Leadership Mistakes

Why romanticizing leaders as heroes is dangerous

March 7, 2018

“Romanticizing leadership is bewitching because it offers an account of leadership drenched with imprecise mystique. It asks that we view leaders as privileged, holding a transcendent position above the fray of political or historical critique,” said Keith Grint, Professor of Public Leadership & Management at Warwick Business School, who conducted a study of the matter along with David Collinson, of Lancaster University, and Owain Smolovic Jones, of The Open University.

Silence your know-it-all spiel

February 20, 2018

It’s easy to feel like an impostor who’s pretending to know more than you do. That can lead you to talk too much and lose touch with your team. To avoid talking at (rather than with) others, beware of these traps.

Focus on positives to avoid excuses

November 9, 2017
Craig Ross was hired by a company to help its leaders innovate more effectively. Almost immediately, Ross detected a problem: The participants failed to connect well with each other.

4 sins of leadership

October 25, 2017
To succeed, you need employees to buy in to your goals and commit to putting in the effort to hit them. The last thing you want to do is alienate them by committing these leadership sins.

What a CEO’s verbal gaffe wrought

September 12, 2017
Four years into the job, the CEO of a chain of day care centers had revitalized the company’s finances, but his verbal gaffes threatened to drive away customers and staff.

Will your ego kill your career?

August 14, 2017
The day of the aggressive know-it-all who steamrolls over colleagues is drawing to a close. In the future, success will belong to those who can quiet their egos, collaborate, and empathize with others.

Was JC Penney’s CEO doomed to fail?

July 26, 2017
In November 2011, JC Penney hired Ron Johnson as its CEO. At the time, Johnson was considered a bold hire. But his star faded fast. Within 17 months, Penney ousted him after the company lost $4 billion in revenue and its stock tanked.

4 common brand missteps

July 19, 2017
Larry Light, co-author with Joan Kiddon of Six Rules for Brand Revitalization, identifies some tips on how businesses can avoid making a mess of their brands.

For Bill Gates, tirades came at a cost

July 14, 2017
In February 1985, Ida Cole joined Microsoft as one of its first female vice presidents. Within months, her relationship with the mercurial Bill Gates worsened. His confrontational style created a tense workplace.

Should you apologize?

July 9, 2017
For a leader, a public apology always involves risk. Here are some questions to help you walk the line between stonewalling and groveling.