In an interview with NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang, the unconventional yet effective management style that has contributed to NVIDIA’s success was highlighted. Huang’s approach, characterized by having 60 direct reports, challenges traditional best practices in corporate management. Stripe founder Patrick Collison noted that such a structure is atypical, prompting an exploration of Huang’s reasoning.
Breaking Down Barriers
Huang’s philosophy centers on the democratization of information within the company. He eschews the conventional practice of one-on-one meetings, favoring a more inclusive approach:
“I don’t do 1-on-1s, and almost everything I say, I say to everybody all the time. I don’t really believe there’s any information that I operate on that only one or two people should hear about… I believe that when you give everybody equal access to information, that empowers people.”
This method ensures that all employees have equal access to critical information, fostering a culture of transparency and shared knowledge. By doing so, Huang removes several layers of hierarchy, which he believes stifles communication and innovation.
The Value of Public Feedback
A key component of Huang’s management style is his approach to feedback. Rather than providing feedback in private, he does so in front of the entire team: “I give you feedback right there in front of everybody. In fact, this is a really big deal. First of all, feedback is learning. For what reason are you the only person who should learn this?… We should all learn from that opportunity… Half the time I’m not right, but for me to reason through it in front of everybody helps everybody learn how to reason through it.”
By making feedback a public affair, Huang believes that the entire team benefits from the learning opportunity. This collective learning process not only enhances individual growth but also cultivates a more cohesive and informed team.
Challenging Conventional Wisdom
Collison offered a counterargument, emphasizing the traditional benefits of one-on-one meetings such as personalized coaching, career advancement discussions, and targeted feedback. He highlighted that these sessions are often seen as essential for personal and professional development. However, Huang’s approach suggests that the collective benefit of shared learning outweighs the individualized attention one-on-one meetings provide. By reasoning through feedback publicly, Huang models critical thinking and problem-solving skills for his entire team, which he believes is a more effective way to develop these competencies across the organization.
Lessons from the Golf Course
An illustrative example of the pitfalls of trying to emulate a professional’s technique comes from my conversation with Ryan Hawk. Ryan shared a story from when he caddied for his brother, Super Bowl Champion AJ Hawk, at a celebrity golf tournament. Rob Riggle, a decent golfer but not a professional athlete, was being coached by his girlfriend, a pro golfer. She noticed Rob watching AJ Hawk swing and advised him to stop. Her reasoning was clear: if Rob started trying to emulate AJ Hawk’s swing, it would disrupt the tempo and style they had been working on for his game.
This anecdote underscores a critical message: watching someone else and saying “I’m going to adopt that” can be detrimental. Just as watching a pro athlete swing a golf club might not work for the average golfer, adopting Jensen Huang’s management style wholesale might not be feasible or effective for the average business leader. Instead, leaders should weigh and consider everything they observe, testing some bits and pieces of the concept.
Applying This Insight
For instance, rather than eliminating one-on-one meetings entirely, consider how you can take a baby step in the direction of a visionary like Jensen Huang. You might not be able to handle 60 direct reports, and research suggests you probably can’t, just like Rob Riggle can’t swing a golf club like AJ Hawk. However, you can start by increasing transparency in your communications or by conducting some feedback sessions in a group setting to see how it impacts your team dynamics.
The insights from Huang’s management style and the lesson from the golf course can be particularly relevant for orthodontic practices aiming to streamline operations and improve team dynamics. By reducing hierarchical layers and promoting a culture of transparency, practices can enhance communication and collaboration among team members. When done right, public feedback sessions can serve as valuable learning opportunities, allowing staff to learn from each other’s experiences and mistakes. You can foster a more supportive and growth-oriented environment but you must have or acquire high emotional intelligence to pull this off. I’ve done this the wrong way and I do not recommend.
When you incorporate these principles, you can build a more agile and responsive practice, where team members are empowered with knowledge and encouraged to continuously learn and improve. This approach can ultimately enhance patient satisfaction, as a well-informed and cohesive team is better equipped to deliver high-quality care and address patient needs effectively. I’ve been fortunate enough to capture this kind of lightning in a bottle a few times in my career. If you have it right now in your practice, do everything you can to nurture and support it. If you don’t, do everything you can to achieve it. Simply said: get this right and your team will get everything else right.
The Big Picture: Jensen Huang’s management style, with its emphasis on transparency, collective learning, and minimal hierarchy, offers a compelling alternative to conventional corporate practices. For dentists and orthodontists, adopting similar principles can lead to significant improvements in team dynamics and operational efficiency. By fostering an environment where information is shared openly and feedback is given publicly, practices can create a culture of continuous learning and improvement, ultimately benefiting all stakeholders.
Remember, it’s not about replicating Huang’s approach verbatim but about integrating the essence of his philosophy in ways that suit your unique context. Start small, experiment, and see what works best for your team.
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