Mark Goode Cites 'Warcraft' Skills as Indicator of Leadership Capability in Business

Business and financial observer Mark Goode has drawn attention to the link between business management skills and those required of gamers to excel at "World of Warcraft" offered by Blizzard Entertainment.

Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) January 26, 2007 -- Business and financial observer Mark Goode has drawn attention to the link between business management skills and those required of gamers to excel at "World of Warcraft" offered by Blizzard Entertainment.

"Leadership skills seem to be either home-grown or a lucky random draw in the prospective employee interview lotto," observes Goode. "Homegrown management skills suffer from a single point of view, that being whatever the prospect has already picked up in his or her present organization, right or wrong." He goes on to say that, "a certain class of games, 'World of Warcraft' for example, has a structure to it that not only could identify current leaders, but help train hopeful managers."

He goes on to point out that, "To excel at 'Warcraft' requires interaction with dozens, if not hundreds, of other players. Reputations are made quickly and tend to be persistent, at the least following the character if not the player."

Goode's perspective came about as a consequence of being given charge of the hiring, firing, and management of a department and later a profit and loss (P&L) center. "I made it a policy never to hire a manager at all. This is not to say that I had no management in the department, just that no one was ever hired with a management or leader title." Goode explains that, "If he was project leader potential, people would follow him regardless of the title he was carrying. The title would be a confirmation of the power he had and not the bestowment of that power."

"It's never clear exactly what makes people follow the leadership of one person or another. If employees follow their managers because it feels natural, as volunteers do, rather than because it has been dictated, the resulting efficiency can be truly amazing."

Following Goode's recommendation, the next interview for a CEO or division leader post just might include a session of "Warcraft".

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