Good People audiobook cover - The Only Leadership Decision That Really Matters

Good People

The Only Leadership Decision That Really Matters

Anthony Tjan

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Categories:
Corporate CultureManagement & Leadership

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Key Takeaways from Good People

Learning Tools

Reinforce what you learned from Good People

Mind Map

Good People
Core Philosophy+
The Good People Mantra+
The Goodness Pyramid+
Navigating Tensions+
Mentoring for Goodness+

Quiz — Test Your Understanding

Question 1 of 8
According to the text, why do most workplaces tend to evaluate employees based on their competencies rather than their values?
  • A. Competencies are directly tied to a company's profit margins, while values are not.
  • B. Evaluating someone's goodness in competency is much easier and has measurable markers.
  • C. Values are considered outdated in modern, fast-paced corporate cultures.
  • D. Employees prefer to be judged on their technical skills rather than their moral code.
Question 2 of 8
In the context of the Good People Mantra, why did Harvard Business School professor Georges Doriot argue that prioritizing a great team over a great idea is crucial?
  • A. Great teams are cheaper to maintain than funding great ideas.
  • B. Ideas are easily stolen by competitors, whereas a team's loyalty is permanent.
  • C. A great team can adapt, motivate members, and transform average ideas into stellar ones.
  • D. Investors are statistically more likely to fund a well-known team than a novel idea.
Question 3 of 8
What forms the foundation of the 'Goodness Pyramid,' and what are its three core components?
  • A. Compassion; consisting of openness, empathy, and generosity.
  • B. Wholeness; consisting of love, respect, and wisdom.
  • C. Truth; consisting of humility, self-awareness, and integrity.
  • D. Competency; consisting of skill, knowledge, and experience.
Question 4 of 8
How does the '24x3 rule' help individuals practice openness in the workplace?
  • A. It requires employees to spend 24 minutes a day meditating on 3 core values.
  • B. It imposes a minimum wait time of 24 seconds, minutes, or hours before responding to a colleague's idea.
  • C. It encourages teams to generate 24 new ideas every 3 months to foster continuous innovation.
  • D. It mandates that managers give feedback to their employees within 24 to 72 hours.
Question 5 of 8
According to the text, what does 'wisdom' (the final trait of wholeness) enable a person to do in a business context?
  • A. Outsmart competitors by predicting long-term market fluctuations with perfect accuracy.
  • B. Distinguish between factors they can and cannot control, and avoid dwelling on the latter.
  • C. Memorize and apply complex data sets to streamline workflow efficiency.
  • D. Persuade consumers to develop romantic attachments to the company's brand.
Question 6 of 8
How does Amara's law explain the common business tension between short-term and long-term thinking?
  • A. It states that humans naturally overestimate short-term effects and underestimate long-term effects.
  • B. It proves that short-term investments always yield higher dividends than long-term strategies.
  • C. It suggests that long-term planning is impossible in an unpredictable, fast-paced market.
  • D. It argues that instant gratification is the primary driver of all consumer behavior.
Question 7 of 8
In the R.I.S.E decision-making framework, what is recommended during the final 'Execute' stage to boost conviction and self-awareness?
  • A. Announcing the decision publicly to the entire company to ensure accountability.
  • B. Writing the decision down with pen and paper, along with the logical reasoning behind it.
  • C. Delaying the execution by an additional 24 hours to ensure no hasty judgments were made.
  • D. Delegating the execution to a trusted mentee to build their leadership skills.
Question 8 of 8
Why does the author advise mentors to avoid 'phatic communication'?
  • A. It relies too heavily on technical jargon that alienates new mentees.
  • B. It consists of overly emotional language that blurs professional boundaries.
  • C. It involves everyday, procedural phrases that lack genuine meaning and compassion.
  • D. It focuses exclusively on long-term goals, ignoring the mentee's immediate daily struggles.

Good People — Full Chapter Overview

Good People Summary & Overview

Good People (2017) restates the case for goodness in the cutthroat world of business. By redefining goodness and good people as crucial elements of a successful enterprise, Anthony Tjan challenges the notion that we can only succeed through our skills and competencies.

Who Should Listen to Good People?

  • Businesspeople seeking a work-friendly definition of goodness
  • People looking to become more well-rounded
  • Mentors hoping to supercharge their leadership skills

About the Author: Anthony Tjan

Anthony Tjan is an author, entrepreneur, business consultant and CEO of the Cue Ball Group – a US-based investment firm with a people-first philosophy and a focus on human capital. Previously, Tjan co-authored Heart, Smarts, Guts, and Luck: What It Takes to Be an Entrepreneur and Build a Great Business (2012).

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