about inherent personal traits. Finkelstein argues that what makes the concept of “superbosses” particularly intriguing is the recognition that their individual characteristics and leadership styles are often so unique that it seems as if “superbORGANIZATION MANAGEMENT JOURNAL 2016, VOL. 13, NO. 4, 230–232