O Hunger, My Hunger!

“The guru game is changing.

“Psychologists, journalists and celebrity chief executives crowd the top of a ranking of influential business thinkers compiled for The Wall Street Journal. The results, based on Google hits, media mentions and academic citations, ranked author and consultant Gary Hamel No. 1.

“But Dr. Hamel is the only traditional business guru in the top five, which includes two journalists, Thomas Friedman and Malcolm Gladwell, and a former CEO, Bill Gates. Mr. Gladwell is among three thinkers in the top eight who focus on psychology. His 2005 book ‘Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking’ examined the role of snap judgments in decision-making. Howard Gardner, a professor of education at Harvard best known for the theory of ‘multiple intelligences,’ is No. 5, while Daniel Goleman, a psychologist who has written about ‘emotional intelligence,’ ranks eighth.

“Thomas H. Davenport, a management professor at Babson College, compiled the ranking, employing the same methodology he used in a 2003 book, ‘What's the Big Idea?’ Several well-known business gurus fell lower in the updated list, including Michael Porter and Tom Peters, who topped the 2003 ranking and dropped to Nos. 14 and 18, respectively…

“Dr. Davenport says the changes show that time-strapped managers are hungry for easily digestible advice wherever they can find it. Today, the most pressing themes include globalization, motivation and innovation. Traditional business gurus writing ‘weighty tomes’ are in decline, he says.

“Managers say it's no coincidence they tap a broad range of thinkers. ‘The demands on all of us for decision-making have grown exponentially,’ says Susan Flygare, a sales-strategy executive at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota who has attended speeches by a Harvard-educated stand-up comic…

“No matter who's preaching, managers are wary of blindly embracing advice. ‘People have to use all these gurus with some caution,’ says Michael Mauboussin, chief investment strategist at Legg Mason Capital Management. He is a fan of Clayton Christensen, the Harvard professor known for his writings on ‘disruptive innovation,’ who ranks No. 17 on the list, up from 49 in 2003. Mr. Mauboussin says gurus often idolize certain companies during good times, and then chastise the same ones during bad. ‘The reality is, they were never so good, and they were never so bad,’ he says.”

(“New Breed of Business Gurus Rises --- Psychologists, CEOs Climb in Influence, Draw Hits, Big Fees.” Erin White. Wall Street Journal: May 6, 2008. pg. B.1)

"THE PORT IS NEAR, the bells I hear, the people all exulting,
While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring..."
So grant me food, any food that's easy for digesting.