Techniques of the Office Politics Masters

Passion is Jobs’ greatest asset in motivating employees, negotiating deals, and cultivating a consumer following that’s as attracted to his zealotry as it is to the next great Apple product. His ceaseless energy and excitement stirs passion in his people, too, convincing them the impossible is possible. Some are also motivated by fear: Jobs is famous for telling employees, “This is shit!” But after a few days pass and improvements are made, he may hail the same idea as an amazing innovation. Articulate, unyielding, and direct, he’s been labeled a micromanager — a product of his extremely high expectations. He’s also known for eschewing formalities: he speaks in plain language, wears Levis, and works right alongside his employees.

Early in his career, Welch didn’t hesitate to tell his superiors what they were doing wrong and how they could do it better. As a decision maker, he eliminated redundancies in staffing, which caused many people to view him as callous. But he earned the respect and loyalty of peers and employees by rewarding bright, passionate hard workers with stock options, autonomy, and a collegial relationship. Welch did away with formalities and the chain-of-command business structure characteristic of most corporations. “I tell people to never allow themselves to become victims in an institution,” he told the Wall Street Journal in a 1999 interview. “I encourage them to raise their hands, to be seen, to make a statement.”

Indian-born Nooyi got the top job at Pepsi in large part because of the key role she played in orchestrating several major deals while she was CFO. Direct and confident but not overbearing, she drives people hard by inspiring them. Nooyi also speaks plainly about things, including her own missteps: After recently visiting India, Nooyi said she should have visited three years earlier, when Pepsi was accused of using unsafe water. Nooyi is known for singing at the office and, at times, going barefoot, which sends a message about being oneself in every context. It also makes her approachable.

Eisner believes failing is part of succeeding, particularly in creative pursuits like film and television. At Disney and throughout his career, this philosophy led him to take risks that many wouldn’t. His creative instinct and business acumen catapulted Disney from a theme-park company and movie studio to a major media conglomerate. But some of Eisner’s risks turned out badly, like outsourcing much of Disney’s creative work and forcing out studio chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg. He also gained a reputation for duplicity when he hired friend and talent agent Michael Ovitz as his No. 2 guy — then immediately began plotting Ovitz’s ouster. Much of Eisner’s success came from his strict control over all aspects of the business — which eventually brought about his downfall.

Focused and intense, Fiorina made no bones about her strategy: generate financial results. She came to HP with strong communication and marketing skills and little financial expertise. But as executive vice president at AT&T, she had proven she could set a goal and jump in headfirst. At HP, Fiorina was charged with turning a stodgy and disjointed company into a faster-moving innovative competitor. But change is hard, and her style didn’t make it any easier. Where the company’s previous engineering-centered culture valued workers for their dedication, Fiorina’s HP focused on productivity, sales results — and longer work weeks. Longtime employees saw their sense of community dissolve. At the old HP, decisions were made by consensus at lower levels. Under Fiorina, decisions came from the top.