Google ex-CEO Eric Schmidt on 'greatest talent in business': It is an advice that I received at home

Google ex-CEO Eric Schmidt has said that one of the most important skills in business leadership came from advice he received from his father at home. Speaking about what he considers his “greatest talent in business,” Schmidt explained that motivating people works best when they believe an idea is their own. The former Google chief said this approach shaped how he led teams over several decades and influenced how he thought about management, decision-making, and organisational culture across large companies.In a 2018 interview with economist Tyler Cowen, Schmidt described himself as a “systemic thinker” who focuses on how people behave inside organisations. When asked about his strengths as a business leader, he pointed to a lesson from his father.“My father taught me that the best way to get people to do stuff is to have it be their idea,” Schmidt said. He added that when leaders align their ideas with those of their teams, it becomes easier to move forward and resolve disagreements elsewhere.Eric Schmidt said strong leaders create an environment where teams can operate on their own with minimal supervision. In such setups, managers do not need to constantly give instructions.“The ideal manager doesn't ever have to do anything because all the people who they work with are self-functioning,” he said. He also noted that leaders who fail to motivate their teams are not giving people a fair chance to succeed.