Which leadership style will prevail in the future? If you want to improve employee engagement and productivity while reducing turnover, your organization must build on individual and team strengths: strengths-based leadership will prevail in the future as the key leadership style. Nearly a decade … [Read more...] about Strengths-Based Leadership
Teams
The Quest for Better Teams
“Teamwork remains the one sustainable competitive advantage that has been largely untapped.” ~ Patrick Lencioni, Overcoming the Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Jossey-Bass, 2005) Corporations increasingly organize workforces into teams, a practice that gained popularity in the ’90s. By 2000, roughly … [Read more...] about The Quest for Better Teams
Accountability Essentials
Is accountability becoming even more important in 21st Century business? In an age of ubiquitous social media and cell-phone videos, Big Brother’s watchful eyes seem to loom large. Rudeness, politically incorrect slips of the tongue and outrageous conduct are digitally captured and immediately … [Read more...] about Accountability Essentials
The Rampant Rise of Rudeness
“These may not be the best of times, and these may not be the worst of times, but for sheer rudeness, these times beat the dickens out of most times.” ~ Roger McElvey, “Mr. Manners,” Men’s Health, May 1995 While there are plenty of leadership development programs that propose social and emotional … [Read more...] about The Rampant Rise of Rudeness
Why Do Leaders Deceive Themselves?
The secret of rulership is to combine a belief in one's own infallibility with the power to learn from past mistakes. ~ George Orwell As much as we’d like to believe that we’re rational human beings, we can all too easily mislead ourselves. Self-deception is a process that encourages us to justify … [Read more...] about Why Do Leaders Deceive Themselves?
The Business Case for Empathy
“The problem with business today isn’t a lack of innovation; it’s a lack of empathy.” ~ Stanford Professor Dev Patnaik, author of Wired to Care In an uncertain economy, empathy may seem like a soft business skill. It can, however, serve as a catalyst for new growth, innovation and employee … [Read more...] about The Business Case for Empathy
The New Groupthink:
The Problem with Teams
Teamwork demands shared responsibility, but it also demands individual contributions. It fails if team members shelter behind the consensus. ~ Robert Heller, Founding Editor, Management Today
A recent survey found that 91 percent of high-level managers believe teams are the key to success. But the … [Read more...] about The New Groupthink:
The Problem with Teams
5 Golden Rules for Leadership
Are leaders born or made? One could argue for either position. The real issue is that all leaders can improve. Whether you’re a seasoned executive or a high-potential team member, you can boost your performance in five crucial leadership areas. More than half a million business books deal with … [Read more...] about 5 Golden Rules for Leadership
Inside the Mind at Work:
Manage for Progress
“So much of what we call management consists of making it difficult for people to do work.” ~ Peter Drucker
As any fan of The Office can attest, negative managerial behavior severely affects employees’ work lives. Managers’ day-to-day and moment-to-moment actions also create a ripple effect, … [Read more...] about Inside the Mind at Work:
Manage for Progress
The Business Case for Positivity
What good are positive emotions in the workplace? As scientists study the brain and learn more about how we achieve optimal functioning, the term positivity has finally captured business leaders’ interests. One study of CEOs showed that training to be more positive could boost their productivity … [Read more...] about The Business Case for Positivity