The business enterprise has two, and only two, basic functions: marketing and innovation. It is not necessary for a business to grow bigger; but it is necessary that it constantly grow better. - Peter Drucker An enterprise that does not innovate will not survive long. And management that does … [Read more...] about Creating a Climate of Innovation
Survival of the Fittest: Feedback is not for Sissies
"It is not the most intelligent of the species that survive the longest, it is the most adaptable." -- Charles Darwin In order to be persistently successful, people and organizations need to adapt continually to their environment. This requires information from the environment. The more open … [Read more...] about Survival of the Fittest: Feedback is not for Sissies
Leadership: Facing Moral and Ethical Dilemmas
We need a Nobel Prize in business, awarded to organizations that demonstrate how business effectiveness (meaning survival, market share, profits, and stock value) results directly from ethical behavior. A society that is not built on ethics - on fairness, freedom, and mature hearts and minds - … [Read more...] about Leadership: Facing Moral and Ethical Dilemmas
Sustaining Results: Balancing People, Values and Business
In the last few years several books have addressed why some companies are more enduring than others. What distinguishes the great from the merely good? Really great companies, even in bad times, place people and values first. The obsession with stock prices has obscured our vision and caused … [Read more...] about Sustaining Results: Balancing People, Values and Business
Getting the Most out of Executive Coaching
When used for the right reasons and with competent practitioners, executive coaching can provide significant and lasting benefits for both individuals and organizations. But like other innovations, coaching is in danger of becoming just another business fad. When not effective, it can cause harm … [Read more...] about Getting the Most out of Executive Coaching
Personality Types in Executives: What Works
The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is one of the most frequently used self-report assessment tools in management and leadership development programs around the world. It is used in leadership development, team-building, communications training and executive coaching. Yet many who take it put it … [Read more...] about Personality Types in Executives: What Works
Understanding Basic Human Behaviors at Work: What Drives You?
One of the earliest studies of human behavior at work was done at AT&T's Western Electric Hawthorne Plant from 1927 to 1932 by Harvard's Elton Mayo. Their principle findings are still relevant today: when workers have an opportunity to contribute their thinking and learning to workplace … [Read more...] about Understanding Basic Human Behaviors at Work: What Drives You?
Flipping the Coin for Talent: How Well are You Hiring?
Everyone agrees that talent is an important competitive advantage, but surprisingly, three out of four companies do not have a priority talent management program. Hiring processes are often random and decisions based on intuition. In many cases, hiring decisions have success rates similar … [Read more...] about Flipping the Coin for Talent: How Well are You Hiring?
A Leadership Map for the Future
Predictions for the future can be stimulating and challenging, especially if one is a top executive in a business enterprise attempting to make strategic decisions. Our rapidly changing global environment presents problems never before encountered. No one knows what will be required of leaders in … [Read more...] about A Leadership Map for the Future
Follow the Leader? It’s a new game!
"Leaders rarely use their power wisely or effectively over long periods unless they are supported by followers who have the stature to help them do so." - Ira Chaleff, The Courageous Follower, 2003 Organizations are successful or not partly on the basis of how well their leaders lead, but also … [Read more...] about Follow the Leader? It’s a new game!