Getting middle managers to tolerate (and not feel threatened by) problems and surprises is
one of our most important jobs; they already feel the weight of believing that if they screw
up, there will be hell to pay. How do we get people to reframe the way they think about the
process and the risks?

Which brings us to one of my core management beliefs: If you don’t try to uncover what is unseen and understand its nature, you will be ill prepared to lead.

Managing people is difficult because people are complex. In today’s high-pressure environments, it is very easy to get caught up in the fight for results and to forget about the complex human beings who are needed to produce them.

IBM over the past ten years has begun to develop the ability to handle a very high level of internal complexity and even apparent contradiction. Rather than hiding from conflict or suppressing it, we’re learning how to manage it, even benefit from it. This equilibrium can be achieved only when an enterprise has a very sure sense of self.

In broad terms, my management philosophy is to keep things simple. I want rigorous analysis and thoughtful assessments, but I do not want complexity. If strategies and plans aren’t easily understood by everyone, they will be acted on by no one. So by keeping things simple, we will be able to act decisively… and communicate clearly… throughout the entire organization.” - Jim Kilts.