The Paula Principle

Anne-Marie Slaughter

Nancy Pelosi and later life career trajectories

An excellent piece by Anne-Marie Slaughter in the FT highlights how we need to change the way we visualise career trajectories.  I was greatly impressed by Slaughter's book Unfinished Business, in which she explores the reactions to her decision to leave a very high profile political job, as director of policy planning in Hilary Clinton's State Department, in order to return to a more 'normal' family life in New Jersey.  This was prompted by the difficulties in reconciling parenting of teenage children with an all-consuming job - in spite of having a husband who took major responsibility for the children. Slaughter's decision triggered a huge reaction, much of it bitterly critical.  I…
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Silos and Slaughter

I've been reading Gillian Tett's new book, The Silo Effect. The basic argument is very simple: organisations fail because people work in silos which prevent them from sharing knowledge and ideas.  Tett illustrates this with examples from diverse corners of the business world:  the New York Fire Department, Sony, Apple and the Bank of England. Her overall argument is compelling, and most of us who have worked in organisations will recognise its application. ( This is one of the reasons why the Peter Principle was so successful - people nod their heads in acknowledgement of a broad generalisation to their own experience.)   Sometimes, the silo construction is deliberate.  This does…
Read More

Nancy Pelosi and later life career trajectories

An excellent piece by Anne-Marie Slaughter in the FT highlights how we need to change the way we visualise career trajectories.  I was greatly impressed by Slaughter's book Unfinished Business, in which she explores the reactions to her decision to leave a very high profile political job, as director of policy planning in Hilary Clinton's State Department, in order to return to a more 'normal' family life in New Jersey.  This was prompted by the difficulties in reconciling parenting of teenage children with an all-consuming job - in spite of having a husband who took major responsibility for the children. Slaughter's decision triggered a huge reaction, much of it bitterly critical.  I…
Read More

Silos and Slaughter

I've been reading Gillian Tett's new book, The Silo Effect. The basic argument is very simple: organisations fail because people work in silos which prevent them from sharing knowledge and ideas.  Tett illustrates this with examples from diverse corners of the business world:  the New York Fire Department, Sony, Apple and the Bank of England. Her overall argument is compelling, and most of us who have worked in organisations will recognise its application. ( This is one of the reasons why the Peter Principle was so successful - people nod their heads in acknowledgement of a broad generalisation to their own experience.)   Sometimes, the silo construction is deliberate.  This does…
Read More