Eric Bartz, 33
Manager, Schlumberger
Helping employees move from one area of a company or discipline to something different -- called "nonobvious" job moves in HR parlance -- is now widely believed to play a key role in getting high-quality people up the career ranks.
Bartz is one of the reasons Schlumberger does well what so few other companies can. A former semiprofessional snowboarder who lists camping and fishing as two of his favorite activities, he was well-suited to working as an engineer in Alaska, which he did for the early part of his career. But he eventually found that wearing.
He now channels his considerable energy into overseeing 70-plus people in Schlumberger's Victoria (Tex.) office, happily worrying about personnel, budgets, and other day-to-day management issues.