Leadership Development

Stand out from the crowd via LinkedIn

February 12, 2010

Facebook and Twitter may be getting all the attention, but you still need to pay attention to LinkedIn. LinkedIn is important precisely because it is so stodgy and predictable as a business tool. Here’s how to work it:

Give your self-control a longer leash

January 11, 2010

Scientists are discovering that the concepts of willpower and self-discipline may be counterproductive. How so? One experiment at Tufts University indicates that people who are not hypercareful—that is, trying too hard not to say the wrong thing—mess up less often.

Those who can lead, teach

January 11, 2010

What connects Nobel-Prize winning economist Paul Samuelson and NBA championship coach Phil Jackson? Fair question. Both became experts in their chosen fields and benefited from the teachings of others. They both, in turn, dedicated significant portions of their careers to refining what they learned and then passing those lessons on to others.

Do you expect too much?

December 11, 2009

Setting high standards for yourself is good, but here’s how to monitor your level of expectations so you’ll be tough but fair:

Putting your beliefs to the test

December 11, 2009

When put to the test, leaders do what’s right, even if it’s difficult. For longtime environmentalist, Yvon Chouinard, founder and owner of Patagonia, the test came in 1994, when he learned that industrially farmed cotton, which figured in 20% of the company’s sales, required toxic chemicals …

Forced out? Maybe it’s a good thing

December 11, 2009

Imagine being at the top of your career, then very publicly and unceremoniously fired. It happened to Jeffrey Katzenberg, when, as a studio head at The Walt Disney Co., the company forced him to resign. As painful as it was, though, it was one of the most valuable lessons of his career. Why?

Team-building ideas: Rx for coaching your team to greatness

December 11, 2009

Well-supported teams receive the information, training and rewards they need to keep chugging along. Here are four prescriptions for coaching your team:

Leadership Tips: Vol. 110

December 11, 2009

Hit upon more winning ideas by capturing more ideas in the first place. New communication and online mechanisms can help. Example: Starbucks gathers and codifies ideas with www.mystarbucksidea.com, and uses decision-market approaches to evaluate them. Meanwhile, innovative companies such as Apple or Google make generating ideas an informal part of everyone’s job and motivate employees largely with nonmonetary recognition.

Making the most of 2 billion heartbeats

December 11, 2009

Lauretta Hannon dithered around in safe jobs for nearly 20 years before taking the plunge in the career she really wanted, as a writer. Hanging onto the security of a steady paycheck is a fear that’s hard to overcome, she rationalized. She knows that life is full of losses, but she also knows that every living creature gets about 2 billion heartbeats, so we need to make the most of them.

Inspirational leadership: 3 attributes leaders need

December 1, 2009

Few large organizations doubt their own ability to survive the downturn, says leadership consultant John Baldoni, but sadly, few of their top executives possess the kind of vision and inspiration needed to move beyond survival—to “thrival.” In other words, the financials are acceptable, but the leadership is lacking. And right now, leadership is what we need.