Rupert Murdoch, the Chairman and CEO of Newscorp, is a titan. Yes, that’s the term that people use very loosely when they describe people who head media companies, but doesn’t Murdoch seem as though he would be a titan no matter what he did? I can picture Rupert Murdoch coaching Little League, working as a janitor, or participating in a knitting class – and I still think he’d come across like a titan. The man has a ruthless, tough, incredibly aggressive and success-driven persona which seems like a force of nature akin to a hurricane or volcano eruption.He created one of the largest and most successful media conglomerates in the world; rules it like Augustus once ran the Roman Empire; and maintains an iron grip on power despite the fact that he is at an age when most CEOs are playing shuffle board or chasing after their nurses.

Continue reading » »

Do leaders really care about merit? Should the most talented man or woman always get the job or is it better that key positions be stocked with friends and allies? Is it more important for a leader to surround himself with the best people or with people he feels comfortable with and can trust?

One of the touchiest issues in corporate politics today is the role of favoritism. In a publicly traded company, where thousands of people work, is it right that anyone should get ahead simply because they are related to the boss, have worked closely with him before, or know him well socially? For those who don’t share DNA or country club membership with the leader, it can lead to a familiar emotion. It’s the kind of feeling that we experienced in grade school when we weren’t chosen by the cool kids, or in college when we stood patiently in the rope line at some popular nightclub while the doorman let others slide mysteriously through.

Continue reading » »