Google's Jolly Good Fellow
Tyler, Kathryn . HRMagazine ; Alexandria Vol. 58, Iss. 11, (Nov 2013): 30-31.
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ABSTRACT
In an interview, Chade-Meng Tan, Google Fellow, talked about emotional intelligence. Tan said the goal of the
Search Inside Yourself program is to create the conditions for world peace in his lifetime. He figures that if they
have inner peace, inner joy and compassion on a global scale, it will create the conditions that lead to world peace.
The three main steps are: 1. attention training, 2. self-knowledge and self-mastery, and 3. pro-social mental habits.
Once attention is trained, you will concentrate better. You develop the ability to calm the mind on command. In a
crisis situation where everyone else is panicking and you alone can calm down enough to think, you will be
perceived as a leader. HR professionals can teach mindfulness to employees first and foremost, by example. If you
don't set that example, no matter what you teach them, it won't stick.
FULL TEXT
Headnote
Calm your mind for more-effective relationships and better leadership.
As one of the first engineers at Google, Chade-Meng Tan, like other engineers, had the generic job title of "software
engineer." Then, as the company grew, the job title for the highest-ranking engineers became "Google Fellow."
Tan made a joke of it: "Why be a Google Fellow when you can be a Jolly Good Fellow?" The joke stuck, and his
business cards now reflect his quirky title. It is befitting of a man whose current job description at Google is to help
others learn about emotional intelligence or, as Tan puts it, "to enlighten minds, open hearts and create world
peace."
Tan, author of the book Search Inside Yourself (HarperOne, 2012) and founder of the Search Inside Yourself
Leadership Institute, teaches individuals how calming the mind can lead to more-effective relationships and better
leadership.
What is the goal of the Search Inside Yourself program?
To create the conditions for world peace in my lifetime. I figure that if we have inner peace, inner joy and
compassion on a global scale, it will create the conditions that lead to world peace. To do that, we need to align
those qualities with the success of individuals and companies. If you teach people to be successful and profitable,
inner peace, inner joy and compassion are the necessary and unavoidable side effects, and those three qualities
will spread. The way to achieve that is emotional intelligence.
What are the main components of the program?
The three main steps are:
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* Attention training. Attention training is the basis of all higher cognitive and emotional abilities. Specifically, the
idea is to train attention to create a quality of mind that is calm and clear. That forms the foundation for emotional
intelligence.
* Self-knowledge and self-mastery. Sharpened attention results in an ability to observe one's thoughts and
emotions clearly and objectively from a thirdperson perspective. That creates a deep self-knowledge that
eventually enables self-mastery.
* Pro-social mental habits. Qualities such as kindness and compassion can be created as mental habits. For
instance, imagine whenever you meet anybody, your habitual, instinctive first thought is, "I wish for this person to
be happy."
How can an individual become more mindful?
Practice mindfulness meditation. Mindfulness requires training. It's like doing a bicep curl; with meditation, you're
strengthening muscles to increase the quality of attention. Try sitting with no agenda for one to two minutes. Once
you are able to attend to the present moment, you can bring that state of alert relaxation to any situation.
In a society where cellphones and computers constantly vie for our attention, this sounds difficult. How does
mindfulness fit in?
You're right. We have continuous partial attention. Attention training is the antidote to that problem. Once
attention is trained, you will concentrate better. You develop the ability to calm the mind on command. In a crisis
situation where everyone else is panicking and you alone can calm down enough to think, you will be perceived as
a leader. It's a useful skill. When your attention no longer wanders so much, you find clarity. Emotional intelligence
is highly trainable for almost everybody within seven weeks to a degree that is life-changing, if you practice daily.
How can mindfulness improve an employee's effectiveness?
One aspect is the ability to think clearly. That alone is extremely valuable.
Creativity is another aspect. If you are able to calm your mind, that helps in creative problem-solving.
The third is empathy. If you are more empathetic to a coworker, you are a better team player. And if you are able to
understand and empathize with your boss-"What is my boss's priority?"-you are able to better serve your boss.
Calming the mind makes a difference in a career.
How does mindfulness and self-knowledge improve leadership?
You become reliable. You become a center of stability for the team. There's nothing anyone can say to you that will
trigger you. They trust you to listen and not blow up. They trust you not to make bad decisions because you can
stay calm.
More important, you can become the type of leader who turns good organizations into great ones. Jim Collins,
author of Good to Great [Harper Business, 2001], calls them "Level 5 Leaders." These leaders have two important
qualities: humility and ambition. But the ambition is toward creating greater good, not toward inflating their own
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egos.
There are meditative practices that can be used as part of the training for Level 5 Leaders that trains all three
dimensions of compassion: the affective dimension ("I feel for you"), the cognitive dimension ("I understand you")
and the motivational dimension ("I want to help you.")
The first two dimensions create the conditions for humility, and the last creates ambition for greater good in the
world.
How can HR professionals teach mindfulness to employees?
First and foremost, by example. People don't remember what you tell them. They remember how you make them
feel and your character. If you go to Search Inside Yourself training and you are calm and nice, people notice. Why
does she radiate so much goodness? They want to know. If you don't set that example, no matter what you teach
them, it won't stick.
Sidebar
ONLINE RESOURCES
For more information on Tan's work, including a link to his TED Talk, see the online version of this article at
www.shrm. org/1113-Tan-mindfulness.
AuthorAffiliation
Kathryn Tyler is a freelance writer and former HR generalist and trainer in Wixom, Mich.
DETAILS
Subject:
Emotional intelligence; Leadership; Effectiveness
Location:
United States--US
People:
Tan, Chade-Meng
Classification:
9190: United States; 2200: Managerial skills
Publication title:
HRMagazine; Alexandria
Volume:
58
Issue:
11
Pages:
30-31
Number of pages:
2
Publication year:
2013
Publication date:
Nov 2013
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Section:
Q &A
Publisher:
Society for Human Resource Management
Place of publication:
Alexandria
Country of publication:
United States, Alexandria
Publication subject:
Business And Economics--Management
ISSN:
10473149
Source type:
Trade Journals
Language of publication:
English
Document type:
Interview
Document feature:
Photographs
ProQuest document ID:
1459697749
Document URL:
http://ezproxy.snhu.edu/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/14596977
49?accountid=3783
Copyright:
Reprinted with the permission of Society for Human Resource Management
(www.shrm.org), Alexandria, VA.
Last updated:
2017-11-20
Database:
ProQuest Central
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Keep Calm and Lead On
Slade, Ashley
T + D; Feb 2014; 68, 2; ProQuest Central
pg. 14
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
Virtual Instructor-Led Training: Powerful, not PowerPoint
Hall, Sue O
T + D; Jul 2010; 64, 7; ProQuest Central
pg. 72
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
OL 655 Case Study Two: The CEO Institute Focused on Meaningful Leadership Experiences Guidelines and Rubric
Overview
This course includes two case studies. These exercises are designed to actively involve you in human resource management decision making and help you apply
the concepts covered in the course to complex real-world situations. The case studies provide practice reading and give experience analyzing employee
competencies, planning strategic talent development strategies, and forecasting workforce needs. These exercises also provide practice communicating your
reasoning in a professional manner.
Case Study
According to Nancy Reardon (2011), senior vice president and chief human resources and communications officer at Campbell Soup Company, the goal the
company’s CEO Institute is to “create the most meaningful leadership experience participants have ever had” (p. 46). The two-year residential programs are
capped at 20-24 participants, and include members from across the company, representing a wide variety of positions, physical locations, and departments.
Participants begin by hand-writing a letter to the CEO of the company, affirming their commitment to the program. They are then are instructed and supported
through a five-module program, consisting of intensive multi-day workshops with homework and reflective activities between each meeting. The modules begin
with fundamentals, then work through exemplary leadership across the field and participants’ internal reasons for leading. Finally, modules four and five focus
on inspiring others, coaching, and “paying it forward” (p. 48).
References: Reardon, N. (2011). Making Leadership Personal. T+D, 65(3), 44-49. (Permalink)
Prompt
To answer the prompt below, use the following readings:
“Leadership-the rest of the story”: http://ezproxy.snhu.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/1507294864?accountid=3783
“Virtual Instructor-Led Training: Powerful, not PowerPoint”:
http://ezproxy.snhu.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/608039093?accountid=3783
“Keep Calm and Lead On”: http://ezproxy.snhu.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/1500362303?accountid=3783
“Google's Jolly Good Fellow”: http://ezproxy.snhu.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/1459697749?accountid=3783
“Chade-Meng Tan: Everyday compassion at Google”: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTR4sAD_4qM
This week’s textbook reading: Chapter Five from Employee Training and Development
Based on the case study above, imagine you are the Vice President of Learning at the CEO Institute:
Evaluate the design elements that help ensure that participants learn about leadership and put it into practice
Analyze how these design elements encourage learning and transfer
Articulation of
Response
Learning and Transfer
Design Elements
Critical Elements
Elements for
Leadership and
Practice
Exemplary (100%)
Submission meets “Proficient”
and extends explanation to
include additional leadership
and its practice
Submission meets “Proficient”
and extends explanation to
include learning and transfer
design elements specific to
leadership and its practice
Submission is free of errors
related to grammar, spelling,
syntax, and organization and is
presented in a professional and
easy-to-read format
Submission has no major errors
related to grammar, spelling,
syntax, or organization
Analyzes design elements that
encourage learning and transfer
of leadership practices by the
participants
Proficient (90%)
Evaluates the design elements
of leadership and ensures it is
put into practice
Rubric
Attempts to analyze design
elements that encourage
learning and transfer of
leadership practices by the
participants
Submission has major errors
related to grammar, spelling,
syntax, or organization that
negatively impact readability
and articulation of main idea
Needs Improvement (70%)
Attempts to evaluate design
elements of leadership and
ensures it is put into practice
Total
Submission has critical errors
related to grammar, spelling,
syntax, or organization that
prevent understanding of ideas
Does not include any design
elements related to learning
and transfer of leadership
practices by the participants
Not Evident (0%)
Does not identify design
elements of leadership and its
practice
100%
20
40
Value
40
Guidelines for Submission: Case Study Two must follow these formatting guidelines: double spacing, 12-point Times New Roman font, one-inch margins, and APA
citations. Page length requirements: 2–3 pages, not including cover page and references.
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