Leadership

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  HBR.org

• What We All Lost When Business Lost Respect

  Roger Martin

  9 Feb 2010 | 9:46 am

  I want to explore the growing malaise around business, in particular in widely-held, publicly traded corporations. I believe we have migrated — quite by accident — to a set of conditions such that in order to operate their corporations, senior executives are pressured toward a form of existence that is substantially inauthentic. And in the course of leading inauthentic business lives, they lose their moral compasses and play games that make them feel ever more inauthentic. This will take several posts, so bear with me while I lay out the first tranche of the argument. At our core,…

• How Working at a Nonprofit is Like Working at the NFL

  Wayne Luke

  9 Feb 2010 | 9:45 am

  The last of the celebratory confetti has been cleared from the stands in Sun Life Stadium in Miami. But watching the game brought to my mind some interesting parallels between working at nonprofit organizations and working in the NFL — probably because I've experienced both. (Sadly, I didn't play. I worked in the physically safer confines of the front office.) A sense of mission is critical. The nonprofit world is driven by purpose and mission. People see and seize on opportunities to create positive changes that are bigger than themselves. In this year's Super Bowl, many fans —…

• One More Look at Layoffs During the Great Recession

  Michael Segalla

  9 Feb 2010 | 9:19 am

  Here's a brief update on some research we've been doing on layoff practices. For a decade we tracked who was likely to be fired in Europe during an economic downturn. Surprisingly, it was not generally the least productive managers. Over 40% of European managers said they would layoff an older manager even if that manager was a high performer. Twenty eight percent said they would fire younger workers even if they were cheaper or better performers than others. Less than a third of the Europeans surveyed since 1999 said they would fire the employee we called the "weak link," the older,…

• Entrepreneurs: Beware of Vanity Metrics

  Eric Ries

  8 Feb 2010 | 9:10 am

  In previous posts, we discussed the common challenges that entrepreneurs face — from those in the garage to innovators inside large companies. In order to tell if we're making progress, we turned our attention from the outputs of models — from things like gross revenues and profits — to the inputs, insisting that the path to successful innovation is to prove the viability of the concept in micro-scale. The idea is simple. Establish baseline metrics by building the minimum viable product — the minimum required to measure the response of early adopters. Then, in each…

• Would You Have Chosen an Onside Kick?

  Andrew O’Connell

  8 Feb 2010 | 8:55 am

  What drives a leader to make the kind of creative, game-changing decision that New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton came up with in the locker room last night while The Who were cranking out 12 minutes of the same-old, same-old during the Super Bowl half time show? It's hard to be sure in Payton's case, but, strangely enough, ambivalence may play a key role. As in: The greater a leader's ambivalence toward a strategic situation, the greater the likelihood he or she will respond by taking action in a novel, risky way. Payton's decision was definitely both novel and risky: When the Saints came…

• 
  Forbes.com: Managing news and reports

• The New Guerrilla Philanthropy

  9 Feb 2010 | 2:43 am

  How do you give away $100 ''creatively''?

• Taleo: Managing During Uncertainty

  28 Jan 2010 | 9:00 am

  How Taleo's Michael Gregoire kept his employees focused and customers buying.

• Why We All Need More Design Thinking

  14 Jan 2010 | 1:09 pm

  A conversation with Tim Brown, CEO of the design and innovation firm IDEO.

• The Path To Successful New Products

  7 Jan 2010 | 12:07 pm

  Businesses with the best product-development track records stand apart from their less-successful peers in three crucial ways.

• Mergers Re-Emerging

  5 Jan 2010 | 8:25 am

  Companies planning to IPO could get snatched up at the last minute.

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  SmartBrief on Leadership

• Are dog owners dumber than cat owners?

  8 Feb 2010 | 10:00 pm

  Cat owners tend to be far better educated than dog owners, according to a new study in the U.K.  -More- Director IT Application Delivery - Logistics Systems Gap Inc.

• Real leaders know how to fight right

  8 Feb 2010 | 10:00 pm

  Good leaders know how to smooth over destructive disputes -- but also how to fan the flames of constructive conflicts within  -More- 

• Can AT&T escape the iPhone quagmire?

  8 Feb 2010 | 10:00 pm

  When AT&T became the sole U.S.  -More- 

• Populism won't put America back on track

  8 Feb 2010 | 10:00 pm

  The current upswelling of angry populism is understandable, but serious politicians should do their best to ignore it, writes -More- 

• Bonfire of the vanity metrics

  8 Feb 2010 | 10:00 pm

  When it comes to measuring success, it's always tempting for managers to focus on numbers that make them look good, writes Er -More- Search Engine Strategies New York brings you the experts that can help determine which emerging technologies and channels you should be investing in for 2010. Join nearly 5,000 marketers for training and discussion on topics like ppc and seo management, keyword research, social media marketing and more.

• 
  Leading Blog: A Leadership Blog

• 12 Behaviors You Can Practice to Make You a More Inspiring Leader

  8 Feb 2010 | 12:12 am

  Jack Zenger, Joe Folkman and Scott Edinger conducted a four year study of over 200,000 responses describing 20,000 leaders to determine what makes an outstanding leader. The results pointed to the fact that the ability to “inspire and motivate to high performance” was the single most powerful predictor of being perceived as an extraordinary leader. It was the best predictor of overall ratings of leadership effectiveness by direct reports, peers, and managers, it was the quality most valued by employees, and it was the factor most correlated with employee commitment and satisfaction. And…

• Drive: What’s Motivating You?

  5 Feb 2010 | 7:38 am

  When it comes to motivation, I think we can all agree on one thing: People are motivated in different ways—often surprisingly different ways—at different times depending on their needs, wants, desires, philosophy, age, friends, status, values, circumstances, background, mood, attitude, insecurities, self-absorption, and a number of things I left out for the sake of brevity. Obviously, when it comes to motivation, one size doesn’t fit all, best practices don’t work across the board, and our approaches to motivation must begin with respect. In Drive, Dan Pink defines three types of…

• The Right Fight

  3 Feb 2010 | 8:57 am

  If you believe that the single most important thing leaders have to get right is alignment, if you think that the leader’s time is best spent promoting teamwork and making sure everyone is on the same page and playing nice, then you might want to take a look at Saj-Nicole Joni and Damon Beyer’s book, The Right Fight. The book is based on a counterintuitive premise: In an environment where alignment is the only goal, alignment robs us of necessary dissent, of the checks and balances that mitigate risk, and of the tensions that create innovation and sustainable value. In short, you need to…

• Leading Views: Toxic Emotions in the Workplace

  2 Feb 2010 | 9:00 am

  Peter Frost explains in Toxic Emotions at Work that toxicity is a normal by-product of organizational life. According to Frost, when ignored, toxic emotions betray employees' hopes, bruise their egos, reduce their enthusiasm for work, and diminish their sense of connectedness to their company's community and goals. Compassionate responses to pain, on the other hand, encourage those who are suffering to effect constructive changes in their work lives. Despite their powerful role in employee performance, toxic emotions are rarely addressed by organizations: It is true that good leadership by…

• First Look: Leadership Books for February 2010

  1 Feb 2010 | 8:52 am

  Here's a look at some of the best leadership books to be released in February.   The Right Fight: How Great Leaders Use Healthy Conflict to Drive Performance, Innovation, and Value by Saj-nicole Joni and Damon Beyer   Mojo: How to Get It, How to Keep It, How to Get It Back if You Lose It by Marshall Goldsmith   Reflections on Leadership and Career Development: On the Couch with Manfred Kets de Vries by Manfred Kets de Vries   How the Best Leaders Lead: Proven Secrets to Getting the Most Out of Yourself and Others by Brian Tracy   Switch: How to Change Things When…

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  Management-Issues : News

• Keeping up appearances

  8 Feb 2010 | 12:00 am

  A new study has found that far from making real improvements in corporate governance, many CEOs actively try to hoodwink equity analysts about the composition and independence of their boards.

• If IT built cities

  8 Feb 2010 | 12:00 am

  I read the other day that Cisco is helping build a city in Korea. But what are the implications of this? I mean, would you really want to live in a city built by your IT Department? What would it be like?

• Ten lessons to learn from the crisis

  2 Feb 2010 | 12:00 am

  As the the financial crisis recedes, it is clear that the structure of big bank boards and the behaviour of their directors must change if we are going to prevent similar disasters unfolding in the future. In particular, there are ten key governance lessons that need to be absorbed.

• Crossing the line

  1 Feb 2010 | 12:00 am

  Some US employers don't just want to dictate what their employees can or cannot do in their own time, they want to dictate what family members of those employees do, too.

• Why was the wisdom of Peter Drucker ignored?

  1 Feb 2010 | 12:00 am

  The late Peter Drucker was the greatest management thinker of our times. Yet as the recent and current chaos shows, his wisdom went either unheeded as the wrong goals were attacked by the wrong managers. And what a tragedy that has proved to be.

• 
  How to Change the World

• How to Avoid Gullibility

  GuyKawasaki

  8 Feb 2010 | 3:45 pm

  We’ve all been sucked into doing something stupid, right? Fortunately, Steven Greenspan has written a book called Annals of Gullibility. In its conclusion he explains how to avoid gullibility, and I’ve provided a synopsis for you. Read the full story at the American Express Open Forum. More on psychology if you need the advice.

• How to Be Empathetic

  GuyKawasaki

  4 Feb 2010 | 10:24 pm

  By definition, good marketers are empathetic. That is, they have a capacity to understand and care for the needs of others. Bruna Martinuzzi explains how to be empathetic over at the American Express Open Forum.

• How to Not Be Annoying on Twitter

  GuyKawasaki

  4 Feb 2010 | 10:19 pm

  Amber MacArthur explains how to not be annoying on Twitter over at the American Express Open Forum. Sage advice for you to develop a great reputation and following on Twitter. More Twitter tips.

• The Elements of Guyle: British Blogging

  GuyKawasaki

  27 Jan 2010 | 10:06 pm

  Want to make your blog classier? You should blog like a Brit. I explain how to do this in ten easy steps.

• How to follow the Apple announcement

  GuyKawasaki

  27 Jan 2010 | 7:56 am

  Follow the Apple announcement at Apple.alltop. We aggregate over 200 sources there.

• 
  Women's Leadership Exchange Blog

• It's a New Dawn, It's a New Day, It's a New Life For Small Business... and I'm Feeling Good

  30 Jan 2010 | 6:56 am

  If you haven’t listened to the song “Feeling Good” recorded by some of the greatest singers from Nina Simone to Frank Sinatra to Michael Buble,, it’s time to go to You Tube and listen again. I’d like to make it the theme song for America’s small businesses this year. President Obama’s new focus on small business in his State of the Union address makes “a new dawn” possible. It took the Administration a year to finally figure out what most of us have known. America’s economy is driven by small business. Where small business goes, so goes the country. And small business has…

• A Dream of Change: Guest Blog from WLE Growth Guru Jewel Daniels

  18 Jan 2010 | 7:51 am

  A DREAM OF CHANGE, A FUTURE OF ACCOMPLISHMENT… ONLY ACHIEVED THROUGH A LIFE OF SERVICE By Jewel Daniels Thank you to the Martin Luther King Jr. observance day committee for allowing a me, a woman whose roots run through the south and across the waters of the Caribbean to find her way in the company of such phenomenal, giving and committed professionals. It is a brisk and rainy morning, one of which many chose to stay home but you chose to be here. And for that, the committee, this community and I am most grateful. Dr. King once said: “Human progress is neither automatic nor…

• The People of Haiti Need Us

  15 Jan 2010 | 10:29 am

  I am watching the evening major network news coverage of the terrible crisis resulting from the earthquake in Haiti. It's a tragedy. And we must not shy away from watching it. The recession is nothing compared to the images you will see. Aid is coming in droves...especially from America. It is hopeful. But we need the Star Trek transporter to get what Haiti needs as fast as it is needed. A crisis of this proportion, with no clean water, no power, road blocks, destroyed port, limited runways and devastation, is so painful to watch. While America, the U.S. military, relief organizations and…

• Two Ideas to Lift Your Spirits & Business UP

  30 Nov 2009 | 9:52 am

  This time between Thanksgiving and the winter holidays can be wonderful or extremely challenging. This year most of us are experiencing "challenging". So far the shopping reports say spending this past weekend was UP a little from last year, but the per person purchases were DOWN. So how do we focus on the UP and not the DOWN? Sometimes it can be exhausting staying positive to attract good things in your business and your life. So WLE has 2 UP ideas for you. UP Idea #1: Start each week by clicking on the WLE homepage, www.womensleadershipexchange.com. Each week we are featuring a…

• Learning Leadership from the New York Yankees

  7 Nov 2009 | 5:24 am

  I’m in ecstasy. My NY Yankees won the World Series. And they did it 9 minutes before my birthday. I got the best birthday gift money can’t buy. My happiness caused me to reflect about why I love the Yankees so much. The answer popped ino my head - because of their leadership. Okay, I am a leadership fanatic, maybe not as much as a Yankee fanatic, but, I am obsessed with always looking at why and how people lead. Small businesses and corporations alike might consider looking at the success of the NY Yankees and ask the same questions. So here’s my assessment on why I believe the NY…

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  Learned On Women by Andrea Learned

• The Advantage of the Sustainability-Minded Entrepreneur

  Andrea Learned

  9 Feb 2010 | 7:28 am

  It is so often the big risk-taking entrepreneurs or business leaders who live the glamorous life and get the media coverage, but does that really mean they are successful?  In the January 18 issue of The New Yorker, Malcolm Gladwell considers what makes for a successful entrepreneur – the likes of Ted Turner or hedge-fund manager John Paulson, as examples.  Surprise – it’s not what you think, but it is a combination of things like: They are attracted by lack of risk (something pretty obvious, that for whatever reason other people aren’t seeing – perhaps because…

• What “Green Moms” Expect from Brands: Purse Strings Radio Interview

  Andrea Learned

  8 Feb 2010 | 12:16 pm

  Angela Walseng and Wendy Scherer of The Social Studies Group and I were recently interviewed on Purse Strings Radio about our Green Mom Eco-cosm Study. We got into some lively discussion about: A woman’s awareness of her own journey toward sustainable or “green” living, and how she allows for a brand to take steps toward sustainability rather than expecting absolute green perfection overnight. Even the toughest critics or greenest mom bloggers remain  open minded and see the greater good in what Walmart and Clorox are doing with their corporate and brand steps toward…

• Today’s Hot Business Trends Are Mainly Sustainable

  Andrea Learned

  28 Jan 2010 | 9:05 am

  I received another Springwise newsletter in my inbox today, a few days after reading the most recent issue of Fast Company, and the contents of both made me realize: for the most part the entrepreneurial ideas or trends that are being covered by the majority of even not “green”-specific publications today are influenced by sustainable business thinking.  The cool stuff just IS more sustainable by design, so the not-so sustainably-oriented ideas don’t make the cut. Let’s use this most recent Springwise newsletter , specifically, as an example.  Of the 14 cool new…

• Mid-Course Correction: Toward a Sustainable Enterprise: The Interface Model

  Andrea Learned

  26 Jan 2010 | 5:38 am

  One man’s evolution from successful conventional business thinker to practically iconic sustainable business thinker.  Anderson’s book is a great entry point for any businessperson considering sustainable development.

• Sustainable/Green Marketing Builds On Marketing to Women

  Andrea Learned

  25 Jan 2010 | 8:59 am

  Perhaps I’ve not been clear enough lately.  Just as marketing to women really should not have been some hugely new concept when it started getting noticed a decade ago, so too should marketing to the sustainable consumer NOT be considered a whole new, hard to learn, concept.  In both cases, the segment in focus – “women” or the “sustainable consumer” – mainly re-shape the conversation around what marketers have long pursued: reaching the marketplace’s core consumer most effectively. My work is in identifying, studying – and sharing with…

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  Great Leadership

• Leadership Lessons from Undercover Boss: Episode 1

  8 Feb 2010 | 5:28 pm

  The first episode of CBS’s new reality show “Undercover Boss” aired Sunday night right after the Superbowl. For those of you that may not have heard, each week the show will feature a CEO that goes “undercover” to find out what everyday life is really like within their own companies. What a perfect opportunity for Great Leadership lessons and advice!Each week I’ll provide a link to the synopsis and my own leadership lessons learned that I believe would benefit any leader or aspiring leader (so you won’t have to have watched the show).The first episode didn’t disappoint. It…

• February Leadership Development Carnival – Carnevale di Venezia Edition

  7 Feb 2010 | 7:19 pm

  Looking for this month's Leadership Development Carnival? Nope, it’s not here. It’s hosted by Mark Bennett, Meg Bear, Amy Wilson, Vivian Wong, and the rest of my friends over at the Talented Apps blog. Take a look! There are 35 posts from my favorite leadership bloggers!Mark points out that this month’s edition is during Carnevale in Venice. That’s kind of fitting, given I’ll be in Venice next month. (-:Next’s month’s edition will back here on March 7th.Now I gotta go watch Undercover Boss.

• Career Advice Part 3: Lateral Moves

  6 Feb 2010 | 9:17 am

  A lot of career advice these days deals with how to get a job and how to get ahead (promoted). Makes sense, given the current economic conditions.However, at some point in your career, you will most likely be faced with another kind of career decision – whether to make a lateral move into a role that’s unfamiliar to you.Before I get into the ins and outs of lateral moves, I need to give you some context as to where my advice is coming from.My jobs have always been all about talent management. I have to make sure my company has strong leadership capability and a of pipeline emerging…

• Career Advice Part 2: Never Stop Learning

  31 Jan 2010 | 5:26 am

  This is the second part of a 5 part career advice series. There’s three parts to every career path: the past, present, and the future. Kind of like Dickens’s Christmas Carol. A lot of us tend to think of these elements in terms of the results we’ve achieved (as documented on our resume), the work we’re doing, and what we want to do when we grow up (our career plans and goals). There’s another way to think about your career path – think of your career as a learning journey. The Past:Most of know it’s a smart habit to update our resumes every year. It’s like paying your taxes -…

• Career Advice Part 1: Don’t Settle

  27 Jan 2010 | 4:47 pm

  I’m going to veer a little bit from the primary mission of this blog (leadership development) and offer a 5 part series of career advice posts.I do this with some hesitation. There are hundreds of career advice blogs out there already. For a good sample, start with Alltop’s collection of career blogs. I’d also recommend signing up for the new SmartBrief on Your Career free daily newsletter.The point is, I can’t even begin to compete with some of my favorites like Anita Bruzzese, so I won’t even try. I humbly bow to their expertise.However, I have picked up a few strategies that…

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  800 CEO Read

• The Rubber Macondo.

  dylan

  9 Feb 2010 | 7:02 am

  In the early part of the last century, Henry Ford was one of the most influential and admired men in the world. He was an industrialist-philosopher, building a new, mechanized Eden in America. He hired men of every color, nation and religion and payed them an unheard-of five dollars a day to stand in one place at work and live a clean life at home (Ford had a Sociological Department that sent hundreds of agents into Dearborn and Detroit to investigate employee’s lives and write up personnel reports). He had a benevolent supremacy over everything in his factories, from its workers to the…

• Stressed out?

  Jon

  8 Feb 2010 | 1:05 pm

  2009 was a challenging year, and the challenges haven’t stopped in 2010. In fact, we all are likely working even harder to dig ourselves out of last year, or maintain our solid standing in the current one. With that work, comes stress, and unless we manage that stress properly, our hearts will pay the price. Dr. John M. Kennedy’s new book just came out. Titled, The 15 Minute Heart Cure: The Natural Way to Release Stress and Heal Your Heart in Just Minutes a Day, the book provides a preventative approach to managing stress, and taking care of your heart. This isn’t just a…

• Friday Links

  dylan

  5 Feb 2010 | 6:49 pm

  ➻ Today is the first birthday of what we call in the office “our book,” The 100 Best Business Books of All Time by Jack Covert and Todd Sattersten. Todd wrote a happy birthday post for the book, and I gave away the last of the 100 best books we have to give away today on inBubbleWrap. ➻ The new issue of Portfolio’s Business Beat is out. As usual, our dear Mr. Covert has his “Just Jack” corner. This month, he discusses Discovering the Soul of Service by Leonard Berry. You can read more about the other features of the latest Business Beat on The Portfolio…

• Elbowroom: Space the Final Frontier

  Roy

  5 Feb 2010 | 7:52 am

  The time has come for 800CEOREAD to move into their new space! It’s been a long time coming and we’re still trying out different things that work for us to get settled in nice and cozy like. Here’s a few pictures of what it’s like so far. It’s not the finished situation, yet, but it will give you an idea of the layout. It’s been a long wait – but we think it’s worth it! Happy Friday, everyone!

• Twitter gifts

  Sally

  4 Feb 2010 | 9:13 am

  I’m torn about Twitter. Most days I struggle with what to add to our company Twitter account. While I can write a haiku at a drop of a hat, I blank out when trying to create potent 140 character messages. Partially because there seems to be some kind of retweeting competition (whoever gets the most retweets wins?) and that puts all the more pressure on tweeting–cleverly–only what is relevant. Of course these aren’t limitations for everyone; there are plenty of people who are very willing to tweet about their morning bagel or their latest pet peeve. And that’s…

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  Philanthropy Journal - Management/Leadership Articles

• Growing board engagement: Part II - Meetings

  5 Feb 2010 | 7:31 am

  The second article in this three-part series on board engagement focuses on the format and content of board meetings.read more

• Ideas that work: Commitment to change

  5 Feb 2010 | 7:12 am

  Change is inevitable. The key to creating positive change is involving, communicating with, and training staff. read more

• Diversity within family foundations critical

  3 Feb 2010 | 1:30 pm

  A new guide from the Council on Foundations provides 10 ways family foundations can make their efforts more effective through diversity and inclusiveness.read more

• Growing board engagement: Part I - Bylaws

  22 Jan 2010 | 11:10 am

  This three-part series is designed to help nonprofits increase board engagement by focusing on three critical areas: the impact of bylaws, the format and content of meetings and the decision-making process. read more

• Communication vital to smooth transitions

  15 Jan 2010 | 10:01 am

  Leadership transitions are stressful, but a well-thought-out communications plan can ease the process.read more

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  Education Week: Leadership And Management

• Va. Ed. Secretary Backs Range of Education Options

  5 Feb 2010 | 9:02 pm

• Obama Budget a Blueprint for Ed. Dept. Overhaul

  4 Feb 2010 | 9:02 pm

  But whether Congress will go along with the administration’s plans to cut and consolidate a raft of smaller programs remains unclear.

• King County Judge Rules State Failing Education

  3 Feb 2010 | 9:02 pm

• Rulings Cloud Issue of School MySpace Suspensions

  3 Feb 2010 | 9:02 pm

• Six States Sign On to School Turnaround Project

  2 Feb 2010 | 9:02 pm

  The multistate effort seeks to remove the barriers that have hindered previous attempts to turn around low-performing schools.

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  Talking Story with Rosa Say

• The Great Reveal of Undercover Boss: Now what?

  Rosa Say

  9 Feb 2010 | 2:15 am

  I won’t bury the lead on this. The great reveal of Undercover Boss, which premiered on CBS after SuperBowl XLIV is this: Whatever the size of your company, there are layers between you and the truth you need to know about, layers which are smothering untapped energy in getting your best possible work done. I doubt the premise of the show was much of a surprise to any manager anywhere. I could easily imagine all the heads nodding at their television screens, saying, “Welcome to my world.” So what will the Alaka‘i manager do about that? You can have an Aloha approach to dealing with…

• The Care and Feeding of your Talking Story Subscription

  Rosa Say

  8 Feb 2010 | 2:15 am

  As the years of my life have marched by, one of the lessons I have always been challenged by, is asking for what I want. I have to push myself to practice asking for just about everything, and I’ll bet you do too. Even though I know nearly everyone else in the human race has the same challenge with asking, it doesn’t make it any easier for me. We have to be brave, stick our necks out, and ask for all sorts of things. Asking invites nourishment. As a mother, I taught my children to ask, and ask assertively and without apology, as a survival skill they’d need when speaking with…

• Take 5 in 2010 Game-Changing; a February update

  Rosa Say

  7 Feb 2010 | 2:15 am

  Preface for any who may be new, or occasional readers: Subscriptions to Talking Story have spiked in the last week since we said Aloha to Joyful Jubilant Learning, and I am thrilled to have you here. THRILLED. I assure you, joyful learning will always be a part of Talking Story (learning is my Hawaiian value of ‘Ike loa); I cannot imagine it being otherwise. Reading back over this posting, which follows, I also feel I should explain… There’s a lot of self-indulgent “me” in it, offered up to you as the silent question, “Perhaps you too?” There are times my posts will “talk…

• Unconditional Acceptance, Nature and Nurture

  Rosa Say

  5 Feb 2010 | 2:15 am

  In yesterday’s posting, You’ll Be the Company you Keep, I wrote, Aloha accepts all people unconditionally as our fellow human beings, worthy of the Aloha we then give, within the values-held belief that all people are good, and thus worthy of our love. And remember: If you are to receive that beautifully authentic Aloha Spirit from other people, you have to be obsessed with giving them yours first! Keep this positive expectancy, and optimistic belief close to you: If people seem less than good at any given time, it is a behavioural issue, or an expression of where their values are at a…

• You’ll Be the Company you Keep

  Rosa Say

  4 Feb 2010 | 2:15 am

  And “keep them” or not, you’ll be the company you love with Aloha. We have all heard the sentiment of my post title in some form. Perhaps our parents said it to us first, as they protectively watched us choose our earliest budding friendships, fully knowing how little they could truly change or minds; usually they’d make us more stubborn about it. Photo credit: Reunited by leipiaf.geo on Flickr You may have proved them wrong back then. Or, you may have had to admit they were right, as they smiled that “I told you so” look parents can have without having to say a single word. Did…

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  Seth's Blog

• TEDthink

  Seth Godin

  9 Feb 2010 | 3:00 am

  Can you factor this? If you're like most people, you get a little queasy at the thought. And when you were in tenth grade, you surely wondered why they were bothering you.(the answer is (x-2) times (x-2), in case you were curious.)It turns out that the real reason you needed to do this work was to be able to play with numbers in your head. Abstract numerical thought is an important skill among educated people.Which brings us to TED, a conference held every year in Long Beach. It's going on right now. Watch a few TED videos and try to get ahead of the speaker. They have an idea...it's probably…

• Frightened, clueless or uninformed?

  Seth Godin

  8 Feb 2010 | 2:57 am

  In the face of significant change and opportunity, people are often one of the three. If you're going to be of assistance, it helps to know which one.Uninformed people need information and insight in order to figure out what to do next. They are approaching the problem with optimism and calm, but they need to be taught. Uninformed is not a pejorative term, it's a temporary state.Clueless people don't know what to do and they don't know that they don't know what to do. They don't know the right questions to ask. Giving them instructions is insufficient. First, they need to be sold on what the…

• The least I could do

  Seth Godin

  7 Feb 2010 | 3:35 am

  One way to think about running a successful business is to figure out what the least you can do is, and do that. That's actually what they spent most of my time at business school teaching me.No sense putting more on that pizza, sending more staff to that event, answering the phone in fewer rings... what's the point? No sense being kind, looking people in the eye, being open or welcoming or grateful. Doing the least acceptable amount is the way to maximize short term profit.Of course, there's a different strategy, a crazy alternative that seems to work: do the most you can do instead of the…

• iPad app of my dreams: the digital talking pad

  Seth Godin

  6 Feb 2010 | 8:10 am

  Here's the spec. If you build it and it's great, I'll use it and I'll blog it.A while ago, I posted about the talking pad and a modern version of it.I think there's a killer app version of this for the iPad, and I hope someone will build it. The talking pad is an interactive presentation tool for smart people.OverviewIt's a very simple concept: a collection of pages (slides, images, type, let's call them pages) that are easy to navigate in a non-linear way. Along with the standard zoom features, I'd like to be able to write on any of them in real time using my finger. I can also call up, on…

• The relentless search for "tell me what to do"

  Seth Godin

  6 Feb 2010 | 2:26 am

  If you've ever hired or managed or taught, you know the feeling.People are just begging to be told what to do. There are a lot of reasons for this, but I think the biggest one is: "If you tell me what to do, the responsibility for the outcome is yours, not mine. I'm safe."When asked, resist.

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  CEO Blog - Time Leadership

• Top 10 Distinctions Between Millionaires and the Middle Class

  Jim Estill

  9 Feb 2010 | 6:09 am

  I recently read The Top 10 Distinctions Between Millionaires and the Middle Class by Keith Cameron Smith.The book is so bang on I could have written most of it myself. It espouses many of the same principles that I've said repeatedly on this blog.One of the distinctions is Millionaires think long term. I've blogged about the value of long term thinking in my Secrets of Self Discipline post.Millionaires embraces change and of course I've often said that change is opportunity and one of my mantras is change change change, embrace change, welcome change, make change, create change.Millionaires…

• The AMA Handbook of Leadership

  Jim Estill

  3 Feb 2010 | 3:15 pm

  I recently read the The AMA Handbook of Leadership by Marshall Goldsmith which is a collection of articles, similar to the one I recently reviewed by Malcolm Gladwell (although these are each by different authors).The book has five parts.1 - Forging ahead - The Global Picture2 - Developing People - The Key to the Future.3 - Engaging People - Force of Change.4 - Facilitating Change - The Leaders Role.5 - Taking the Lead.The articles are thoughtful, well chosen, well edited and for the most part interesting and thoughtful.There was an article by R. Roosevelt Thomas Jr. on Leadership and…

• Performance : Your Guide To Personal & Professional Excellence

  Jim Estill

  2 Feb 2010 | 8:00 am

  I recently read Diane Matyas Book - Performance : Your Guide To Personal & Professional Excellence. It's summarizes most of what most great self-help books contain. One thing that resonated with me is her first few chapters involve talking about energy - spiritual, mental and physical. One thing I've increasingly been emphasizing in my time management systems is that it's not about time management it's about energy management. So figuring out how to gain more energy, what gives you energy what takes your energy is an absolute must.She then goes into a section on imagination and this would…

• The Imposter

  Jim Estill

  1 Feb 2010 | 7:33 am

  I read a great book on the weekend called The Imposter - How a Juvenile Criminal Succeeded in Business and in Life , a transformation memoir by Kip Kreiling. The reason I say it was a great book is I founded a gripping and didn't put it down.Although it's just a bit longer than most normal business books that I'm reading (285 pages), the font size is large so I had suspected its even less words.As the title suggests, Kip is concerned that he is an impostor when he becomes a success in life. I think many people who are successful have that fear that perhaps they'll be found out someday.I don't…

• Motivation and Ways to Wake Up Early

  Jim Estill

  29 Jan 2010 | 8:01 am

  One of my readers sent me the following email in response to my 6 Reasons to Wake up Early article:Feeling the annual winter-lack-of-motivation-I-don't-want-to-get-up blues...Why do I want to get up early? Because by the end of the work day I'm exhausted, and have no interest in doing anything except lying on the couch and reading (which I think is okay, sortof). But I like the IDEA of using some time in the morning to clean, organize, write a note to a friend, search the web for fun, exercise. I somehow can motivate to exercise at night (usually, but not everyday and it should be), but…

• 
  The Tom Peters Weblog

• Link Roundup #12

  Shelley Dolley

  9 Feb 2010 | 8:20 am

  Keller Graduate School of Management has an online roundtable discussion series on how "businesses of any size can encourage an environment of corporate entrepreneurship." The Job Search Difficulty Index "measures the difficulty of finding a job" either by state or major U.S. city. For January, as I'm sure you can guess, Michigan was the the most difficult state in which to find a job. With the current state of the job market, many people are turning to self-employment. Reader Stephen Garner pointed us to How to Succeed in the Age of Going Solo from the Wall Street Journal. If you're as…

• Leadership: The Problem Isn't the Problem

  Cathy Mosca

  3 Feb 2010 | 2:16 pm

  Tom argues that the reaction to the problem often becomes more of a problem than the original misstep would have been if dealt with honestly. As he's been known to say: "Foul up. Fess up. Fast. Fastidiously." You can watch the 2:10 minute video on YouTube and, if you like, download a PDF of its transcript.

• Scary!

  Tom Peters

  1 Feb 2010 | 4:59 am

  Scariest start of an article award 2010, from yesterday's New York Times: "China vaulted past competitors in Denmark, Germany, Spain and the United States last year to become the world's largest maker of wind turbines, and is poised to expand even further this year. China has also leapfrogged the West in the last two years to emerge as the world's largest manufacturer of solar panels. And the country is pushing equally hard to build nuclear reactors and the most efficient types of coal power plants. These efforts to dominate renewable energy technologies raise the prospect that the West may…

• The Fortune Guy Is the One With the Problem

  Tom Peters

  28 Jan 2010 | 12:22 pm

  There's a Fortune article on a Goldman guy who quit. ("The Man Who Walked Away from Goldman Sachs," William Cohan, 0208.10.) The Goldman guy was worried about Goldman doing a header like Lehman. The Fortune guy wrote: ""If Goldman's stock went to zero as Lehman Brothers' had ... then Winkelried's decades of hard work would be vaporized in the blip of a Bloomberg screen." What a horror. Namely, the fact that the Fortune guy could produce that sentence, presumably with no sense of irony. Suppose my net worth was 100.000% wiped out this morning. I would be unhappy. Very unhappy. But ... But…

• What is Excellence?

  Seth Godin

  26 Jan 2010 | 3:59 am

  [Our guest blogger is Seth Godin, who needs no further introduction here. We'd like to thank him very much for this, his first post at tompeters.com.] Twenty-five years ago, my life (and yours, too, probably) was changed by Tom and Bob's book, In Search of Excellence. After that, on a regular basis, Tom has provided us with shots of brilliance and unsettling reminders that we've got a long way to go to reach our potential as organizations and individuals. Along the way, there's a question that's been nibbled at but never really answered. I mean, I already know many of the 687 ways to create…

• 
  Management Craft

• Undercover Boss - Reinforcing Bad, Fake, Management? #management

  Lisa Haneberg

  9 Feb 2010 | 10:39 am

  The new show, Undercover Boss, debuted after the Super Bowl. I did not watch it because I am almost NEVER interested, intrigued, or impressed by so-called reality TV shows. But two bloggers who I respect offered their thoughts. Check out Wally Bock's sharp-as-a-butcher-knife assessment in his post called, Undercover Boss: A Repellant Piece of Trash (come on, Wally, tell us what you really think).And check out what the HR Capitalist has to say in his post called, Undercover Boss: You Wish That's All It Took to Change Your Business...What drives me crazy about these programs is how they…

• Are they extraordinary? Do you see beauty at work? Training Salons #Management #ASTD

  Lisa Haneberg

  6 Feb 2010 | 6:43 am

  OK, so the word "beauty" is not often paired with the words "your employees" unless you are having a difficult harassment-related conversation with your HR manager.... but that is not the type of beauty I am talking about.And before I get into the main point of this post, let me throw out a few other words: love, fan, admiration, extraordinary.I was training in Wash DC this week (got out just in time to avoid getting stuck!) and I noticed that whenever I talked about believing in employees, my training participants looked and acted differently. (beauty in our back yard in Cincinnati)We want…

• Invite a Challenge and Zoom Forward

  Lisa Haneberg

  31 Jan 2010 | 5:03 pm

  I am a big fan of welcoming naysayers and devil's advocates into the conversation. I reminded myself of this last week and enjoyed the outcome, so I thought I would share the concept with you. Not only is inviting a challenge a great way to unearth diverse ideas, it helps enroll people into the process and improve their acceptance of my work. Naysayers make great evangelists! Inviting a challenge means asking others to critique our work – really critique it. If you are coachable – highly coachable – you might be ready to invite a challenge. Give it a try yourself and then you will have…

• Another Comment on the Daniels-Pink Debate Post - More on Motivation #management

  Lisa Haneberg

  30 Jan 2010 | 5:12 am

  Bret is a reader of Management Craft. He tried to leave a comment (on this post about the Aubrey Daniels slam on Dan Pink's book Drive) but was unable due to length (again!). I looked at my Typepad settings and could not find anything I could check or uncheck to change the allowable length of comments, sorry! I don't quite know why this is happening. Here is Bret's comments, my thoughts at the end:Hi Lisa:Great series you have going over there! I hate to be negative, but your blog platform is not facilitating conversation. It is VERY hard to leave anything but a short comment at your blog. …

• A response from Aubrey Daniels to my post about his Dan Pink Slam Post

  Lisa Haneberg

  29 Jan 2010 | 12:00 pm

  A couple of days ago, I wrote a post called: http://www.managementcraft.com/2010/01/aubrey-daniels-versus-dan-pink-bam-management.html Aubrey Daniels tried to leave a comment on that post, but the system did not let him because of its length. He emailed his comment to me and I said I would share it here. See Aubrey Daniels' post about Dan Pink's book Drive here. Find Dan Pink here. See my original post here. Now here is the comment from Aubrey Daniels. Thanks, Aubrey, for taking the time to share this! Lisa, Thanks for the comments about my blog post about Pink. I would love to have a…

• 
  Three Star Leadership Blog

• Undercover Boss: A Repellant Piece of Trash

  Wally Bock

  8 Feb 2010 | 11:38 am

  Undercover Boss is a repellant piece of trash. CEO participants know the game and are sure to come out looking good. Everyone else takes their chances. And everyone pretends they don't notice the cameras.

• 2/7/10: Leadership Reading to Start Your Week

  Wally Bock

  7 Feb 2010 | 8:48 am

  Here are five choice articles from the business schools and the business press to start off your work week. I'm pointing you to articles about ATT's iPhone problems, RIM's Smartphone advantage, creativity, more on Toyota, and the silver tsunami.

• Book Review: The Checklist Manifesto

  Wally Bock

  6 Feb 2010 | 11:42 am

  Atul Gawande's book, The Checklist Manifesto, is as fascinating and fun to read as his earlier books. But, if you're a business reader, you'll find it takes more work to derive good practical value. Even so, you should find some ideas about how to do a better job of dealing with complexity in the workplace.

• Putting Drive to Work: Getting less of what you don't want

  Wally Bock

  4 Feb 2010 | 3:22 pm

  Reprimand is a powerful tool for getting less of behavior you don't want. But you have to use it correctly and you should never use it for performance.

• 2/3/10: Midweek Look at the Independent Business Blogs

  Wally Bock

  3 Feb 2010 | 3:35 pm

  Every week I select five excellent posts from this week's independent business blogs. This week, I'm pointing you to posts on giving air cover to your team, work you love, learning from your younger workers, starting over (in your mind), and successful CEOs.

• 
  Life Beyond Code

• The Distinguish Cycle – Where do you want to begin?

  thinksulting@gmail.com (Rajesh Setty)

  9 Feb 2010 | 12:01 am

  For those of you who have reading this blog for a while, you know that one of the themes on the blog is how to escape the prison of commodotization – being one of the many. Why? Simply because commodotization erodes value. If you are valuable and can distinguish yourself, you can claim a premium in the marketplace. Of course, nobody is smart to be able to permanently distinguish themselves because for anything that is getting a premium, there are others who will follow suit and compete for attention until that “anything” is commodotized and loses the early premium that…

• The problem is never the problem…

  thinksulting@gmail.com (Rajesh Setty)

  8 Feb 2010 | 12:01 am

  In this short (around 2-minutes) video, one of my heroes, Tom Peters explains (with examples) why the problem is never the problem, the response to the problem is. Totally loved the video and is embedded below for you: Why did the 2-minute video touch my heart? The way I look at it, the statement can be extended to many other things – such as an “opportunity.” An opportunity is not an opportunity unless you do something about it. The trick is in “taking action” and doing something about what we are faced with. And, that is in our control. ---Related Articles at…

• A killer app – “Free” + “Social Proof” + Now!

  thinksulting@gmail.com (Rajesh Setty)

  7 Feb 2010 | 12:01 am

  The other day, I was at the Campbell post office standing in the line waiting for my turn. It was a long line so (as usual) I was busy browsing a book. The person in front of me brought me out of my dream when he stepped out asking me to hold his place. I nodded and continued reading. I couldn’t help notice what the person did. There was a box to drop off a business card to win a prize at the end of the month. The person dropped off his business card and walked back. I looked at the box again. There were probably 200 other business cards in the box. Not fully believing what I just saw,…

• Grace and Elegance

  thinksulting@gmail.com (Rajesh Setty)

  6 Feb 2010 | 12:01 am

  Photo Courtesy: Amitabh Bacchan’s blog Criticism is part of life. If you are doing anything significant, there will always be some criticism from someone Why? Simply because you can’t please everyone. A simple thing to do is to handle criticism with grace. Here is an example of how Amitabh Bacchan (who needs no introduction for anyone who has heard of Bollywood) handled criticism from another superb Bollywood actor Naseeruddin Shah. Here it is, in his own words (on his blog) [ Note: I made VERY minor edits for the sake of readability. Emphasis is mine ] A question came my way…

• A gentle push…

  thinksulting@gmail.com (Rajesh Setty)

  5 Feb 2010 | 12:01 am

  When you are on the fence, sometimes all it requires is a gentle push and you will move to one side. But someone or something has to give that gentle push. It does not take a lot of effort (remember: it’s gentle) but someone still has to do it. With that in the background, let’s put the “proverbial” fence aside and take a real situation. You are contemplating whether to attend a networking event or not. You want to do it but you also have other competing priorities to take care of. You know that in the long run it will help you but there are some short-term fires to…

• 
  Business Innovation Speaker and Consultant Stephen Shapiro

• Three Innovation Distinctions (Part 3): Diversity not Homogeneity

  Stephen Shapiro

  1 Feb 2010 | 10:16 am

  This is the third of my “innovation distinctions” entries. In the first part of this series, I wrote why you should focus on “Challenges, not Ideas.” Next, I addressed the distinction of “Process, not Events.” In this final entry, I discuss why innovation requires “Diversity not Homogeneity.” Be sure to read the previous two articles before [...]

• More Blog Entries Coming Soon

  Stephen Shapiro

  25 Jan 2010 | 12:01 pm

  I have been working ’round the clock to finish my Personality Poker manuscript.  It goes to the publisher Feb 1.  After that, I will be back and blogging in full force…

• R.I.P. Robert B. Parker

  Stephen Shapiro

  19 Jan 2010 | 3:40 pm

  Today I learned that one of my favorite authors, Robert B. Parker, passed away. He is probably best know for his “Spenser” books.  These fast-paced crime stories are based in Boston (my hometown) and were the  inspiration for the ’80s TV show, “Spenser: For Hire.”  I read every book and loved them all. He is also the [...]

• Three Innovation Distinctions (Part 2): Process Not Events

  Stephen Shapiro

  18 Jan 2010 | 6:00 am

  In the first part of this series, I wrote why you should focus on challenges, not ideas. You should read that article before proceeding. In this second entry, I will focus on “Process, not Events.” I first shared these three distinctions with a bunch of speakers and authors.  In the speaking industry, conferences/conventions are the primary model [...]

• I Need Your Help: Personality Poker Book Subtitle

  Stephen Shapiro

  8 Jan 2010 | 9:21 am

  I need your help! I am in the process of finishing the manuscript for my next book, “Personality Poker.”  The book will be published by Penguin’s Portfolio books and is expected in stores September 2010. We have been working on a subtitle for the book – and I would love your input. I realize that you don’t know [...]

• 
  Orrin Woodward Leadership Team

• Seven Principles of Effective & Defective Confrontation

  Orrin Woodward

  5 Feb 2010 | 9:16 am

  Dr. Joseph Mattera recently wrote this article on conflict resolution and I will repost with my comments since it has some solid thoughts on conflict resolution. Leadership is about influence and community, making promises, following through, encouraging one another and resolving conflict in a Godly manner when it arises.  With increasing frequency, I am seeing top leaders applying ungodly methods to resolve conflicts that only exacerbate the problems and destroy unity in the community.  I have said for years that as a leader, Conflict Resolution…

• The Center for Social Leadership

  Orrin Woodward

  29 Jan 2010 | 11:00 am

  The Center for Social Leadership (CSL) is making a difference in our world by teaching people to accept responsibility and lead in their communities.  We need more organizations to develop private solutions to our world's challenges instead of government solutions that cause more troubles than they solve.  Albert Jay Nock taught that Society solved problems through voluntarism, but the State solved problems through coercion and force.  What type of society do you desire to live in?  Can't we all see the increase in the force and coercion applied by our…

• Chris Brady - Top 30 Leadership Gurus

  Orrin Woodward

  28 Jan 2010 | 6:14 am

  My business partner and co-author of the best selling book Launching a Leadership Revolution, Chris Brady just received international acclaim as one of the Top 30 Leadership Gurus.  Chris is passionate about making a difference in the world, reading and writing for hours every day, serving his growing community daily, and believing in others until they believe in themselves.  I know of no one else in the world that has the combination of skills, creativity and character that Chris Brady has, having had a front row seat in his leadership journey over the last several…

• Art Williams - Just Do It!

  Orrin Woodward

  26 Jan 2010 | 9:14 am

  Art Williams was a "Just Do It!" type of leader and this talk given back in 1987 is powerful. No matter what field you are in, leadership matters.  Are you leading the field in actions or leading the field in excuses?  Many would be leaders need to stop trying to think their way into new actions and start acting their way into new thinking!  Watch the video and you will be as fired up as I am right now. God Bless, Orrin Woodward Orrin Woodwar Author   Orrin Woodward     Orrin Woodward Books

• Maintaining the Hunger - John Smith: Perennial Excellence

  Orrin Woodward

  23 Jan 2010 | 5:41 am

  I loved this video by John Smith, the head coach of the Oklahoma State Cowboys.  The Cowboys have won many national championships under the leadership of Coach Smith.   Winning a championship once is impressive, but doing it year after year is evidence of a leadership culture.  Coach Smith has created a hungry environment where everyone is uncomfortable with the status quo.  Improvement is the norm on Smith’s wrestling team and you can feel that in this interview when he states, "If we don't have that hunger, then there needs to be someone else in this chair." …

• 
  Crossderry Blog

• Wow, Leo Apotheker’s gone already?

  Paul Ritchie

  8 Feb 2010 | 9:38 am

  Unbelievable that Leo Apotheker has already fallen on his sword.  There has been tons of chatter about Leo and his demise (Dennis Howlett here, Larry Dignan here, Michael Krigsman here, and the #leogone Twitter feed is here).  Here are a few of my thoughts and questions: Everyone at must be relieved that Hasso is back in charge, morale at SAP has been a mess for a while.  The honesty from Hasso in his press conference was refreshing…the lack thereof is one of the reasons I’m not there. Blaming Business By Design on Leo seems ridiculous…I’ve seen that mentioned a…

• Shiny, happy objects all around

  Paul Ritchie

  7 Feb 2010 | 6:36 pm

  My brother introduced me to the concept of the “shiny object” — the distracting, alluring thing on which the unwary fixate.  Seth Godin uses the concept to get us focused on our goals and milestones. This post shows [again] why Seth is one of the wise marketing minds.  To the unwary, marketing is a kind of magic that can put a shine on anything or even polish a you know what.  Many, of course, only sell that shine.  Seth reminds us to begin with the end in mind if we want it to be more than a veneer. Filed under: PMO Tagged: goal-setting, Leadership and strategic…

• Week 4 Performance Report — Operation Dunk 2010

  Paul Ritchie

  4 Feb 2010 | 2:38 am

  Making good and steady progress.  I’ve made higher and higher scores on some of the multi-player games, but unfortunately I can’t seem to save and track my ongoing progress on those.  Of course, my son regularly humiliates me on the snowball fights so maybe I should be grateful for no tracking! Weight — Down 4.5 lbs from week 2 (249 from 253.5) Wii Age — I’m still at 55, though the missing week’s age turned out to be 45. The balance tests are still a bit of a problem.  I’m standing straighter — my center of balance is just about in the middle now…

• Using questions “within” your personality

  Paul Ritchie

  3 Feb 2010 | 12:44 am

  What in the wide world of sports is goin' on here? The second topic in my Q&A with Gary Cohen, author of JUST ASK LEADERSHIP: Why Great Managers Always Ask the Right Questions, focused on personal transformation.  His answer was not quite what I expected, for he rejected my assumption that transformation would needed as  “a matter of course.” Crossderry:  Of course, so many of us will be moving through different firms and roles that change will be a constant in our careers.  Any suggestions for making personal transformation a “core competence” that we…

• “Just Ask” Leadership

  Paul Ritchie

  31 Jan 2010 | 6:03 pm

  Just Ask Leadership Fail I finally have a few minutes — semi-snowbound here in Evansville — to catch up on old posting themes.  Earlier this year I had a chance to do a Q&A with Gary Cohen, author of JUST ASK LEADERSHIP: Why Great Managers Always Ask the Right Questions.  Gary is a serial and successful entrepreneur — ACI Telecentrics was his major liquidity event I believe — and he’s currently partner and cofounder of CO2Partners, LLC, operating as an executive coach and consultant.   The book is based on a fundamental insight: As leaders advance, they…

• 
  troy worman

• Universal Quotes

  Troy Worman

  1 Feb 2010 | 10:59 pm

  “I’m worried that the universe will soon need replacing.  It’s not holding a charge.” — Edward Chilton Got any like quotes?

• February is Here

  Troy Worman

  1 Feb 2010 | 8:54 pm

  “If the book we are reading does not wake us, as with a fist hammering on our skull, why then do we read it? A book should serve as an ice-axe to break the frozen sea within us.” — Franz Kafka Got any frozen seas that need breaking? Anyone?

• Beware of Writing Contests

  Troy Worman

  31 Jan 2010 | 8:20 pm

  Thinking about entering a writing contest? Think again.  Or, at least, check out this article at SFWA.

• L. Ron Hubbard’s Writers of the Future

  Troy Worman

  29 Jan 2010 | 9:32 pm

  L. Ron Hubbard’s Writers of the Future Contest is an international search for new and amateur writers of new short stories or novelettes of science fiction or fantasy.  It’s free, no entry fee is required and entrants retain all publication rights. Deadlines are:  December 31, March 31, June 30 and September 30 Contest Rules: No entry fee is required, and all rights in the story remain the property of the author.  All types of science fiction, fantasy and horror with fantastic elements are welcome. Every entry is judged on it own merits. All entries must be original works in…

• Browser Recommendation

  Troy Worman

  24 Jan 2010 | 11:04 am

  This web-site is best viewed with a browser. Anything but IE. Firefox 3.6 Safari 4.0.4 Opera 10.10 Chrome

• 
  MBA Depot - Latest Content

• Articles: Best Advice I Ever Got

  8 Feb 2010 | 10:00 am

  In a world of uncertainty, we could all use a little advice. So we asked a host of influential leaders to share with us the wise words that changed their lives forever. Source: Forbes Subject: Personal Improvement

• Market Research Entries: Credit-Card Mailings Rise 34%; Debt Rises Too

  8 Feb 2010 | 10:00 am

  Source: Marketing Charts Subject: Industry Specific

• Quotes: Henry Mintzberg

  8 Feb 2010 | 10:00 am

  By the excessive promotion of leadership, we demote everyone else. We create clusters of followers who have to be driven to perform, instead of leveraging the natural propensity of people to cooperate in communities. In this light, effective managing can be seen as engaging and engaged, connecting and connected, supporting and supported. Source: strategy+business Subject: Leadership, Management

• 
  The Chief Happiness Officer

• Getting to action: My latest Reboot talk

  Alexander

  8 Feb 2010 | 3:52 am

  Here’s a video of my presentation at last year’s Reboot conference in Copenhagen: For a long time, I’d been wanting to do a speech in shorts and flip-flops and since Reboot is a) held in the summer and b) mostly attended by IT geeks, this was the perfect venue to do it :o) The theme of the presentation is action. My point is simple: A bias for action is good for you because stuff happens when you act. But mostly I talk about how you get to action. Your take What about you? What helps you act? When do you get up and do stuff and when do you prefer to think, analyze and plan?

• A question for ya

  Alexander

  4 Feb 2010 | 4:39 am

  I’m currently writing an op-ed piece for a Danish newspaper about how to treat new hires. A lot of companies get this wrong and more or less toss in new recruits at the deep end to let them sink or swim for themselves. Others, like for instance Disneyworld or Zappos.com spend a lot of time and money on their new people to make sure that they “get” the company culture and are given all the tools, instructions and knowledge they need to succeed. For all of us, starting a new job can be a stressful time. You don’t know anyone there, you don’t know the written and…

• Hooray – it’s snowing

  Alexander

  4 Feb 2010 | 4:29 am

  Denmark is having the coldest winter in many years and the whole country has been covered in snow for the last several weeks. This, predictably, annoys the Danes. The roads are icy, the trains are late, your feet get wet, etc… So last night I went on Danish TV to explain why snow makes us happier. Here’s the clip: Basically, it’s because snow reflects light which means that the days are brighter which counteracts winter depressions (or SAD – Seasonal Affective Disorder).

• Quitting time

  Alexander

  1 Feb 2010 | 12:25 am

  I got an email from Red in the Philippines, who took a major step towards happiness at work last week: Red writes: I have been your follower and i really admire your writing style. In fact, I have adapted your style in my report writing. I just talked with my boss this morning (after reading your article on fear about being fired – now what vs. so what) and told him that I have reached my quitting point and I am resigning effective March 31, 2010. You know what, I felt a sense of relief deep inside and it was really great. Though I dont have a job lined up, I believe that it is worth…

• Friday Spoing!

  Alexander

  29 Jan 2010 | 4:02 am

  Here’s some major happiness at work at the Providence St. Vincent Medical Center in Portland, Oregon. What you see is their staff doing a Pink Glove Dance for breast cancer awareness. Thanks, Elaine.

• 
  TerryStarbucker.com

• The One Question Every Successful Leader Must Answer (Even Before It Is Asked)

  Starbucker

  8 Feb 2010 | 7:03 pm

  The supervisor is frustrated – in his mind, he has done everything right to manage his team to a successful outcome.  He carefully explained the task at hand and its deadline for completion, how it was supposed to get done (and by whom), and outlined the expected results. He has monitored the resulting team activity and provided useful feedback. And yet, the outcome was less than what he expected.   What went wrong? It’s one of those situations that can drive leaders crazy. I know, because it’s happened to me. There’s a missing element here, and it’s about a question that needs…

• A Critical Difference Between a Good and Great Leader (And It’s Not What You May Think)

  Starbucker

  2 Feb 2010 | 3:09 pm

  Remember this famous quote? “Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it” – George Santayana I’ve heard this one time and time again in my years in the business world.   And it’s a very powerful message about learning from the past.  However, I would offer that this quote should be amended to truly reflect using history to a leader’s advantage: “Those who learn best from wisely selected history are destined to greatness” Note the phrase “wisely selected“.   When it comes to history, great leaders essentially have…

• The SOBCon2010 “Blog it, Earn it” Discount- And An All-Expense Paid Ticket Giveaway

  Starbucker

  31 Jan 2010 | 3:08 pm

  Suppose you could take a weekend retreat away from the noise of the Internet … to focus entirely on your business to work with the support of a mastermind team to get quality time to interact with the top people in social media to get the best information AND time to discuss how you’ll apply it to work with sponsors who are doing the same thing in a room limited to 150 people — all focused in the same direction without worry because the food and the wireless are outstanding. Imagine a weekend work retreat with these people totally invested. Would you write a blog post to get…

• 3 For Your Leadership Reading List: The Half-Full Book Review

  Starbucker

  28 Jan 2010 | 4:38 am

  As the big stack on my desk attests, I love to read books that expand my knowledge and offer new insights on topics that interest me.   My reading list over the past several years can be found on my Amazon page (and if you do buy a book that way, all my commissions go to the National Park Foundation), and yes, they are skewed heavily toward business books. This interest stems from the simple premise that you just never know when a book, or a page, or just a paragraph, might alter your way of thinking forever, and push you to a personal breakthrough. So it’s with great pleasure that I…

• 5 Things Every Business Leader Should Know About Social Media

  Starbucker

  24 Jan 2010 | 1:36 pm

  It’s the new elephant in the room.   Boardrooms and conference rooms, that is. Businesses have been wrestling with this thing called Social Media for several years now, and while some have entered the fray,  it’s still an enigma to many. Is it friend or foe?  A great benefit , or a horrible nuisance?  Do we dive straight in, stick our toe in the water, or just put our head in the sand and hope it goes away? Because this elephant can take on so many faces, there is a good chance that all of those points of view exist within the management ranks of many companies – even the…

• 
  The Bing Blog

• A $uper Super Bowl

  Bing

  8 Feb 2010 | 9:37 am

  I just flew back from Miami, and boy, are my arms tired. But seriously. I loved the Super Bowl. The weather was great. The food was terrific. The mood was extraordinary, mostly due to the joyous, friendly, tipsy presence of the Who Dat Nation. At times it seemed like there were 100 Saints fans for every Colts fan.  Maybe it was the proximity of Miami to the Big Easy. Maybe it was just the overwhelming feeling that it was time for New Orleans to have some good news. But even people from Indianapolis were saying “Who Dat?” to each other. A word about “Who Dat?” For…

• Up in the Air about my concierge key

  Bing

  4 Feb 2010 | 7:35 am

  I’m sure many of you have seen Up in the Air, the recent movie with George Clooney, which offers possibly the most accurate and detailed look at contemporary business travel ever presented. It’s pretty hilarious. There are dozens of funny-but-true tips on how to negotiate security lines (i.e. don’t stand behind old people because they don’t seem to be aware of how little time they actually have left), manage hotel stays (i.e. make the most of the VIP status that comes after repeated visits to the chain), and assorted stuff like that. If you haven’t seen it,…

• !@#^% the deficit! Full speed ahead!

  Bing

  2 Feb 2010 | 8:29 am

  It’s funny how hypocrisy never goes out of business. Now all the big conservators of the empire who were so careful with our economic system during the Bush years are up in arms over the President’s admission that we’re going to be running a deficit as a nation for some time. All the usual suspects are running around yelling about it. They hate it, possibly because the money that’s needed is for something other than war. I’m not going to get into a whole partisan thing here, even though it would be quite natural to do so. You know who runs the No Theater…

• I want my iPad!

  Bing

  28 Jan 2010 | 9:22 am

  Have you seen it? Boy! This thing is really the super-coolest, make-you-wanna-droolest gizmological objet d’art around! I’m looking at a picture of one right now. Steve Jobs is holding it, which makes it even more awesome! You can tell that it’s light as air. It’s very flat. It’s got the Apple desktop that we all know and love from our MacBooks and iPhones and iPods and it’s gonna play movies and music and you can read books on it and play games on it and wowsers, I just can’t wait to get one. I was the first on the block to get a Nomad back in the…

• Why we should applaud the banking industry

  Bing

  27 Jan 2010 | 9:50 am

  I’m all for employees making a lot of money. Some of you get me wrong about that. I think that the people who have to go to work every day, deal with the vicissitudes of both success and failure, squeeze themselves into one costume or other to achieve maximum credibility, and worry about maintaining their standard of living in this tough economy deserve to be paid and paid well for what they do, regardless of the height of their branch on the corporate monkey tree. The good news is that the banking industry agrees with me.  This morning the New York Times reports: “Roughly 90…

• 
  Weekly Leader

• Work Life Lead: Cross-Generational Respect

  podcast@weeklyleader.net

  9 Feb 2010 | 3:34 am

  Much has been made about the differences between the generations. You can find all sorts of information online about how to work cross generationally. Recently, I was sitting in the office of a 26 year old business owner. He started his business when he was 18, and was in the process of selling it. The [...] Related posts:Work, Life, Lead: Playing at Work Work, Life, Lead: Expressing Gratitude in a Social Media World Work, Life, Lead: Reviewing Your 2009 Impact

• Twitter #Leadership #FollowFriday Project (@OpenJonathan @LeadershipNow @MiaChambers)

  podcast@weeklyleader.net

  4 Feb 2010 | 9:01 pm

  Week 3 of our Twitter Leadership Follow Friday Project offers an XCEO, a great leadership resource and an engaging connector. Jonathan Schwartz had the Twittersphere buzzing this week with his resignation haiku. Ok, @OpenJonathan is the not the most prolific Twitterer out there having only updated his account 36 times since joining in December 14, 2007.    But [...] Related posts:Twitter Leadership FollowFriday Project (@WallyBock @Tom_Peters @PamFR) Twitter Leadership Follow Friday Project (@CEO_INGDirect @JohnBRogers @Nilofer) Twitter Weekly Updates for 2009-10-11

• Work Life Lead: The Experience of It

  podcast@weeklyleader.net

  4 Feb 2010 | 1:43 pm

  We live in a very compartmentalized social and mental world. The way we have structured our organizations and education systems has compartmentalized all facets of them. As a result, everything we do is done in little segmented boxes of interactions and activities. It is a hold over from the industrial era, I suspect. It isn’t enough [...] Related posts:Work, Life, Lead: Energy or Impact? Work, Life, Lead: Playing at Work Work, Life, Lead: Reviewing Your 2009 Impact

• Weekly Leader Podcast Episode 37 (Charlie Coiro, US Coast Guard Leadership Development Center)

  podcast@weeklyleader.net

  3 Feb 2010 | 5:59 pm

  This week Peter speaks with Charlie Coiro, Assistant Branch Chief, US coast Leadership Development Center, Leadership in the News, Social Media Minute/Website of the Week, Research Report of the Week and podsafe music. Leadership in the News President Obama’s State of the Union address World Economic Forum, Davos, Switzerland Military “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy Rosetta Thurman’s blog - 28 [...] Related posts:Weekly Leader Podcast Episode 22 – Ed O’Malley, CEO, Kansas Leadership Center Weekly Leader Podcast Episode 23 – Part 2 Ed…

• Rosetta Thurman’s 28 Days of Black Nonprofit Leaders

  podcast@weeklyleader.net

  2 Feb 2010 | 7:38 am

  Rosetta Thurman knows what she writes. While she has her own incredible story to tell, this month her blog will be featuring 28 Black Nonprofit Leaders. She writes: This month (inspired by Wayne Sutton), I’ll be highlighting 28 Black nonprofit leaders who have done or are doing their part to make our world a bit better, a bit [...] Related posts:What nonprofit leaders can do to prepare for a tough economy Tidjane Thiam, First Black FTSE 100 CEO Become a highly effective nonprofit board chair in 7 steps (Boston Herald)

• 
  ManagingCommunities.com

• Fair Use for Forums (and How to Explain to Your Members That They Can’t Quote Entire Articles)

  Patrick

  7 Feb 2010 | 8:34 am

  photo credit: Horia Varlan It’s important to be proactive on matters of content theft and copyright infringement. A large part of this is text quoted from other sources. With some exceptions (public domain works, works by the Federal Government, works released under alternative licenses to copyright, and more), you can’t allow your members to post [...]

• Poachers Are the Bad Guys (or “Poaching Community Members is Like Building Your Community on an Ancient Burial Ground”)

  Patrick

  3 Feb 2010 | 6:46 pm

  photo credit: Gusjer You’ve got a brand new community on basket weaving. You badly want people to come to your site. So, you go to the largest basket weaving community on the internet and start discreetly inviting members. Maybe you instant message or e-mail them off site, so that the people running the established community [...]

• Video: “The Art of Responding to Feedback From Your Community” Presentation at South by Southwest (SXSW) Interactive 2009

  Patrick

  31 Jan 2010 | 1:57 pm

  At last year’s South by Southwest Interactive (see my recap), I gave a solo presentation titled “The Art of Responding to Feedback From Your Community.” The basis of this talk was a blog post made on this site in January of 2009. The presentation is based around my three steps for responding to feedback. In short, [...]

• I Speak at Conferences and Events

  Patrick

  29 Jan 2010 | 8:22 am

  photo credit: BuzzShift For what seems like forever, I’ve been working on my just launched about and speaking pages. Probably the biggest reason I did it was because I’m hoping to speak more. Since finishing “Managing Online Forums,” I’ve done 11 engagements at 7 different events. While this doesn’t make me a veteran, it means I’m not [...]

• ManagingCommunities.com Turns Two Years Old!

  Patrick

  27 Jan 2010 | 9:04 am

  photo credit: kiewic It was two years ago today that I launched ManagingCommunities.com. Once you reach a certain age, time just seems to fly by! In light of this milestone, I wanted to take a moment to thank all my loyal readers. I appreciate your support and your contributions. I hope that I’ve provided value to [...]

• 
  timcoote.wordpress.com

• A Kind of Pink, Scrawly Knot with Eyes.

  timcoote

  7 Feb 2010 | 12:08 pm

  Most people see their lives as one long storyline. “You start out life”, “she’s in mid-life”, “his life ended”. Most people see their careers the same way and it gives a nice linear perspective to how things should be. The problem is, of course, in reality things are much messier than this. If you want to continue with the line analogy it’s the equivalent of Mr. Messy. A kind of pink, scrawly knot with eyes. So the idea of success and failure is measured and reacted on based on this idea where we should be moving forward along a straight line. If you fall off or the line…

• Change Just Is.

  timcoote

  2 Feb 2010 | 8:44 am

  Change is. It is neither good nor bad. It just is. People are scared of change because of what it might mean. “The changes might mean I am going to lose my job/position/status/cubicle/car/restaurant tickets/bonus/my three extra square feet of office space, etc. etc.” Change is not an external entity for you to hang blame on and change doesn’t mean anything. Change just is. In business things are always in flying in all directions and we are always ducking and weaving one way or the other. People who believe they have found some safe haven are the ones the most distraught…

• Stop gazing at your spades…

  timcoote

  27 Jan 2010 | 11:12 am

  How much time can you afford to put into staying ahead of the curve? How much of this time is fundamentally different from what you were doing before and how much of it is fluffy? How many hours a day can you delve into social networks on your computer before it tips over to being a 21st century version of having a drink with a business partner after work to staying in the bar all day? Don’t get me wrong. There are important lessons to be learned from smart companies who succeed in spreading their stories to create users who are pleased enough with the services and products to talk about…

• There is virtue in virtuosity…

  timcoote

  25 Jan 2010 | 11:48 am

  Seth Godin is a brainy guy. I read his blog regularly and use his ideas as a base for some of the conversations I have in my work so don’t get me wrong but there are limits to people’s capacities and Seth is no exception. The cracks for most dinner conversations are the most visible when people start to talk about art. Now I don’t know why, but Seth thought he’d attack with his definition of what art is. Which goes like this… My definition of art contains three elements: Art is made by a human being. Art is created to have an impact, to change someone else. Art…

• Sure Fire Ways to Fail Your First Year in Business…

  timcoote

  23 Jan 2010 | 5:55 am

  Real advice from so-called real commerce and industry expert given to Christophe and I for businesses in their first year of activity: 1. If your bottom line for the month is behind your projections only then start thinking about an advertising or a marketing strategy. 2. If your bottom line for the month is still behind your projections then put your prices up (what the f+++?). 3. If your bottom line for the month is really still behind your projections get a real job. So to break the super advice down…If your bottom line for the month is behind your projections then it’s okay to ask why…

• 
  Lead on Purpose

• Clear leadership

  Michael Ray Hopkin

  6 Feb 2010 | 10:36 pm

  This evening I had the opportunity to listen to a speaker who had just returned from a humanitarian service trip to Haiti. He told amazing stories about the trip, including heart-wrenching accounts of the devastation caused by the recent earthquake. He spoke about the director who organized the trip and what a great job he did in leading the people who went with him. When describing the impact this individual had on the trip, the speaker made the following profound observation: People will follow clear leadership What does ‘clear leadership’ mean to you? What benefits have you…

• Hire your replacement

  Michael Ray Hopkin

  3 Feb 2010 | 8:54 am

  Leaders at successful companies focus significant time and resources to hire the right people. The money and effort they spend pays big dividends as the company progresses and matures. The companies that excel at hiring the right people seem to take this one step further: at all levels the leaders hire people whom they can groom as their replacements. This may seem at odds with conventional thinking; generally, most people at most companies do not think about what the company will be like when they leave. However, those who really ‘get it’ make hiring better people than themselves…

• Book Review: The Right Leader

  Michael Ray Hopkin

  26 Jan 2010 | 5:48 am

  “How we go about doing the things we choose to do or are called upon to do is what makes a leader the right leader.” In his book The Right Leader: Selecting Executives Who Fit, author Nat Stoddard (with help from Claire Wyckoff) investigates the complex topic of assuring smooth executive transitions, with their primary focus at the CEO level. When a CEO does not work out for a company — which usually happens within the first 18 months — the primary reason is rarely the individual’s lack of competence; most often the problem is a result of the wrong fit. The…

• A new Leadership Development Carnival

  Michael Ray Hopkin

  4 Jan 2010 | 6:30 am

  The Lead on Purpose blog is featured in the January Leadership Development Carnival of Dan McCarthy’s Great Leadership blog. This first Leadership Development Carnival in 2010 provides links to 50 posts — what Dan calls “the Best of 2009.” The links include posts on topics such as building better leaders, measuring employee engagement and building corporate trust. You’ll find posts from great bloggers such as Art Petty, Wally Bock, Mike Henry and others. The Leadership Development Carnival is a great way improve your leadership development and get to know…

• Five myths about leadership

  Michael Ray Hopkin

  28 Dec 2009 | 11:01 pm

  True leadership principles endure the test of time regardless of the economy or world affairs. The more you practice them the more they become part of your life. One of the best ways to understand principles is to understand their opposites. John Maxwell — author of the book The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership — does a masterful job of explaining the leadership principle of influence through the five myths about leadership: The Management Myth: Management focuses on maintaining systems and processes. Influential leadership is about influencing people to follow. The…

• 
  The Recovering Leader

• Monday LeaderTip: What Type of Leader Are You?

  david@leadershipunleashed.com

  7 Feb 2010 | 8:01 pm

  What makes a particular type of leader more effective? What triggers them to be less effective? Can leaders be categorized? Lately, I've noticed great interest in identifying leader "types." In response, I've developed ten "LeaderTypes," and present a profile of each one on my blog, The Recovering Leader. I encourage you to find a type or two that resonates with you, and use any insights gained to enhance your own leadership.See the posting entitled: "What Type of Leader Are You / Is Your Boss?" David PeckExecutive Coach and PresidentLeadership UnleashedTwitter:…

• What Type of Leader Are You / Is Your Boss?

  david@leadershipunleashed.com

  7 Feb 2010 | 7:20 pm

  Introducing Ten "LeaderTypes" from the Recovering Leader. From emails and web traffic, I’ve noticed a lot of interest in evaluating, assessing, and categorizing leaders.  So you’ve challenged and inspired me to design my own, which I started several years ago.  Since then, I’ve developed and revised my ten "LeaderTypes" based on more of my executive coaching work, interviewing many leaders and those surrounding them, my own corporate leadership experience, and additional reading and reflection. I’ve combined them all into this one post, and present them below. For each type, I’ve…

• Monday LeaderTip: Leadership and Unity

  david@leadershipunleashed.com

  31 Jan 2010 | 10:14 pm

  Sustainable leadership requires making the common good your highest priority. “Common good” doesn’t mean consensus—in fact it’s often discovered through intense and candid debate. Develop your own methods of assessing what’s best for your people, organization, clients, and your community, and where those interests intersect. You can “succeed” without doing this, but over time you risk undermining what you intend to achieve. Look more deliberately for common interests and you will lead with the unity necessary for sustainably strong performance.Self-coaching: Looking at how…

• Monday's LeaderTip: Humility’s Power

  david@leadershipunleashed.com

  24 Jan 2010 | 10:24 pm

  A deliberate practice of staying humble is a source of power for any leader. As achievements, expertise, and experience mount, it’s not uncommon for self-assurance to evolve into swagger. Yet a pattern of arrogance or pride, even in tiny doses, tends to turn people off—distancing you from others, and de-motivating even your high performers. Humility means putting your ego in check, and letting go of the need to appear “on top of everything” or “buttoned up” when that’s not the day you're having. People need to know you’re human too, which goes a long way to building the…

• Alternative Names for “Executive Coach” or “Leadership Coach”

  david@leadershipunleashed.com

  22 Jan 2010 | 2:28 pm

  Usually I write about leadership, but today my thoughts are with my own profession, so forgive me for a bit of Friday navel-gazing.  And if you’re getting my Blog’s feed, I won't take it personally if you delete this one right off the bat.I admit I’ve never loved the available nouns for what I do—“Executive Coach” / “Leadership Coach” bring to mind a gym teacher, pretend therapist, or motivational speaker, none of which are close to what I do day-in and day-out—particularly when I do it well.  What’s worse, look up the WORD “coach,” and you find things like:“Drill…

• 
  Professional Web Presence Solutions for Business - Social Web Fusion (SM) by Virtually Ready - "Extend Your Reach"

• Lisa Duhamel – Virtually Ready On Cover of March, 2010 Issue of Website Magazine – Crowdsourcing Success

  admin

  5 Feb 2010 | 3:19 pm

  At the beginning of the year, Website Magazine conducted a crowdsourcing contest to appear on the cover and within the pages of their March, 2010 issue.  Virtually Ready’s Owner, Lisa Duhamel, submitted her photo entry into the contest and was ultimately chosen to be included!  The magazine is available in print and online and is enjoyed by over 140,000 other Ecommerce & Web Marketing Entrepreneurs, Website Owners and Internet marketers, including Virtually Ready – Professional Web Presence Solutions for Business. We are thrilled to be included – BIG THANKS to Website…

• Back In Business – Original Virtually Ready Fan Page Reconnected on Facebook

  admin

  22 Jan 2010 | 4:20 pm

  Recently, we reported an unfortunate experience where we were inadvertently disconnected on Facebook and lost our Fan Page. We are very happy to say that we received an email from Facebook informing us that upon concluding an investigation into our account, our original account had been restored and they apologized for any inconvenience this may have caused.  We are still unsure of the actual cause of this issue, but we believe it may have had something to do with a recent pre-2010 advertising control panel change . While much time has been spent in building a new profile and fan page to…

• Virtually Ready Clientele Extends Their Reach On The Web in 2009

  admin

  30 Dec 2009 | 3:54 pm

  2009 has been a very rewarding year for Virtually Ready and the clientele we have supported. We have worked very hard to extend the reach of each client partners on the web. In doing so, we have made a lot of progress together, and we would like to share them with you! As we move forward into 2010, we would also like to extend our hand to you by offering you the opportunity to link to your website and/or social profiles here. Please comment with links to your website, Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Squidoo, YouTube, etc. Also, please visit our partners, show them your support, and we will do the…

• Disconnected – Has Your Facebook Account Been Unplugged?

  admin

  11 Dec 2009 | 1:49 pm

  Are you on Facebook®?  Do you also use the ever-increasingly popular social network for business? If so, we’d like to share a personal experience with you, which could happen to anyone at anytime, leaving your business vulnerable to a major loss of valuable web presence, personal and professional connections. With the sudden rise in popularity of social media in the mainstream media and the increased usage by businesses as of late, everyone is being encouraged to utilize the social web to promote their business. The platforms are amazingly dynamic and offer a wonderful opportunity to…

• Brand Transparency and the Social Web: A Double Edged Sword?

  admin

  30 Nov 2009 | 12:47 pm

  By now, most people are familiar with the effectiveness of Obama’s amazing Social Media Blitz leading up to the most recent presidential election.  In the past, building a brand and its recognition on the internet was one thing, but along came a whole new way to promote a brand, build a following and interact with others on a much grander scale – enter Social Media.  Looking back, many people really didn’t know much about this mostly uncharted territory this time last year, and it seems it has made quite the scene in the mainstream media ever since, while continuing to…

• 
  Maximize Possibility

• Startups and Culture-Shaping

  "The Rainmaker"

  9 Feb 2010 | 4:37 am

  I see it often... Employee team members who should have been let go a long time ago but because they paid their dues early in the history of the company - they get to stay and drain the lifeblood from the company in terms of cash and employee morale. The "golden children" are easily recognized. They do not perform at the same levels of new employees and everyone knows it. Unfortunately, this "story" is more common than everyone may think and it is not just a "story" of the private sector. All companies have powerful stories of sacrifice and determination...

• The Rainmaker 'Fab Five' Blog Picks of the Week

  "The Rainmaker"

  8 Feb 2010 | 3:53 pm

  I like to start every week by pointing you to my choices for the top five talent management, leadership development, and human resource management blog posts from the past week. Below are my top five picks for the week of February 1st - February 7th. Steve Roesler, All Things Workplace: How to Get Your Good Ideas Heard Michelle Malay Carter, Mission Minded Management: How To Interview Your Prospective Boss for Leadership Potential Micheal McKinney, Leadership Now Leading Blog: Leadership Book for February 2010 Derek Irvine, Globoforce: How Loyal Are Your High Performers? Tim Nolan, Fistful of…

• Possibility Maximizer: Jim Jacobus' "Man-Up" 2010 Challenge

  "The Rainmaker"

  5 Feb 2010 | 6:27 am

  Happy Friday! I've got a great resource for you today to help Maximize Possibility in your organization and your personal life. Enjoy! The Resource:Jim Jacobus' "Man-Up" 2010 Challenge What it is: One Urban Dictionary entry for "man-up" defines the term as "being an adult male in the truest sense of manhood". That is what Jim's "man-up" challenge is all about - discovering what it means to be an adult male who exemplifies all the qualities of true manhood. To clarify, Jim is not talking about how to be a man in the primordial sense of the term (think…

• The Rainmaker 'Fab Five' Blog Picks of the Week

  "The Rainmaker"

  1 Feb 2010 | 5:00 am

  I like to start every week off by pointing you to my choices for the top five talent management, leadership development, and human resource management blog posts from the past week. Below are my top five picks for the week of January 25th - 31st, 2010 . Enjoy! Chris Ferdinandi, Renegade HR: Renegade HR: Getting Started - Chiris shares his manifesto for Renegade HR - "Recruit great people, and help them do amazing things that drive your business " - and goes on to explain how you can start practicing Renegade HR in your organization today. Michelle Malay Carter, Mission...

• Possibility Maximizer: SHRM on Facebook

  "The Rainmaker"

  29 Jan 2010 | 6:25 am

  Every week I like to highlight a resource that I feel will add value to your life at work and improve your professional effectiveness. This week I'd like to shine the spotlight on a great networking and social media resource. The Resource: The Society For Human Resources' Facebook Page What it is: If you are not familiar with a Facebook Fan Page, it is a place on Facebook where fans of an organization, club, group, or other entity can come together to interact with that organization and other individuals who are also fans. Why You Should Be a Fan: Facebook...

• 
  Pink Slip

• Management practices that don't make perfect

  9 Feb 2010 | 12:30 am

  Business Week's Liz Ryan had a recent article "Ten Management Practices to Axe". These practices, she argues are both "brainless and injurious" and should be done away with.. One can certainly argue why stop at ten, but the list she comes up with is good and more or less manageable. Her list/my comments: 1. Forced Ranking Much of my formal career was spent in small companies, so "forced ranking" didn't really make much sense. But when I was at Genuity, there was an attempt to force all managers into numerically ranking employees. Genuity being Genuity, nothing…

• Death becomes you, or will, anyway, if you ever bother to get around to dying

  8 Feb 2010 | 1:40 am

  Interesting article in the Wall Street Journal the other day on investors who've bought the rights to the life insurance policies of others - in hopes that The Last Rites will be performed sooner rather than later. In Catholic Church parlance, the communion given to the dying as part of those Last Rites is called viaticum, and, nice and companionably, the practice of selling your life insurance policy is called a viatical. In both cases, it's all about provisions for the journey. (Gosh, Sister Daniel Vincent and Sister Theresa Bernard were right. Latin does come in handy.) And, of course, as…

• Get Rich Quick (Pssst. Pass it on.)

  5 Feb 2010 | 12:06 am

  A few weeks back, my sister got a glossary postcard in the mail. "What if", the words on the card asked: The person who sent you this is someone powerfully working the "Secret" Law of Attraction, and blogging about his results that are quickly going from pleasantly surprising to awe inspiring. He's into things like Yoga, Martial Arts, Holistic Health, Alternative Energy, Soveriegn (sic) Citizenship [Pink Slip note: i.e., someone who doesn't believe in paying Federal taxes] ...generating capital (cash) and starting projects and building businesses that serve the world. What…

• Professor Wodinsky vs. Michael Kettenbach. Who you betting on?

  4 Feb 2010 | 1:31 am

  When I was just a cub blogger, oh so many years ago, one of my first posts was about one John Walsh, who felt that he'd been denied the ability to purchase a co-op on Beacon Hill because the jut-jawed WASPs on the co-op board didn't want to have some Irish parvenue in their building. The co-op board eventually settled some $2.2 M on Walsh for his troubles. And, by the way, I walk by the scene of the Great 2006 Co-Op No-Irish-Need-Apply Massacree every day - it's a couple of doors down from where I live - and I believe that the unit in question is still unoccupied. Perhaps the co-op board…

• Forget Pin the Tale on the Donkey: Yes We Can Shop!

  3 Feb 2010 | 1:10 am

  I am newly enamored of the reality show the Shark Tank, in which entrepreneurs pitch a panel of investors in hopes that someone will buy-in and help them get to the next level of riches galore. Although I've only seen one episode, I have read a bit about it, and, in my reading, came across a store in New Jersey, Wee Can Shop, "a gift shop-where children shop for the ones they love."  Wee Can made a recent appearance on the Thank. The Wee Can Shop is: ...a town where children can push kid-sized shopping carts along a cobblestone path and discover different store fronts such as…

• 
  Mavericks at Work Blog

• A Message from Bill: Where to Find Me in 2010

  Bill

  13 Jan 2010 | 11:28 am

  Mavericks at Work was launched in October 2006—shockingly, at least for us, more than three years ago now. The book’s acceptance and impact continues to amaze and delight both Polly and me. It’s been translated into all sorts of languages all across the world, we continue to share our key messages with leaders and lecture audiences in all kinds of fields, and we keep receiving lovely phone calls, letters, and emails from readers who enjoyed what we had to say and who want to know more. So long live Mavericks! In the meantime, of course, we have been at work on other projects as…

• Is “Too Big to Fail” The Same as Too Big to Succeed?

  Bill

  10 Nov 2009 | 10:17 am

  Over on my Practically Radical blog, I report on my recent conversation with Jack Welch, in front of a conference of several thousand bankers in Boston, and consider the question of whether size in and of itself is a strategy. Check it out here–it was a fun discussion.

• A Savvy Deal, from A(mazon) to Z(appos)

  Bill

  24 Jul 2009 | 6:12 am

  Over at Practically Radical, I offer my thoughts on the recent news that Jeff Bezos and Amazon are going to buy Zappos.com, the remarkable company created by Tony Hsieh. Here’s hoping Jeff and Tony can become the “power couple” that revolutionizes customer service in America–and the world! You can read the post here.

• The 10 Questions Every Change Agent Must Answer

  Bill

  18 Jun 2009 | 10:54 am

  As leaders, we have no control over how fast markets grow or how wisely banks lend. But we do control our own mindsets and “animal spirits”—the phrase coined by John Maynard Keynes in the depth of the Great Depression. If all you’ve got is a spreadsheet filled with red ink and dire forecasts, it’s easy to be paralyzed by fear and resistant to change. But if you can summon some leadership nerve, then hard times can be a great time to separate yourself from the pack and build advantages for years to come. Indeed, when it comes to creating the future, the only thing more worrisome than…

• Navigating Risk: Of Sinking the Boat, Missing the Boat, and Rocking the Boat

  Bill

  18 May 2009 | 8:58 am

  Over at Practically Radical, I’m continuing to make a case I’ve been making for months—that a down economy can be a great opportunity to try something different or start something new. My latest source of inspiration and evidence? A great column by James Surowiecki in The New Yorker, which distinguishes between two types of risks that executives face—trying something that doesn’t work (”sinking the boat”) and not trying something that would have worked (”missing the boat”). To me, though, the real opportunity is to recognize the power of…

• 
  Sanders Says

• Why the Super Bowl served as a great empathy exercise

  Tim Sanders

  8 Feb 2010 | 11:54 am

    Empathy occurs when you make an effort to see things from another person's point of view.  When you feel it, it's a flash of intelligence. When you show it to others, it's a psychological gift. Too often, we feel/show empathy around tragedies.   It also works the other way. When you learn to absorb and catch joy from others, you are honing your ability to show empathy - which can boost your personality (Your L Factor).  Last night (Super Bowl Sunday) many of you either felt empathy or sympathy for the people/fans of New Orleans.  I hope you felt empathy.  I…

• The Friends Of Friends Factor

  Tim Sanders

  4 Feb 2010 | 4:10 pm

  Your friends may not be able to hire you or buy your products ... but their friends can likely give you all the business you'll ever need.  I shared this point of view with a small business owner recently. He was trying to understand the value of social media for his contracting business and looking for a place to start. He didn't seem the prolific blogger type, so I asked him if he was on Facebook -- and he was.  He had about 30 friends at the time.  I asked him if he went to parties or industry gatherings and why he went. Predictably, he indicated that he went to network and…

• Grow everything in your path

  Tim Sanders

  3 Feb 2010 | 12:21 pm

  If you want to succeed in business or life, grow everything in your path.  If you are a manager, grow the people that report to you.  Make them smarter, more confident, healthier and happier.  (In that order)  If you are a service provider, grow your customers and partners by being generous and mentoring.  If you are a company, leave more than you take.  Find ways to create more value than just money.  That's what it means to truly be green - To grow everything in your path.  I find it ironic when companies claim to "go green" when they are really just…

• The Hidden Value Of Loyalty

  Tim Sanders

  1 Feb 2010 | 10:12 am

  Last week, I gained a great insight from my tennis instructor, Nick Mathews.  After an invigorating but challenging hour with him, he talked to me about his client approach.  He explained that he customizes his approach to ensure that the student enjoys the experience, yet stays loyal to the results over time.  "Loyalty makes my career more interesting," he explained.  Most of the time, when others talk about customer loyalty, the benefits are usually financial and reputational.  But to Nick loyalty gives you more than income.  "When I have a student for a long…

• Points Off The Board

  Tim Sanders

  28 Jan 2010 | 2:56 pm

  Here's a revenue forecasting tip for small business owners, freelancers or sales managers at any company: Never take points off the board.  This is a sports phrase used to describe points that are errantly posted on the score board, only to be nullified by a penalty or review. It's really painful in sports and business alike.  All to often, we forecast revenue based on handshakes (both digital and real.) When we hear "yes," we book the revenue and update our progress. I call it "the money dance."  We put things into our schedules in permanent ink.   Rarely, something goes…

• 
  Coaching Tip: The Leadership Blog

• America: The New Entrepreneur Nation

  John Agno

  9 Feb 2010 | 6:59 am

  More Americans are working as consultants or freelancers, either having given up or been forced out of the salaried world of 9 to 5.  It's a trend that began after the economic downturn of the late 1980s, when I became a management consultant like many other laid-off professionals who became consultants. Evidence now suggests that this is our new economic condition.  Today, in fact, 20% to 23% of U.S. workers are operating as consultants, freelancers, free agents, contractors or micropreneurs.  Current projections see the number only rising in coming years.  Imagine one in four workers,…

• Leadership Lessons

  John Agno

  5 Feb 2010 | 8:57 am

  Leadership is the art of accomplishing more than the science of management says is possible...a leadership primer of eighteen lessons from General Colin Powell, Chairman (Ret), Joint Chiefs of Staff and former U.S. Secretary of State. Lesson 1: "Being responsible sometimes means pissing people off." Good leadership involves responsibility to the welfare of the group, which means that some people will get angry at your actions and decisions. It's inevitable, if you're honorable. Trying to get everyone to like you is a sign of mediocrity: you'll avoid the tough decisions, you'll avoid…

• Lincoln on Leadership

  John Agno

  5 Feb 2010 | 8:01 am

     Lincoln on Leadership: Executive Strategies for Tough Times  by Donald T. Phillips People, Character, Endeavor and Communication Part 1: People Chapter 1: Get Out of the office and Circulate Among the Troops "His cardinal mistake is that he isolates himself, & allows nobody to see him and by which he does not know what is going on in the very matter he is dealing with." Lincoln's reason for relieving Gen. John C. Fremont from his command in Missouri (September 9, 1861) Lincoln Principles Explain yourself in writing and offer advice on how to solve problems. It is important that the…

• The Law of Reciprocity

  John Agno

  5 Feb 2010 | 7:56 am

  Relationships between people or institutions are based on exchange in which all parties have a mutual understanding of their rights and obligations. Relations between members of an immediate family or between spouses are based on obligations such as obedience or respect. Relations can be forged through gifts or personal favors and bring with them obligations and expectations. For every action, something is expected in return. Those who do favors are highly esteemed; they are recognized as people who have respect for those around them. Every previous or current situation produces expectations…

• Are You Practicing the Law of Love?

  John Agno

  4 Feb 2010 | 10:50 pm

  Divine Law can neither be ignored nor put aside. Perhaps, the most important of these laws is the 'law of love.' Put simply, "Love is Law, Law is Love." This amounts to the same thing as "the gift of giving" without the "hope of reward or pay," or serving others.For how the Law of Love works in business, go toLawofReciprocity.com What is this thing called love? Every religion teaches the Law of Love. Buddhism Hurt not others with that which pains yourself. Udanavarga 5.18.Christianity Always treat others as you would like them to treat you; that is the Law and the Prophets. Bible, Matthew…

• 
  SustainableWork

• Real progress

  5 Feb 2010 | 8:06 pm

  USDA Rural Development I greatly appreciated the invitation to give a presentation at a Wisconsin USDA Rural Development jobs forum last week in Chippewa Falls. Wisconsin state Director Stan Gruszynski invited me to discuss our Iowa County initiative for doing rural economic development and making jobs.I couldn't speak directly for Mark and the Driftless Development group (see below) of course. However the presentation centered on the design Mark and I have been working on this past year. (Now thrown into hyper-drive by the coolest bunch of scary-smart advocate/adventurers I've ever worked…

• Planning

  31 Jan 2010 | 11:35 am

  The working title for this post was 'Ulrich and Eisenhower'.I was reminded once again this week of the powerful role preparedness plays in small business planning.If you're going after outside investments and loans, you will need very specific financial projections based on assigned income and expense assumptions. All enterprises need this as they mature.For most self-funded startups and newly emerging enterprises these kinds of financial projections should not be your first step. The money stuff will be built in of course, but you need to learn about a much wider range of subjects before you…

• Permission

  23 Jan 2010 | 6:57 pm

  Many people want to start their own enterprise but they never begin.This is due to a variety of personal reasons of course. One very common reason I've seen over the years is that people just don't give themselves permission to try.They are put off by all the language of commerce - market research and business plans and financing and on and on. It all sounds like too much to learn. These planning steps are needed of course, especially as the organizations people plan grow more complex and expensive. However, most people considering entering this fray can do a self-funded, slow startup with…

• Raw data

  15 Jan 2010 | 8:01 pm

  We had a very interesting statewide group meet at our Courthouse in Iowa County this week (the oldest working Courthouse in Wisconsin).The group is called the Partnership for A Stronger Economy (PSE). It's a gathering of a wide range of private industry leaders, workforce leaders and an economic development leadership team from the Wisconsin Assembly that meets regularly to find truly new ways of doing business in Wisconsin.I was honored to be asked to make the opening presentation. I got to discuss the Driftless Foods project and the economic development possibilities built into that…

• Nice Wisconsin Innovation Kitchen article

  9 Jan 2010 | 3:20 pm

  The magazine Country Today did a nice piece on the new Wisconsin Innovation Kitchen recently.I know I'm pretty enthusiastic about the entrepreneurship possibilities of local foods, but Editor Jim Massey caught me bubbling it seems. And I thought I was toning it down.New, sustainable enterprises and regional food systems can be created to profitably serve the rapidly growing market for local foods. Our new Wisconsin Innovation Kitchen, operated by the Hodan Center, will be a piece of that puzzle. The work Mark Olson and friends have created with the Driftless Foods prototype will surely be a…

• 
  Les McKeown's Predictable Success Blog

• Have you the courage to burst your own myth?

  Les McKeown

  1 Feb 2010 | 4:57 am

  We all perpetuate myths - about events in our past, about people we know, about ourselves. It's a natural human trait.Leaders aren't exempt this trait. Think of leaders in the news over the last six months - Steve Jobs, Tiger Woods, President Obama, Toyota - to name but a few...and think of the myths perpetuated about them (and sometimes by them). Brilliance. Discipline. Focus. Execution. Quality. Then think of what has happened to their status as leaders as a result of allowing - often, encouraging - those myths. I'm not being judgmental here, and I'm not suggesting that myth-making is…

• Now that's what I call a book delivery...

  Les McKeown

  26 Jan 2010 | 6:10 am

  I buy a lot of books - maybe three or four deliveries a week arrive to my home office from Amazon.com. But even for me, it's unusual to have 300 books arrive at once, as happened last week. And it was especially exciting to discover they all had my name on them as the author.Julie was back in the UK when the advance review copies of 'Predictable Success' arrived (visiting her favorite nieces of course), and I got so excited I had to go get my trusty Flip and record the event for posterity... Since then I've calmed down (a little) and even managed to send out the copies promised to the winners…

• Boredom - The Leadership Killer

  Les McKeown

  22 Jan 2010 | 4:24 am

  About half the executives I meet are in the wrong job - they either shouldn't be in a leadership position at all, or the position they're in is a mismatch for their talents and skills. (This is not always the executive's fault, exclusively - many have been herded into their mismatched position as a result of a 'battleground promotion', or have simply fulfilled the Peter Principle).Of the other half - those executives who are truly competent, and in the right role for their skills - I'd say only about ten percent demonstrate true leadership on a sustained basis. Some show leadership…

• The New Rules For Managers in 2010

  Les McKeown

  14 Jan 2010 | 5:49 am

  Although it will undoubtedly be better than 2009, this next year is still going to be tough for many organizations. It's going to be even tougher - perhaps even disastrously so - if your managers don't understand how deeply the last economic cycle has changed the rules of effective management.In this half-hour webinar, I explain how the rules of effective management have changed and what it means for you and your managers. (Note: This is a remote recording of a screencast given to a group of managers, so the recording quality is only average, and questions at the end have been edited out for…

• China doesn't matter - here's what does. (And if you don't care about China, read this anyway.)

  Les McKeown

  13 Jan 2010 | 5:34 am

  During the last two days I counted 15 articles in the New York Times and Wall Street Journal that referenced China and its potential impact on business. Nothing unusual about that - the press has to fill its pages with something, and there's a regular and consistent tendency to lock on to some geographical area and a timeframe and make an issue of it - India was the happening place in the 'aughties', before that countries as disparate as Japan, Ireland and Singapore had their time in the sun, now it's China's turn.The truth is, China doesn't matter to your business. Nor did India, Japan,…

• 
  Mary Schmidt Marketing Troubleshooter

• “Wow, I really want to buy this soap!”

  Mary

  9 Feb 2010 | 8:05 am

  I might have said that – if there had been soap in the shower at Ojo Caliente.  There I was – all relaxed and feeling oh-so-mellow – after hours of soaking, massage, salt rub and sauna.  Then I get to the shower – and no soap…or shampoo…or extra towels.   Not only did this dampen my mellow feelings – it was also a missed marketing opportunity for the spa. People are much more likely to buy things  – as part of an experience…and when they’ve tried them. Multiply the lack of soap (and shampoo) by six (the total in our group) and…

• ‘Tooni Musing: Some Political (Life) Perspective

  Mary

  5 Feb 2010 | 9:07 am

  As always, with our 24-hour news cycle – we’re being bombarded with doom, woe, and end of civility. Many an columnist and pundit is bemoaning that we’ve become a nation of disheartened, cowardly do-nothings. It’s hopeless. America is doomed, etc. etc. etc. Here’s a quote that sums it up nicely: “Courage disappeared from American public life in xxxx, and has been absent now for x years. There have always been cowards in our politics, there has always been an uncertainity of leadership, but never before has the whole nation become cowardly and remained…

• “I’m glad they lost your presentation!”

  Mary

  4 Feb 2010 | 7:36 am

  Yesterday I showed up to give my presentation on marketing strategy and planning for TVC CCET (Tech Ventures Corp. continuing education for entrepreneurs). They already had the presentation, since I’ve given it several times before, and it was supposed to be loaded up and ready to go. So, no prob – show up, blather, snag a free muffin, sit down. Uh, prob. Seems that somehow someone else’s presentation had been loaded and copied. No Powerpoint. No visuals. No handouts. Nothing but me and a blank screen (and the only shadow puppets I can make are a dog and a bird, certainly…

• The Three People You Need In A Start-Up

  Mary

  3 Feb 2010 | 7:23 am

  My friend and client, Bruce Fryer, presented yesterday at UNM – in the second of an ongoing series about how to build a successful start-up on the cheap. His topic was “How To Find The Cute Baby.” (The good, commercially viable idea) Of course, finding the baby is only the first step. Then, you need to raise the baby. And, to do that requires three types of people. The Mad Scientist: The wild-eyed genius who came up with the idea in the first place, and is able to take it many different directions. Of course, these folks often have difficulty with the rest of us, since…

• Viewing Innovation Through A Prism

  Mary

  1 Feb 2010 | 8:12 am

  “Where a calculator on the ENIAC is equipped with 18,000 vacuum tubes and weighs 30 tons, computers in the future may have only 1,000 vaccuum tubes and perhaps weigh 1.5 tons.” – unknown Ah! So that’s why my back hurts after a day of carrying my Macbook…but, seriously, folks…one of the biggest challenges is translating a technology into a viable product (you can still pretty much patent anything…doesn’t mean you can sell it) is we often limit our imagination – filtering everything through a mental prism of what we believe is possible,…

• 
  The Trump Blog

• What is a Simultaneous Closing?

  9 Feb 2010 | 9:50 am

  by Tina Merritt With a simultaneous closing, 2 transactions take place on closing day with regard to the subject property. In the past, this transaction referred to a seller financing technique where the seller financing note is purchased at the closing table to allow the seller to obtain their proceeds quickly, rather than over a period of years. In recent years; however, a simultaneous closing can also occur when an investor wholesales a property.  For example, buyer A enters into a sales agreement with seller to purchase seller's property for $25,000.  Buyer A decides not to…

• The Due-on-Sale Clause

  8 Feb 2010 | 8:25 am

  by Tina Merritt The Due on Sale Clause, or Acceleration Clause, is a clause in a mortgage which states that if there is any transfer of ownership or interest in a property, the mortgage can be called and immediately due to the lender.  With the exception of VA and FHA mortgages (which are generally assumable by a qualifying party), almost all mortgages have a due on sale clause. Keep in mind that generally, this clause is a contractual option by the lender.  This means that the lender may or may not decide to call the loan due once notified of a transfer in title or ownership…

• What is a Negative Amortization Mortgage?

  3 Feb 2010 | 10:25 am

  by Tina Merritt Negative amortization occurs when the payment made by the borrower does not cover the amount of the interest incurred.  The difference is added to the loan amount. Traditionally, negative amortization loans have been used by lenders to allow for a lower monthly mortgage payment in the beginning of the loan period.   So, why would someone want this type of loan?  Well, it may be an option for a couple where one person is presently employed and the other is in school, graduating in a year or so and will be employed, bringing the household income substantially…

• A Second Home... What Qualifies?

  2 Feb 2010 | 10:06 am

  by Tina Merritt As the economy has wreaked havoc on the second home market, some buyers are seeing an opportunity to own something they might not otherwise be able to afford. Others are finding themselves "stuck" with 2 properties and not being able to sell one. The IRS allows for up to 2 residences for a taxpayer to deduct mortgage interest. Also of note is what qualifies as a second home: House Townhouse Condominium Boat RV Mobile home Trailer The requirement states that the second home must have a sleeping space, toilet and a place to cook. In addition, the second home must be at least 50…

• Modular Homes

  1 Feb 2010 | 8:56 am

  by Tina Merritt A couple of years ago, I was asked by a lender to help them sell a new construction home.  The home was quite large (3,600 sq ft) and sat on 3 acres of land.  In performing my due diligence, I checked the title and permits at the courthouse.  I was incredibly surprised to read "modular home" on the initial building permit for the home.  By all accounts, the home looked like any other recently constructed home in the area. Not to be confused with mobile or manufactured homes, a modular home is built in a controlled environment and then shipped in pieces to…

• 
  Management IQ - BusinessWeek

• Toyota: Sorry Seems to Be the Easiest Word

  Bruce Weinstein, PhD

  5 Feb 2010 | 11:50 am

  Akio Toyoda, President of Toyota Motor Corporation, has apologized for his company’s debacle surrounding design flaws with various car models. Should we praise someone who does what he or she is ethically required to do?

• Davos: Recovery, Uncertainty and Governance

  Mark Spelman

  2 Feb 2010 | 7:34 am

  My initial impressions of Davos 2010 was that the three dominant themes were recovery, uncertainty and governance. The early focus was on the speed and pace of recovery; the uncertainties of when to end the fiscal stimulus packages, the ongoing trade imbalances and the threat of currency revaluations combined with the urgent need to reform the financial sector.

• Coming Down from Davos

  Gib Bulloch

  2 Feb 2010 | 6:18 am

  I’m writing this blog as I come back down from Davos 2010: literally, in terms of the journey back down the mountain to Zurich; metaphorically, in terms of coming down from the high and inevitable buzz one gets from this unique event.

• Davos: Business Leaders Focus on 5 Sustainability Themes

  Peter Lacy

  29 Jan 2010 | 1:40 pm

  As I write from the World Economic Forum, having attended an event with some of the UN leadership and CEOs from various sectors, I’m further reminded of the growing prominence of sustainability issues in both core business strategy and mainstream geo-politics. This was was barely thinkable even five years ago.

• Global Problem Solving? Stephen Harper Defends the Status Quo

  Don Tapscott

  29 Jan 2010 | 9:35 am

  Although Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s speech on Thursday in Davos was received well, many of the delegates that I spoke with told me they thought Harper’s vision was too blinkered.

• 
  Management by Baseball

• Deming's Disciple Unleashes Brewers' Fermentation

  j

  25 Jan 2010 | 2:43 pm

  “It does not happen all at once. There is no instant pudding.” -- W. Edwards Deming In general, North American businesses are incapable of taking advantage of North America's #1 ever native management consultant. W. Edwards Deming revolutionized a variety of industries, primarily manufacturing, around the world by promoting kaizen, continuous improvement through mostly small changes. Kaizen doesn't fit well into the structure of the large publicly-owned corporation as practiced most places, especially in the U.S., in Russia or in Red China. That's for two main reasons. One, the approach…

• Sic Semper Complacency: When Whatever Doesn't Make You Stronger Kills You

  j

  18 Nov 2009 | 2:24 pm

  One of the most chronic American business and military management failures arises from success. In competitive environments, successful organisations find it more seductive to stand pat rather than maintain the effort to find improvements. I've written about this effect before, but I just ran into the exhilarating Baseball example that reminds us that Baseball, unlike business, makes this error less because Baseball is innately smarter than American business and the American military. The failure I'm talking about is the failure to remember that Whatever Doesn't Make You Stronger Kills You.

• Art Imitates Life, but The NFL Imitates Baseball

  j

  27 Sep 2009 | 1:56 pm

  While pro football has some interesting life lessons, there tend to be few management insights you can apply generally to non-sport management. I don't write about football here, but there's a great reason to introduce my first entry in over five years that will have the NFL as a centrepiece, although as a beneficiary of baseball wisdom, not an originator thereof-like. Specifically, it's about managing Change, the ultimate destination, home plate, in the Management by Baseball model. Last Sunday, the New York Times sports section had a Judy Battista feature on Detroit Lions coach Jim…

• Staffing Innovation: Byrd Comes Home to Roost

  j

  30 Aug 2009 | 10:18 am

  Back in January I wrote about the "Roger Clemens Move" the A.L.'s 39th best starter pulled during the off-season.Paul Byrd had retired to spend time with his family, but he left the option open to play part-time during a team's stretch run. And that's exactly what today's news ("Byrd set to resume career with Red Sox")indicates he successfully pulled off...in this case after coming out of retirement for four starts in the last couple of weeks for minor league affiliates of the Red Sox, The Louisville Hugger has been called up by Boston to fill in for the ailing Tim "The Vicarious"…

• Metroasexuality: The Clipboard & The Stopwatch as Potemkin Metrics

  j

  24 Aug 2009 | 11:43 am

  Baseball podcaster Jimmy Scott does weekly interviews, most frequently with ex-players, and the gem of his recent interview with former American league pitcher Dick "The Toledo Titan" Drago was during a discussion of various managers Drago had played for. Drago, btw, had an unusually interesting career. He started with an expansion team; he was a jack of all trades...after his rookie year, he was a starter for four years, a swing man for one and a reliever for the last seven seasons -- one of them as "the closer" for a legendary World Series hopeful, the 1975 Boston Red Sox). He outed his…

• 
  Great Leadership

• Leadership Lessons from Undercover Boss: Episode 1

  8 Feb 2010 | 5:28 pm

  The first episode of CBS’s new reality show “Undercover Boss” aired Sunday night right after the Superbowl. For those of you that may not have heard, each week the show will feature a CEO that goes “undercover” to find out what everyday life is really like within their own companies. What a perfect opportunity for Great Leadership lessons and advice!Each week I’ll provide a link to the synopsis and my own leadership lessons learned that I believe would benefit any leader or aspiring leader (so you won’t have to have watched the show).The first episode didn’t disappoint. It…

• February Leadership Development Carnival – Carnevale di Venezia Edition

  7 Feb 2010 | 7:19 pm

  Looking for this month's Leadership Development Carnival? Nope, it’s not here. It’s hosted by Mark Bennett, Meg Bear, Amy Wilson, Vivian Wong, and the rest of my friends over at the Talented Apps blog. Take a look! There are 35 posts from my favorite leadership bloggers!Mark points out that this month’s edition is during Carnevale in Venice. That’s kind of fitting, given I’ll be in Venice next month. (-:Next’s month’s edition will back here on March 7th.Now I gotta go watch Undercover Boss.

• Career Advice Part 3: Lateral Moves

  6 Feb 2010 | 9:17 am

  A lot of career advice these days deals with how to get a job and how to get ahead (promoted). Makes sense, given the current economic conditions.However, at some point in your career, you will most likely be faced with another kind of career decision – whether to make a lateral move into a role that’s unfamiliar to you.Before I get into the ins and outs of lateral moves, I need to give you some context as to where my advice is coming from.My jobs have always been all about talent management. I have to make sure my company has strong leadership capability and a of pipeline emerging…

• Career Advice Part 2: Never Stop Learning

  31 Jan 2010 | 5:26 am

  This is the second part of a 5 part career advice series. There’s three parts to every career path: the past, present, and the future. Kind of like Dickens’s Christmas Carol. A lot of us tend to think of these elements in terms of the results we’ve achieved (as documented on our resume), the work we’re doing, and what we want to do when we grow up (our career plans and goals). There’s another way to think about your career path – think of your career as a learning journey. The Past:Most of know it’s a smart habit to update our resumes every year. It’s like paying your taxes -…

• Career Advice Part 1: Don’t Settle

  27 Jan 2010 | 4:47 pm

  I’m going to veer a little bit from the primary mission of this blog (leadership development) and offer a 5 part series of career advice posts.I do this with some hesitation. There are hundreds of career advice blogs out there already. For a good sample, start with Alltop’s collection of career blogs. I’d also recommend signing up for the new SmartBrief on Your Career free daily newsletter.The point is, I can’t even begin to compete with some of my favorites like Anita Bruzzese, so I won’t even try. I humbly bow to their expertise.However, I have picked up a few strategies that…

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  CIO - Blogs and Discussion -

• Personal Branding: IT Professionals' Four Pain Points

  Meridith Levinson

  9 Feb 2010 | 8:08 am

  I'm always amazed at the amount of traffic personal branding stories generate for CIO.com. My last story on the topic, 6 Personal Branding Mistakes that Can Threaten Your Job Search, turned nearly 16,000 page views in its first week. read more

• How Cloud and On-Premise Platforms Work Together

  mzucconi

  9 Feb 2010 | 7:59 am

  Today’s software industry buzzword is “Cloud.” We all know what it is, and some of us are already leveraging Cloud platforms to reduce resource consumption on-premise. read more

• Perplexities of Enterprise Privacy Policies

  9 Feb 2010 | 6:51 am

  An important consideration with information security incidents is identifying if personally identifiable information - PII - is involved. read more

• Sorting Out Social CRM Options for Business

  9 Feb 2010 | 6:32 am

  According to Peter Greenberg, the author of CRM at the Speed of Light, social CRM is a philosophy and a business strategy, supported by a technology platform and designed to engage a customer in a col read more

• Part 1 - Software Asset Management: How to Save $M

  kweinberg

  9 Feb 2010 | 3:01 am

  After salaries, IT is the largest expense for any corporation. Innovation is not free. Security is not free. Software is not free. If there was a way to increase the ROI on these investments, would you do it? In this three part story, you’ll read about the very real results of software license management. Make it your own true story. read more

• 
  Mission Minded Management

• How To Interview Your Prospective Boss for Leadership Potential

  Michelle Malay Carter

  6 Feb 2010 | 11:45 am

  Let’s face it - your boss can make or break your work experience.  S/he provides you context (aka the big picture), gives you your assignments, provides your resources, integrates your work with your peers, assesses your performance and helps build your skills in your current role.  Because of this, when you are interviewing for a job you must take as much care to learn about your prospective manager as you do the prospective job. Here are some quotes from First, Break All the Rules: “We had discovered that the manager – not pay, benefits, perks or a charismatic corporate…

• The Golden Rule is Pyrite

  Michelle Malay Carter

  28 Jan 2010 | 3:30 pm

  One of the greatest life lessons anyone can learn is that WE ARE NOT ALL THE SAME.   When we treat others as we would like to be treated, it may or may not be well received.  If it is not well received, we consider the others to be ingrates, and so the downward spiral begins. From the Carter Home Laboratory One time a confident, gregarious little girl who had visited with her mother once before, visited my home a second time.  My daughter who leans toward the bashful side, hid from the girl.  Confused, the little girl asked me, Why is she mad at me?  This little girl, who was not the…

• Add Time Spans to Your Resume to Reflect Your Requisite Level of Capability

  Michelle Malay Carter

  16 Jan 2010 | 7:22 am

  I answered a question on a LinkedIn Management Consulting group from a person inquiring about how to ensure you are being considered for roles at the right level.  Assuming you have been employed at full capacity in your previous work, adding a time element to your resume’s bullet points is one of the best ways to demonstrate your level of capability, and there is plenty of research to back up my assertion.  Below is the question and my response: “I get calls on my resume but they aren’t for the right level job. What am I doing wrong?” What Adds to the Weight of a…

• If You Design It, They Will Engage. Executive Leadership and Requisite Organization Design

  Michelle Malay Carter

  1 Jan 2010 | 8:40 am

  Trees and flowers don’t strive to grow.  It’s built right into their DNA to grow and to bountifully produce. Executives Should Take a Page from Farmers Executive leadership should be concerned about creating the conditions necessary for employees to flourish.  People are wired to work.  They want to produce and produce bountifully. Farmers don’t spend their days tending to individual plants.  They prepare the soil, monitor water levels, and keep the pests away.  When they do this, the plants do the “work”. What Causes Poor Engagement? Not Poor Employees I…

• Merry Christmas - True Leaders Serve

  Michelle Malay Carter

  24 Dec 2009 | 9:12 pm

  Regardless of your religious persuasion, one lesson we can all take from Jesus was an understanding that true leaders serve.  This coming year I encourage you to work toward creating a workplace system that does not drive bad power but rather unleashes good power which is used in service to others. ShareThis

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  CIO.com - CIO Role

• CIOs in the Asia Pacific Expect Economic Recovery in 2010

  31 Jan 2010 | 9:00 pm

  Recession took everybody by surprise last year but a large number of chief information officers (CIOs) in the Asia Pacific were very optimistic about economic recovery in 2010. This revelation is apparent from a newly released report by Hitachi Data Systems, which showed that about 86 per cent of the respondents felt confident about economic recovery by 2010.

• Hospital CTO Identifies Virtualization Gotchas

  27 Jan 2010 | 9:00 pm

  Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children has learned the hard way that virtualization efforts won't be successful if vendors aren't ready to support you, according to its director of technology.

• What Are the Built-in Challenges that Set IT Up for Failure?

  26 Jan 2010 | 9:00 pm

  The contradictions that afflict IT come in four flavors, here's one way to frame them

• 2010 CIO Priorities Shift to Lightweight Services, Virtualization

  18 Jan 2010 | 9:00 pm

  Post-recession IT budgets aren't increasing, but the seeds are being sown for a different kind of IT

• Forrester: Tech Spending Downturn is Over

  11 Jan 2010 | 9:00 pm

  The worst is over for technology spending and the sector is set to rebound this year, according to a new report from Forrester Research.

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  CIO.com - Leadership/Management

• Recession is Over, Time for IT to Restart the Engines

  7 Feb 2010 | 9:00 pm

  Some people are loath to come right out and say this, but I will: The recession is over, and when the numbers are all sorted, I'm guessing the experts will say we turned the corner early last fall, if not sooner.

• Problems Hit New Oracle Support Site Again

  4 Feb 2010 | 9:00 pm

  Problems once again wracked Oracle's new My Oracle Support portal this week, with some users reporting difficulties accessing the site.

• Problems Hit New Oracle Support Site Again

  4 Feb 2010 | 9:00 pm

  Problems once again wracked Oracle's new My Oracle Support portal this week, with some users reporting difficulties accessing the site.

• IT Management Aided By New Appraisal Technique

  3 Feb 2010 | 9:00 pm

  CIOs and other IT leaders have long struggled to measure and then demonstrate the business value of IT investments, and that challenge has generally become more difficult during the recession.

• Microsoft-Funded CodePlex Foundation Gets First Exec

  2 Feb 2010 | 9:00 pm

  The CodePlex Foundation, an organization funded and created by Microsoft, Wednesday named its first executive director, industry veteran Paula Hunter.

• 
  CIO.com - Leadership/Management

• Recession is Over, Time for IT to Restart the Engines

  7 Feb 2010 | 9:00 pm

  Some people are loath to come right out and say this, but I will: The recession is over, and when the numbers are all sorted, I'm guessing the experts will say we turned the corner early last fall, if not sooner.

• Problems Hit New Oracle Support Site Again

  4 Feb 2010 | 9:00 pm

  Problems once again wracked Oracle's new My Oracle Support portal this week, with some users reporting difficulties accessing the site.

• Problems Hit New Oracle Support Site Again

  4 Feb 2010 | 9:00 pm

  Problems once again wracked Oracle's new My Oracle Support portal this week, with some users reporting difficulties accessing the site.

• IT Management Aided By New Appraisal Technique

  3 Feb 2010 | 9:00 pm

  CIOs and other IT leaders have long struggled to measure and then demonstrate the business value of IT investments, and that challenge has generally become more difficult during the recession.

• Microsoft-Funded CodePlex Foundation Gets First Exec

  2 Feb 2010 | 9:00 pm

  The CodePlex Foundation, an organization funded and created by Microsoft, Wednesday named its first executive director, industry veteran Paula Hunter.

• 
  IMD Business School - News

• Professor George Kohlrieser completes “Leading at the Edge” Tour in The Netherlands

  9 Feb 2010 | 2:52 am

  “Natural born leaders do not exist. Leadership is a skill anyone with enough perseverance can acquire. Especially in these times of uncertainty, organizations are pining for high performance leaders.”This was the message that IMD Professor George Kohlrieser delivered last week as part of a tour in The Netherlands which featured visits to two leading Dutch companies, the TNT Group and Robeco, as well as the opening of the Dutch stock exchange.

• CEOs and IMD Professors share insights on “Teamwork at the Top” during family business Discovery Event

  5 Feb 2010 | 5:19 am

  IMD Family Business DE Teamwork at the Top

• Dr. Aileen Ionescu-Somers addresses Sustainable Innovation Event

  4 Feb 2010 | 2:52 am

  Dr. Aileen Ionescu-Somers, Deputy Director of IMD’s Forum for Corporate Sustainability Management, was among the guests speakers earlier this week at the P&G Sustainable Innovation Event organized in collaboration with the Canton of Geneva.

• IMD MBA 2007 alumnus Philip Dao refuses to live a "deferred life"

  3 Feb 2010 | 5:19 am

  Philip Dao came to IMD and learned he had more to give.Today the 2007 IMD MBA alumnus is living a more ambitious, more giving and more courageous life. He credits IMD for giving him both the awareness and the tools to effectively take on that challenge.

• IMD to host inaugural CIO Roundtable in April

  2 Feb 2010 | 5:19 am

  Based on the established success of the annual CEO Roundtable, IMD is pleased to announce the launching of the inaugural CIO Roundtable to be held on April 12-13, 2010.

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  IMD Business School - Tomorrow's Challenges Articles

• RUBIK CUBES, FREITAG BAGS AND STARBUCKS

  Stuart Read

  5 Feb 2010 | 8:38 am

  Quick test - What do Rubik Cubes, Freitag Bags and Starbucks Coffee have in common? Yes, they are all popular consumer products and it’s even possible to create a story about how you might carry your Rubik Cube in your Freitag Bag to the nearest Starbucks Café. Very creative. But this story is about something less intuitive and probably more useful to an executive. It’s about the fact that each of these success stories was born of an “absent market".

• THE POWER OF FORGIVENESS: A KEY TO HIGH PERFORMANCE LEADERSHIP

  George Kohlrieser

  5 Feb 2010 | 8:38 am

  Imagine what your life would be like if someone murdered one of your immediate family members. What if it was your son or daughter? Think about the anger and bitterness you would feel towards that person. Surely it would consume both your personal and professional life. Would you ever be able to move on?

• GOVERNANCE: WHAT MUST WE LEARN FROM THE CRISIS?

  Paul Strebel

  29 Jan 2010 | 8:38 am

  What must board directors, executives and academics learn as the high point of the financial crisis recedes? Whatever happens to the proposals for regulatory reform, recent IMD research shows how the structure of big bank boards  and the behavior of board directors must change to prevent future crises

• HAPPY BIRTHDAY INDIA!

  Bala Chakravarthy

  25 Jan 2010 | 8:38 am

  India will be 60 years young next week. While it became independent on Aug 15, 1947; it was not until January 26, 1950 that India had its written constitution. 60 is an auspicious age in India. On turning 60, a man or woman would be expected to shift gears and go into a different stage of life. While for humans it is a shift to a lower gear, for the country it has to be a higher gear. That acceleration will only come from innovations that bridge the vast opportunities in India’s product market with its vast pool of unemployed and under-employed human resources in its talent market.

• SOME REFLECTIONS ON PRESIDENT OBAMA'S FIRST YEAR OF LEADERSHIP

  Jack Denfeld Wood

  20 Jan 2010 | 8:38 am

  One year ago today, Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th President of the United States. How has he done from a leadership perspective?  I offer an opinion with reservations. An opinion is only an opinion, and is not based on actual knowledge of something but only on one’s impressions of them. With this caveat, here are some reflections.

• 
  The thoughtLEADERS Blog

• Making Your But More Powerful

  3 Feb 2010 | 11:49 am

  Today's guest blogger is Brian Ahearn who has written here before. Once again, we're talking about buts. Sorry - I couldn't resist acting like a third grader there. Take it away Brian before this goes further downhill... A few weeks ago I read Mike’s article Managerial Miscues: The But(t) Sandwich (Reprise) and told him I really liked it but... The article addressed how people often blow it This is only the beginning of the thought... Please click the article headline above or go to http://thoughtleadersllc.blogspot.com for more.

• Surprise! You're Getting Fired!

  1 Feb 2010 | 4:06 am

  Have you ever met someone who was fired from their job? Betcha fifty bucks they said "Yeah, I never saw it coming." For some reason getting canned always comes as a shock to people. They're clueless as to how bad they're doing and how close to the door they are. Makes you wonder... are YOU close to the door and you don't even realize it? Put your hand in the air if that question made you This is only the beginning of the thought... Please click the article headline above or go to http://thoughtleadersllc.blogspot.com for more.

• Managerial Miscues: "The But(t) Sandwich" (Reprise)

  27 Jan 2010 | 1:33 pm

  Every once in a while history repeats itself. Those who fail to learn from it are doomed to repeat it. This post is in the spirit of that truism. Today I heard about someone receiving the infamous "but" sandwich form of feedback. Given that, I can't help but post some thoughts I shared way back in January 08. I'm also posting it for the benefit of the thousands of new folks who read this This is only the beginning of the thought... Please click the article headline above or go to http://thoughtleadersllc.blogspot.com for more.

• Hate Your Job? Then Shut Up and Quit

  25 Jan 2010 | 4:07 am

  Do you find yourself frequently muttering "I hate my job" every day when you wake up? Have you been saying that for more than a month straight? Are people starting to avoid you because you're a downer to be around? Then it's probably time to shut your face and quit your job. Yep. Time for another provocative post that's a slap upside the head for some of you just like the 10 Reasons Your This is only the beginning of the thought... Please click the article headline above or go to http://thoughtleadersllc.blogspot.com for more.

• Hiring Debacles: Interviewing Dr. Jekyll and Hiring Mr. Hyde

  18 Jan 2010 | 4:05 am

  You’ve probably made a hiring mistake at some point in your career (and if you haven’t made one yet, you eventually will). Why does this happen? You don’t know how to read the “inner” candidate.  I've talked about aspects of this dynamic before and explained why it's critical to clean up a mess when you make one.  This post is more about avoiding the mess in the first place. How does the This is only the beginning of the thought... Please click the article headline above or go to http://thoughtleadersllc.blogspot.com for more.

• 
  lastingleaders.com

• Why accountability partners don’t work

  31 Jan 2010 | 9:13 am

  Most of the men I work with who are battling sexual temptation have a long history of failed attempts at overcoming their struggles. One of the most common strategies people in churches use is having an accountability partner. I have nothing against accountability partners … they just don’t work. Listen to this recording - a short excerpt from an audio program called “The Spiritual Questions and Challenges of Recovery” - to find out why: Show me a pornography or other type of sex addict who has an accountability partner - and is doing little else for his recovery - and…

• New study suggests that loneliness may be contagious

  2 Dec 2009 | 2:27 pm

  Loneliness is an important issue - and personal challenge - for many leaders and the people they are leading. For this reason, I was especially interested in the results of a recent study on the topic. What follows are highlights from a recent article about the study. A new study suggests that feelings of loneliness can spread through social networks like the common cold. “People on the edge of the network spread their loneliness to others and then cut their ties,” says Nicholas Christakis of Harvard Medical School in Boston, a coauthor of the new study in the December Journal of…

• New study shows abuse rates of Catholic priests even higher than expected

  18 Sep 2009 | 8:27 am

  As if the reports and suspicions weren’t bad enough, the reality points to a  problem even more pervasive than people thought. I’m going to quote from the childprotectionguide.org website, with some added thoughts of my own in italics along the way. (The article I’m linking to here has the source information for this study.) “About 4 percent of Catholic priests have been accused of sexually abusing minors over the past half-century, according to a draft of the first comprehensive study of sexual abuse within the Catholic Church in the United States. The percentage is…

• Facing our love / hate experience with God

  27 Aug 2009 | 9:06 am

  I am increasingly convinced that spiritual inauthenticity is a major roadblock for many Christians in general, and especially Christian leaders. When we try to convince ourselves to believe something we don’t really believe, or when we struggle with thoughts and feelings about God that we “shouldn’t have,” we get stuck. There are no easy answers here, but I believe it is essential to face our questions, doubts, and jumble of feelings about God in an honest way if our leadership is going to be sustainable. I see this as an important issue for Christians in recovery, and…

• How to create a leadership development strategy

  23 Aug 2009 | 9:15 am

  For the past three and half years I have been in a new role - conducting workshops and coaching pastors and men in recovery - and outside of the senior pastor leadership role, I’ve found myself reflecting on some of the challenges pastors face. One of the most striking things I notice is that churches have huge needs for competent - and usually volunteer - leaders to carry projects forward. Therefore, healthy, growing churches need to be leadership development machines. I just ran across an article on this subject by Dan McCarthy, a business consultant. I found it interesting, and it…

• 
  Business Wisdom: Words to Manage By

• Know More, Assume Less

  Bill Matthies

  8 Feb 2010 | 3:45 pm

  "Get the facts or the facts will get you."Dr. Thomas Fuller17th century English PhysicianAnd note well the difference between facts and assumed facts.Most decisions are based on the latter, less on the former.

• Hearing What I Mean, Not Just What I Said

  Bill Matthies

  5 Feb 2010 | 12:29 pm

  "You can listen as well as you hear."Mike & the Mechanics But few of us do. We hear the words but don't comprehend the meaning, not because we can't but because we don't.

• In Pursuit of Truth

  Bill Matthies

  4 Feb 2010 | 2:36 pm

  "Believe those who are seeking the truth; doubt those who find it."Andre Gide20th century French author, Nobel Prize (Literature) winnerThink back in your career to all those who were certain about any number of things, or at least said they were.How many turned out to be right?Skepticism can be a good thing. Not to the point of doubting everything all the time, but as part of the process of validating what is and is not truth.

• Management's Outside Help

  Bill Matthies

  3 Feb 2010 | 9:34 am

  "Men in the game are blind to what men looking on clearly see."Chinese ProverbQuite often, but not always, true.As a consultant, I know there are many instances where I don't know enough about my client's business to help them, whereas in other situations, I know exactly what they need to do almost the minute I walk through their door.Forest and trees with the "art" being knowing when which is which.

• Truth in Hiring

  Bill Matthies

  2 Feb 2010 | 12:14 pm

  "The closest a person ever comes to perfection is when he fills out a job application."Stanley J. RandallAuthorDid you ever see a resume that said anything other than good things about the applicant?Did you ever tell an applicant anything bad about the company or position for which they were applying?Have you ever wondered why so many hires turn out bad for the person being hired, the company or both?

• 
  Leadership Institute of Indianapolis

• It’s More Important Than Ever to Focus On The Emotional Intelligence of Your Company

  Jillian Vanarsdall

  29 Jan 2010 | 7:47 am

  I came across this video today of Bill George, a Professor of Management at Harvard Business School, who explains the importance of hiring people should be based now on their values. He also mentions that now more than ever business owners must focus on the emotional intelligence of the company. To fully understand the phenomenon of emotional intelligence and to create a successful business, Bill George suggests using assessments and 360 feedback on yourself as a leader and your employees.

• Is It Them Or Is It Me?

  Jillian Vanarsdall

  3 Dec 2009 | 11:14 am

  “Insanity: Doing the same thing over and over again  and expecting different results” -Albert Einstein You’re hiring a new Vice President of Sales. Joe has all the qualifications, experiences, and best of all – he has a great personality. You hire Joe with the full intention that he will perform to your expectations. You spend hours, days, weeks, and even months to train him which costs you a lot of money and time. Within three months and without an indication, Joe resigns from his position. You’re disappointed, but not shocked–why? Because Joe is the…

• 10 Tips On Being A More Inspirational Leader

  Terry Sarbinoff

  13 Nov 2009 | 6:50 am

  I recently read a book  Motivate Your Employees And Make Your Workplace Come Alive by Dr. Joanne G. Sujansky.   Dr.Sujansky, a certified speaking professional, highlights 129 tips to motivate your employees.  I chose the top ten tips that I think leaders should know in order to inspire their team: Tip#1:  Share your principals and live by them. People want to know what you stand for and that you are guided by your values and beliefs. Tip #2: Notice the little things that people do for you and say “Thank you.” Send personal notes of congratulations, condolence,…

• How to Demotivate Your Team

  Bill Caskey

  4 Nov 2009 | 5:14 pm

  We’re constantly talking about ‘inspiring your team’ so I thought today I’d show you a video clip of an interview with Jim Collins (Good To Great), where he addresses this very issue.

• Why Would Anyone Follow Me?

  Jillian Vanarsdall

  28 Sep 2009 | 9:48 am

  “To Understand Follower-Ship, Leaders Need to Grasp The Survival Benefits of Social Coordination” I recently read an article, An Evolutionary View-What Followers Want from Their Leaders, that explains the three characteristics dating back to the ancient tribes that every follower needs from their leader. Roughly two million years ago, the hunter-gather living style did not have formal leadership roles.  With tribal-warfare being the major cause of death during the Old Stone Age, tribes needed to establish leadership to survive and that’s where social coordination was…

• 
  Mitch's Blog

• Do You Protect Your Friends?

  Mitch

  7 Feb 2010 | 5:43 am

  If you read this blog often enough, you know that I really subscribe to 3 moral positions: loyalty, trustworthiness, and honesty. I really believe that’s how you need to be with your friends, with your co-workers, and as much as possible with everyone else you meet throughout your life. Tonight I learned once again just how much my friends can, and have, protected me in my life, and it shows just how much people will give back to you what you’ve given to them. Back in college, the second half of my freshman year, I had a major crush on a young lady. That crush pretty much lasted…

• When Protecting Your Reputation Isn’t Worth It

  Mitch

  4 Feb 2010 | 8:56 pm

  A couple of days ago I was reading a blog post by Rose DesRochers called The Online Reputation of Rose DesRochers. In the post, she talks about being asked to write a guest post for another blog, yet when she submitted the post she was told by the person that he had seen something negative about her and had decided he didn’t want her post. One thing about the internet is that anyone can say anything about you, and often you won’t know anything about it. Sometimes you do, and you can engage in one of those things where you want to debate against someone or turn around and do the…

• It’s Black History Month; What Do I Want?

  Mitch

  4 Feb 2010 | 12:56 pm

  It’s another year for Black History Month to try to get people who could care less to understand just what it used to mean to be black in America. I say it that way because based on a lot of what I see, most people care as much about that as they do about what it’s like being black in America today. If that sounds cynical it’s not meant to; instead, it’s meant to convey what I see is still the reality of being black in America, and even with a black president, things aren’t better at all. As a matter of fact, things have gotten worse. Let’s look at the year…

• Is The Health Care Bill Dead?

  Mitch

  3 Feb 2010 | 6:20 pm

  At this point, we all know what’s going on. In Massachusetts, the populace voted in a Republican to fill the seat of Senator Kennedy, and that effectively ended the Democratic block that could force a health care bill upon the masses without Republican support. I think everyone pretty much knew at that point that the health care bill that was in Congress was effectively over. When Rep. Nancy Pelosi came out the next day and said that there was no way the House was going to support the bill the Senate had come up with, that pretty much effectively ended all discussions about the health…

• Dealing With Disappointment

  Mitch

  2 Feb 2010 | 7:23 pm

  I tell you, life is interesting in that you never know when things will be good and things will be bad. In the space of the last 5 days, things just keep happening that really works in testing one’s resolve and proves that the laws of attraction will always be there, even if not the way you might be expecting. Last Friday I was almost living large. Things seemed ready to coalesce in one direction, and other things were working out well at all. Then I got some bad news via email; one of my clients had lost a contract and that impacted my income as well. That I didn’t see coming,…

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  Bait, Tackle, Ice, Advice & Beer Blog

• Speechless

  7 Feb 2010 | 7:18 pm

  I heard the following in a recent conversation with a marketing exec. I would have laughed had the potential consequences not meant that people will probably lose their jobs. I'm going to be a little vague on the details because I don't want to risk the exec's job anymore than it's already at risk.Here's the story.A new Chairman had decided he thought the current advertising was old fashioned. He proposed a contest where people would be offered a chance to win thousands of dollars if they visited the website.Traffic went from 5,000 hits a month to 50,000 hits per month.Sales however are…

• Who's Up Next

  5 Feb 2010 | 6:00 am

  Employers saw a lot of differences and challenges when hiring the most recent workforce group, the gen y-ers.But they haven't seen anything, yet. Next up is generation z. You might not have heard of them yet, as they were only born as early as 1995, but they'll be entering the workforce very soon. And like every other generation, they have their pros and cons. It's finding a way to work with those pros and cons that will help make this generation a huge success in your business.Let's look at the cons, then pros of their different attributes:In a blog written by Penelope Trunk, a writer on…

• Collaborate and Learn

  4 Feb 2010 | 11:47 am

  In sort of a sequel to Michela's last blog, I was thinking about the generation discussion and I believe that having multiple generations in the workplace is very beneficial. It also can be catastrophic if everyone is too stubborn in their own ways but that comes with anything you do. When you have a variety of generations and experience in the workplace you can accomplish so much more. Gen-Y's are obviously considered more "techy" but can sometimes lack in the knowledge of traditional methods that are still being implemented in the company today. Sometimes old fashion methods just work…

• Expectations v. Reality : Which Side are You On

  2 Feb 2010 | 9:35 am

  It is no surprise that the way an office is run is changing due to the increasing presence of us "Gen Y"-ers. We've been labeled everything from the 'MyPods' to 'the Baby Boomlets' to 'the Boomerang Generation" (and that's just to name a few). We've had negative connotations associated with us, such as lazy, greedy, self-centered and unrealistic. We've been ridiculed for our outlook on life, but what if the perceptions on both sides of the matter are just so completely polar from one another that we are struggling to find middle ground?I was reading an article on eweek.com called "Generation…

• Don't Tread on My Dreams

  26 Jan 2010 | 12:54 pm

  As a child, when adults would be talking about business, I misheard a well-known quote. I thought people were saying, "It is a doggy-dog world." I would envision all kinds of nice business people walking down Wall Street, tipping their hats and saying hello. They would be holding their cute canines on a leash that were wagging their tails, bouncing around, being happy and ever so doggy. Boy, when I grew up, I just knew me and some lucky puppy would be moving to New York City.Later in life, I found out that people were really saying, "It is a dog-eat-dog world." What?! That is disgusting and…

• 
  The Merrill Dubrow Blog

• Attention Parents: Children And Mobile Phones – When Does That Combination Work?

  Merrill Dubrow

  8 Feb 2010 | 7:26 am

  Recently I read a very interesting article about children and mobile phone usage. As my kids get older I have been thinking about when they should have a cell phone and for what purpose. Meaning to stay in contact with their parents, their friends, play games, listen to music or 20 other things? Americans are beginning their "always-on" habits at a younger and younger age, according to the "American Kids Study" from Mediamark Research & Intelligence’s (MRI’s) as reported by eMarketer. I was shocked to read that more than one-third of 10-to-11-year-olds in…

• Quick Friday Humor: The Economy Is So Bad That . . .

  Merrill Dubrow

  5 Feb 2010 | 6:41 am

  If the bank returns your check marked "Insufficient Funds," you call them and ask if they meant you or them.   Hot Wheels and Matchbox stocks are trading higher than GM and Chrysler.  Dick Cheney took his stockbroker hunting.   The Mafia is laying off judges.   Exxon-Mobil laid off 25 Congressmen.   Congress says they are looking into the Bernard Madoff scandal. So that means the guy who made $50 Billion disappear is being investigated by the people who made $1.5 Trillion disappear!   Do you have a funny ending to this sentence: "The Economy Is So…

• What Is Your Favorite Building You Have Ever Been In?

  Merrill Dubrow

  3 Feb 2010 | 8:15 am

  Last month the Burj Dubai opened its doors for the first time as the tallest building in the world. This structure stands at 2,684 feet – yes you heard that number correctly. I was totally amazed at how big it is certainly, but was really amazed and impressed that it is 955 feet taller than the world’s second tallest building–which is the Willis Tower in Chicago. I started to think about buildings and structures and think about what are some of the coolest/nicest/most beautiful that I have ever been in. Here are a few that I have on my list: The Transamerica Pyramid in San…

• What Is Your Prediction For The Super Bowl?

  Merrill Dubrow

  1 Feb 2010 | 7:29 am

  Ok the final stage is set. We now know that the Indianapolis Colts will be playing the New Orleans Saints in the Super Bowl. The question is what will happen? Will it be an offensive show?  Will Peyton Manning and Drew Brees each throw for over 300 yards?  Does Reggie Bush fumble or score 3 touchdowns?  Does Colston have a big day?  Does either defense step up to the plate and stop anyone?  Who do you think will be the MVP?  Who wins the game? Ok, readers. I have obviously asked a lot of questions. Here is what I think will happen: Both offense units come out on…

• Would Love To Get To Know You A Little Bit Better – Take A 30 Second Fun Quiz

  Merrill Dubrow

  29 Jan 2010 | 6:58 am

  This blog was started August 2006. During the last 3 1/2 years there have been over 7500 comments from 1100 different people. I am still amazed at how much I have learned over that period of time and how much I have enjoyed sharing information, thought and ideas. I would love to get to know you a little better and have a quick 12 question quiz that asks you to pick between two different choices and will take you less than a minute to complete. I think everyone will enjoy reading everyone’s answers. Click here to take the quiz. I look forward to reading your answers.

• 
  Studentlinc

• Pray For Haiti

  timage

  13 Jan 2010 | 7:54 am

  There is no greater need for leadership than at a point of crisis.Haiti has just experienced a horrific tragedy. A devastating earthquake has killed hundreds of thousands. They need more than leadership, they need our prayers and our help.You can get involved immediately by donating to these organizations that are poised to offer assistance immediately: Red Cross, World Vision, World Relief, and Samaritan's Purse.Photo Source: AP/Radio Tele Ginen

• Maintaining Momentum Through Your Character [Article Link]

  timage

  12 Jan 2010 | 8:54 am

  In the latest issue of Leadership Wired, a monthly leadership newsletter from Dr. John Maxwell and Giant Impact, there is a sobering article about the vital connection between one's character and momentum.Reflecting on the recent turmoil surrounding Tiger Woods, Dr. Maxwell writes with great accuracy about the impact one's character has on the ability to start, stop, or sustain momentum. He concludes the article by saying...Tiger's story is a cautionary tale about character. All of the momentum you build through decades of hard work and dedication can be erased if you do not craft…

• SWAT - Seize The Accomplishment [REVIEW]

  timage

  10 Jan 2010 | 8:58 am

  My good friend, Timothy Johnson, is releasing his third book today. And it's really good.SWAT - Seize The AccomplishmentIf you are a fan of a compelling story, with twists and conflict, that teaches you something throughout - you will love this book. I read it in one sitting. But I've been thinking about it all day. I was connected to the story immediately. A young and witty manager who has to overcome a Call Center crisis in the midst of unsupportive leadership. And his best resource is his observation and interaction with the local area S.W.A.T. team. I have always enjoyed…

• Better Tools = Better Student [Article Link]

  timage

  9 Jan 2010 | 9:18 am

  Lifehacker's Jason Fitzpatrick has created an excellent list of tools you may or may not be using with that laptop you own. He writes...Despite the proliferation of laptops and netbooks, the vast majority of students still use their computers like $500 typewriters. Stop working so hard and be a better student by leveraging some clever computer tools to your advantage. Every semester I get a new wave of college freshman into my classroom, most of them armed with laptops. For the last several semesters, I have been informally tracking how they use their computers. I always assumed that my…

• How To Get The M.O.S.T. Out Of Your Semester

  timage

  6 Jan 2010 | 3:15 pm

  I walked past one of my student leaders today. I asked him how things were going. He responded that he felt like he could use another week. (classes start in less than a week).As I thought about his response, I understood how much a break can mean in the life of a student. A semester of studies can be demanding both mentally and physically. Those intense weeks of learning, reading, and studying - coupled with a student's other involvements and responsibilities - can be draining. But this is the unique rhythm of an academic year. As many of us are starting to gear up for another semester…

• 
  Curious Cat Management Improvement Blog

• Circle of Influence

  John Hunter

  9 Feb 2010 | 9:18 am

  In, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Steven Covey discusses the circle of control, circle of influence and circle of concern. This provides a good framework from which to view issues as you look for improvement strategies. Within your circle of control you have much more autonomy and have less need to win others over to your plan. However, in practice, even here, you benefit from winning over those who are involved (for example you are their boss). Our circle of concern covers those things we worry about. Often, we believe because we worry we should find solutions. Problems that…

• Observations of a New Googler

  John Hunter

  6 Feb 2010 | 6:40 am

  Some interesting thoughts from a new Google engineer, Things I’ve learned at Google so far I would describe Google’s culture as “creative chaos”. There was some confusion about where I was supposed to be when I started. This resulted in the following phone call, “Hello?”, “Hello Ben, this is Conner (that’s my new manager), where are you?” “Mountain View.” “Why are you there?” “Because this is where the recruiter said to go.” “Good answer! Nice of them to tell me. Enjoy your week!” This caused…

• Understanding Psychology: Slogans – Risky Tools

  John Hunter

  3 Feb 2010 | 5:48 am

  Slogans mainly are bad. But like most things they can be used in ways that help or hurt. The main problem is when they substitute for a method to achieve the aim (most of the time). If the slogan serves like a mission statement to focus people on something useful to focus on and it is one minor part of a system to achieve a result it can be fine and even useful. The issue, to me, is not so much that slogans are innately horrible. It is that, in practice, slogan are used in harmful ways most often (especially outside of sports). They tend to substitute for system improvement. The main work of…

• Management Improvement Carnival #87

  John Hunter

  1 Feb 2010 | 9:26 am

  The Curious Cat Management Improvement Carnival provides links to recent articles to help managers improve the performance organization. Lean in Sweden: Tools < Thinking by Mark Graban – “Tools have some value, but only in context of lean thinking and the lean management philosophy. Tools aren’t value-less, but thinking is better.” Manufacturing starts to come home by Dan Markovitz – “NCR sees domestic manufacturing as key to increasing sales as well. It enables them to make higher value-added products that their customers want.” Correlation or…

• The Trouble with Incentives: They Work

  John Hunter

  28 Jan 2010 | 7:18 am

  Gipsie B. Ranney has a great new article – The Trouble with Incentives: They Work I have wondered whether the escalation of pay, perks and parachutes for CEOs actually tends to attract individuals who are primarily extrinsically motivated, rather than individuals who are seriously interested in creating value. Several recent examples appear to be consistent with this view. … An important issue with regard to incentives is possible effects on teamwork and cooperation. If the incentive system is set up as a zero-sum game, then for me to win, you have to lose. This is a very…

• 
  Team Building WNY

• Mike has won the 6 Sigma Commenter Award for the 2nd Year in a ROW!

  Michael Cardus

  6 Feb 2010 | 11:17 am

  On Wed., Feb. 3, iSixSigma Live! presented its annual awards breakfast honoring the companies and individuals who have successfully applied strong practices and achieved breakthrough results through continuous improvement. The morning began with the iSixSigma MVP Awards, recognizing the voluntary contributions to the Six Sigma community through the iSixSigma Discussion Forum, Blogosphere and Twitter. The winners for 2009 were: Most Prolific Poster on the iSixSigma Discussion Forum: Stan Most Helpful Poster on the iSixSigma Discussion Forum: Robert Butler Best Blogger on the iSixSigma…

• Analog Planning for 6 Sigma Team Building Workshop

  Michael Cardus

  3 Feb 2010 | 7:24 pm

  While talking with a group last week, I was asked how I plan team building & leadership programs. Analog – on a chalk board in my office, following a discussion with the decision makers and stakeholders in the program spending on average 8-12 hours planning (depending on the length and objective of the program). Recently I was invited by the Buffalo NY, ASQ (American Standard for Quality) to present a workshop at their conference in October of 2010 on Team Building (development) for 6 Sigma Projects.Re-learning much of my green belt training and reading some great books on process…

• CREATE-LEARNING

  Michael Cardus

  2 Feb 2010 | 5:02 pm

  The create-learning website is currently under re-constructionI will continue to blog and keep you informedWith a planned re-launch in March 2010!Michael Cardus

• Plan Plus Process – Shout out by FRAGMNT.TV

  Michael Cardus

  1 Feb 2010 | 2:30 pm

  Thanks to Steven J Barker of Fragmnt.tv for the mention in his podcast. Check it out and tell him what you think about planning…. Michael Cardus

• Hard Skills Depend Upon Soft Skills

  Michael Cardus

  1 Feb 2010 | 6:30 am

  I was consulting / facilitating with a large utility company in New York, we were focusing on adapting Kouzes & Posner’s The Leadership Challenge to complement their existing leadership development program. The above image is of an activity I call “Hard Edge and Soft Middles”, I led this initiative as a table top simulation to connect the content piece of how our communication, emotional intelligence, delegation, empathy and other skills are the foundations of process effectiveness. The leaders (until the point of our de-brief) were having a challenging time transferring the idea of…

• 
  Management Excellence

• Leadership Caffeine: Be Careful How You Value Your Time-15 Minutes Can Make a Big Difference

  As leaders, we all know that it’s the little things that count. A word of encouragement might just be rocket fuel for one person while a constructive suggestion serves as the same for another. Alternatively, ignoring or paying superficial attention to a topic that an employee deems important is a guaranteed way to demoralize and deflate a person.

• February Leadership Development Carnival

  Thanks to Mark Bennett and the great people at Talented Apps for hosting the February, 2010 Leadership Development Carnival. Take a stroll through the Carnevale di Venezia Edition (you'll have to click over to understand the creative tie-in to the Carnival in Venice) and check out some truly intriguing, inspiring and compelling posts from bloggers old and new. OK, instead of old, perhaps I should say familiar!

• When Will You Choose to Be Successful? An Irreverent Rant on Personal Motivation

  It never ceases to amaze me how many excuses people have for not succeeding at something they view as important to them personally or professionally. While behavioral psychologists might label this as an issue of “external versus internal locus of control,” as I listen to the excuses flowing for not getting the job, not losing weight, not saving money, not making it to class, not writing a book, not keeping up with blogging, what I’m really thinking is (in very loud terms inside my mind), “YOU HAVE NOT MADE UP YOUR MIND TO SUCCEED!”

• The Three C’s and One D of Great Hiring According to Small Business Owners

  Experienced small business owners and managers understand the critical importance of making great hires. The right people propel your business and the wrong ones cost you precious time and money. The wrong hires ring up expensive opportunity costs by making less than optimal decisions, inappropriately leading or misleading your teams and not helping you create value and gain a competitive advantage. I spoke to a number of owners running visibly successful firms and asked for their insights on hiring talent on their teams. The roll-up of their advice is as follows...

• Leadership Caffeine-It’s Time to Get Serious About Learning from Your Twenty-Somethings

  One of the recurring themes in my writing and teaching activities is the importance of blending the generations in the workplace. I’ve been a cheerleader for this cause for the past few years and I truly believe that good managers everywhere must find opportunities to leverage the unique perspectives of experience, pragmatism and idealism available from this fascinating mix of time travelers. I’ve now moved beyond my polite encouragement for managers to find ways to adapt and cope with what seem to be the foreign habits and foreign viewpoints emanating from the more youthful in the…

• 
  Be Excellent

• Achieving Sustained Growth - Take Two

  Skip Reardon

  9 Feb 2010 | 8:08 am

  As reported in the Harvard Business Review's Daily Stat, the consulting group Bain's updated global database of Sustained Value Creators found only 12% of companies worldwide managed to grow profits and revenues more than 5.5% over the 10 years ending in 2008 and earn back their cost of capital. Here's another take on the same issue: As reported in the best-selling book Six Disciplines Execution Revolution, (How Big Is The Challenge, page 29), a recent McKinsey study concluded that few large global companies outperform their competitors on both revenue growth and profitability…

• Trends Affecting Leadership Development in 2010

  Skip Reardon

  9 Feb 2010 | 7:16 am

  The most significant emerging trends affecting leadership development, as identified in a Human Resources Executive recap of the 2009/2010 Trends in Executive Development: A Benchmark Report, are: Impact of the Economy. It means that there is more pressure now than before to prepare leaders who can weather the storm and navigate their companies successfully through the turbulence.Bench Strength is No. 1. "Lack of bench strength" was identified as the second most influential factor impacting executive development and "Increasing bench strength" was the top key objective in executive…

• Do You Need a Consultant, or a Business Coach?

  Skip Reardon

  9 Feb 2010 | 5:38 am

  What is the difference between a business coach and a consultant?A consultant completes projects for you based on their own technical expertise. Often, a consultant will provide suggestions and direction for what needs to be fixed, however, rarely will they help the business leader actually implement the fix.A business coach guides you in growing your business:Business coaches provide business leaders with awareness, education, and accountability through regularly scheduled coaching sessions and other proven, best-practices business performance tools. Instead of getting paid for billable…

• New Leaders Need Coaching Too!

  Skip Reardon

  9 Feb 2010 | 5:33 am

  Only 23 percent of new leaders — or employees who have advanced from being individual contributors to supervising or managing others — receive the coaching they need to reach their full development potential, according to a survey conducted by Right Management, a provider of integrated human capital consulting services and solutions.Key findings from the survey:While organizations see value in providing coaching to strategic and developing leaders, coaching is not offered as frequently to new leaders.Most new leaders advance in their careers due to their proficiency with technical skills,…

• Identifying Growth Leaders In Your Organization

  Skip Reardon

  8 Feb 2010 | 7:38 am

  According to a Wall Street Journal article, "Growth leaders - most companies have managers who can turbocharge results. The trick is finding -- and nurturing -- them.""Indeed, powerful catalysts for organic growth often exist deep within an organization, hidden and untapped. We're talking about a special breed of midlevel managers -- men and women who possess the vision, leadership and entrepreneurial talents that together make up what we refer to as a growth leader."The chart above offers a way to understand the mindset of growth leaders.Find them, recognize them, and support them - or your…

• 
  SteveFarber.com

• A (Short) Greater Than Yourself Primer

  Steve

  3 Feb 2010 | 8:44 am

  Technorati Tags: greater than yourself, keynote, leadership, mentoring, speech

• Mentoring Month Has Come and Gone…

  Steve

  2 Feb 2010 | 9:06 am

  …and I bet you didn’t even know. It was hardly a blip on the radar screen of “National Somebody’s Interested in This Somewhere” months, days, and weeks. And, so, Mentoring Month has blipped by, virtually unnoticed. Which is unfortunate. Especially for kids who could use someone like you. Of course, that doesn’t mean it’s too late. It never is. And that’s the good news. An inspiring documentary called Show Me the Way (you’ll find the trailer below), explores the impact mentors have on young people’s lives, and it showcases the…

• MyGTYProject.com

  Steve

  11 Jan 2010 | 10:16 am

  In Greater Than Yourself, I made a commitment to document the story of my GTY Project, Tommy Spaulding, which I have done in video (there are transcripts as well) over at GreaterThanYourself.com. In the book, I also suggested that others should do something similar with their own Projects. My hope was that at least a few folks would be brave enough to publicly tell about their GTY experiences–the highs and the lows–so we could all learn and benefit from one another’s successes and failures. Well, many people have taken on Projects of their own, and/or are in various stages…

• Energy ala Kineticom

  Steve

  1 Jan 2010 | 12:58 pm

  Continuing with Kineticom’s stellar example of incorporating LEAP into their own culture and language, here’s a sampling of Energy, Kineticom style: “Charge a room and elevate everyone to their ‘A’ game…ravenous quest to produce and to not be boxed out in the marketplace…sassy style of dishing it out and keeping it fun…bringing high levels of energy to her personal game…ability and desire for personal development and the development of others…unique brand of energizing comedy…willingness to expand role and…

• True Love: A Video for the Season

  Steve

  23 Dec 2009 | 1:51 pm

  My friend, Timna Pilch, described this video as “the most adorable, weirdest thing” she’s ever seen. “Adorable” and “weird” are words you don’t often hear in combination, but I think they’re fitting in this context. I offer you this adorable/weird video of our cat, Rudy, and dog, Ellie, as a treat for the holidays. May its message of boundary-less, cross-cultural love stand as an example for us all. Music is by Greg Brown. Joyful and Happy Holidays to all… Technorati Tags: cat, dog, love, video

• 
  Survival Leadership

• Final Post in Series--HBR's Top 10 Breakthrough Ideas for 2010: Negotiation

  9 Feb 2010 | 8:04 am

  #10 Negotiation: Independent Diplomacy: Why pretend that only nation-states shape international affairs (by Carne Ross). International politics and diplomacy has long been the sole province of established nations like the US, Britain and France. However, such states are not alone in determining the fate of the world. Afghanistan, the Congo, the Sudan, and others impact on the world stage everyday but have no legitimate voice in the world.The Breakthrough Idea: Develop a system that allows smaller states to have an independent voice in international affairs. This author offers the following:…

• HBR's Top 10 Breakthrough Ideas for 2010: Global Economy

  7 Feb 2010 | 5:58 am

  #9. Global Economy: Creating More Hong Kongs: How charter cities can change the rules for struggling economies (by Paul Romer). Hong Kong has become a model for transforming the economics of countries. Between Britain’s government administration, which made the region livable, and China’s recognition Hong Kong as a kind of special enterprise zone. As a result, Hong Kong has developed into an economic city state [my word]. It’s also a modle for what other countries can do.The Breakthrough Idea: Creating economic city states is like starting an autonomous corporate division. New rules…

• HBR's 10 Breakthrough Ideas for 2010: Risk Management

  3 Feb 2010 | 4:24 pm

  #8, Risk Management: Spotting Bubbles on the Rise: We have the tools to sound the alarm early (by Sendhil Mullainathan). We don’t have in place reliable predictors of asset risk. If we did have such “bubble” spotting metrics for identifying a particular asset class as “at risk,” we would be able to more accurately describe the proper level of value on the balance to ID risk threat.The Breakthrough Idea: We can’t always prevent financial setbacks, anymore than we can prevent earth quakes or hurricanes. But we can predict financial bubbles through some sort of thoughtful…

• HBR's 10 Breakthrough Ideas for 2010: People Management

  1 Feb 2010 | 12:08 pm

  #7. People Management: Hacking Work: Learn to love the rule breakers (by Jensen and Klein). Like the world around us, business changes at the speed of light. New technical tools replace old ones at a speed that's breathtaking, if not daunting. Thus, many business systems cannot keep up with the demand. So, those in search of something better, more adaptive often break the rules and both figuratively and literally hack (construct work-arounds) their own business processes to meet the demands of their operations.The Breakthrough Idea: Learn to become a kind of good hacker—a work-around…

• Harvard Business Review's 10 Breakthrough Ideas for 2010: Innovation

  30 Jan 2010 | 1:40 am

  #6 Innovation: A Faster Path from Lab to Market: Removing the technology licensing obstacle (by Litan and Mitchell). To make sure that researchers at universities got their inventions to the marketplace faster, Congress passed a bill that set up technology licensing offices on university campuses. Ironically, these intended facilitators have in some cases become obstacles and bottlenecks and have inhibited the very research-to-market goals originally intended.The Breakthrough Idea: Simply amend the Bayh-Dole Act and allow professors to chose the technical help they need to bring their…

• 
  Learn This

• 100 Ways to Serve Others

  Mike King

  2 Feb 2010 | 4:15 am

  I’ve continued to be inspired by people’s 100 lists and you’ve probably seen many that I’ve highlighted in recent resource lists.  Dragos wrote one that triggered me to write another with his excellent post on 100 tips to write huge lists. This list is on my favorite subject and while the length of these lists makes them quite a challenge to make, this particular subject is one I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about and writing goals in so its a great topic for me to tackle in a list.  The items were actually fairly easy to come up for me without any research…

• Resources – Jan 2010

  Mike King

  29 Jan 2010 | 3:25 am

  I have a great collection of recent articles and resources I’ve found online.  Please do take some time to browse through these and connect with these other great bloggers!  Go ahead and add any specific links you just HAVE to share in any comments! Favorite Articles Letting Go, Moving On by Ian at Quantum Learning – This is an excellent look at the things we hold on to in life that we must let go of in order to move forward into a new year and new opportunities. Unconscious Decision Making by Stephen at RatRaceTrap Everyone Needs a Creative Endeavor by Steven at The Emotion…

• Book Review: I Shall RAISE THEE UP

  Mike King

  25 Jan 2010 | 3:35 am

  Ancient Principles for Lasting Greatness Author: Michael Holmes I received a copy of this book from Michael Holmes and he has been wonderful to read from and briefly interact with on twitter.  You can find him @MichaelGHolmes or at his website for the book at http://raisetheeup.com/.  The book is quite a short read and easy to read and it covers the subject of greatness from a Christian perspective very well.  For that, I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and it is very accurate both from the research aspect and evidence used to outline each area and I think he covers the subject thoroughly.

• Staying Ahead Is Easier Than Catching Up

  Mike King

  18 Jan 2010 | 3:35 am

  A guest post by Armen Shirvanian If you want to stick to a continually motivating way to act, getting and maintaining a lead in some aspect can do the trick. This lead can be as compared with other people, or with your past ability, as either way works. Having a lead can provide a real feeling of being in a good place in the present moment, which leads you to make more progress. Here I discuss what you can see as a lead, and how staying ahead is easier than catching up. What Is ‘Being In The Lead’? Being in the lead is fairly easy to define in most cases. When running a race…

• Action Creates Change

  Mike King

  15 Jan 2010 | 3:31 am

  Change is obviously a huge part of personal development as you can’t truly develop without change.  You can learn, you can gain knowledge, but you don’t really develop without putting those things into practice where you develop your character, your relationships, or work or some part of your life.  I always strive to put more than just the learning aspect in my articles and the biggest differentiators that I have learned in realizing personal development is that of taking action.  And action creates change. Start Small Change is tough.  It scares people and when we are…

• 
  The Apathy Myth

• Learn to leave a decent voice mail message

  28 Jan 2010 | 4:30 pm

  This morning, I arrived at the office, and there were six voice mail messages waiting for me. One in particular blew my mind."Hi. Yeah. (3 second pause...) I'm calling about some speakers and want to find out how much they cost and what days they could come here. So call me back. Later."Really? No name, no phone number. I don't even know what school she is from. I suppose that she's so used to calling her friends' cell phones that she assumes that anyone she's calling automatically has her number on caller ID. Needless to say, she didn't achieve her objective with that phone message because…

• F-I-R-E is the key to an overwhelmed membership

  24 Jan 2010 | 2:34 pm

  Is your calendar getting a little crazy with too many meetings and events? Does it feel like your members are overwhelmed? Are you having to make everything mandatory, or financial penalize members if they don't attend events?If your members seem overwhelmed, it's because they are. As their leader, what are you doing to address this serious problem?Student organizations are great about adding events. Every year, new officers create new events. Unfortunately, they are not so good about cleaning the schedule from time to time. When you add, add, add, and you never delete, you end up with an…

• Some people want to see you fail

  6 Jan 2010 | 2:55 pm

  There are people rooting against you. That's one of the unattractive realities of holding a leadership position. No matter how well-liked you are, how hard you work, how qualified you might be for your job – there will always be people who just aren't pulling for you.Some of these people will be indifferent to your efforts. Nothing you do will impress them. Others will roll their eyes when you suggest an idea or show initiative. Some will trash you behind your back when talking to other members. Some will take a more active role and will attempt to undermine you in small or large ways.Your…

• 10 great things to do during this down time

  27 Dec 2009 | 6:44 pm

  Hey, Student Leader. Bored yet?You've opened your gifts, and you've seen three movies at the theaters since you got home. Saturday night with your high school friends proved that one night with them is sufficient. What are you going to do this week other than watch Anderson Cooper and Kathy Griffin on CNN Thursday night?Here are 10 useful ideas.10. Connect with your mentors. You know... those people you always turn to when you're in the ditch but who get very little love from you when everything's going well? Yeah, those people. How about sending them a note, letting you know what's going on…

• Avoiding dump trucks

  21 Dec 2009 | 2:01 pm

  I am an answers guy. I like to solve problems. Like many of you, I'm the guy who steps up with solutions. I have gotten to where I am by being the guy who takes a challenge and meets it. When someone complains, my first instinct is to brainstorm possibilities.No problem is unsolvable! Cue the Superman music.The bad part of being that kind of person, however, is that people love to lay their problems at your feet. The complainers, the whiners, the helpless incompetents – you are their best friend. When their love life is a disaster, you provide good ideas for fixing things. When they haven't…

• 
  Ed Gerety's Dream Big Blog

• Perseverance

  Ed Gerety

  27 Jan 2010 | 5:00 am

  per-se-ver-ance [pur-suh-veer-uh ns] –noun 1. steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose, a state, etc., esp. in spite of difficulties, obstacles, or discouragement. Often times after one my presentations students will come up to me and want to ask me a question. What’s interesting is that the majority of the time it’s never a question that they want to ask. Instead, they just want to share their story and have someone truly listen. No judgment, no advice, just someone to hear their story with an open mind and heart. Afterwards they always ask me to share their story with…

• Play big…lead by example

  Ed Gerety

  13 Jan 2010 | 11:41 am

  Happy 2010! As we go into the New Year I wanted to share with you one of the messages that I deliver in my keynote speeches and in my leadership trainings to schools and organizations across North America. It is a great reminder about leading by example. In every area of our lives, as leaders, we have the power to choose. From how we treat one another – to how we resolve a conflict – to what we allow to put into our bodies. From our goals to our dreams – to what we stand for and what we believe in. Yes, even in the relationships we get involved in. But the greatest choice you…

• The Art of Kindness

  Ed Gerety

  11 Dec 2009 | 8:59 am

  Where in your life are you missing an opportunity to practice the art of kindness? I know that it sounds like a general question but really think about the people that you interact with on a daily and weekly basis. Do you really know who they are or are they just that familiar face you always say hello to, comment about the weather with, and with whom you make a transaction. Several years ago I discovered that in my case the latter was true. There were people in my community that I interacted with on a regular basis who I did not really know. There was the woman who worked at our local dry…

• Giving Thanks for all of our Blessings

  Ed Gerety

  23 Nov 2009 | 12:41 pm

  Ten years ago my brother Steve gave everyone in our family a poem titled “Family Prayer”. Since that time, at every holiday, special occasion, and especially at Thanksgiving before our dinner the poem is read aloud. It has become a tradition in our family and with each Thanksgiving that is celebrated the words take on a deeper meaning. At the heart of the poem is gratitude. It’s about being thankful for our family, our friends and all of our blessings. Family Prayer May we treat one another with patience and care, and respect one another’s uniqueness, may we praise and encourage, and…

• Up Close With Ed Gerety

  Ed Gerety

  19 Nov 2009 | 6:49 am

  Yesterday my new Demo Video was uploaded to my Youtube channel and also to my new video channels on Vimeo and Viddler. Take a peek at it and please let me know what you think. My keynote speeches and leadership trainings focus on * The power of respect, responsibility courage, and integrity * The impact and consequences of our choices and decisions * The issues of bullying, peer pressure, drugs, alcohol and tobacco * Appreciation for our abilities and the people in our life, Gratitude * The courage to believe in oneself * The power we have to reach out and make a difference,Kindness Up Close…

• 
  Lindsey Pollak Blog

• On MyPath.com: An Interview with Two College Career Services Professionals

  Lindsey Pollak

  4 Feb 2010 | 2:00 am

  What are the major hiring trends on campus this year? What are the best strategies for finding an entry-level job? What are the biggest mistakes students make in the job search process? To answer these questions and more, I spoke with with Trudy Steinfeld, Executive Director of the Wasserman Center for Career Development at New York University, and Manny Contomanolis, Associate Vice President and Director of Co-op and Career Services at the Rochester Institute of Technology. Don’t miss the opportunity to hear top tips from two of the best career services professionals in the country!

• On MyPath.com: Job Opportunities with Women-Owned Businesses

  Lindsey Pollak

  28 Jan 2010 | 5:09 am

  I recently came across a study by the Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute predicting that about one-third of new jobs created over the next eight years will be at small businesses owned by women. As a woman small business owner myself, I was really intrigued by this news. It also reminded me that many students and young professionals miss out on great opportunities because they overlook the potential to get a job at a (man- or woman-owned) small business. In this week’s podcast, I share my thoughts on the opportunities available in small businesses, how to find these…

• On MyPath.com: 5 High-Impact Career Habits

  Lindsey Pollak

  25 Jan 2010 | 4:00 am

  Exercise for 30 minutes a day. Sleep eight hours a night. Floss. Good habits are the building blocks of a healthy life. The same goes for your career: small daily habits add up to big success. The earlier in your working life you develop smart daily practices, the easier they will be to maintain and the more overall impact they’ll have. Here are 5 important career habits to cultivate: 1. Keep up with the news. We live in the Information Age, so there’s no excuse for not being informed. Whether you read a news site every morning, watch the headlines on TV or subscribe to a major news…

• Next 30/20 Vision Podcast: Wednesday, January 20th at 5:00pm EST

  Lindsey Pollak

  19 Jan 2010 | 12:31 pm

  Join me and my fabulous co-hosts, Christine Hassler (author of The 20-Something Manifesto) and Alexandra Levit (author of New Year, New You), for our next 30/20 Vision podcast on Wednesday, January 20, at 5:00pm EST. Our topic this month is The Future of Work: what it will look like and what that means for you. Click here to join us live or download the episode anytime.

• On MyPath.com: An Interview with Financial Literacy Expert Manisha Thakor

  Lindsey Pollak

  14 Jan 2010 | 4:30 am

  Are you making smart money decisions in your 20s? In my podcast this week for MyPath.com, I’m thrilled to present an interview with Manisha Thakor, financial literacy expert and co-author of two great books on personal finance, On My Own Two Feet and Get Financially Naked. In this 15-minute segment, Manisha answers the questions on the minds of today’s college students and recent grads, such as: - What are the most important financial steps to take in your 20s? - What are the biggest mistakes to avoid in your 20s? - How can college students make good decisions about how much…

• 
  The Student Affairs Blog

• TuesTally: How many days do you take a lunch break?

  nope

  9 Feb 2010 | 7:11 am

  If you cannot view this poll click here. And here are the results from the last poll.

• The #sachat Introduction Video

  nope

  8 Feb 2010 | 8:20 am

  We started the #sachat experiment in October 2009 and, more than anyone expected, the growth has been explosive. Each week, more and more student affairs professionals are connecting together and sharing their experience on a variety of topics from Job Expectations to Resident Hall Discipline. Inspired, and requested, by the #sachat community, here’s a video I hope captures the feeling many of us experience each week we participate in the #sachat. Ready to join the conversation? Start here > http://bit.ly/4o6NKH

• ACPA wants us to Mingle

  nope

  7 Feb 2010 | 9:15 pm

  Slightly hidden, due to a minuscule font size, within the recent ACPA eCommunity email update was an interesting question: “Are You Ready To Mingle?” Intrigued, I read the rest of the “mingle” text: Are You Ready To Mingle? Engage in real life social networking at the Boston 2010 Annual Convention. This new and innovative technology enables attendees to simply ‘click to connect’ at the event and then share their online profiles after the event. With over 4,500 ACPA members expected to attend the Annual Convention in Boston, the MingleStick may provide an…

• Professional Staff Development Strategies – #SACHAT Recap

  nope

  4 Feb 2010 | 6:51 pm

  Thanks to everyone who participated in today’s #SAchat focusing on Professional Staff Development Strategies.  Each week, we continue to grow our numbers and today’s chats produced 936 comments from 87 student affairs professionals,  graduate students and undergraduates interested in the Student Affairs field! In case you missed it, below is a quick recap. If you haven’t yet participated in an #sachat, learn more here. Full Transcripts DAYTIME: View as webpage Download as PDF EVENING: View as webpage Download as PDF Today’s Top Contributors @ARL275 @edcabellon…

• Drowning in Leadership Data!

  nope

  3 Feb 2010 | 10:20 am

  I wrote last about our campus initiative that is going to push us toward a “comprehensive” leadership program.  We’re really building this from the middle, as there are many leadership efforts around campus that already exist.  A  move in this strategic direction is still without a lot of focus and without any defined leadership roles for our office in this effort, but as the Director of Student Involvement and LEADERSHIP, it’s probably a good idea for me to get our ducks in a row, right? In preparing for this movement on our campus, I know that someone needs to…

• 
  It's Getting Hot in Here

• Feb 13th – Call out for solidarity actions across Canada against Olympic and Tar Sands green washing!

  Joshua Kahn Russell

  9 Feb 2010 | 9:07 am

  From Clayton Thomas-Muller We all know the Olympics are about more than fun and games but we need your action to help get the facts heard! The Olympics industry tries to promote that the 2010 Winter Games a re making a positive contribution for our ‘social, economic, and environmental benefit’, but in reality the Olympic Industry causes large-scale environmental destruction and negative social impacts – as do many of its corporate sponsors. Right here in our backyard, we have the largest industrial project on the planet, the Tar Sands, and two of the top Tar Sands investors are…

• Fossil Fools Day 2010: Pull a prank that packs a punch April 1

  mattwilkerson

  9 Feb 2010 | 7:08 am

  The fossil fools ain’t no joke – but that doesn’t mean we can’t fight them with one! The Fossil Fuel Empire is real and it’s here. The stakes couldn’t be higher: destabilization of the global climate, communities from Alaska to Appalachia being destroyed by dirty energy extraction and combustion, devastating super hurricanes, droughts, flooding, the list goes on… Last December in Copenhagen, the politicians sold us out to the fossil fools, corporate lobbyists and big banks. Now we’re left with “green capitalism,” carbon market shenanigans and continued assaults on our…

• X Games Opened My Eyes

  michaellafemina

  8 Feb 2010 | 3:10 pm

  More than I ever thought, businesses are serious about sustainability. And I’m not talking just small businesses – I’m talking about big corporations like Disney, ESPN, and Aspen Ski Company. I know this because I recently was at the 2010 Winter X Games in Aspen, seeing behind the scenes, meeting the people responsible for environmental projects, and generally witnessing first hand through observation and conversation how serious these companies are getting about environmental stewardship. I journeyed to the X Games this year wearing two hats: I’m an Educator with ACE…

• MA Bill Leaves Committee as Climate Court Hearings Continue

  craigaltemose

  8 Feb 2010 | 12:33 pm

  Cross-posted at The Leadership Campaign Blog Today, An Act to Create a Repower Massachusetts Emergency Task Force — written by Students for a Just and Stable Future (SJSF) and others in The Leadership Campaign — was released from the Senate Ethics and Rules Committee during the 6th Day of Climate Court Hearings for the Boston Common Sleep-out. Each day last week, citizen-activists marched from the Court House after paying their court fees to the State House to show legislators the depth and breadth of support for the bill.  Well over 100 people faced the courts last week for…

• Call to action by Naomi Klein, Terry Tempest Williams, Bill McKibben, Dr. James Hansen and Peaceful Uprising

  ash_anderson

  8 Feb 2010 | 10:05 am

  [The following was co-written by Naomi Klein, author of #1 international bestseller The Shock Doctrine, Terry Tempest Williams, world renowned wildlife author, Bill Mckibben, founder of 350.org and author of The End Of Nature, and Dr. James Hansen, author of Storms of my Grandchildren, and who is regarded as the world's leading climatologist. All recognize the trial of Tim DeChristopher to be a turning point in the climate movement. Please visit our resource page for more information] Dear Friends, The epic fight to ward off global warming and transform the energy system that is at the core…

• 
  Managing Leadership

• Roundup: Lessons from every quarter

  Jim Stroup

  5 Feb 2010 | 2:25 pm

  Advice for effective management has been showing up in some of the most unlikely places over the past several weeks, or in unexpected guises. Let’s take a look at some of these, leavened with some real advice from some of the best management trainers around. Clues to communication. The range begins at The Boston Globe, for an excellent piece on “cognitive fluency” and what it means for anyone – from managers to marketers and beyond – trying to make a message connect. It then moves on to Steve Roesler’s piece on getting your ideas heard – note point numbers one and two,…

• The Management Uncertainty Principle

  Jim Stroup

  26 Jan 2010 | 5:19 am

  We’ve seen how physicists have discovered the limitations on their ability to attain precise and comprehensive knowledge about the characteristics of an object at a given moment in time. How certain, in the face of this from physics, are we in our own field that we can even identify precisely the vital components of management – or, even more implausibly, of individual leadership – much less take them on in our own persons or teach others to do so? If the physicists are having such a hard time with what most of us would acknowledge are at least legitimately testable scientific…

• The Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle

  Jim Stroup

  20 Jan 2010 | 5:23 am

  One of the most peculiar phenomenon uncovered in physics over the past century is known as the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle. This states – to the great frustration and irritation of many – that we cannot know with precision both elements of certain pairs of characteristics of an object. Most commonly, position and velocity are used, and the meaning of the principle is that the more precise is our knowledge about an object’s position, the less so is our knowledge of its speed, and vice versa. There is some debate about what this principle is saying to us at a fundamental level:…

• Notes for the New Year

  Jim Stroup

  11 Jan 2010 | 1:15 am

  Events drive others until you prioritize, imposing some degree of control on their flow and on the degree to which that affects you – or, better yet, reversing the direction of that influence. In my case, a re-prioritization was called for by events of late last year, and one of the events affected by it is the publishing schedule of this blog. I long worked to present an essay or item a workday here. As it happens, I will not be able to maintain that. I am and will continue to review the means by which I get my message out, and this blog will remain an important part of the effort. But it…

• A Baker’s Dozen plus one for 2010

  Jim Stroup

  1 Jan 2010 | 11:07 am

  It is time to offer a list of recommended additions to your daily reading list – sources that have found their way firmly on to mine over the past year. Some have clear staying power, and others are new, but promise to be keepers. I hope you will bookmark this page and give them all a thorough visit over the next week or so. I am confident you’ll be glad you did. Here they are, in random order: All Things Workplace, by Steve Roesler. Chaos Scenario: Cam Beck, Paul Herring, and John Herrington. The Delaware Employment Law Blog, authored principally by Molly DiBianca. Execupundit.com, by…

• 
  Bird's Eye View

• TED 2010 and Inner Circle

  Wf360

  8 Feb 2010 | 11:17 am

  Am on Jet Blue winging my way to LA where I'm co-hosting an Inner Circle with Laurie Coots the amazing global head of marketing for the media agency, TBWA.Laurie's a co-conspirator of the highest and best order: a big thinker, lots of fun, and always game to explore potentially disruptive opportunities for change. Tomorrow 's Inner Circle will no doubt be different from the one I co-hosted with Angela Mackay a week and half ago in Hong Kong.  Angela heads the FT's operations in Asia and the group (a bit large for the kind of intimacy we seek for Inner Circles) was a…

• Face To Face Conversation In London

  Wf360

  5 Feb 2010 | 1:22 pm

  Be a friend to our veterans and their families.  A pet cause of ours, "Refresh Every Vet," is in the running to win a $250K grant in the Pepsi Cause Competition, where winners will be determined solely on number of votes.  You can vote here.  Just one click.That old friend, Jet Lag, is staring me in the face right now, and it isn't a pretty sight. I'm in London, waiting for my flight to Hong Kong, trying to ge acclimated to Hong Kong time before I get there. It's not easy.I'll be facilitating an Inner Circle gathering in Hong Kong, hosted by the Financial…

• Bi-lingual Conversation: Will Your Kids Speak Chinese?

  Wf360

  4 Feb 2010 | 7:33 am

  Be a friend to our veterans and their families.  A pet cause of ours, "Refresh Every Vet," is in the running to win a $250K grant in the Pepsi Cause Competition, where winners will be determined solely on number of votes.  You can vote here.  Just one click.A recent NY Times article caught my eye.  It talks of American high school language  instruction, which has seen a significant decrease in students wanting to learn French, and a huge surge in those eager to learn Chinese.  Makes sense, I guess, given the powerful role China now plays on the world stage. It's ironic…

• When Is a Facebook Friend A Real Friend?

  Wf360

  2 Feb 2010 | 1:45 pm

  Be a friend to our veterans and their families.  A pet cause of ours, "Refresh Every Vet," is in the running to win a $250K grant in the Pepsi Cause Competition, where winners will be determined solely on number of votes.  You can vote here.  Just one click.Now,  is there some kind of litmus test of on-line popularity?  Does the fact that Joe Shmoe has 1500 Facebook friends mean he is more loved than Sally Singleton, who has 300?  Or does it mean that Joe is not discriminating when "friended" by strangers and figures that any online friend, no matter how tenuous the…

• Pepsi Refresh Everything Challenge: Lesson In Viral Marketing

  Wf360

  1 Feb 2010 | 1:50 pm

  Just back from Hong Kong, where we conducted our Inner Circle, sponsored by British Air and hosted by the Financial Times.  An amazing group of people.  I'll tell you all about it. But first, let's talk about an amazing example of web-based engagement.  Pepsi has launched the Pepsi Challenge, which will give away $ millions to fund good ideas, big and small, that "make the world a better place."  Shortly after midnight this morning, Pepsi announced the first nearly 1,000 organizations they have accepted to compete against each other for the first $1.3 million in…

• 
  Management Skills Blog

• Concensus Kills

  Tom Foster

  9 Feb 2010 | 3:09 am

  "I tried," Adelle shrugged, "but we didn't make a whole lot of progress. What we ended up with was mostly crap." "What do you mean?" I asked. "My team has been trying to figure out the best way to solve this problem and there are a bunch of ideas, but we just can't reach a consensus on which way to proceed. I am afraid to get started until I know for sure that everyone is on board. But every time we make a compromise, other people drop off and want something different." "Sounds like Congress," I laughed. "What happens to the quality of the solution every time you compromise?" "That's the real…

• Pay Banding

  Tom Foster

  8 Feb 2010 | 4:13 am

  From the Ask Tom mailbag: Question: Can you expand on the "Time Span" "compensation banding" approach? I am not familiar with this concept and do not fully understand what is meant by either term. Response: Time Span is a recurring theme in this blog and in our leadership program (Working Leadership Online). Time Span is the cornerstone of the management research conducted by Elliott Jaques from the early 1950's until his death in 2003. This research is documented in 26 books written during his lifetime and remains the most coherent and potent foundation for organizational design on the…

• Unintended Consequences

  Tom Foster

  4 Feb 2010 | 12:42 am

  I would like to collect a story from you. There is a brew-ha-ha brewing over at Aubrey Daniels' blog about such things as reward vs reinforcement vs motivation. This got started as Dan Pink's Drive hit bookstores. Aubrey was puzzled over some of Pink's observations. "Contrary to what Pink asserts in his book, the surprising truth about what motivates us is that reinforcement always works, but not always as it is intended. The science of behavior has validated that fact in thousands of research studies over the last century. You don’t always get more of the behavior you reward, but you…

• Basis for Compensation

  Tom Foster

  3 Feb 2010 | 3:48 am

  From the Ask Tom mailbag: Question: I learned today that my salary, as a manager of a department, is less than the people on my department team. My boss told me that adjustments will be made during my review. What is the best way to deal with this without feeling betrayed by my employer? I have been with the company fewer years, but promoted twice and my skills far exceed those on my team. Response: Your situation is not unusual. Most companies have only an intuitive idea about appropriate compensation and much less of an idea when asked to explain their compensation structure. Curing a…

• Stuff They Don't Teach You in Harvard Business School

  Tom Foster

  2 Feb 2010 | 6:03 am

  Yesterday, we kicked off our new Subject Area in our Working Leadership Program, Goals, the Essence of Time Span. This community is growing. We currently have 81 members with an additional 72 people participating in the Free Trial. This activity level is unbelievable and we would like to share it with you. We are going to hold our Free Trial open for two more days. Follow this link to Working Leadership Free Trial. Here is what we know about our community. Our participants have a day job, as a manager. Our participants are really busy. Our participants want to be more effective, now. This is…

• 
  Cali and Jody

• The Science of “Every Day Feels Like Saturday”

  Cali & Jody

  8 Feb 2010 | 3:24 pm

  Please ignore the scare quotes around the words “happier” and “discover” in this Telegraph.co.uk story about a recent study that found people are happier during the weekend than during the traditional work week. The point here is not the What (you don’t need a scientist to tell people they’re happier on the weekend) but the Why. The conventional wisdom on work vs. weekend often comes down to labor vs. leisure. When you’re working, you’re expending all this energy and effort on a task. The weekends, on the other hand, are all about sitting on…

• Another Happy ROWEr

  Cali & Jody

  4 Feb 2010 | 7:20 am

  Educating the world about the benefits of ROWE is what we do. However, connecting with you at an organization, or a speaking engagement, on our blog, or on various social media websites is what really energizes us! We so appreciate your time to interact with us, because it helps us better drive the message of ROWE to the masses. And when we hear about ROWE success stories, we are so happy for the individuals involved and excited about things to come… Michael Reynolds, President & CEO of SpinWeb, which creates, manages, and markets professional websites for associations and…

• CO2 Interview

  michael

  31 Jan 2010 | 6:39 pm

  Just recently, Cali and Jody were interviewed by Gary Cohen, a Leadership Coach for executive coaching firm CO2 Partners. CO2 Partners is a group of experienced, entrepreneurial-minded executive coaches with complementary skills and a shared passion for elevating others in their leadership journey. Gary is upbeat, highly knowledgeable of the demand for organizational leadership to better connect with and motivate the workforce, and C&J truly enjoyed this opportunity. An excerpt: Gary Cohen: Is there something in the timing of human development and this mix of generations (Boomers, X,…

• Update from Cali & Jody – GoROWE.com

  Cali & Jody

  24 Jan 2010 | 4:49 pm

  Dear ROWE Supporters, Allow us to begin this post by saying “THANK YOU!” Thank you for supporting the ROWE cause. Thank you for visiting our websites, signing up for our newsletters and downloads, and for participating in the “Results-Only” conversation via our blog. Most importantly, thank you for sharing your passion for ROWE with others. Your energy and belief in ROWE are the reasons we’re making strides in the workplace revolution. Our mission has always been to promote and progress the Results-Only Work Environment philosophy, and we’re excitedto share…

• Tell Us Why Work Sucks

  Cali & Jody

  23 Jan 2010 | 11:55 pm

  We’d like to hear from you directly about why work sucks. Tell us your thoughts about how to make work culture better, what’s wrong with it now, or just tell us a story about something related to your work. Enter your story in the comments section of this blog post.

• 
  The Enlightened Manager

• Watch that Trust Come Tumbling Down: Reflections on Obama

  Cheri Baker

  1 Feb 2010 | 5:09 am

  Previously on this blog, and also in my team development classes on Accountability at Work, I've talked about the factors that build trust and those that break it down. To recap, here is the basic four part formula to being trustworthy, which is another way of saying that you are accountable. 1. Say what you will do.  (Make a Commitment.) 2. Do it.  (Meet the Commitment.) 3. When you fail, own up to it. (Be Honest.) 4. Fail Infrequently.  (Have a High Standard.) This isn't a political blog, and I don't much care who you vote for.  I know great leadership…

• Friday Five: Do These Things Consistently

  Cheri Baker

  29 Jan 2010 | 6:27 am

  You've heard these before, but are you doing them consistently?  Check yourself against them today. 1. Offer Specific, Positive Reinforcement.  - Point out what people are doing right.  Help them recognize what they should be repeating. 2. Kill Long Boring Meetings - Keep your meetings productive.  Ten minutes with a useful agenda ("Here is what I need from you today.  What do you need from me?") is far better than sixty minutes spent in useless updates and chit chat. 3. Be of Service to your Employees -  Your job as a leader is to…

• Enough Joy to Overcome the Pain: Lessons from the Track

  Cheri Baker

  28 Jan 2010 | 9:25 am

  Today I wanted to write about something that I've learned from roller derby that has got me thinking about organizations. On Sunday, I had a fantastic time at roller derby practice. We practiced trying to knock each other out of the rink, doing some rather spectacular falls, and I had my first experience as a jammer - the player who has to fight her way up through a mass of women on skates - all of whom are trying to keep you back or shove you outside the line.  (Click here to see a short video describing how roller derby is played - if you are curious.) I…

• A Classy Recognition Strategy from Microsoft

  Cheri Baker

  26 Jan 2010 | 9:25 am

  Hello Enlightened Managers! Something interesting happened yesterday.  When my husband came home from work he handed me an envelope and said "this is for you."  The card wasn't from him, it was from Steve Ballmer, the CEO of Microsoft. It said "Thank you for the sacrifices you have made" as a partner of a Microsoft employee. Yesterday was my husband's 10 year anniversary of working at Microsoft.  Quite honestly I haven't considered it any sacrifice, he sometimes works long hours but so do I, and they treat him very well, so I am…

• Staying Focused When You're Overwhelmed - 5 Tips

  Cheri Baker

  11 Jan 2010 | 5:00 am

  Do you ever have that feeling that your brain is too full?  When you look at the long list of deliverables and projects and to-do items and activities you have in front of you, and your poor little synapses simply can't hold it all at once? I think that is what my month is shaping up to be.  Coaching managers and business owners, designing and delivering a new motivational talk, facilitating team development sessions, acting as an emcee/facilitator at three different events, working with a personal trainer, skating at roller derby, teaching three university courses, oh -…

• 
  Women in the LEAD

• To Grow Is To Change

  maureen simon

  2 Feb 2010 | 1:53 pm

    Spring is just around the corner.  Here in Northern California, there are daffodils blooming despite the cold, wet, windy winter weather.  As the newness sprouts from the ground, we too are offered the opportunity to embark upon newness in our lives.  It is our choice to change our lives, to grow. Take a look at your life and notice where you could grow or change at this time.  See the areas where you feel stagnation or stuck.  They are the opportunities for growth and the expression of your full potential.  It is important not to avoid risk but to…

• THE GAUNTLET HAS BEEN THROWN DOWN

  maureen simon

  25 Jan 2010 | 11:45 am

  The gauntlet has been thrown down.  Last year at the 5th Annual Women’s Forum for the Economy and Society, “what clearly emerged from the Women’s Forum…is the insight that with global economic crisis come global issues that are so complex and intertwined, no one party can hand off responsibility to another.  Business, professionals, academics, innovators, entrepreneurs, governments and public bodies alike have to care and have to take up these challenges practically. We need to find different models for social and economic progress or face repercussions and continued…

• What Are You Doing For Others?

  maureen simon

  17 Jan 2010 | 9:30 am

  Life holds so many synchronicities. I had not realized that Martin Luther King's birthday holiday is once again upon us – this coming Monday. Independent of this, I have been thinking about him. When I logged on today, I saw Debbe's most recent post on Dr. Martin Luther King! What better example of leadership and synchronicity can one think of? I am of few words today andbut seem to be holding many questions as you may have noticed in my last few entries, I am grateful for this time of many questions. This morning I was pondering one of Dr. King's most famous questions:…

• Dr. King: Rosa Parks on Role Models

  Debbe Kennedy

  14 Jan 2010 | 8:00 pm

  IN COMMEMORATION: Dr. Martin Luther King's BirthdayJanuary 15, 2010In the book, Quiet Strength: The Faith, the Hope, and the Heart of a Woman Who Changed a Nation by Rosa Parks, she shared several examples of people who served as role models. One was Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. She recalled: "Martin Luther King Jr. set a profound example for me in day-to-day living. He was such a young man---just twenty-six years old---when I first met him at the beginning of the bus boycott. I was forty-two. I'll always remember the way Dr. King would respond to violence. He would use the same…

• Are You Living and Working at Your Peak?

  maureen simon

  7 Jan 2010 | 2:23 pm

  Peak performance is a state of mind. In the past ten years there have been hundreds of books written on how one can develop a high functioning and meaninhful life. It has become common knowledge that unless we take optimum care of ourselves it is simply not possible to reach peak performance, function at our higest level or to live a deeply meaningful life. I have found the book”Making It on Your Own” by Sarah and Paul Edwards to be a fantastic resource and reminder on how to make it in the business world and to enjoy the journey along the way. I strongly believe that the journey is as…

• 
  Women on Business

• How Do You Get Someone’s Attention?

  Bonnie Marcus

  9 Feb 2010 | 5:00 am

  I was in Orlando this past week with some colleagues training a medical device sales force on “purposeful communication”. “Purposeful Communication” is communication that has a goal or desired outcome and when applied to sales presentations, the objective is to create a sales presentation that is well organized around a desired outcome with your target audience. Selling to a large or small group of potential decision makers has many similarities to promoting yourself and your business to prospective clients. One similarity is in the way you open a presentation. The opening of a sales…

• Maybe We Really Have Changed

  Sylvia Lafair

  8 Feb 2010 | 7:52 am

  I was very conscious of role changes yesterday. First, my husband and I needed to get some basics for our new home in Sonoma County California. We were running late and made a last stop at the closest Costco. The Super Bowl had started about ten minutes before and as Saints fans, we wanted to get home to cheer this special team to success. I stopped at the bank of televisions and became engrossed with the game and stood there with a few guys who had pulled up chairs and obviously planned to make an afternoon of it. My husband, a macho kind of male, said he would get the items we needed…

• A Picture Perfect Business Model

  Chrysty Beverley Fortner

  8 Feb 2010 | 2:34 am

  Every day I meet people who are really good at what they do; and every day I remind myself what I am best at.  It’s not because I need the constant ego boost, but because I have to remind myself to stay focused…laser focused on the big picture instead of getting side-tracked when something sparkly catches my eye. Why is it that companies like Kodak, Xerox and Microsoft still thrive in today’s competitive space given the fact they were founded 35, 104 and 118 years ago?  It’s because not only did they stick to what they knew, they knew their strengths and they made a…

• Employee Brand Differentiation

  Tina Kashlak Nicolai

  7 Feb 2010 | 5:47 pm

  Differentiating oneself in the workforce today may hold the key for many employees who are keenly interested and highly motivated to survive downsizing.  While it may take extra effort, the payoff can be exponentially greater both short and long range; for the employee and the company.  With discipline, determination, and drive, employees can make their mark strategically, fashionably and with ingenuity. Why Differentiate? Much like a business, brand awareness, credibility, and association of product are important.  Human capital in the workforce can benefit by applying her own brand to…

• The Keys to Employee Retention

  Susan Gunelius

  7 Feb 2010 | 3:00 am

  Post by Veronica Eyenga, contributing Women On Business writer Employees are the driving force to your business’ success and retaining those key people is critical to the health of your company.  The ability to keep your best employees ensures customer satisfaction, product sales, and deeply embedded organizational knowledge. But how do you get your best employees to stick around? Compensate fairly. Paying your employees competitively, and fairly, shows that you respect and value them.  Money isn’t the only reason people stay in a job, but it can play a significant role. Treat people as…

• 
  NinaSimosko.com

• Women to Drive High Tech Growth

  admin

  5 Feb 2010 | 12:47 am

  It seems that the global financial crisis is prompting a wide-ranging re-think on the role of women in leadership. The Shriver Report indicated that, in total, the US working populations are balancing out – with women now comprising 50% of the total for the first time ever. Yet, as Vivek Wadhwa points out, “There are too few women running high-tech companies; that’s too bad, considering evidence shows female-led businesses outperform those run by men.” But rather than waiting for the structural impact of women’s workforce participation to take effect at senior levels,…

• What Leaders Can Learn from Conan and Leno

  Nina

  27 Jan 2010 | 8:42 pm

  Watching the way that NBC has been handling the Conan vs Leno debacle has me thinking … why do experienced leaders continue to make poor decisions when it comes to succession? Many organizations now have systems in place that help identify emerging leaders – the rock stars of our businesses – and opportunities and challenges are funnelled in their direction. With this comes responsibility, accountability – and hopefully mentoring and support. But all this is a two way street. If we expect accountability from our rising stars, we must also expect it of ourselves. When we are thinking…

• Understanding the Two Percenters

  Nina

  13 Jan 2010 | 9:43 pm

  Last year’s Shriver Report (which I discussed here), noted the transformations that have taken place regarding women’s participation in the workforce. This is reinforced in a recent article in The Economist, which suggests that the “rich world’s quiet revolution” is written in the words, voices and actions of economically empowered women. Just a generation ago, women were largely confined to repetitive, menial jobs. They were routinely subjected to casual sexism and were expected to abandon their careers when they married and had children. Today they are running some of the…

• Are We a Woman’s Nation?

  Nina

  2 Nov 2009 | 10:53 pm

  When we look at the facts and figures it seems clear that women are not just transforming the workplace, they are transforming the entire country. The recent Shriver Report indicates that for the first time, half of US workers are female – and in 40% of American families those women are the primary breadwinners. With more and more men forced to stay home, more and more women are bringing home the bacon. Women are more likely than ever to head their own families. They’re doing it all—and many of them have to do it all. When they work, it’s no longer just for “the little…

• Which Women Make Your Top 50 Thinkers List?

  Nina

  14 Oct 2009 | 3:04 pm

  Last year I was predictably disappointed by the small number of women representatives on the Thinkers 50 list. I felt that we really needed to add more women to the Top 50 thinkers list. This year, Stuart Crainer and Des Dearlove have included FIVE women – up from four – with Renee Mauborgne, co-author of the best-selling management book Blue Ocean Strategy, ranking with W Chan Kim at number 5. Both Lynda Gratton of London Business School and Rosabeth Moss Kanter edge up a place in the rankings, and Tammy Erickson and Barbara Kellerman enter the list for the first time. But surely there…

• 
  The Glass Hammer

• Mixed Success for Women in New York Companies’ Leadership – And How to Improve

  No Byline

  9 Feb 2010 | 10:00 am

  By Melissa J. Anderson (New York City) Last week, the Women’s Executive Circle of New York presented the results of its “2009 New York Census – The state of Women Business Leaders in New York State.” The study was created in partnership with Columbia Business School. Yessinia Scheker-Isquierdo and Candace L. Quinn, co-presidents of WECNY opened the event with mixed results. On one hand, said Quinn, “In New York we have actually increased the number of seats held by women.” But on the other, “the percentage of companies that have no women [in top positions] has increased”…

• Financial sector recruitment trends for 2010

  No Byline

  9 Feb 2010 | 3:00 am

  By Elizabeth Harrin (London) Last year wasn’t a great year for financial services, and if you managed to keep your job you’re probably wondering what new employment ‘challenges’ 2010 will bring. It’s a mixed story, but the good news is that there is some good news. Sectors that are picking up Sue Sattler, President of recruitment company Talent Network Group, believes that bank recruitment is going to pick up in 2010. “We will experience some increase in hiring greatly due to the troubles in the banking industry and new compliance and legislation that will continue to unfold,”…

• Voice of Experience: Colette Taylor, Managing Director and COO of Americas Institutional at Russell Investments

  No Byline

  8 Feb 2010 | 3:00 am

  By Gigi DeVault (Munich) A well-stocked kitchen cabinet is more than a reassuring comfort; it can get you through some hard times. If you ask Colette Taylor, Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer of Americas Institutional at Russell Investments and founding president of Russell’s Women’s Network, about her “kitchen cabinet,” she will not talk to you about shelves lined with orderly packages of staples and foodstuffs. Referring instead to Harvard professor Bill George’s cabinet concept, she will tell you about a cabinet of advisors on whom she can lean for support in…

• Playing for Success: A Conversation with Ellen Leikind

  No Byline

  5 Feb 2010 | 3:00 am

  By Kathryn Nilsson Reichert (New York City) Ellen Leikind is the founder of POKERprimaDIVAS, a company that provides corporate team-building programs that teach women how to play poker and use what they learn at the table to enhance their business skills. She is also a successful marketing executive who spent more than 15 years in the corporate world working for several Fortune 500 companies. The more she played poker, the more she saw the similarities with the larger game of business and personal fulfillment. Her new book, PokerWoman: How to Win at Love, Life, and Business Using the…

• Honoring Black Enterprise’s Top Ten Most Powerful Women in Business

  No Byline

  4 Feb 2010 | 10:00 am

  By Tina Vasquez (Los Angeles) This year the iconic publication Black Enterprise (BE) celebrates its 40th anniversary. Since 1974 the magazine has featured prominent African American business women in a way that other publications have failed to. In 1991, the magazine published its groundbreaking list of the “21 Women of Power and Influence in Corporate America.” In 2006, it was a list of the “50 Most Powerful Women in Business.” BE rang in 2010 with their most comprehensive list to date, profiling the “75 Most Powerful Women in Business,” as written by BE’s careers and lifestyle…

• 
  Leadership Expert

• Leader Of The Week – Lauren Smith

  admin

  5 Feb 2010 | 6:01 am

  This is just a short post to share a proud shout-out for Leadership Expert’s leader of the week – Lauren Smith, nominated by a fellow collegue in her workplace. Lauren Smith, an auditor for a large professional services firm, has demonstrated effective teaming while working with me this week, and so I have decided to commend [...]Post from: Leadership ExpertLeader Of The Week – Lauren Smith

• How To Build a Powerful Team

  admin

  30 Jan 2010 | 8:31 am

  Welcome to the second article in a teamwork series at Leadership-Expert.co.uk. Within this series, we aim to bring you up-to-date theory on the fundementals and advanced techniques relating to teamwork in the modern organisation. 2. How Can I Build a Powerful Team? Having good team players is key to great teams. No matter what other fancy stuff [...]Post from: Leadership ExpertHow To Build a Powerful Team

• The Great Importance Of Teamwork In Organisations

  admin

  30 Jan 2010 | 7:22 am

  Welcome to the first article in a teamwork series at Leadership-Expert.co.uk. Within this series, we aim to bring you up-to-date theory on the fundementals and advanced techniques relating to teamwork in the modern organisation. 1. Why Is Teamwork Important? We do not operate independently in the workplace. We need to socialize and work as a combined entity [...]Post from: Leadership ExpertThe Great Importance Of Teamwork In Organisations

• “The Awakening” – Personal Development Essay

  admin

  16 Jan 2010 | 11:39 am

  I thought I’d share with you today a famous essay written by an unknown author, which has been featured in many personal development books, but through the power of the internet, I can share with you today. The Awakening “A time comes in your life when you finally get…when, in the midst of all your fears and [...]Post from: Leadership Expert“The Awakening” – Personal Development Essay

• How To Avoid Information Overload – Case Study

  admin

  30 Dec 2009 | 8:20 am

  Information overload respresents one of the greatest threats to a CEO’s productivity. The purpose of having a single, commanding ‘leader’ such as a managing director or CEO is to ensure that one mind has the ‘big picture’ of the company or project is sound. If the same leader becomes bogged down with day-to-day micromanagement of [...]Post from: Leadership ExpertHow To Avoid Information Overload – Case Study

• 
  RapidBI - leadership models, thoughts and tools

• TNA template – Training needs analysis for “common business needs” and skills

  rapidbi

  9 Feb 2010 | 12:22 am

  TNA or LNA for identifying common business skills development needs - template. Identifying training needs or identifying learning needs are topics we are often asked about.

• Before you train – priming people

  rapidbi

  4 Feb 2010 | 12:38 am

  Before we attend a training or learning event that claims to develop our skills, and knowledge we need to know what to expect from it.

• TNA template – Managerial and Office Skills Training

  rapidbi

  2 Feb 2010 | 11:59 pm

  Identifying training needs or identifying learning needs are topics we are often asked about. To help individuals undertaking TNA or LNAs we have developed a series of templates to act as a starter for you. Often the content of the needs analysis template may be all you need, however, we do not know your particular organization or culture

• Training Room Layout

  rapidbi

  26 Jan 2010 | 6:31 am

  Training room layout - When you run your meeting or training event, its not just room layout that is important, its about matching the room layout with the trainers style, the material to be covered and the required outcomes. The room shape and design can make or break an event.

• Kurt Lewin three step change theory model

  rapidbi

  21 Jan 2010 | 10:37 am

  The Kurt Lewin Change theory model - The Kurt Lewin change theory model is a 3-step process that provides a very high-level approach to change. It gives a manager a framework to implement a change programme

• 
  Rich Gee Coaching

• Time For Wall Street CEOs To ‘Earn Back’ America’s Trust.

  Rich Gee

  9 Feb 2010 | 4:39 am

  Bailout watchdog and Middle Class advocate Elizabeth Warren has accused Wall Street CEOs of abusing consumer trust and challenged them to step up and support financial reform — for the nation’s benefit as well as their own. In an opinion piece to be published in Tuesday’s Wall Street Journal, Warren writes: For years, Wall Street CEOs have thrown away customer trust like so much worthless trash. Banks and brokers have sold deceptive mortgages for more than a decade. Financial wizards made billions by packaging and repackaging those loans into securities. And federal regulators…

• The CEO Revolving Door Keeps Spinning . . .

  Rich Gee

  8 Feb 2010 | 3:38 am

  From the “WOW – That didn’t take long” department: “Former Merrill Lynch CEO John Thain is taking over as chairman and CEO of CIT Group as the commercial lender continues to restructure its business following a brief stay in bankruptcy protection last year. As chairman and CEO of Merrill Lynch, Thain came under fire for having paid out $3.6 billion in bonuses to Merrill employees just before a BOA deal closed, and for spending more than $1 million to redecorate his office at Merrill, despite its massive losses. CIT Group Inc., one of the nation’s largest…

• I Got Off My Ass . . . My First Podcast.

  Rich Gee

  1 Feb 2010 | 5:19 pm

  Enjoy! Tweet This! Share this on Linkedin Share this on Facebook Share this on Reddit Share this on del.icio.us Digg this! Stumble upon something good? Share it on StumbleUpon Buzz up!

• $14.27 Can Change Your Career. Guaranteed.

  Rich Gee

  27 Jan 2010 | 4:12 am

  Every so often, a person comes along, writes a book, and changes the way people act. Napoleon Hill did it with”Think and Grow Rich”. Dale Carnegie — “How To Win Friends and Influence People”. Peters and Waterman — “In Search of Excellence”. Stephen Covey — “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People”. And Keith Ferrazzi — “Never Eat Alone”. Seth Godin has been writing books, speaking, and blogging for over 10 years. I first was introduced to him with his first book, “Permission Marketing”. I then drifted off from…

• How To Be Successful Every Day.

  Rich Gee

  25 Jan 2010 | 5:00 am

  Time to hit work after a wonderful weekend . . . check your email . . . get ready for all those wonderful meetings . . . and make sure you schedule for all the work coming down the pike this week. Whoops! Forgot to tell you something . . . Most executives tend to forget that their job isn’t supposed to crank out work (okay – that’s part of your job – but just follow my thinking for a bit). You are also expected to IMPROVE. CONSTANTLY. Of course you work. But to be successful in your position, you need to be a machine. A machine that constantly strives to: Do better.

• 
  EveryJoe

• Is Kansas For Real?

  Lyndsey D'Arcangelo

  9 Feb 2010 | 6:42 am

  Now that the pro football season has  come to end (shout out to the Saints — Who Dat!), we can concentrate fully on basketball without any needless distractions. There is so much parody in college basketball this season. Every time a new team reaches the number 1 spot in the polls, they get beat. The movement between the top 25 teams has been so fluid that you can’t really figure out who’s got a leg up on who? Kansas protected the number one spot on Monday with a win against Texas. That’s why when Kansas took over at number 1, I thought, “this is only going to last…

• PSA Screening Detection: U.S. versus Europe

  Marijke Durning, RN

  9 Feb 2010 | 6:05 am

  Detection of prostate cancer using PSA blood levels (prostate specific antigen) is significantly lower in the United States than in Europe, say researchers. Prostate cancer screening using the PSA levels is being encouraged to detect early prostate cancer, but who is screened and how often depends on individual physicians or clinics. The U.S. National Institutes of Health site notes that higher risk men are usually recommended to be screened starting at the age of 40 or 45 years. For men with no risk factors for prostate cancer, such as family history, some doctors are not actively…

• Fallout 3: New Vegas Coming Fall 2010

  Amy Tucker

  9 Feb 2010 | 5:25 am

  I haven’t played Fallout 3 in months – maybe even a year. OK. I don’t think a whole year but it has been so long I can’t remember the last time Iplayed the game. Why is this important? Because Fallout 3 was amazing and wonderful and I LOVED it but after a while, I got incredibly bored with it. I also saw the ending of it while watching Tucker play his save and was so damn disappointed in the crap ending that I didn’t see a reason to keep on playing. BUT, now I’ve seen the New Vegas trailer and while I can’t exactly put my finger on why, New Vegas gets…

• “Bioshock 2” Is Now Available!

  Jeanne Dupuis

  9 Feb 2010 | 2:48 am

  The highly anticipated Bioshock 2 was released today and I can imagine that hundreds of copies are flying off the shelves as I type.   The original Bioshock was released back in 2007 and they’ve already got a great-looking follow up to the acclaimed game. The sequel is set about 10 years after the events of the first game and it all unfolds in the underwater city of Rapture.  A monster has been kidnapping little girls and you can’t exactly let that continue, can you?  In order to help them, though, you’re going to have to survive which might be easier said than done. Here are some…

• Ellen to Make “American Idol” Debut Tonight

  Jeanne Dupuis

  9 Feb 2010 | 1:38 am

  In a season filled with controversy, Ellen DeGeneres will be making her debut as the new judge on American Idol.  After Paula Abdul quit, it was a scramble to find someone to fill her seat and considering the fact that Ellen is such a huge fan of the show, I thought it was a good choice. image: Michael Becker / FOX Of course, there’s been all kinds of drama and there have been reports that Ellen is already clashing with fellow judge, Simon Cowell.   With viewership down, I’m sure they are hoping she can bring back the ratings and a feud with Simon would definitely help that. Post from:…

• 
  Inside Personal Growth

• Podcast 155 Mental Housecleaning with Tomás Lafayette Picard D.C.

  Greg Voisen

  1 Feb 2010 | 8:53 pm

  What a wonderful interview with  Thomas Picard.  In his new book entitled, “Mental House Cleaning“,  Picard explains the importance of attitude adjustment, and how important altering our beliefs really are if we are to transform our lives for the better.  We discuss the famous physiologist  Maxwell Maltz and his work in Psycho-Cybernetics. Picard is an advocate of Maltz’s work in which the basic premise is that your “outer life” is a reflection of how you see yourself on the inside, what he called “self-image.” Dr. Maltz noted that you can never rise higher than…

• Podcast 154: Start With Why with Simon Sinek

  Greg Voisen

  20 Jan 2010 | 1:19 pm

  I was introduced to Simon Sinek by Ariane de Bonvoisin, an author I interviewed in July 2009.  Simon’s new book entitled, “Start With Why-How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action,” is an intriguing book about the all important question we should all be asking ourselves before we do anything: “Why?” Simon points out that some people and organizations are more innovative, more influential, and more profitable than others. Why do some command greater loyalty from customers and employees alike? Even among the successful, why are so few able to repeat their…

• Podcast 153: Leap Before You Look with Arjuna Ardagh

  Greg Voisen

  19 Jan 2010 | 7:04 pm

  Arjuna Ardagh is the author of this new book entitled, “Leap Before You Look“.  He is probably best known for his personal opus work entitled, “The Translucent Revolution“. In his new book Arjuna provides the reader with insight and practices that help you get out of your mind and into the moment. Arjuna writes that when we are willing to exchange our life of preoccupation with  “me” and “my needs” for a life given in the service of love itself, of that presence itself, we are faced with an interesting paradox. On the one side of the paradox,…

• Podcast 152: The Roadmap Home with Leonard Szymczak

  Greg Voisen

  8 Jan 2010 | 8:14 am

  It was a pleasure interviewing Leonard Szymczak.  His new book, “The Roadmap Home“,  is easy to read and I loved the analogies that Leonard uses to explain our journey through life. Most of us think of a GPS as a Global Positioning System, but Leonard refers to it as our “Guiding Power of Spirit”.   He states that our GPS always knows where we are and steers us along life’s highways toward our ultimate destination-Home. Home is a place beyond the ego’s identity.  It’s the realization that we are connected with an infinite Source of Wisdom that…

• Podcast 150: Spontaneous Evolution with Bruce Lipton Ph.D

  Greg Voisen

  7 Jan 2010 | 7:29 pm

  According to author Bruce Lipton, civilization is on the threshold of a profound evolutionary leap.  He says that the old conventional beliefs hold evolution as a long and gradual process.  However, the new science insights reveal that evolution occurs in what amounts to quantum jumps. The new science of “epigenetics” tells us about our own powers.  The conventional belief held that our fate was genetically determined when in truth our genes are controlled by our perceptions of the environment.  When we change our perceptions of the environment we become master of our genetic…

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  First Friday Book Synopsis

• Four Ways to Create Intangible Value

  Bob Morris

  9 Feb 2010 | 9:10 am

  Norm SmallwoodHere is an excerpt from an article written by Norm Smallwood for the Harvard Business blog. To read the complete article, check out other articles and resources and/or sign up for a free subscription to Harvard Business Daily Alerts, please visit dailyalert@email.harvardbusiness.org. Several years ago, my colleague Dave Ulrich and I looked at how leaders build value by building employee confidence in the future. Our findings bear revisiting as companies begin to emerge after the devastation of the last 18 months and work to create new value. Company valuation or market value has…

• IV business lessons from the Superbowl XLIV

  Bob Morris

  9 Feb 2010 | 7:43 am

  Congratulations to the New Orleans Saints on their victory over the Indianapolis Colts in the recent Super Bowl. Here are four business lessons that this game demonstrated: I. Over-Prepare: The onside kick by the Saints to begin the second half was a play practiced all of the preceding week and, indeed, throughout the previous season and pre-season. Also, Tracy Porter had committed countless hours to rigorous study of films of previous Colts games and immediately “read” the pass that he intercepted. The touchdown he scored clinched the victory. II. Remain Calm: Although down 0-10 midway…

• 4 Steps along the Path of Life-Long Learning – or, Why should we read business books?

  Randy Mayeux

  9 Feb 2010 | 7:15 am

  After reading the book, I wrote this on my handout of my synopsis for The Design of Business by Roger Martin: A blinding flash of the obvious:  — everything can be done better; there will be new things done; you (and I) have to get better at getting better at making everything better… • “the design thinker lives to advance knowledge!” With practically every book I read, I realize that this quest for life-long learning is a real one, and incredibly important to pursue.  And as close as I can tell, this is the path to follow: Step 1)  learn new information Step 2)  pick out an…

• Interview: Clayton Christensen

  Bob Morris

  9 Feb 2010 | 6:52 am

  Clayton Christensen Christensen is the Robert and Jane Cizik Professor of Business Administration at the Harvard Business School, with a joint appointment in the Technology & Operations Management and General Management faculty groups. His research and teaching interests center on the management issues related to the development and commercialization of technological and business model innovation. Specific areas of focus include developing organizational capabilities and finding new markets for new technologies. Professor Christensen became a faculty member at the Harvard Business School…

• “What Will You Do Differently on Monday?”

  Bob Morris

  8 Feb 2010 | 11:36 am

  Rick WartzmanHere is an excerpt from an article written by Rick Wartzman for the Harvard Business blog. To read the complete article, check out other articles and resources and/or sign up for a free subscription to Harvard Business Daily Alerts, please visit dailyalert@email.harvardbusiness.org. Peter Drucker liked to challenge his consulting clients: “Don’t tell me you had a wonderful meeting with me. “Tell me what you’re going to do on Monday that’s different.” The Drucker Institute at Claremont Graduate University, which I run, hosted a CEO Forum last…

• 
  TradePub: Executive & Management

• The ROI of Sustainability: Making the Business Case

  9 Feb 2010 | 12:00 am

  This report serves as a roadmap for companies that are attempting to match environmental and social stewardship to clear, actionable, and measureable improvements to their bottom lines.Request Free!

• The Impact of Technology on Cost in Business Process Outsourcing

  9 Feb 2010 | 12:00 am

  Learn how technology, if chosen and implemented carefully, will have a major impact on driving down these costs, in both the short and long term.Request Free!

• The State of Resilience on IBM Power Systems

  5 Feb 2010 | 1:50 pm

  Business leaders understand intuitively the value of their data and know that they must daily address the practical, tangible issues of protecting their business information from loss or corruption and putting it to work effectively, efficiently and profitably.The data set used for this in depth report includes the results of 18 surveys, conducted between September 2008 and October 2009. These surveys were conducted online using Web-based survey tools, as well as in person at gatherings of IBM I and AIX professionals. In total, responses were received from nearly 4,000 technical professionals…

• What's Working in Human Resources

  4 Feb 2010 | 3:20 pm

  Qualify for Your Risk-Free Trial Issues Now! Try two issues of What's Working in Human Resources – Risk Free! The twice monthly, eight-page newsletter covers critical human resource issues like effective recruiting techniques and the latest trends in training, development and employee motivation. It offers real-world examples of how companies cope with the bottom-line pressures in the American workplace while still doing what's right for their people. In every issue, top HR experts show you how to better manage your company's human assets and increase profitability. Subscribe to What's…

• CFO & Controller Alert

  4 Feb 2010 | 2:50 pm

  Qualify for Your Risk-Free Trial Issues Now! Try two issues of CFO & Controller Alert – Risk Free! The twice monthly, eight-page newsletter is packed with news on the latest financial and tax regulations, tips on streamlining finance departments and real-life examples of what's working and what's not in companies around the country. In every issue, top financial experts tackle topics such as managing company growth, staff training, cash management, staying in compliance, and keeping up with the latest technologies. Subscribe to CFO & Controller Alert and you'll receive two risk-free…

• 
  Hire and Retain Top Talent

• Upgrading Your Team in the Recession

  Barry Deutsch

  9 Feb 2010 | 9:18 am

  Back in July, I made the recommendation on this blog (and was interviewed by Forbes Magazine Online) to use the recession as a unique point in history to upgrade your team. Have you selected one or two key roles and upgrade the positions yet? If not, what’s holding you back? Don’t miss out on this wonderful special time in history to attract a level of talent to a couple of key roles that you might never again have the opportunity to acquire. What’s holding you back from taking the first step? Here are some of the “arguments” I hear against upgrading when I mention this idea in our…

• Losing a Top Candidate – Perception is The Only Reality. Lessons learned from 20 years on the front lines of the talent wars.

  bradremillard

  9 Feb 2010 | 9:08 am

  You rarely lose a top candidate at the end of the hiring process. It’s usually in steps taken along the way. In this case the client made a series of seemingly small mistakes that resulted in the candidate declining to go forward. It started simply by the hiring manager keeping the candidate waiting 30 minutes, then, he compounded the problem by not being prepared for the interview. “He didn’t seem to remember much about my background”, the candidate later confided in me. Despite the rocky start, the candidate returned for a series of additional interviews with other members of the…

• The roast beef story . . .

  DaveKinnear

  3 Feb 2010 | 8:27 am

  A newly married couple was beginning their first Sunday meal preparation. The young woman began preparing a wonderful roast of beef while the man was preparing the vegetables. As they worked, the man noticed that the wife sliced off both ends of the roast and then rolled it in spiced flour. Curious, he asked, “Why did you do that?” “Do what?” “Slice the ends off the roast,” he responded, “Does that make it juicier or something?” “Well, I don’t really know. Mom always does that when she cooks a roast.” So they called her mother…

• Can’t Find People? They Are Hiding In Plain Sight – 3 Examples

  bradremillard

  1 Feb 2010 | 9:03 am

  Finding people is a consistent problem we encounter just about every time we ask CEOs or key executives what their biggest issue is when it comes to hiring. If it isn’t in the top three it is always in the top five. Yet when you ask them what their process is to find top talent most reply in the same way, “We run ads” or “We post it internally.” That is the way 80% of all companies go about finding people. Below are three real life examples of alternative ways of finding people. 1) In 2007, I was having lunch with a partner from a local CPA firm. During lunch he…

• Loyalty . . . to what?

  DaveKinnear

  28 Jan 2010 | 1:23 pm

  I’m reminded, from time-to-time, of the inequality of expectations between employees and employers with respect to employment. Especially in the small to mid-sized businesses, the owners are often frustrated with employees who do not seem to put effort into the business. They don’t have a sense of “ownership.” Well, that’s because they aren’t owners, and usually aren’t treated as owners. On the employee side, they feel that it’s quite alright for them to give two weeks notice if they get a better offer elsewhere, but at the same time seem to…

• 
  N2growth Blog

• Change at N2growth

  admin

  8 Feb 2010 | 5:03 am

  By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth While all of you were enjoying your weekend, watching the Super Bowl or otherwise recreating in leisure, the N2growth team was hard at work launching our new website and blog. We’ve blended some of the old with some of the new to create the next step forward in the N2growth brand evolution. We invite you to look around (please let us know if you find any bugs) and we welcome your feedback. We hope you find our efforts more pleasing to the eye, easier to navigate, but most of all, we hope it encourages more dialogue and…

• Success as a Risk Factor

  admin

  4 Feb 2010 | 3:05 am

  By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth While success is normally considered to be a good thing, unless you’re prepared to handle it, success can quickly complicate your life. Even worse, without the proper perspective, success can actually contribute to the beginning of your downfall. So my question is this: Is your success serving as a springboard for even greater success, or is it merely a temporary state, precariously positioned and ready to implode with the slightest change in circumstance? As strange as it may sound, success can often times be the precursor to…

• Finding The Zone…

  admin

  2 Feb 2010 | 10:02 pm

  By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth “Finding The Zone” is a concept that most athletes are familiar with, but what about CEOs? We’ve all heard the sportscaster refer to an athlete as being in “the zone,” and so my question is this: “How do you find your performance zone as a CEO?” or better yet, “How do you find and remain in the leadership zone?” What respectable chief executive wouldn’t want to function at their best more often than they currently do? Wouldn’t it be a marvelous thing to be able to place…

• Exploiting Competiton

  admin

  2 Feb 2010 | 12:10 pm

  By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth Whether you want to admit it or not, competition is part of your world, and likely a bigger part than you’d care to admit. Granted, exploiting the competition is not a novel concept. Even so, it is still very common to hear many executives adopt a competition neutral position. These executives simply don’t believe competition to be a significant factor in the execution of their business plan. While this may make for a nice sound bite, I don’t buy it, and if they’re truly honest with themselves, neither do they. In business you can…

• Team Building & Equality

  admin

  31 Jan 2010 | 10:05 pm

  By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth In recent months I have observed a decent amount of politically correct discourse on the topic of team building and equality. The gist of the argument seems to be that for teams to be productive, employees have to feel “empowered” by having an equal voice. I can sum-up my feeling on this in one word…ridiculous. To be blunt, the concept of equality in the workplace has only made team building more difficult as employees seem to have a sense of undeserved entitlement with regard to their roles and responsibilities. And as odd…

• 
  Big Red Tomato Company

• Charity benefits from 4 Hour Work Week

  Matthew Needham

  8 Feb 2010 | 9:00 pm

  We recently asked our readers to explain why they would benefit from having a 4 Hour Work Week and offered the prize was a copy of Tim Ferriss’ “The 4-Hour Workweek” to the most worthy answer. I’m pleased to announce that Eleanor from Give A Brick is now the proud owner of her own personal copy which I hope benefits her charity Give a Brick which help children, young people the elderly and those experiencing financial hardship. Pictured here is a very surprised Eleanor on reciept of her book: As Eleanor says: I love to read and I’m very excited about this book because, as I said…

• Tom beat Blue Monday

  Matthew Needham

  7 Feb 2010 | 9:00 pm

  We recently ran a promotion here on bigredtomatocompany to counter what psychologists refer to as the most depressing day of the year, Blue Monday, January 18th. Anyone signing up to our newsletter between 18th-31st January was automatically entered into a draw to win a copy of Tim Ferriss’ new and expanded The 4 Hour Work Week. We have long been fans of Tim’s book and much of this site and content have been inspired around principles described in the book. We recently featured a review of the The 4 Hour Work Week which was a very popular post, so when we had our thinking caps on…

• Stickier than glue

  Matthew Needham

  3 Feb 2010 | 9:00 pm

  photo credit: timsnell My wife called me the other day and told me that someone she worked with was telling her that a family out shopping in an Asda store in Thurmaston, Leicester had lost their little girl whilst out shopping. Apparently it is Asda’s policy that they have a complete lock down in such circumstances (ie no one can get in or out). After a thorough search of the store, the child was found in the toilets with a Romanian couple shaving it’s head in the attempt to smuggle the child out as a boy. Unbeknown to my wife however, this story is completely untrue. It is an…

• Become a Fan

  Matthew Needham

  31 Jan 2010 | 9:00 pm

  I’m  trying to build a community here on www.bigredtomatocompany.co.uk for those who want to be a better leader or lead a better life.   Whether you are the owner of a one person business, website owner, department manager or the chief executive of a multinational there’s something here for you. We feature articles on leadership, lifestyle and entrepeneurship. Covering topics from creating a vision to how to bake peanut butter cookies.  We will show you how to make more money as well as how to hang on to it and make the best use of it when you’ve earn’t it, or even…

• Aliens have landed

  Matthew Needham

  28 Jan 2010 | 9:00 pm

  photo credit: roolrool Many of you will have read the excellent guest post by Ben Lumley writer at 6aliens.com last week. It was fantastic and got a great response. Thank you Ben for taking the time to do this. How to make a difference whilst making your fortune is one of the most popular posts we’ve ever put up and very much at the heart of the ethos of The Big Red Tomato Company – it’s all about putting something back and making a difference. I’m delighted to announce that Ben has kindly agreed to do a regular guest slot here on the last Friday of each month. He will…

• 
  Lead Change Group

• Deliver the Promise

  Mike Henry

  7 Feb 2010 | 8:09 pm

  We’ve had a couple of posts about character based leadership as a starter for discussions that will take place at LeaderPalooza Feb 19-20, 2010 in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.  You can find the other posts on character-based leadership under the titles Sources of Leadership and Three Promises of Character-based Leadership.  Also, you can click the LeaderPalooza logo or this link to find out more about the un-conference. Promise implies hope.  Our last post assumed that your organization had the hope of at least three outcomes as you apply leadership inspired from who you are and not what…

• Three Promises of Character-Based Leadership

  Mike Henry

  4 Feb 2010 | 12:04 pm

  In our group, we’ve had a lot of conversation about character-based leadership.  This is the second post in a series on character-based leadership.  The first was Sources of Leadership. What result does character-based leadership promise? What makes our type of leadership different? So I thought about the question for a few minutes. Quickly, I thought of 3 promises of character-based leadership. Promise 1: Engaged team members – Either team members are growing and contributing or the leader is helping them discover the disconnect to either become accountable or recognize the…

• Random Acts of Motivation

  Mike Henry

  3 Feb 2010 | 8:26 am

  This is part of a series of posts organized and arranged by Jane Perdue. You can find the introduction here and the post on networking by Jennifer V. Miller at her blog The People Equation. I also posted on Sincerity and Office Politics.  This week, we’ll discuss Susan Mazza’s great post on the political side of agendas at Random Acts of Leadership. Do you consider your motivations objectively?  What about those of others?  Are you able to accurately discern what motivates people in your organization to do what they do?  Could they have… an Agenda? Susan’s post,…

• What Is LeaderPalooza, Anyway?

  Mike Henry

  2 Feb 2010 | 4:36 am

  We’ve spoken quit a bit about LeaderPalooza but more than one person has asked for clarification. Much of what we’ve said to date refers to what LeaderPalooza is not, rather than what it is.  It’s not even a conference, but rather an un-conference! So what is LeaderPalooza going to be anyway? LeaderPalooza will be a small gathering of people committed to advancing a cultural movement on behalf of character-based leadership.  For two days, we will focus on doing things together, as a group, to advance the idea of character-based leadership. You know many of the names that…

• Applied Leadership

  Mike Henry

  1 Feb 2010 | 5:16 am

  The January Tweet Chat using the #LeadChange hashtag we asked the question, “How are you doing?”  Remember in the first chat in December, we had quite a few people commit to applying character-based leadership to make a positive difference.  In fact, Make a Positive Difference was the title of the post where we reviewed the chat. This time, the question began, how did you do?  We had several people who had done specific things to apply character-based leadership. (For an explanation of character-based leadership, check out the post: Sources of Leadership.)  Overall we had a…

• 
  The Corner Office

• 'Undercover Boss': What Cleaning Toilets Can Teach Execs

  Steve Tobak

  8 Feb 2010 | 9:43 am

  A new reality show, Undercover Boss, has CEOs of big companies posing as entry-level employees to see what's really going on in the trenches. Sounds good on paper, but it could easily be a train wreck in practice. Here's my take on how it went down at $13 billion Waste Management.

• Fiorina's Demon Sheep Ad: Feels Like Old Times

  Steve Tobak

  5 Feb 2010 | 11:17 am

  Have you seen Carly Fiorina's YouTube ad that characterizes her republican rival as a cheesy wolf in a sheepskin rug with demon eyes, trolling the pasture for helpless constituents to slaughter. It brings back memories of the bullet HP dodged when it put its then rock-star CEO out to pasture.

• Can Toyota Avoid Brand Disaster?

  Steve Tobak

  4 Feb 2010 | 1:09 pm

  It took 15 years for Audi to recover from the "sudden acceleration" recall of 1985 that was linked to six deaths and 700 accidents. The parallels to Toyota's current accelerator pedal crisis are obvious, but the damage of a "lost generation" to the Toyota brand would be enormous.

• Employees: Learn the DIY Fix for Management Problems

  Steve Tobak

  3 Feb 2010 | 12:04 pm

  Think you've got crappy management? Clueless, incompetent, dysfunctional executives who don't know what they're doing and won't listen to the wisdom of employees? Well, your company doesn't have a management problem; YOU have a management problem. Here's how to fix it.

• Apple's Steve Jobs: A Lesson in Motivating the Troops

  Steve Tobak

  2 Feb 2010 | 2:26 pm

  We hoist Apple’s Steve Jobs up on a superstar-CEO pedestal and laud his marketing ability, but a relatively unexplored talent of Jobs is his ability to inspire employees to great heights. He recently provided a stunning example of uniting the troops against a common enemy - Google.

• 
  Crucial Skills

• Confronting a Sick Colleague

  Al Switzler

  2 Feb 2010 | 4:18 pm

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR Al Switzler is author of three bestselling books, Influencer, Crucial Conversations, and Crucial Confrontations. READ MORE Dear Crucial Skills,With the recent H1N1 scare, I would appreciate any advice on approaching colleagues in a healthcare institution—usually managers and MDs—to stay home when they are sick rather than feel obligated to come to work. I would also appreciate any advice on motivating them to get immunized against the flu without having to force them.Fighting the Flu Dear Fighting, The recent H1N1 situation illustrated the importance of motivating…

• From the Road: A Trip Across the Pond

  Steve Willis

  2 Feb 2010 | 4:13 pm

  ABOUT THE EXPERT Steve Willis is a master trainer and vice president of professional services at VitalSmarts. READ MORE During my last trip to the United Kingdom, I found myself struggling to respond to what seemed like a simple question, “Blooming brass monkey weather isn’t it?” Even though the person addressing this question was speaking English, and even though I understood each individual word, I was completely oblivious to what he asked. Even when the conversation continued, I was stuck on that phrase—struggling to figure out the meaning.After this conversation ended,…

• Getting Out of Debt

  Joseph Grenny

  26 Jan 2010 | 3:43 pm

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR Joseph Grenny is author of three bestselling books, Influencer, Crucial Conversations, and Crucial Confrontations. READ MORE Dear Crucial Skills, My husband and I have $40,000 in credit card debt. We’ve made all kinds of budgets and set all kinds of goals but still can’t get together on this. We fight about it a lot and it’s become a real source of conflict for us. We both want to get out of debt, but one bad deed keeps leading to another. How can we stick to our budget? Signed, Good Intentions Dear Good Intentions, What a great question to kick off the New…

• Kerrying On: Play It Forward

  Kerry Patterson

  19 Jan 2010 | 4:45 pm

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR Kerry Patterson is author of three bestselling books, Influencer, Crucial Conversations, and Crucial Confrontations. READ MORE Listen to Kerrying On via MP3 Listen to Kerrying On via iTunes You can’t live in a community nowadays without it happening to you once in a while. Of course, how you respond to the assault depends on where you reside. Comedian David Brenner describes the difference in approach. He says that if you live on the east coast, you say something snide and tell the offender to beat it. If you live out west, you turn to the person you’re with and…

• How to Find Vital Behaviors

  David Maxfield

  12 Jan 2010 | 4:47 pm

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR David Maxfield is coauthor of the New York Times bestseller, Influencer. READ MORE Dear Crucial Skills, I am currently attempting to put the principles of Influencer to work, but I am struggling to find those vital behaviors that are more than hunches. I am looking for the vital behaviors that will lead to telemarketing sales and I’m wondering where I can go to find statistically supported, tried-and-tested vital behaviors for this outcome.Searching for Research Dear Searching, Your question is relevant to everyone—not just those involved in telemarketing…

• 
  Mountain State University LeaderTalk

• How To Have Great Impact

  Becky Robinson

  9 Feb 2010 | 2:44 am

  My oldest daughter has lived over 35 million minutes in her eight and a half years of life. She's grown from 7 pounds to 60 and stands about four feet tall. She is independent in many ways, especially compared to the infant we brought home from the hospital. She has a lot more growing up to do, and I feel so privileged to walk through life with her and watch her grow. Even though I know she has many more minutes to live in my care, I still feel an urgency to make the most of our time together. These first 8 years have gone so quickly. Leaders who want to invest time in developing people…

• February 7th Leadership Development Carnival

  Becky Robinson

  7 Feb 2010 | 2:23 pm

  It's the first Sunday in February and your mind may be focused on the big game in Miami. Maybe you're thinking about the party you're throwing or the one you're going to. On food, or commercials. But something else is happening today: The Leadership Development Carnival is traveling to Talented Apps for its February edition, with great posts on leadership from around the web and a great theme as well. I already know who the winner is: You. When you spend time reading the posts from this carnival, you'll be exposed to new ideas, challenged to begin new practices, and…

• People Who Develop Others

  Becky Robinson

  5 Feb 2010 | 3:20 am

  A leader develops the capacity of others. Every day, in leading others, you have the impact to help them grow personally and professionally. You may do so formally or informally; as a job responsibility or not; in the workplace, or in the community; at home; in person or from a distance. Who are you? Coach. Mentor. Consultant. Supervisor. Peer. Parent. Friend. Counselor. Therapist. Trainer. Teacher. Pastor. Guide. Confidante. Manager. Co-worker. Team member. Cheerleader. Encourager. Leader.   You are one who has decided to make a difference. You are one who focuses on others, seeing their…

• Developing Others To Ensure Your Work Continues

  Becky Robinson

  3 Feb 2010 | 3:15 am

  If you are passionate about the work you do, you need to build into others and help them develop their abilities. It's the only way to ensure that what you've started continues. A few years ago, I started a homeschool co-op. The co-op has continued, in various forms, for six years. We started with four families, meeting in homes on a rotating basis. Now our group meets in a local church. This morning, our group consisted of eleven families, with children ranging in age from 1 to 10, divided into four classes, more than 40 people in all. I am, by no means, the only leader in the…

• Think About Your First Job

  Becky Robinson

  1 Feb 2010 | 3:48 am

  Think about your first job. Do you remember how you felt on the first day, as you drove to work, parked your car, and went inside? I drove my Honda from school to my first day of work at the local hospital's dietary department. I blasted Pat Benatar's "All Fired Up" on the stereo. I sang, loudly. I changed into my uniform in the bathroom and walked down a long white hallway to meet my supervisor. Palms clammy, I shook her hand, and walked behind her from station to station as she introduced me to the other employees. It wasn't a glamorous job, or a difficult one, but…

• 
  Mary Jo Asmus

• Learning in Unlikely Places

  Mary Jo Asmus

  5 Feb 2010 | 3:23 am

  I love to watch Cesar Millan’s “The Dog Whisperer” program on TV. I am a dog lover and currently share an office and home with Edgar the Leadership Pug, who is wise beyond his pug-ness about how to lead his human pack. My husband and I have learned a thing or two from Edgar and Cesar’s show in order to take pack leadership back into our hands, where it belongs. Cesar’s skill is not only the work he does with the dogs. His true gifts are in teaching the dog’s owners that well behaved canines are really about the owner’s willingness and ability to step up to being a (pack)…

• Leading People Can Be Messy

  Mary Jo Asmus

  3 Feb 2010 | 4:27 am

  Most businesses are structured and controlled. There are processes to follow, strategies to set in motion, and bureaucracy to wade through. This structure can give us a false sense of control about the other stuff in our workplaces. Make no mistake. People cannot be controlled; in fact, they are downright unpredictable and messy, for a lot of very wonderful reasons. Leading people can be messy too. When I work with my clients on new behaviors that will help them to impact and influence their workplaces, they can often get a false sense of the control that they are wielding over their…

• Just Notice

  Mary Jo Asmus

  28 Jan 2010 | 1:22 pm

  A big part of a leader`s ability to create and sustain great relationships in the workplace have to do with their ability to “just notice” other`s reactions. Jane Dutton from the University of Michigan has academically termed this “relational attentiveness” in her wonderful book, Energize Your Workplace. Leaders who are attuned to the behavior and emotional states of those around them can make the adjustments necessary to revive an organization whose energy is low and needs some reviving to increase its effectiveness. Sagging spirits are an all-to-frequent occurance in…

• Confessions of a Corporate Wallflower

  Mary Jo Asmus

  27 Jan 2010 | 3:14 am

  I’m pretty sure I’ve come close to draining my emotional bank account with Rick Chambers. He wrote an amazing piece for this blog back in November called “The Secret of Leadership: Do Nothing” that received so much more attention than anything I’ve ever written. So I asked (begged) him to write about his personal experience of being an introverted leader; his wonderful thoughts follow. Rick is a director of Worldwide Communications for a Fortune 500 who has worked in the public relations field for more than 22 years. An award winning journalist, he is also a…

• A Dialog With Your Manager

  Mary Jo Asmus

  25 Jan 2010 | 4:48 am

  The comments received on the previous post, “Bad Manager or Flawed Human?” were insightful and thought-provoking. I would like to thank everyone who took the time to express their passion about the subject. There is so much more to say. This post is my own follow up to the conversation in that post about “it won’t do any good to address the behavior of my manager”. Many of us want to be able to turn to one another in our communities and workplaces with dialog that will further the healthy relationships that help us, our leaders and organizations, to grow. How can…

• 
  All Things Workplace

• Choosing Who Will Influence You

  Steve Roesler

  9 Feb 2010 | 9:03 am

  Every leader must also follow. Those who show no accountability to others--in business, non-profits, or government--may hold a position of leadership but won't hold on to it without some version of brute and/or "political" force, overt or covert. (If that kind of leadership appeals to you, you may want to check Craigslist for the "Dictators Wanted" ads).Be selective about who you allow to influence your thinking, attitudes, decisions, and behavior. What are the values that you hold most dear--the ones you would like others to adopt as a result of being influenced by you?Take time to think…

• Influence and Leadership: Raise the Standard

  Steve Roesler

  8 Feb 2010 | 5:48 am

  "Fitting in" is a big deal, and in many organizations it's seen as the way to career longevity. That's a problem.People are influenced by those they see as being "ahead of them." If you simply match the rest of the workforce and blend in, your influence is diminished. Eventually, you become invisible.If you want to lead, be willing to raise your personal standards to exceed the common expectations of your organization or work group. "Raising" equates with "elevating." Once you raise the bar for yourself, you begin to view things from a heightened position that expands your perspective. When…

• Influence Through Agreements

  Steve Roesler

  5 Feb 2010 | 6:49 am

  There's a misconception about influence that gets people into trouble. It's the idea that influence is a matter of "positional negotiation": one side lays out a case while the other counters with a stronger argument on a different position. This is actually a kind of competition that most often ends in conflict. The one with the most power wins while the loser walks away filled with resentment. Start Thinking "Partnership"Influence has its roots in agreements. In order to genuinely persuade someone to pursue a certain course of action, there needs to be an agreement about what is to be done…

• Meet Commitments. Build Trust. Say No.

  Steve Roesler

  4 Feb 2010 | 10:02 am

  Who do you trust? Probably those who you determine are reliable. So, those who don't keep their promises quickly lose the trust of their friends and colleagues. Before you commit to a new project or obligation, be sure you can fulfill it. If you really aren't certain, then say so. It's better to simply disappoint someone now than show up empty-handed on the day of your big promise. If, despite your best effort, you think you'll miss a deadline or milestone, then contact the other person and explain what has happened. We've all been in similar situations and again: disappointment is a lot…

• Influence: Help Competent People Grow Through Questions

  Steve Roesler

  3 Feb 2010 | 10:22 am

  Leaders do have to tell people exactly what to do when a person isn't yet competent--and confident--about the task or assignment. (The whole "leader" thing isn't just about high-concept and vision). But how do you develop managers who are knowledgeable and committed?You can build increased confidence and deeper understanding by asking questions designed to help them make their own discoveries and decisions. Here are seven questions to get you started as  a "coaching" leader:As you become more comfortable with probing questions, you'll develop your own. In fact, what are some of your…

• 
  Hard Court Lessons

• Remember The Acorn

  30 Jan 2010 | 7:49 am

  Reaching our full potential as individuals involves us knowing who and what we are on the inside, determining the things we're suitable for and then taking the appropriate action based on what we've learned.We all have the seed of something inside of us the same way an acorn is the beginning of an oak tree.The responsibility falls on to us to nurture and grow that seed into something great.Leaders can play a role in helping their followers figure this out by empowering them to make their own decisions and reach their own conclusions. By empowering others, leaders are actually empowering…

• High Five

  28 Jan 2010 | 5:12 am

  The positive benefits of acknowledging others and showing appreciation are huge and is something any of us can do regardless if we're in a leadership role or not. It truly is one of the most important things a leader can do to inspire, motivate and empower others so long as its done so genuinely.Former NBAer, Doug Christie once shared a story with me from his playing days in Toronto. It was during a timeout when his team mate, Damon Stoudamire publicly acknowledged the job he was doing on defence against a opposing player.He went on further to describe the importance of this in helping to…

• You First!

  18 Jan 2010 | 10:25 pm

  "The minute you get away from fundamentals – whether its proper technique, work ethic or mental preparation – the bottom can fall out of your game, your schoolwork, your job, whatever you’re doing."— Michael JordanAn often overlooked component in the leadership equation is the principle of self mastery.This is when the "leader" takes the time to focus on themselves and has a clear identity of who they are, where they want to go and how they intend on getting there.Leaders can only expect to be effective once they've demonstrated the ability to lead and manage themselves first.On the…

• Excuses Are Over

  11 Jan 2010 | 11:04 pm

  While it's easy to come up with excuses why things don't work the way we planned - the biggest challenge for many is to stop coming up with the reasons why we missed our target, look at ourselves introspectively and make the necessary changes to be successful.Accountability is one of the cornerstones of leadership. By demonstrating that we're responsible for the things we do, we're creating a culture of accountability and displaying to others that we're focused on achieving our goals, on both a personal and professional level. On the next episode of HCL Radio, leadership speaker and business…

• Follow To Lead

  4 Jan 2010 | 8:33 am

  In our present age, a group that has been starting to get a bit more attention are followers.There's so much attention paid to leaders that this very important group is overlooked and sometimes forgotten about.This is rather remarkable considering that a leader that doesn't have any followers isn't much of a leader and to fixate on leaders at the expense of followers is to do so at our peril. Meaning that followers have more power than people realize and their needs, concerns and fears should be paid attention to.Barbara Kellerman is the author of the book Followership: How Followers Create…

• 
  Saying What You Mean

• How Social Media Helps Birds of a Feather Flock Together

  nicoledefalco

  27 Jan 2010 | 11:30 am

  Savvy leaders are students of both yesterday and today in order to inform a prosperous tomorrow. This month I found out that turning 40 is a time for reflecting back (as well as being the brunt of a lot jokes about farsightedness, forgetfulness, and gray hair). While it’s a blast remembering the amusement park-type fun of bumping around the “way back” of a station wagon unfettered by seat belts and other safety accoutrement, too much time lamenting about the “way things were” becomes fruitless and counterproductive. For leaders, nostalgia can be both poignant and potentially…

• Influence Without Expertise

  nicoledefalco

  17 Dec 2009 | 7:14 pm

  An outstanding source of influence is a reputation for and track record of success as an expert in a given arena.  A wealth of credibility is earned when an individual is crowned by a community as the “go-to” person for information and results relative to a certain topic, process, or task. Leaders intent on making positive contributions in organizations and/or communities use the credibility and respect bestowed upon them for their specialization to motivate others to join them in the achievement of positive goals. But what if you are a jack of all trades and master of none? Here…

• The Most Important Part of a Productive Meeting

  nicoledefalco

  1 Dec 2009 | 8:28 pm

  For those of us working in organizations as employees, vendors, or consultants, the ebb and flow of our time is greatly affected by a schedule of daily meetings.    Influential leaders recognize, accept, and capitalize on the significance of meetings in everyday work life. They astutely leverage this valuable time to motivate others to collaborate on initiatives, expedite decision-making, and facilitate the production of needed deliverables. While it is true that influential leaders artfully employ efficient meetings, it is also true that running productive efficient meetings increases…

• Why You Should Write Your Spouse’s Resume

  nicoledefalco

  13 Nov 2009 | 8:50 am

  The other night my husband and I worked side by side to update his resume. That’s the benefit of having a business writer for a wife. You get the $500 resume for the bargain price of being the one to clear the dinner dishes. It’s been several years since the last update so I felt compelled to read through every sentence and study every bullet point. If you ever want to reinvigorate your appreciation for your spouse, I highly recommend writing his or her resume. What I thought would be an arduous task turned out to be a nostalgic trip back through our life together. I can remember…

• Influence vs. Persuasion: A Critical Distinction for Leaders

  nicoledefalco

  29 Oct 2009 | 7:15 pm

  INFLUENCE OR PERSUASION Let’s begin with a little mental gymnastics. Take a moment to decide on your definition of the words “influence” and “persuasion.” Then, decide which of the following statements falls under your definition of Influence and which falls under Persuasion: Choosing words and phrases to communicate ideas that strike a responsive chord in a target audience Socializing ideas to bring all the issues to light and earn buy-in Giving others a voice in the decision-making process Learning what keeps a person or group of people up at night Providing…

• 
  Bret L. Simmons: POB: Positive Organizational Behavior

• Service System Recovery: Red Lion Inn

  Bret L. Simmons

  8 Feb 2010 | 7:04 pm

  This weekend, I stayed two nights at the Red Lion Inn in Sacramento. We paid $89 per night for the room, and without going into all the bad details, it was not worth it. With the exception of a good free breakfast and wait staff on Saturday and Sunday morning, the experience was dismal. What made it even worse was knowing that others in our group had gotten MUCH newer and nicer hotel rooms in the area for the same or lower price. Today I got the obligatory e-mail asking me to rate my experience.  My rating was honest and VERY negative. Less than five minutes after I completed my survey, I…

• February Leadership Development Carnival

  Bret L. Simmons

  8 Feb 2010 | 10:39 am

  The February Leadership Development Carnival is now live over at TalentedApps.  Thanks to Mark Bennett for doing us all a great service by putting this edition of readings together. As always, you will find great articles by some of the best thinkers and bloggers on leadership.  Shoot, you can even find an article by me Thanks also to Dan McCarthy of Great Leadership for making the Leadership Development Carnival consistently excellent month after month.

• Student Branding Blog: Seth Godin’s “Linchpin”

  Bret L. Simmons

  8 Feb 2010 | 10:30 am

  My most recent article for The Student Branding Blog is now posted. In it, I recommend that students read Seth Godin’s new book “Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?“  I reviewed the book previously here and concluded that although Seth’s message is not entirely original, it is still a powerful message. Especially in tough economic times, if you are not remarkable you are replaceable. Because the overwhelming majority of your peers are content with the mediocrity that pervades their lives, including their work, it is not as difficult as it might sound to become the…

• ATT Service Recovery: A Follow-up

  Bret L. Simmons

  5 Feb 2010 | 6:52 am

  I recently wrote about an experience I had where ATT had a service failure that they used Twitter to help them recover from. As a result of my laments about ATT service on Twitter, my complaint was addressed and I received two separate calls from people at ATT to make sure I was satisfied. One of those folks, Randy Brown, also sent me a letter to apologize and invite me to call him directly if I have any more concerns about ATT service. You can see that letter by clicking on the link below: attletter I think that is impressive. In fact, I can’t recall ever getting a letter like that…

• Alita Burke: Thank You For Your Leadership

  Bret L. Simmons

  4 Feb 2010 | 8:41 pm

  In my January 2010 newsletter, I invited my subscribers to tell me about the best leader they have ever known personally. I offered to publish these stories at my blog to recognize these leaders for their service. One of my subscribers, Jackie Christensen, shared with me the story of her favorite leader, Alita Burke. The story I share below is in Jackie’s words, and Jackie graciously gave me permission to publish it here and share it with you. I am a subscriber to your newsletter and when I read about you wanting stories of great leadership there was only one person who came to mind for…

• 
  Saying What You Mean

• How Social Media Helps Birds of a Feather Flock Together

  nicoledefalco

  27 Jan 2010 | 11:30 am

  Savvy leaders are students of both yesterday and today in order to inform a prosperous tomorrow. This month I found out that turning 40 is a time for reflecting back (as well as being the brunt of a lot jokes about farsightedness, forgetfulness, and gray hair). While it’s a blast remembering the amusement park-type fun of bumping around the “way back” of a station wagon unfettered by seat belts and other safety accoutrement, too much time lamenting about the “way things were” becomes fruitless and counterproductive. For leaders, nostalgia can be both poignant and potentially…

• Influence Without Expertise

  nicoledefalco

  17 Dec 2009 | 7:14 pm

  An outstanding source of influence is a reputation for and track record of success as an expert in a given arena.  A wealth of credibility is earned when an individual is crowned by a community as the “go-to” person for information and results relative to a certain topic, process, or task. Leaders intent on making positive contributions in organizations and/or communities use the credibility and respect bestowed upon them for their specialization to motivate others to join them in the achievement of positive goals. But what if you are a jack of all trades and master of none? Here…

• The Most Important Part of a Productive Meeting

  nicoledefalco

  1 Dec 2009 | 8:28 pm

  For those of us working in organizations as employees, vendors, or consultants, the ebb and flow of our time is greatly affected by a schedule of daily meetings.    Influential leaders recognize, accept, and capitalize on the significance of meetings in everyday work life. They astutely leverage this valuable time to motivate others to collaborate on initiatives, expedite decision-making, and facilitate the production of needed deliverables. While it is true that influential leaders artfully employ efficient meetings, it is also true that running productive efficient meetings increases…

• Why You Should Write Your Spouse’s Resume

  nicoledefalco

  13 Nov 2009 | 8:50 am

  The other night my husband and I worked side by side to update his resume. That’s the benefit of having a business writer for a wife. You get the $500 resume for the bargain price of being the one to clear the dinner dishes. It’s been several years since the last update so I felt compelled to read through every sentence and study every bullet point. If you ever want to reinvigorate your appreciation for your spouse, I highly recommend writing his or her resume. What I thought would be an arduous task turned out to be a nostalgic trip back through our life together. I can remember…

• Influence vs. Persuasion: A Critical Distinction for Leaders

  nicoledefalco

  29 Oct 2009 | 7:15 pm

  INFLUENCE OR PERSUASION Let’s begin with a little mental gymnastics. Take a moment to decide on your definition of the words “influence” and “persuasion.” Then, decide which of the following statements falls under your definition of Influence and which falls under Persuasion: Choosing words and phrases to communicate ideas that strike a responsive chord in a target audience Socializing ideas to bring all the issues to light and earn buy-in Giving others a voice in the decision-making process Learning what keeps a person or group of people up at night Providing…

• 
  Management Blog

• CEOs optimistic about the future: study

  AIM Qld & NT

  8 Feb 2010 | 1:34 pm

  The world's CEOs believe the worst of the global economic crisis has passed and are looking forward to a growth-focused 2010, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers' Global CEO Survey.management-issues says the study of over 1,000 global business leaders indicates that 63 per cent believe 2010 will be the starting point for economic recovery.The study also claims that 80 per cent of CEOs are confident about the year ahead.In terms of business growth, the researchers say that around 50 per cent of CEOs in Australia, the Asia-Pacific and Canada expect to increase the size of their…

• How to avoid an online reputation meltdown

  AIM Qld & NT

  7 Feb 2010 | 2:17 pm

  If you're not monitoring what's being said about your brand online you could be headed for a reputation meltdown, according to a recent Age story.The article claims a number of high profile brands have been damaged after disgruntled consumers headed online to voice their complaints at sites like notgoodenough.org.Web commentators say brands generally find themselves with online facilitated reputation problems after failing to respond appropriately to consumer problems both online or off.To help keep brands up-to-date with as many comments as possible a number of monitoring tools are…

• Game play goes green

  AIM Qld & NT

  3 Feb 2010 | 1:45 pm

  A London-based company has launched a board game to help innovators discover new ways of redesigning everyday objects in order to make them more sustainable, Springwise reports.According to the article, PlayRethink's 'The Eco-Design Game' comes with a multicoloured game wheel, drawing cards, key cards and an instruction sheet on how to innovate with a green twist. To play the game participants spin the wheel and are prompted to consider how a range of objects, such a dining chair or vacuum cleaner, can be made more eco-friendly. And if you're proud of the new ideas your…

• US businesses set to further embrace apps

  AIM Qld & NT

  2 Feb 2010 | 1:32 pm

  This year could turn out to be known as the 'year of the app' with a new US report indicating there is intense business interest in mobile and social media software applications, emarketer reports.The report by DM2PRO and Quattro Wireless found the top one third of advertisers and agencies currently using mobile apps planned to up their investments by 75% or more in 2010.Reasons behind the growing popularity of using apps as a marketing channel include greater engagement with audiences, growing standardisation of app platforms and consumer demand.According to the study, the leading…

• How to voice perfect presentations

  AIM Qld & NT

  1 Feb 2010 | 1:58 pm

  The phenomenon of cloud computing is accommodating a range of new voice-based presentation tools for professionals, a recent BusinessWeek article claims.One of these tools, SlideRocket, is said to make it seriously easy to record your voice directly to slides and then share these presentations with colleagues or clients.It's claimed marketing types have understood the power of voiced presentations for years and that professionals from other industries are now catching on.Ultimately the trick to getting it right is less about the software, than it is about the quality of your voice…

• 
  Emerging Leadership Circle

• Aim for the Heart

  Jim Canterucci

  9 Feb 2010 | 8:32 am

  The following is a short book preview contributed by the Ohio State University Leadership Center. From: Kotter, J. (2008). A sense of urgency. Boston: Harvard Business Press. For centuries we have had the expression in English, “Great leaders win over the hearts and minds of others.” The expression is not, “Great leaders win over the minds of others.” More interesting yet, the expression is not that great leaders win the minds and hearts of others. Heart comes first. History is filled with examples that support this conclusion. Martin Luther King Jr. did not reduce anger among blacks…

• Devil’s Advocate is only a part time position

  Jim Canterucci

  4 Feb 2010 | 8:27 am

  As a leader you are faced many times with the opportunity to parachute in to idea sessions being conducted by your teams. Are you conscious of your role as you jump into the middle of the process? Among other things you represent a higher level view of the organization and perhaps a sense of history. The team wants your opinion, your viewpoints, and your approval. How often do you feel your best value contribution is a devil’s advocate analysis? The ideation process and it’s participants are very fragile depending on where they are in the process. Cold water thrown on an idea at…

• The Man in the Glass

  Jim Canterucci

  2 Feb 2010 | 7:38 am

  The following is a short book preview contributed by the Ohio State University Leadership Center. From: Rifenbary, J. (2007). No excuse! incorporating core values, accountability, and balance into our life and career. Possibility Press. “When you get what you want in your struggle for self, and the world makes you King for a Day; just go to a mirror and look at yourself, and see what THAT man has to say. For it isn’t your father or mother, or wife, whose judgment upon you must pass; the fellow whose verdict counts most in your life, is the one staring back from the glass. Some people may…

• In spite of…

  Jim Canterucci

  28 Jan 2010 | 5:10 am

  I’ve found myself using these words a lot lately. In spite of… In spite of the leadership decision. In spite of the person screwing up. In spite of a consultant’s blunder. In spite of… So much of the role of the emerging leader is to get things done for the organization in spite of the road blocks that appear. No excuses. Just get it done in spite of whatever happened. This is the crux of the 90/10 – 60/40 concept we teach at the core of our leadership principles. Here are a couple steps when an in spite of…opportunity presents itself. Get yourself straight…

• What Leaders Really Do

  Jim Canterucci

  26 Jan 2010 | 7:56 am

  The following is a short book preview contributed by the Ohio State University Leadership Center. What Do Leaders Really Do? Getting under the skin of what makes a great leader tick From: Jeff Grout & Liz Fisher Chichester, UK: Capstone Publishing (2007) Leaders believe that: At its core, leadership is about integrity Trust should move in both directions Good leaders are rarely poor at their underlying job Clarity of thought is an essential skill for leaders Leadership is more about emotion than it is about logic Leaders should lead by example, not direction Luck inevitably plays a part…

• 
  Leadership Lessons From Triathlons

• Gone But Not Forgotten

  9 Feb 2010 | 8:04 am

  That was my bike – in the past tense. She served me well, and in fact, may have protected me till her untimely end. My full carbon armory may have absorbed a lot of the impact when I was, unfortunately, hit by a taxi. Matthew said these words: R.I.P. Orbea Ordu. It is normal to humanize inanimate objects. We objectify things. We give it pronouns like ‘she’ and ‘her’ when we refer to our vehicles. She was supposed to join me in Taupo, New Zealand in early-March. I have yet to collect the remnants (almost wrote remains) of my late-bike. I believe that I was watched over by powerful…

• Finally A Photograph With Crowie

  8 Feb 2010 | 10:15 am

  Here was a photograph I had taken by my friend, Kenneth Tan when we raced at the 70.3 World Championships 2009. With me is the legendary, current two-time Ironman world champion, Craig 'Crowie' Alexander. Thanks, Bro for your trusty camera-work. Two 70.3 world championships finishes and a photo with the Man. Another three dreams fulfilled!

• Driven By Your Dreams

  8 Feb 2010 | 10:05 am

  After I read this, I posted on this blog. Matthew talks about the Power of 3. It was triggered off by my personal ordeal yesterday when I was hit by a cab while riding. Thanks for your genuine and deep concern, mate - I appreciate it - and I assure you that I had some epiphanies during my time in hospital. My second, self-directed, medical examination revealed my post-trauma conditions as normal (I'll skip the disconcerting details). Just in case (Power of 3), I am slated for one more check for my cheek next week - rest assured. I was reading a new piece on Macca’s blog, and was touched by…

• The Pain and Lessons of Being Tested in Adversity

  8 Feb 2010 | 4:30 am

  Pain mortalises us. It makes us feel alive. That is why we talk about expressions such as touch a nerveexpose a nervenervous, and all nerves Yesterday, my Band of Merry Riders(no ladies opted in for this trip) went for one of our longest rides. Certainly, it was my longest I have ridden on my trusty carbon steed. My bike has since left our earthly world for the ethereal bike circuit. Why do riders call my bike totaled when it is not totally in on piece? I thank my readers for their comments and positive thoughts. Never have I gotten so many comments. Thank you for caring. I assure you that I…

• The Art of Resilience

  8 Feb 2010 | 1:11 am

  INGENS wrote an article about resilience. It was activated by my unfortunate accident yesterday. Resilience is about bouncing back. Normal posting resumes later after checking in into a few concerns. Fingers crossed. Thank you friends of FaceBook, Twitter and Triathlon Family Singapore. It's assuring to feel comforted by close friends and partners.

• 
  Capgemini Thought Leadership

• The Aftermarket in the Automotive Industry

  3 Feb 2010 | 9:00 pm

  The Aftermarket in the Automotive Industry, a new in-depth report from Capgemini Consulting and the University of St. Gallen, focuses on how to optimize aftermarket performance in established and emerging markets. The report is based on over 150 interviews with aftermarket executives from the world’s leading automotive manufacturers and suppliers.

• The GIS-Centric Enterprise

  4 Jan 2010 | 9:00 pm

  A Geographic Information System (GIS) has always had a place in a utility company's application landscape, particularly for network operators such as Transmission System Operators (TSOs) and Distribution System Operators (DSOs). In the GIS-centric enterprise, the GIS sits at the centre of an application landscape, integrating with other key functions including enterprise asset management (EAM), outage management, field force management, customer connection and access management and NMS/DMS.

• Electric Vehicles: A Force for the Future

  7 Dec 2009 | 9:00 pm

  Most of the major automotive manufacturers – as well as new players – are investing heavily in electric vehicle design and manufacturing. This point of view looks at the current state of electric vehicle development, issues and challenges, and development scenarios for the coming years.

• Global CIO Report

  2 Dec 2009 | 9:00 pm

  The fourth Capgemini Consulting Global CIO Report - which is the result of nearly 500 face-to-face interviews with global CIOs representing all industries - highlights that despite a 15% average cut in IT budgets, CIOs see the economic context as an opportunity to show the true value of IT and to further improve IT industrialization.

• Accelerating Deployments in Manufacturing Companies: Capgemini and Microsoft Dynamics AX

  30 Nov 2009 | 9:00 pm

  Capgemini and Microsoft work together to help clients develop and implement powerful integrated solutions. Capgemini offers a proven approach for successful transformations using the Microsoft Dynamics AX business-management solution for manufacturing and automotive companies.

• 
  Talent Technologies Blog

• New! One Day Supervisory Skills training now available

  admin

  2 Feb 2010 | 7:28 am

  Constant firefighting… a lack of accountability… Resources being squandered… Mediocre performers mistaking themselves for high performers… Managers ‘doing’ rather... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

• Breakthrough Time Management

  admin

  29 Jan 2010 | 3:51 am

  Talent Technologies helps individuals manage their time, workflow and projects with Productivity Factor, our management training programme for Thai and multinational companies. In this article we... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

• How Highlands helps you discover your talents… and work to your strengths

  admin

  26 Jan 2010 | 10:43 pm

  Talent Technologies offers the Highlands Ability Battery to individuals and companies in Thailand and South-East Asia. In this article we look at how the Highlands Ability Battery helps you discover... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

• Does the Customer Experience make a difference to your bottom line?

  admin

  24 Jan 2010 | 10:38 pm

  Ten years ago, a major US Hotel chain approached Tuck Business School with three questions: how many new restaurants should we open in our New York City hotels? How many should we reformat? And... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

• Working to your Strengths

  admin

  24 Jan 2010 | 10:35 pm

  If you’ve ever wondered why so many people are unable to play to their strengths in the world of work, this video gives an introduction to what strengths are and the barriers to living and ... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

• 
  Top Executive Coaching with Tony Mayo

• Hsee’s Happiness Heuristics

  tonymayo

  8 Feb 2010 | 7:02 am

  Top executive coach Tony Mayo reports evidence-based, academic research on happiness form Chicago Booth.

• Prompt, Precise Performance Reviews

  tonymayo

  5 Feb 2010 | 6:22 am

  Just Ask Leadership: Why Great Managers Always Ask the Right Questions Excerpted, by Art Kleiner in Strategy+Business, from chapter 2 Here’s how the process works. The day before meeting, your coworker brings you a list of five or six key objectives, detailing her progress on each. During the review on the following day, you simply assess the [...]

• The Irony of Positive Thinking

  tonymayo

  3 Feb 2010 | 9:20 am

  Research on how to control our minds and moods, excerpted by CEO executive coach Tony Mayo.

• Happiness is simple–and subtle

  tonymayo

  2 Feb 2010 | 7:03 am

  Novelist Amy Bloom surveys the literature on happiness for the New York Times and distills these five essentials. I have recently rediscovered the importance of number 2. The Fundamentally Sound, Sure-Fire Top Five Components of Happiness: Be in possession of the basics — food, shelter, good health, safety. Get enough sleep. Have relationships that matter to you. Take compassionate care [...]

• Werner Erhard on enlightenment, context, and leadership

  tonymayo

  1 Feb 2010 | 9:32 am

  An interview with Werner Erhard, excerpted by top executive coach Tony Mayo.

• 
  QAspire Blog - Quality, Management, Leadership & Life!

• Engaging in Alternative ‘Creative Pursuit’ to Be More Effective

  Tanmay

  7 Feb 2010 | 7:33 pm

  Most people love to remain engaged in their ‘core’ area of expertise. They spend long hours over the years to understand, study, apply and innovate ideas in this core area. Most of the growth happens when we stick to one thing and do it really really well. In my experience, the key to remain innovative in your core area is to find an ‘alternative’ – a creative pursuit that you love, that is different from your normal work and where you spend at least a few hours in a week. It could be playing a guitar, learning salsa, hitting the gym, writing a blog, reading novels, learning how to…

• Great Quotes: Super Seven From The Collection of Michael Wade

  Tanmay

  4 Feb 2010 | 8:43 pm

  Michael Wade is a GREAT blogger I have been following since 2006. He provides very interesting commentary, shares some fantastic resources and thoughts on his blog Execupundit. He was the first blogger to have linked back to this blog way back in 2006. Whenever I need some inspiration, I refer to “Quote of the day” series on Michael’s blog. You know what? They never fail to inspire me. Today, I am presenting Seven best business quotes I have read off late on Execupundit:  A prudent question is one-half of wisdom. (Link) - Francis Bacon Why do questions matter more than answers? If…

• 3 High-Value Tips for Leaders to Break Out of Comfort Zone

  Tanmay

  2 Feb 2010 | 8:08 pm

  Cozy environment and excellent facilities in your cabin/cubicle can make you feel super-comfortable. It is a physical comfort zone that we create around ourselves. Our desk becomes a place where discussions happen. Where papers are pushed. If you are someone who ‘does things’, sticking to your desk all the day long is still fine because you get paid to do the stuff. But as a leader in business setting, where you are expected to get things done, you cannot afford to be confined by cozy comforts of the office environments. Leaders can have a bigger impact when they focus to “Work ON the…

• A Round Up of My Writing in January 2010

  Tanmay

  31 Jan 2010 | 7:30 pm

  January 2010 was a productive blogging month. In case you were busy all the month and could not catch up with this blog, here is a round-up of my writing activities in January 2010. Posts at QAspire Blog: I started 2010 blogging with a review of Nicholas Bate’s book Instant MBA. I wrote earlier about “toxic leadership”. This month, I touched upon “Instinctively Reactive Leadership” and how it is a huge cost to the organizations. My post on Quality and Quantity – Compliance and Excellence tracked conversations of compliance versus excellence. I continued the conversation on Quality…

• On Leadership, Opening Up and Being Prepared

  Tanmay

  28 Jan 2010 | 8:45 pm

  Leaders cannot afford to be confined. Confined by constructs of an organization. Limited job descriptions. Rigid ways of handling situations. Status-Quos. Being in a leadership position is more than being a box in the organization structure, or having a fancy title. Modern day leadership demands us to open up, engage in new ideas, new ways of doing things and experimenting with them. The traditional concept of having associations, communities helped leaders to network and interact with each other to gain fresh insights. Social media has made it even easier. Today, we have limitless power to…

• 
  churchrelevance.com

• Francis Chan on Suffering

  Kent Shaffer

  8 Feb 2010 | 11:40 am

  Francis Chan of Cornerstone Church (Simi Valley, CA) discussed suffering during Verge Conference’s 6th session. Here is what he said: Good ministry is full of suffering. Yet we are surprised when we suffer. Do not be surprised when people persecute you (1 Peter 4:12). In fact, you should be concerned if people speak too well of you because that is how the false prophets were treated. At the end of the day, it is all about the Holy Spirit and what He has called you to do. Jesus did not come to bring peace (Matthew 10 ). Blessed are you when people hate you because of Jesus (Luke 22). The…

• Dave Gibbons on Loving Your Neighbor

  Kent Shaffer

  6 Feb 2010 | 8:13 am

  Dave Gibbons of NewSong Church (Irvine, CA) discussed loving your neighbor during Verge Conference’s 5th session. Here is what he said: If we really break it down, the mission is clear. What is the mission: Love God and your neighbor. The problem is our definition of our neighbor. We define our neighbor in America as someone just like us. The genius and the brilliance of the church and when it becomes the most illuminous is when you love someone different from you. Embrace the theology of flow and blessing. FLOW: Jesus only did what He saw His Father doing. See what God is doing. Pray…

• Jeff Vanderstelt on Living with Gospel Intentionality

  Kent Shaffer

  6 Feb 2010 | 7:52 am

  Jeff Vanderstelt of Soma Communities (Tacoma, WA) discussed living with gospel intentionality during Verge Conference’s 5th session. Here is what he said: We are being active for Jesus’ sake and glory. LISTEN: Part of our job is to listen well to the Word of God and the SPirit of God. We are good at talking to God but not listening to God. Scripture says where words are many, sin is not absent. CELEBRATE: In every culture there are celebrations going on. Your job as a christian is to engage in the celebration with the people. We are to bring what is lacking. BLESS: Bless your…

• John Burke on What is Really Missional

  Kent Shaffer

  6 Feb 2010 | 7:37 am

  John Burke of Gateway Community Church (Austin, TX) discussed what is really missional during Verge Conference’s 5th session. Here is what he said: If your unchurched friends are not finding faith and becoming the church, you are not missional. You aren’t really living on the mission of Jesus. If the world is not coming to Christ, can we really say that we are part of the Body of Christ? If we are being the Body of Christ, what would it look like? Very messy. I think God could care less about our ministry efforts if we don’t have love for people. 3 Question to Ask Yourself…

• Hugh Halter on the Power of Posture

  Kent Shaffer

  6 Feb 2010 | 7:23 am

  Hugh Halter of Missio discussed the power of posture during Verge Conference’s 5th session. Here is what he said: Posture is about nonverbal communication. It is a powerful thing. You must be missional and incarnational. Christian leaders living in excess is a posture problem. Think about how often you have done things nonverbally that make people uninterested in Christ. People are interested in our words but often not in our posture. Incarnation causes you to go in. It is the Word became flesh. Incarnation is to be an advocate for lost people. Jesus’ defense of the woman caught…

• 
  Grant McCracken

• Herskovits, Elvis of African-American studies

  Grant McCracken

  9 Feb 2010 | 8:24 am

  PBS has "must-see" viewing tonight.  (It’s on at 11:00 on my PBS station in NYC.  Check the PBS Independent Lens website here for local listings and more details.)   It’s a documentary called Herskovits at the Heart of Blackness.  Melville Herskovits (1895-1963) established the African Studies Center at Northwestern, the first at any American university, and he wrote The Myth of the Negro Past, which help re-defined black history.  Harvard history prof, Vincent Brown, calls Herskovits the "Elvis of African-American studies."…

• Chief Culture Officer: boot camp

  Grant McCracken

  8 Feb 2010 | 11:11 am

  The CCO boot camp happens this Saturday in New York City.  Be there or be square.   In the morning, we will be looking at American culture. Specifically we will be looking at 5 revolutions in American culture. American food how we moved from Tang and TV dinners in the 1950s to artisanal bread and chocolate now.   American home how we moved from homeyness to the great room now. (strange as it is to believe, celebrity culture is a factor here). American selves how we moved from having single selves to multiple selves now. American communities how we moved from accidental…

• the secret script at USA Networks (aka the enmeshed male)

  Grant McCracken

  4 Feb 2010 | 5:19 pm

  I know you have watched something on USA Networks. After all, its a hit machine. It has given us Burn Notice, White Collar, Royal Pains and In Plain Sight.   Bonnie Hammer (pictured) is the woman in charge. Ms. Hammer has a formula and I accepted this as the secret of her success. But a couple of days ago, I was thinking about these programs and I noticed a similarity I had not seen before See if you do too. Burn Notice is about a former spy who has been booted out of the intelligence community and must now rely on his best friend, his sometime girl friend, and often his mother to…

• Recycling: adding value by adding meaning

  Grant McCracken

  3 Feb 2010 | 8:13 pm

  As a comment to yesterday’s post, Jon Foulkes said, So an extension to this idea: where the bag isn’t just handed down, but can tell you what it’s been up to. Could make second-hand stuff much more desirable than new. Brilliant. Most things that are used are seen to be diminished by use. Depreciation is not just an economic concept. It’s a cultural fact. Once something has been owned by someone it is soiled, profaned, yuuky, somehow. We continue to have the idea that things come from the factory in a state of grace. Ready for ownership. Ready for us. Any ownership…

• Tumi and the case of the talking suitcase

  Grant McCracken

  2 Feb 2010 | 8:28 am

  Yesterday, I puzzled a few readers.  Let me be more clear (and less alarming). The best way to do this is to talk by example.   Let’s begin with the Tumi bag I bought in Seattle last week. What I want is a stream of messages from this piece of luggage. It can come in the tweet stream on my iPhone. Or it can print out in the handle of the bag itself. We are assuming the bag is equipped with wireless capability and GPS.   I like the idea of learning on the taxi to the airport that my Tumi bag is, in truth, a little afraid of flying. I like the idea of learning that when in…

• 
  Management Craft

• Undercover Boss - Reinforcing Bad, Fake, Management? #management

  Lisa Haneberg

  9 Feb 2010 | 10:39 am

  The new show, Undercover Boss, debuted after the Super Bowl. I did not watch it because I am almost NEVER interested, intrigued, or impressed by so-called reality TV shows. But two bloggers who I respect offered their thoughts. Check out Wally Bock's sharp-as-a-butcher-knife assessment in his post called, Undercover Boss: A Repellant Piece of Trash (come on, Wally, tell us what you really think).And check out what the HR Capitalist has to say in his post called, Undercover Boss: You Wish That's All It Took to Change Your Business...What drives me crazy about these programs is how they…

• Are they extraordinary? Do you see beauty at work? Training Salons #Management #ASTD

  Lisa Haneberg

  6 Feb 2010 | 6:43 am

  OK, so the word "beauty" is not often paired with the words "your employees" unless you are having a difficult harassment-related conversation with your HR manager.... but that is not the type of beauty I am talking about.And before I get into the main point of this post, let me throw out a few other words: love, fan, admiration, extraordinary.I was training in Wash DC this week (got out just in time to avoid getting stuck!) and I noticed that whenever I talked about believing in employees, my training participants looked and acted differently. (beauty in our back yard in Cincinnati)We want…

• Invite a Challenge and Zoom Forward

  Lisa Haneberg

  31 Jan 2010 | 5:03 pm

  I am a big fan of welcoming naysayers and devil's advocates into the conversation. I reminded myself of this last week and enjoyed the outcome, so I thought I would share the concept with you. Not only is inviting a challenge a great way to unearth diverse ideas, it helps enroll people into the process and improve their acceptance of my work. Naysayers make great evangelists! Inviting a challenge means asking others to critique our work – really critique it. If you are coachable – highly coachable – you might be ready to invite a challenge. Give it a try yourself and then you will have…

• Another Comment on the Daniels-Pink Debate Post - More on Motivation #management

  Lisa Haneberg

  30 Jan 2010 | 5:12 am

  Bret is a reader of Management Craft. He tried to leave a comment (on this post about the Aubrey Daniels slam on Dan Pink's book Drive) but was unable due to length (again!). I looked at my Typepad settings and could not find anything I could check or uncheck to change the allowable length of comments, sorry! I don't quite know why this is happening. Here is Bret's comments, my thoughts at the end:Hi Lisa:Great series you have going over there! I hate to be negative, but your blog platform is not facilitating conversation. It is VERY hard to leave anything but a short comment at your blog. …

• A response from Aubrey Daniels to my post about his Dan Pink Slam Post

  Lisa Haneberg

  29 Jan 2010 | 12:00 pm

  A couple of days ago, I wrote a post called: http://www.managementcraft.com/2010/01/aubrey-daniels-versus-dan-pink-bam-management.html Aubrey Daniels tried to leave a comment on that post, but the system did not let him because of its length. He emailed his comment to me and I said I would share it here. See Aubrey Daniels' post about Dan Pink's book Drive here. Find Dan Pink here. See my original post here. Now here is the comment from Aubrey Daniels. Thanks, Aubrey, for taking the time to share this! Lisa, Thanks for the comments about my blog post about Pink. I would love to have a…

• 
  All Things Workplace

• Choosing Who Will Influence You

  Steve Roesler

  9 Feb 2010 | 9:03 am

  Every leader must also follow. Those who show no accountability to others--in business, non-profits, or government--may hold a position of leadership but won't hold on to it without some version of brute and/or "political" force, overt or covert. (If that kind of leadership appeals to you, you may want to check Craigslist for the "Dictators Wanted" ads).Be selective about who you allow to influence your thinking, attitudes, decisions, and behavior. What are the values that you hold most dear--the ones you would like others to adopt as a result of being influenced by you?Take time to think…

• Influence and Leadership: Raise the Standard

  Steve Roesler

  8 Feb 2010 | 5:48 am

  "Fitting in" is a big deal, and in many organizations it's seen as the way to career longevity. That's a problem.People are influenced by those they see as being "ahead of them." If you simply match the rest of the workforce and blend in, your influence is diminished. Eventually, you become invisible.If you want to lead, be willing to raise your personal standards to exceed the common expectations of your organization or work group. "Raising" equates with "elevating." Once you raise the bar for yourself, you begin to view things from a heightened position that expands your perspective. When…

• Influence Through Agreements

  Steve Roesler

  5 Feb 2010 | 6:49 am

  There's a misconception about influence that gets people into trouble. It's the idea that influence is a matter of "positional negotiation": one side lays out a case while the other counters with a stronger argument on a different position. This is actually a kind of competition that most often ends in conflict. The one with the most power wins while the loser walks away filled with resentment. Start Thinking "Partnership"Influence has its roots in agreements. In order to genuinely persuade someone to pursue a certain course of action, there needs to be an agreement about what is to be done…

• Meet Commitments. Build Trust. Say No.

  Steve Roesler

  4 Feb 2010 | 10:02 am

  Who do you trust? Probably those who you determine are reliable. So, those who don't keep their promises quickly lose the trust of their friends and colleagues. Before you commit to a new project or obligation, be sure you can fulfill it. If you really aren't certain, then say so. It's better to simply disappoint someone now than show up empty-handed on the day of your big promise. If, despite your best effort, you think you'll miss a deadline or milestone, then contact the other person and explain what has happened. We've all been in similar situations and again: disappointment is a lot…

• Influence: Help Competent People Grow Through Questions

  Steve Roesler

  3 Feb 2010 | 10:22 am

  Leaders do have to tell people exactly what to do when a person isn't yet competent--and confident--about the task or assignment. (The whole "leader" thing isn't just about high-concept and vision). But how do you develop managers who are knowledgeable and committed?You can build increased confidence and deeper understanding by asking questions designed to help them make their own discoveries and decisions. Here are seven questions to get you started as  a "coaching" leader:As you become more comfortable with probing questions, you'll develop your own. In fact, what are some of your…

• 
  Lip-Sticking

• It's all bliss!

  Yvonne

  8 Feb 2010 | 11:46 am

  I missed it. Did you miss it? Over 500 fantastic women were at the Blissdom Conference last week, in Nashville where they networked, laughed, learned, and did what women do: became sisters of the heart. I did win a $100 gift certificate to Dress Barn, the better to be gorgeous at Blissdom, but I never made it there. I'll be using that gift card soon enough - at BlogPaws, where all the pet bloggers will meet for networking, fun, and education. But, back to Blissdom... I'm so jealous that they not only had Wendy Scherer (@wendyscherer) whom I have yet to meet, but they had Harry Connick Jr…

• It's Not Right But, It's (Not) OK

  Lena West

  8 Feb 2010 | 3:42 am

  by Guest Blogger, Lena West, Chief of Social Media Strategy at xynoMedia(Another blog title ripped from a songstress...) It would appear that with the social media craziness, some of us have lost our minds when it comes to basic Internet marketing common sense. So, as a reminder, it is absolutely NOT acceptable - under ANY circumstances - to share people's contact information or add them to your mailing list without their permission. Period. I was recently invited to what appeared to be a very interesting (read: different) local networking event. Normally, I'm not a "networking event" type…

• Women Doing Good and Getting Recognized for it

  Yvonne

  6 Feb 2010 | 7:45 am

  Every now and then I get something really worthwhile in a pitch. This is one of those times. Yesterday, I was pitched the announcement from SELF Magazine about their program Women Doing Good. Essentially, the magazine is looking the the next "Women Doing Good" - described as "extraordinary women who are working hard and are determined to make a difference, whether it is within their community, environmentally, medically -- or whatever, the sky is the limit." Winners receive $10,000 donation to their favorite charity, they're featured in the September issue of SELF, and they are honored at an…

• Do You Need Your Hand Held?

  Mary Schmidt

  5 Feb 2010 | 8:29 am

  By Guest Blogger, Mary Schmidt, Marketing Troubleshooter I often use examples from politics in talking about marketing.  Campaigns are excellent examples of target marketing (and its misfires) as well as using emotion – versus logic - to “sell” something.  (Note: people didn't vote for "the Democrat" in the last election; they voted for change. Something neither party seems to quite get.)    Then I run across this in a article, GOP Still Short On Women. Gee. Wonder why? Well, you don’t have to wonder once you read this:  …

• Thinking - Being - Doing

  Yvonne

  4 Feb 2010 | 10:47 am

  It's no secret that I'm a book publisher in another life. We don't publish just any book that comes in our door - no fiction, no poetry, no children's books. We even turn away business books that aren't a good fit. Since launching The Lip-sticking Society and BlogPaws, we don't plan on publishing many books this year, at all. Mind you, we are working on a truly great leadership book that you'll learn more about in good time. But, for now...the concentration is on working with our readers and experts to create a truly useful, valuable and content-rich site out of this blog and its pages --…

• 
  Persuasive.net

• 9 Secrets to Present Powerfully

  AJ Kumar

  27 Jan 2010 | 7:30 pm

  You’re at a huge networking event.  Nervously, you glance around the room and see many familiar faces. Some of the faces are new and are even smiling.  These are the faces of your fellow club members.  You have talked to them many times on many different occasions.  So why should this be any different?  Why [...]

• Using Your Body Language to Persuade

  AJ Kumar

  18 Jan 2010 | 6:07 pm

  Ever listen to someone speaking and realize that something about that person just did not ring true? Something about the way he carried himself conflicted with his words. Maybe, it was his inability to look you in the eye. Perhaps, his hands distracted you. Or maybe it was the facial expressions that just did not [...]

• The 6 Steps to Mastery

  AJ Kumar

  29 Dec 2009 | 10:15 pm

  One of my favorite mentors during the beginning of my personal development career was a guy by the name of Matthew Ferry. I’ve learned many amazing concepts about the law of attraction, the universe, synergizing, and several others.  However, one of the most concepts I’ve ever heard was the six steps to mastery. 1. Formulation Create a [...]

• The Three-Step Close That Attracts Clients Like Crazy

  AJ Kumar

  22 Dec 2009 | 8:02 am

  Nine out of ten business presentations end with either an unimpressive “Thank you” or a feeble “Are there any questions?” Both are ineffective when it comes to persuading your audience to buy your products and services. After many years of making business presentations, I discovered the most effective close consists of three parts: a question and [...]

• Three Explosive Ways to Grab Your Audience’s Attention and Keep it!

  AJ Kumar

  6 Dec 2009 | 9:03 pm

  Speakers can open their presentation using one of a host of methods. So why do most non-professional speakers begin their speech with those attention-grabbing words, “Ah, I am so-in-so, ah . . . um”? Beginning your speech with filler words such as “ah” or “um” immediately tells your audience that you are an untrained speaker. [...]

• 
  Learn to Duck

• 750 Words on Advice

  Micah

  6 Feb 2010 | 8:55 am

  I like to give advice. I really do. I am an opinionated person, and I have a big mouth. I often tell my team, when asked, I will always make a decision, so if you dont want me to make a decision, then dont ask. I like to give advice. Over the years, I have made many mistakes, both personally and professionally. It seems that sharing those experiences is a good thing. So, I give advice. I like to give advice. Maybe its a Jewish thing? Maybe its something that my family does. During most conversations I have with my sisters, Mom and Dad, there are moments where advice is given or sought. Its…

• 750 Words on Leadership

  Micah

  5 Feb 2010 | 6:42 am

  I hate the topic of leadership. I really do. There are a thousand books written about it, a million blog posts. There are courses one can take at college (I know I took some at the Masters level) and professional courses you can take through your employer. Because of the focus on the tactics and application of leadership, we assume that leaders come from a certain stock of people, and the rest of us just have to learn how to become leaders. But leadership really isnt that much of a mystery. Work based leadership is task based. The goal is to achieve something, and the chain of command is…

• 750 Words on Real Connections

  Micah

  4 Feb 2010 | 7:45 am

  Last week(ish), my friend Michael Galpert [twitter] turned me on to a site called 750words. A super simple site, where you literally get a blinking cursor and a word counter. The idea, as Buster Benson [twitter], the creator lays out: I’ve long been inspired by an idea I first learned about in The Artist’s Way called morning pages. Morning pages are three pages of writing done every day, typically encouraged to be in “long hand”, typically done in the morning, that can be about anything and everything that comes into your head. It’s about getting it all out of…

• What Kind of Entrepreneur Am I?

  Micah

  31 Jan 2010 | 1:07 pm

  Yesterday, Mark Suster (if you are in a startup, thinking about startups, even just kinda like startups, you should be reading religiously) wrote a post about the importance of competitiveness in a successful entrepreneur. I met Mark at last year’s Twiistup in LA, and we had some interesting discussions about startup ecosystems, and when it was time to raise money for Graphic.ly, Mark and GRP Partners, was high on my list. I did a couple of pitches before meeting with Mark in LA to make sure that I had it down. I went in and sat down, excited to show Mark what we had built, and the…

• Giving You Me.

  Micah

  30 Jan 2010 | 1:57 pm

  Last week, I spent a decent part of the week in introspection. I do that now and again. Its the only way I can gut check myself and figure out what I am doing right and wrong. I found that in my zeal to “be me,” I forgot to “be me.” I was trying so hard to become my vision of “perfect Micah,” and lost sight of real Micah. Why does that matter? Well, I live in public. Not quite as much as Josh Harris did, but enough to allow anyone to call me, IM me, figure out where I am, email me, send a monkey call, basically connect to me in anyway at anytime they want.

• 
  Secret Women's Business Network

• SWBN Bitesize 34: Stop Being Tepid!

  Lisa

  8 Feb 2010 | 12:56 pm

  Sitting on the fence will not make you a market leader. In order to build a core group of raving fan followers you are going to have to “stand” for something, and as a result against something too. You are not going to please everyone…and nor should you want to. Stop being tepid and start to sizzle!

• SWBN Bitesize 33: Emulate Don’t Imitate

  Lisa

  2 Feb 2010 | 1:07 pm

  There is great value in seeing what makes someone a market leader and influential within their markets. Knowing what works and what doesn’t can help you when it comes to determining your own business persona. But, it’s important not to become a carbon copy of a person you respect. Those who mimic will always remain a follower and not a market leader. You need to find the best of you (as well as a few flaws) and develop you own story, you own persona.

• Are You Ready to “Up” Your Game

  Lisa

  1 Feb 2010 | 2:54 pm

  Tonight I’ve been catching up on some of the performances from yesterday’s Grammys (thank you YouTube – all the best bits, no fluff or acceptance speeches), and I was thinking about how some musical collaborations (often the ones you would never expect) really blow you away. I remember when I used to play tennis and my teacher always encouraged us to play people who were better than us because it made you “up” your game. Now, I know there are as many bad collaborations at the Grammys as there are good (I’m talking about you Jamie Foxx and T-Pain) but I…

• SWBN Bitesize 32: Market Leaders are Memorable

  Lisa

  30 Jan 2010 | 5:58 pm

  What makes you follow the market leaders you follow? What do you know about them? What’s their story? What makes them the people they are and what do they stand for? I can guarantee you could tell me a lot about the leaders in your market…

• SWBN Bitesize 31: People Want to Know About You

  Lisa

  28 Jan 2010 | 1:57 pm

  You may believe you have little in common with movies, books and TV shows, but the same principle applies in real life. If you want people to invest time, money and energy in you and your business (and keep coming back) they’re going to want to know about you. Who are you? What’s your story? How have you established yourself as an authority in this market? What are you personal philosophies (what do you believe and stand for)?

• 
  Biz Growth News - branding, business development and new media tips to attract more clients in less time

• Are you doing Great Work? In conversation with author and coach Michael Bungay Stanier

  Krishna De

  6 Feb 2010 | 2:07 am

  Are you doing great work? When I received an invitation to do a podcast interview with my internet friend Michael Bungay Stanier to talk about great work I was thrilled. Then he emailed me the questions he wanted to cover in the interview – well really thought starters for what he wanted to explore and my heart sank. Not they weren’t great questions. It’s just that Michael has this ability to make us think – to reflect – to self analyse. That is what makes him one of Canada’s leading coaches. Michael is on a mission to shake up peoples lives. He made me…

• Using Google Local Discount Vouchers and benefit from the iGoogle coupon gadget to boost your business results

  Krishna De

  3 Feb 2010 | 2:50 am

  Increasingly we are looking for value for money in the purchases we make. I cover the subject of creating an irresistible offer in my digital marketing and social media workshops and without question, the attendees agree that they are also on the look out for great value offers. Last year Hitwise reported that in the UK, Internet searches for discount vouchers had increased by 47.5% over the last 12 months (reported in August 2009). In a recent video tutorial about using Google Local to boost your online visibility results, I mentioned how Google Local also allows you to add a discount…

• Google Local Business: How to get your business to appear at the top of the local search engine results at no cost

  Krishna De

  2 Feb 2010 | 12:31 am

  Last year I recorded and published a podcast about using the Google.com Local Business Centre to list your business and enhance your online visibility using this free tool. I was recently explaining it to my client – and decided to create a short video tutorial to explain the benefits and how to get started. And I thought I would also share it here. Your business can optimise your listing in Google Local for the key words you want to be found for when people are searching for services and products that you offer in your town or city. In this video I cover a case study of the Westbury…

• Life Lasting Success Workshop, Dublin, 5-7 February 2010: 20 Free Tickets To Give Away

  Krishna De

  31 Jan 2010 | 6:37 pm

  I receive many emails each day from entrepreneurs and PR professionals across the globe asking for me to share information about their product or service to my community here, on Facebook or through my newsletter. Most don’t consider reading my tips on how to pitch to me. I do try to respond to most emails, but many I just delete – I should probably keep a file of them as they would make a fun compendium of how not to pitch your story! One email that did catch my attention was from Gary McGeown who is organising an event in Dublin this next weekend called ‘Life Lasting…

• Coaches and Consultants – get more clients make more money: a podcast interview with Hannah McNamara

  Krishna De

  28 Jan 2010 | 3:45 pm

  If you are finding the start of 2010 a little challenging and that you are not achieving the business growth with referrals and new clients that you want to achieve, today I have a content rich podcast for you with my friend and colleague Hannah McNamara (@coach_marketing) on Twitter) – you might recall I interviewed her last summer. I invited Hannah to join me for a conversation and a special edition podcast so we could discuss specific client attraction tips for coaches and consultants as I know a number of the Biz Growth Community are in that profession. You can either download the…

• 
  Lean Six Sigma Academy

• 5 Ways to Achieve Drew Brees Like Flow

  Ron Pereira

  8 Feb 2010 | 12:22 pm

  As I watched the Super Bowl last night – where, I must admit, I was cheering for the Colts – I couldn’t help but marvel at how well Drew Brees was playing. To be sure, he was in the zone from the 2nd quarter through the end of the game. The Colts simply couldn’t stop him. The fact Brees seemed to be “in the zone” is actually referred to as being in the state of Flow. Lean practitioners often speak about flow, or making material and information flow smoothly without interruption. And while this is great stuff, it’s not the same Flow Drew Brees experienced last night in the warm…

• 5 Ways To Become a More Productive, Healthy, and Happy Person

  Ron Pereira

  2 Feb 2010 | 4:00 pm

  No matter what you do for a living one thing is certain – personal productivity matters. A lot. My wife stays home raising our 4 kids. She does her very best to be productive. I run a company, among other things. I do my very best to be productive. You _________. You likely do your very best to be productive. So what to do? How can we all be more productive citizens of this great world of ours? Allow me to share my thoughts on the matter. And, as always, I’m anxious to hear what you think as well. 1. Get Adequate Sleep No one really understands why this is… but we humans need to sleep.

• Don’t Let the Door Hit You in the Ass

  Ron Pereira

  2 Feb 2010 | 8:23 am

  Man, oh man.  The lean and business blogosphere feels as if it’s about to explode. Ever since everyone’s “model” of how to run a business (a.k.a. Toyota) has run into serious trouble people seem to be jumping off the TPS bandwagon faster than Brett Favre fans. It goes something like this, and I am paraphrasing: “Thank you Toyota for helping to get this lean thing started. We really appreciate it. But you obviously don’t follow your own system or perhaps your system actually sucks so I’m leaving you. After all, my company hasn’t recalled millions of widgets (lately). Oh, and…

• What Are Your Thoughts About Toyota’s Situation?

  Ron Pereira

  31 Jan 2010 | 12:24 pm

  As regular readers of this blog know, I am not a big “news” reporting guy. In other words, I rarely read a news story and then bang out an article around it since, honestly, this type of writing bores me beyond words. But, unless you live under a rock, you’ve no doubt heard about how Toyota is up against it in a big way making this a bit more than your normal, every day, news. And then Brian, a reader of the blog, sent me the following email making me feel even more compelled to offer my two cents. Here is what Brian asked. Ron – What are your thoughts on how Toyota is handling…

• Live Strategy Deployment Video Workshop

  Ron Pereira

  28 Jan 2010 | 7:23 am

  I recently facilitated two different Hoshin Kanri (aka Policy Deployment) workshops.  Both have been extremely successful and the teams I worked with were able to reflect, align, and energize all at the same time. I plan to write more on hoshin kanri in the future… but until then I am excited to share with you an event the good folks over at the Lean Enterprise Institute and ThedaCare (lean thinking healthcare organization) are about to put on. A Unique Two-Part Learning Event Specifically, on February 24, 2010 you will have the opportunity to join an interactive video event being put…

• 
  Blog - Just Ask Leadership, Executive Coaching - CO2Partners

• iPhone App Just Ask Leadership

  8 Feb 2010 | 10:45 am

  You can now go to iTunes to download the Leadership App!

• Reputation is built slow and it degrades at light speed

  3 Feb 2010 | 2:40 pm

  Paula Prahl, Senior VP of Communications, Public Affairs and Corporate Social Responsibility at Best Buy, said, "It is so difficult to measure reputation because it moves forward so very slowly and it is dramatic how fast you can lose it on one small issue."

• Glassdoor.com find out what you're worth

  3 Feb 2010 | 2:18 pm

  Glass Door is a website that will help you know what you should be paid and what you should pay your team. And much more... Check it out!

• All Employees Need Media Training According to Chris Brogan

  3 Feb 2010 | 2:12 pm

  GeoTagged, [N44.86306, E93.30562]It use to be true that executives needed media training, but not anymore. With every other person carrying a video device, all your employees are likely to be showing up on some blog or media outlet. What opportunity can this create for your organization?

• Chris Brogan - Trust Agents speaking on Reputation in social media

  3 Feb 2010 | 1:17 pm

  I am not a professional marketer. I see social media as a way of saying "I see you". It is really about recognizing there is someone on the other side of the conversation. Recognition involves three simple steps:1) Listening. The bulk of people who engage in social media are doing so to talk first, listen second (if at all). If you demonstrate that you're really listening, others will value that skill. Do a Google search on "grow bigger ears" for further info. 2) Connecting. There's a limit to the number of people you can maintain significant social relationships with--it's called the Dunbar…

• 
  Directionally Correct

• Dark Matter

  Russ Aebig

  22 Jan 2010 | 6:19 am

  Ask anyone (astrophysicists excluded) what the universe is made of and they will point to the mountains, oceans, plants, buildings, and people around us. They would be correct - to a point. The reality is that these known and tangible items account for four percent (4%) of the universe. Ninety six percent (96%) is unknown - called Dark Matter. What we know is vastly over-shadowed by what we don't know. Given how much we don't know, it is quite likely that we will learn that we likely don't know the 4% that well either.

• IT Farming

  Russ Aebig

  14 Jan 2010 | 4:47 am

  ...One interesting aspect to explore here is not the comments or absence of them, but how the situations being commented on came to be. While many times these comments can refer to specific events, more often than not, when you dig beneath the surface, you will find that what is being reacted to is a systemic condition, the seeds (either crop or weeds) of which had been planted long ago.

• Sandpaper

  Russ Aebig

  10 Jan 2010 | 9:00 pm

  IT organizations are no different. There are a variety of people, processes, technologies, stakeholders, and customers in play. Communicating and decision-making in environments such as these is difficult at best. Successful organizations have figured out how to effectively do this.

• Top 10 Posts of 2009

  Russ Aebig

  31 Dec 2009 | 8:08 am

  The best audience is intelligent, well-educated, and a little drunk. -Alben W. Barkley

• My Relationship With Google

  Russ Aebig

  28 Dec 2009 | 11:51 am

  I now use Google for a few services on a day-to-day basis, surprisingly not their search engine. I use Google Apps often and with our firm moving our IT infrastructure to Google Apps it will soon be woven into the fabric of all we do.

• 
  Malcolm Out Loud

• Logan, Age 6 Scores SuperBowl Ads

  MalcolmOutLoud

  8 Feb 2010 | 12:38 pm

  Want to reach upwards of 90 million potential customers? It will cost you, but just think of the potential revenue streams. A 30 second commercial during the 2010 telecast comes with a price tag of just over $3 million dollars each. Spending that kind of money certainly requires that you receive a healthy return on your investment, right? One would think so, yet many viewers have a difficult time remembering the product name - although they almost always remember the plot. Yet some advertisers do get it right. Some spots are witty, have a great plot and you can immediately associate the…

• Can You Take the Oath?

  MalcolmOutLoud

  7 Feb 2010 | 2:34 pm

  Why is it you choose to give your business to certain companies, while avoiding others? Do you avoid certain types of salespeople, even if you have to pay a higher premium? Notice how some people stand out, while others fade to the background? These are the questions that at first glance call for obvious answers. But as you analyze the answers to these three questions, the answers determine so much more. In SMASH the Competition, the right way! I talk about creating an atmosphere of excellence around you. The fact of the matter is that being average is highly overrated. Now put your right…

• Dead Man Talking?

  MalcolmOutLoud

  7 Feb 2010 | 10:04 am

  It’s an investment of time to review each and everyone of your relationships via your contact manager or your address book, especially if you have thousands of such contacts. I find it essential to remind myself of the many untapped opportunities that exist in my world. While in the development of a custom database for my relationships, I was reviewing my contact base and came across two very well regarded business executives that had died over the past year. It stopped me in my tracks as I considered what to do with their profile and information. When is the last time I interacted with…

• Mayoral Candidate Forum Feb 09

  MalcolmOutLoud

  6 Feb 2010 | 8:41 am

  “Information is the currency that fuels democracy” said Thomas Jefferson. As such, Malcolm Out Loud is excited to be moderating the upcoming 2010 Oldsmar Candidate Forum hosted by the Upper Tampa Bay Regional Chamber of Commerce on February 09, 2010. Mayoral and council candidates will speak on their vision for the city of Oldsmar and will answer questions on how they can improve business and quality of life in the city. Candidates for Mayor: Jim Ronecker & Suzanne Vale Candidates for Seat 2: Tom Eckert & Janice Miller Candidates for Seat 4: Robert Brown, Linda Norris…

• The State of the Union Out Loud…

  MalcolmOutLoud

  28 Jan 2010 | 6:57 am

  The President took office last year with a strong wind at his back and the full support of the American people. As the State of the Union speech unfolded tonight, one thing was clear - while his momentum has changed, his agenda has not. It was basically the same speech that he had a year ago. The President is strong on talk, it’s his follow through that needs work. “So we face big and difficult challenges. And what the American people hope – what they deserve – is for all of us, Democrats and Republicans, to work through our differences; to overcome the numbing weight of our…

• 
  BLOG.SOGETTINGRICH.COM

• Teach Teens Credit Card Savvy

  SoGettingRich1122

  6 Feb 2010 | 7:03 pm

  Do you love your children? Do you want them to have a future filled with choices and living a life doing what they do best, using their God given gifts and talents, making positive sustainable contributions to society? Are you in debt? Do you work for money or or is your money working for you?Do you have a career you love? Are you passionate about your work or is it just a job that pays the bills?Which would you prefer for yourself - a life of passion, filled choices or just barely getting by? Which would you like for your children?Consider this your wakeup call.NEWSFLASH:  The…

• Creative Financing for your Next Project (Money Money Everywhere!)

  SoGettingRich1122

  30 Jan 2010 | 7:04 pm

  It's been said that every good idea presents its own way to manifestation when only the creator takes the step towards achieving it. Knowing entrepreneurs - innovators - and inventors - I must agree. Those that pursue an idea of which they are passionate seem to find the means to accomplish it even when confronted with great odds.I've included a few conventional and some not so conventional ways entrepreneurs have shared with me that they've funded their projects (with NO UPFRONT FEES). This is not necessarily an endorsement of any one particular method. But upon inspection, if you find…

• Forex Millions. 3 Easy Steps. No Experience. Turn $1,500 to $1.5M in 5 years or less.

  SoGettingRich1122

  28 Jan 2010 | 4:44 pm

                                   For those of you who rode the stockmarket and real estate market hay ride in the 1990's, you may be wondering if that type of wealth will every visit us again. That's yet to be seen, but history tells us it will. The economy has always run in cycles, the key is to know where it begins and ends.I recall in the 1990's hearing about the Forex (aka Foreign Currency Exchange or  FX Market) but…

• Thinking About Filing Chapter 11 Business Bankruptcy?

  SoGettingRich1122

  19 Dec 2009 | 11:51 am

  Share

• Have a Mortgage? You may already own your home free and clear.

  SoGettingRich1122

  2 Dec 2009 | 11:19 am

  Find out why the lenders are sweating and homeowners are getting excited.  More and more people are becoming mortgage free in a 2 to 6 months vs 30 years, using certain mortgage settlement strategies.  Is this for you?  - Find out how the bank may already be paid off, thanks to the debacle in the mortgage markets.- Find how you may qualify for FULL mortgage relief (not just a little loan modification or short sale).- Find out how to buy properties and pay them off infull without a dime of payments out of pocket...Go from fully over-financed to FREE AND CLEAR.- Find out why…

• 
  rocket finance

• Developing controversy on the expiration of “Bush tax cuts”

  rocketc

  2 Feb 2010 | 10:04 am

  Evening update: Media Matters, a left-wing media watchdog has posted an article that refutes many of the assertions in the original Reuters piece. Keeping an eye on this story . . . I want to see how many of the Obama proposals to extend the Bush tax cuts actually appear in the final budget. __________________________ Earlier today, Reuters posted a story regarding the Bush tax cuts that will expire later this year. The taxes were represented as “backdoor taxes” or a de facto tax increase on people making as little as $33,000 per year. The new article was originally posted here.

• Fear the Boom and Bust

  rocketc

  26 Jan 2010 | 1:31 pm

  A Hayek vs. Keynes Rap Anthem This is quite possibly the only rap video that I have ever watched from start to finish. The video pretty much summarizes a major economic debate in about seven minutes. Related Posts Good News on the Deficit Financial Fairytale Related Websites The Housing Bubble in All it's Stupidity Summed Up in this Two Minute Video Ask Barry: "Is Oil Going Higher?"

• Do corporate donations equal free speech?

  rocketc

  23 Jan 2010 | 10:25 am

  Last, Friday, on Consumerism Commentary, staff writer, Smithee, discussed the recent Supreme Court ruling that struck down most the limitations on campaign donations. Particularly, the limitations put into place by the McCain-Feingold legislation. In the article entitled, Democracy, Incorporated, Smithee did not deal with the details and intricacies of the ruling, but rather the big idea that “corporations are people”. Smithee asserted that the ruling was a bad idea. Since I agree with Smithee when he says: I had thought things were moving in a positive direction with the proliferation of…

• My favorite credit card is back

  rocketc

  20 Jan 2010 | 8:23 pm

  The Chase Freedom card was taken off of most blogs and networks last year and I am glad to see it come back. My household uses this card almost exclusively. They have changed the rewards structure slightly, but I just ordered a $50 gift card to Shell gas stations last night and we are well on our way to earning more points through the Chase FreedomSM card. The Freedom card has a great rewards program, an introductory 0% APR and no annual fee! In this economy, we need to save every penny. I control my spending, always pay off my balance and get great cash back from Chase. Related Posts Time…

• 
  Frame of Reference

• Strategyn – Focusing Creativity

  Chris Fillebrown

  8 Feb 2010 | 5:04 pm

  Frame of Reference is pleased to present this short video. If you enjoyed this post, please consider leaving a comment, or subscribing to the RSS feed to have future articles delivered to you. Chris Fillebrown ©2010, Chris Fillebrown, All Rights Reserved Personal Knowledge: Towards a Post-Critical Philosophy by Michael Polanyi Related posts:Strategyn – The Fundamentals Are Broken Strategyn – Elevating the Purpose of Innovation Strategyn – Take The Guesswork Out Of Innovation Dave Verduyn – Systematic Innovation Process 2 of 2 Dave Verduyn – Systematic Innovation…

• Adapting Solzhenitsyn

  Chris Fillebrown

  5 Feb 2010 | 9:44 pm

  Between 1985 and 1990 I worked at the Dallas Theater Center. During that time I had the privilege to attend the rehearsal process while Adrian Hall adapted Robert Penn Warren’s ‘All The King’s Men’ for the stage. One morning while I was working in the scene shop of the Arts District Theater on the north edge of downtown Dallas, Texas, I saw Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn’s ‘Cancer Ward’ as a stage play in my mind’s eye. I had read ‘Cancer Ward’ in school. Half way between the table saw and the tool room I saw a picture of how I wanted to…

• Cancer Ward – A Book Review

  Chris Fillebrown

  5 Feb 2010 | 9:44 pm

  by Chris Fillebrown Characters: A patient Pavel Nikoleyavich – a patient Oleg Kostoglotov – a patient Lev Leonidovich – a surgeon Angelica – a nurse A nurse Vera Kornilyevna – a doctor Demka – a patient Asya – a patient Scene one February 1955 Two beds have been set up in the first landing of the stairs from the admitting room to Ward 13. A man in his sixties sits on the edge of his bed, exhausted, chronic cough soon to rattle its last. The second bed is empty, but objects present an occupant. (enter) Pavel Nikoleyavich, from admissions, carrying bags…

• Dave Verduyn – Systematic Innovation Process 2 of 2

  Chris Fillebrown

  5 Feb 2010 | 4:27 pm

  Frame of Reference is pleased to present Dave Verduyn’s second video of two introducing the systematic innovation process. David Verduyn is the president of C2C Solutions Inc., a company that specializes in Innovation Tools and other best practices for front end Product Development. Mr. Verduyn has 23 years industry experience in Design and Systems Engineering, Technical Instruction, Product Development Consulting and Technical Course Development. He is an engineering graduate of Lawrence Institute of Technology. Since 1985 he has worked with over 150 fortune 500 companies in the US,…

• TRIZ Shortcourse – The Pillars

  Chris Fillebrown

  1 Feb 2010 | 3:50 pm

  Frame of Reference is pleased to present the third in a series of fourteen short videos on TRIZ by Rick Blauw. Chris Fillebrown ©2009, Chris Fillebrown, All Rights Reserved Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth by R. Buckminster Fuller and Jaime Snyder Related posts:TRIZ Shortcourse – TRIZ Backstory TRIZ Shortcourse – The Reason Why Sergei Ikovenko – Systematic Innovation & TRIZ Dave Verduyn – VOC CAGE Model Dave Verduyn – Systematic Innovation Process 1 of 2

• 
  The Management Blog

• An insight into operations management

  8 Feb 2010 | 2:32 am

  Every organisation has an operations function, whether or not it is called ‘operations’. To some (especially those professionally involved in management of operations!) operations management involves everything an organisation does. In this sense, every manager is an operations manager. Wikipedia defines operations management as an area of business concerned with the production of goods and services, and involves the responsibility of ensuring that business operations are efficient in terms of using as little resource as needed, and effective in terms…

• Social Media for Business event

  2 Feb 2010 | 8:26 am

  I will be speaking at the Social Media for Business event at Worcester Business school tomorrow (3rd Feb).  We'll be running a live blog of the event so if you can't attend physically, you can still keep up to date virtually.  To participate all you need to do is join in below. Social Media for Business

• Diary of an Apprentice

  1 Feb 2010 | 4:34 am

  Today marks the start of Apprenticeship Week, an event hosted by the National Apprenticeship Service (NAS) to celebrate the talents and skills of apprentices.  It ties in nicely with recent research by CMI showing that apprenticeships are a great way of developing management skills.  To show we walk the walk we have recently taken on our own apprentice, a miss Danielle Roberts, who will be working in the Management Standards Centre.  She'll be writing a blog and tweeting during her time here so you can gain an insight into the kind of things that apprentices do and how it…

• Followership as a vital component of effective leadership

  30 Jan 2010 | 10:56 pm

  I read Adrian Gaskell's recent blog  'Insight into how power can corrupt leaders'. While I thought about adding a comment in relation to how followers could influence this,  it struck me that this might be better expressed as a seperate blog.   Many of us as leaders are also in a position of followership.  The term followership can have an unfortunate connotation with being passive, submissive and subordinate. Arguably truly effective followership can be characterised by ; engagement, active questioning, the generation of alternative approaches and, where…

• Less than half of UK workers believe managers are effective

  29 Jan 2010 | 4:34 am

  Less than half of employees in the UK rate their senior leadership team as effective, the Kenexa Research Institute has found. The institute's survey of almost 22,000 employees in 18 countries revealed that an organisation's senior leadership team has a significant impact on its employees' overall opinions of the company. Elsewhere, India reported the highest ratings of leadership effectiveness at 69 per cent of employees while workers in Japan reported the lowest ratings at 33 per cent of workers. Jack Wiley, executive director at the Kenexa Research Institute, suggested that…

• 
  Strat. In

• Battlefield of Economics, Politics & Power

  Gaurav Parashar

  7 Feb 2010 | 5:47 am

  Recently Mumbai witnessed yet another gimmick of exchange of words, high intensity drama and its fall when three of the icons of the field of Bollywood, Maharashtra Politics & National Power confront each other – Shah Rukh Khan, Shiv Sena and Rahul Gandhi. We would be assessing the positives negatives and strengths of each of these confrontations. On one side heavily criticized for his comments on the recent IPL auction for Pakistani players, Shah Rukh Khan had to moderate his comments and views for his upcoming movie – My Name is Khan. After being type casted as a “Traitor”, Shah…

• IPL 2010 – Indian Political League!

  guest_strater

  27 Jan 2010 | 7:15 pm

  (Disclaimer: The views expressed below are those of the author and not of strat.in as a blog in general) See the greatness of the IPL (Indian Premier League), how highly it stands among other sporting events, which has already provided us so much drama before the play has actually begun. It is in the news all over, flashing here and there, and catching eyes of all. Media is so much excited! After all, everybody was so much bored to see bald-headed Headley and evil-smiling Rathore’s face every day at the breakfast. IPL has provided the idle-sitting cricketers something to chirp about, write…

• The iPad: Strategic Insights on Another Piece of Stunning Gadgetry from Apple

  shantan

  27 Jan 2010 | 3:10 pm

  So the news is out. Its the iPad!!! Gosh! The device perfectly lives up to the hype generated in the last few weeks as the last post describes. Check out the Apple website or just google for the iPad, and you can get to know all of its features, its sleek design and everything else that makes it another Apple masterpiece. What I wanted to share here are some strategic insights the the iPad offers for analysis. 1. Technology Reuse and Organic product evolution Bloggers were talking about the new Apple device to be a tablet that runs on the iPhone OS. Well almost. The iPad runs pretty much on…

• The mystique & hype of Apple’s product launches

  siddhesh

  26 Jan 2010 | 10:53 am

  All over the internet – be it tech blogs, twitter, facebook pages or anything that has remotely to do with technology – there has just been one topic of discussion over the past few weeks – What will Apple do on their show this Wednesday – Jan 27. The invite is as simple as ‘Come see our latest creation’ and is handed to the top bloggers/press in the USA. Its accompanied by this picture as well. Now how does Apple manage to generate such unbelievable hype with every ‘Special event’ that it announces? Why does a MacWorld or an equivalent event…

• Has outsourcing made us READY for the next technology revolution in India ?

  rahulr

  22 Jan 2010 | 1:40 am

  As IT companies declare surprisingly optimistic results over the last quarter of 2009, industry experts claim that the worst in IT outsourcing seems to be behind us and that it is time to look ahead at positive trends throughout 2010. When it comes to the IT outsourcing market, it seems that we have always been ready. It started with menial data entry jobs and low skill clerical work. While continuing with that, Indian companies upgraded their competency levels and started attracting low to mid skill application maintenance jobs. With the vast pool of engineers and innovative management minds…

• 
  The Complete Innovator

• “Innovation in a Collaboration World” – the other side of the coin with #innochat on 28 Jan 2009 – 12pm EST

  Boris Pluskowski

  27 Jan 2010 | 9:33 am

  Collaboration is, apparently,  “the new hot thing” in Innovation nowadays. Not that it’s all that new – but it certainly is hot. More than a passing trend, it’s surely just a concept whose time has finally come after years of flirting with the edges of corporate credibility. Now, the drive toward a socialized business structure is firmly on course thanks to the penetration of Web2.0 technologies not just through business, but through our personal lives too – the net effect being a gradual cultural change towards accepting a universe where the exchange of information and knowledge…

• “Collaboration in an Innovation World” – setting the stage for a landmark #smchat on 27 Jan 2009 – 1pm EST

  Boris Pluskowski

  26 Jan 2010 | 10:21 am

  Collaboration and Business have long been interesting bed fellows, ever flirting with each other, but rarely embracing each other. For business, collaboration has been an attractive mistress, full of allure and promise, but always just out of reach - never delivering on the early promise shown. For Collaboration, Business is the bad boy with a leather jacket on a Harley – knowing that great things could be achieved if only business wasn’t so selfishly focused on personal profit. Although the above is probably not the best analogy I’ve ever come up with, it holds more than a nugget of…

• Tackling Collaborative Innovation – the #smchat and #innochat doubleheader

  Boris Pluskowski

  22 Jan 2010 | 2:04 pm

  I should’ve known better really – after, all it’s happened once before, so surely I should’ve spotted it coming a mile away when I  1) was dumb enough to make some suggestions on #innochat for future topics and then 2) found myself on the receiving end of a seemingly innocent telephone call with Chris Jones, Renee Hopkins and Gwen Ismael. Like a steam liner heading slowly but surely into an iceberg in broad daylight, I found myself yet again somehow agreeing to moderate an upcoming session. For those of you not in the know, #smchat and #innochat are two of the most vibrant and…

• Continuing the Conversation: For Companies, Build Teams, Not Communities

  Boris Pluskowski

  8 Dec 2009 | 1:50 pm

  Yesterday I posted a response to all the wonderful comments and contributions that you all made to my last post on “Why Companies Shouldn’t Build Online Communities“.  As I plan to delve further into this idea of “Social Teams”, I thought I’d repost that reply as a post in its own right so as to make it easier for people to find and read – so here goes: Dear All Many, many thanks for your responses – they’re both very welcome and very appreciated. I wanted to take some time to reply to some of the concerns that were expressed in the comments. It…

• Why Companies shouldn’t build Online Communities..

  Boris Pluskowski

  22 Oct 2009 | 10:14 am

  Forget about Communities.Don’t do it. Don’t even think about it. Oh I know that communities are all the rage currently – companies are falling over themselves to create, build and own their very own communities: Communities of Employees, Communities of Customers, Communities of Interest Groups, Communities, Communities, Communities…. But with all of these efforts out there, how many of them are yielding real tangible results for the sponsoring organization? It seems that the very concept of communities is a flawed one for most corporations – leading to wasted time, money and effort…

• 
  Leadership and Management / Turning Adversity to Advantage

• Sunshine Cleaning

  8 Feb 2010 | 4:03 am

  The Oscar nominations came out last week and if there was an award for the ‘Best Embrace of Failure’, the sure fire favourite would have to be Sunshine Cleaning. From the makers of ‘Little Miss Sunshine’ (which inspired a post that turned out to be one of my highest hit posts of this blog) comes another winner about losing. One of the film’s most poignant explorations is the subject which touches the most abject and profound of failures – suicide. On the most superficial level, one could think that suicide is the ultimate embrace of failure, but the film illustrates powerfully how…

• FAILweek

  2 Feb 2010 | 9:31 am

  In not just an embrace,, but an actual celebration of Failure, the ‘Think (Here) Blog’ has sponsored this week as ‘FAILweek’. “The first week of February is '#FAILweek' where entrepreneurs and bloggers of all industries, experience levels, and from every corner of the globe come together to celebrate their past failures.” While I have explored, dissected, analysed, reflected and illustrated a wide range of failure over the past half decade of blogging on the topic, aside from a few personal anecdotes, I haven’t actually delved that deeply into my own…

• Presiding Impressively

  19 Jan 2010 | 6:26 am

  Back at the election of President Obama, I took a look at this ‘Leadership/Management’ balance with the conclusion that he was a rare breed who mastered and balanced both. The conclusion was based on how he dissected and articulated the issues of his platform and on the masterful execution of a remarkably effective and successful two year national campaign. But now we have his first anniversary at the executive reigns. A prominent enough milestone to look at how performance in executive office compares to the campaign trail. My favourite political writer, analyst and commentator –…

• Thirteen Things That Don’t Make Sense

  13 Jan 2010 | 1:04 am

  I recently read Michael Brooks’ book Thirteen Things That Don’t Make Sense which delves into a diverse set of scientific subjects from some very specific unexplained phenomena (eg. ‘The Pioneer Anomaly’, The Wow! Signal), to some very broad scientific concepts that really lack strong models or explanations (eg. Sex, Free Will, Life). The Missing Universe The Pioneer Anomaly Varying Constants Cold Fusion Life Viking The Wow! Signal A Giant Virus Death Sex Free Will The Placebo Effect Homeopathy The underlying message of the book is that these failures are great boons to scientific…

• Evil Plans

  7 Jan 2010 | 2:11 am

  Hugh MacLeod of Gapingvoid again. This is my 10th post inspired by his comic and commentary genius. His current initiative is his ‘Evil Plans’ and he is starting to reveal portions of them. This week he posted ‘Evil Plans and Big Companies’ and half of his 6 points embraced failure... “2. If your EVIL PLAN is not aligned with what your company is doing, you have two choices. Quit and go do something else, or give up your EVIL PLAN.” “4. Risk. I always liked Robert Scoble’s line, “If what you’re doing doesn’t risk getting you fired, it probably isn’t that…

• 
  Robin Sharma's Blog

• Authentic versus Plastic

  Robin Sharma

  9 Feb 2010 | 7:38 am

• "The Leader Who Had No Title" Coming Soon!

  Robin Sharma

  4 Feb 2010 | 10:03 am

• LEADERSHIP LESSONS FROM LADY GAGA

  Robin Sharma

  2 Feb 2010 | 8:44 am

  I watched the Grammys the other night. Green Day rocked the house. Beyoncé showed her talent. And Taylor Swift won her usual awards. But the opening act stood out most for me. Why? It was Lady Gaga. And, therefore, the show was dramatically unforgettable. In my mind, Lady Gaga is the new Madonna. Love her music or not, part of her genius is pushing the envelope and being so entertaining that everyone around the water cooler the next day is talking about just one thing: Gaga. 1. She's herself. Leadership means doing your vision (even if you're title is janitor - be a visionary janitor…

• The Garbage Collector with The Brain Tattoo

  Robin Sharma

  26 Jan 2010 | 10:06 am

  I've never held myself out to be any kind of a guru. The first chapter of The Greatness Guide explains just that. I'm just an ordinary guy doing my best to help people Lead Without a Title and step into the power they were born with - but may have forgotten. But once in a while, I do get it all right. An example. One morning I was working at home rather than at our office as I needed to go into some deep creative work and that's a place that allows me to get the job done. I heard a loud noise that caused me to stop and I ran to the window to see what happened. The man who collects the garbage…

• I MET THE ROCK STAR OF BOOT-SELLING

  Robin Sharma

  19 Jan 2010 | 1:26 pm

  Went to the shopping mall last night with my daughter to buy a couple of pairs of winter boots for ourselves. Dropped into a store known to many and frequented by most. When I asked for a particular style of boot that the place has sold for many years, the salesperson was clueless. "Not sure if we have them but the boot section is over there," he said, pointing directly to the other end of the store. He then went back to checking his text messages on company time. As we walked towards the boot section, we met another salesperson. About the same age as the first guy. About the same…

• 
  Eric Jacobson On Management And Leadership

• Button Up Your Crisis Management Program

  6 Feb 2010 | 7:31 am

  It's too early to make a final judgment about Toyota's handling of its current automobile recall, but it's not too early for all business leaders to check to be sure they have a crisis management program in place.Sadly, most businesses don't have a plan.  Or, don't have a plan that is up-to-date, comprehensive and/or flexible.With a crisis management program, you:Forecast potential and most likely/probable crisesPlan in advance for how to deal with themDocument your sequential, step-by-step action plan, including having a time lineShare your written plan with all the appropriate…

• Tell A Story To Share Your Vision

  4 Feb 2010 | 6:06 pm

  "Most leaders' visions fail, not due to a leader's inadequacies, but due to the leader's lack of communication," said Margaret Reynolds of Reynolds Consulting, LLC in Lee's Summit, MO.  Reynolds shared her expertise with me recently during an interview.She added that it's not that leaders don't communicate, but that they don't beat the drum regularly enough. "Leaders need to communicate often, regularly and consistently," she recommended."In terms of how to communicate so people get it, it is pretty widely accepted that story telling is the most effective," explained Reynolds. …

• Try These 6 No-Cost Leadership Tips

  28 Jan 2010 | 6:15 pm

  I had the pleasure of interviewing Leigh Branham the other day.  He's the author of the popular book called "The 7 Hidden Reasons Employees Leave," and he's the owner of the Overland Park, KS-based business called Keeping The People.He said that in research that he has done about the leaders of companies that have won "Best-Place-To-Work" competitions in 45 U.S. cities, that there are six things these effective leaders do that don't cost money.  They do, however, cost time and effort.  But, that is time and effort that can pay big dividends.Here are the six…

• Read A Top Leadership Book

  26 Jan 2010 | 6:49 pm

  During the past few months, members of five groups on the professional social media web site LinkedIn voluntarily recommended their favorite books about leadership.  They responded to a group discussion question, "Best Leadership Books -- What Is Your Favorite?"When contemplating their favorites, they likely thought about which books were in their minds the best, most favored, most inspiring, most instructional, most relevant, and which ones they might reference frequently.As the recommendations rolled in, it became clear that leaders learn from, and are inspired by, a wide variety of…

• Follow These Leadership Tips

  23 Jan 2010 | 7:55 am

  Here are a few tips for how you can improve your leadership skills:Think long-term.  Too often, short-term gains, no matter how attractive, are not worth it if they could hinder your prospects for the future.Find a mentor.  Better yet, find a couple different mentors.  Perhaps you work with someone in your business and also someone who is in a business completely different than your business.  Respond quickly.  Reply quickly to e-mails and telephone calls, even  if it's just to explain what you are doing regarding the matter at hand and to inform…

• 
  Michael Hyatt’s Blog

• The Healing Power of Art

  Michael Hyatt

  9 Feb 2010 | 2:00 am

  Yesterday was hard. A business deal stalled. I didn’t make much progress on several key projects. I was discouraged. And toward the end of the day, I learned that a friend had died. I just wanted to go home, put on my pajamas, and go to bed. Photo courtesy of ©iStockphoto.com/damircudic But I had signed up to attend the Recreate Conference. (What was I thinking?) Last night was the opening night. It was to begin with a mixer, then dinner, and finally a concert. As an introvert, this is not what I enjoy. It takes lot of energy to jump into the midst of a crowded room and be … well…

• My Dream iPad Book Application

  Michael Hyatt

  8 Feb 2010 | 2:00 am

  Recently, Seth Godin blogged on his dream iPad app. I thought I would follow suit and talk about something near and dear to my heart: my ideal iPad book application. Personally, I was blown away by the iPad demo video. The hardware and the operating system are impressive. However, when I watched Steve Jobs’ full presentation and demo, I felt that the iBooks application, while beautiful, was missing some key features. Perhaps Apple is planning to include more features than Steve was able to demonstrate. That is often the case. Nevertheless, I thought it would be fun to imagine my own dream…

• Guest Post: Becoming a “Leadership Benediction”

  Michael Hyatt

  5 Feb 2010 | 2:00 am

  This is a guest post by Dennis Jeffery. He is the Superintendent of The River Conference. He has served as youth pastor, church planter, and lead pastor in Washington, California, and Colorado for over 20 years before leading The River. He has an M.A in Theology from Fuller Theological Seminary and B.A. from Seattle Pacific University.If you want to guest post on this blog, check out the guidelines here. Cheryl was in a cauldron of emotions. As regional sales rep for a software company, she was a “heavy hitter” who produced outstanding results quarter after quarter. She was a loving wife…

• Zoecity.com: A New Way for Christian Leaders to Stay Up-to-Date

  Michael Hyatt

  4 Feb 2010 | 2:00 am

  Many people admit to me that they are drowning in information. “How do you keep up?” they ask. “Between email, Facebook, Twitter, blogs, and, and the constant stream of news, I am overwhelmed. I don’t know what is important and what is trivial.” Photo courtesy of ©iStockphoto.com/[photographer] Consider this: new content is being pushed out at an exponential rate. As high-speed broadband becomes commoditized, it is becoming increasingly cheaper to produce and consume content. The Internet is doubling in size every 5.32 years. (Unfortunately, my brain capacity is not doubling in…

• Real Leaders Go First

  Michael Hyatt

  3 Feb 2010 | 2:00 am

  Years ago, when I was still in college, I was a summer intern for a non-profit organization. I had competed against scores of candidates and won a spot on a prestigious sales team. It paid $65.00 a week. I was thrilled at the opportunity and eager to get started. Photo courtesy of ©iStockphoto.com/carlofranco The job was in another city, so the first day was spent in traveling and getting settled. The second day was our first official day on the job. It began with a full-day training session. We were going to be cold-calling prospective customers, so we began with a thorough exploration of…

• 
  Leadership & Learning

• Fascinate: Your 7 Triggers to Persuasion and Captivation

  Kevin Eikenberry

  8 Feb 2010 | 3:30 am

  This week’s Resource Recommendation – Fascinate: Your 7 Triggers to Persuasion and Captivation By Sally Hogshead We buy products because we are fascinated in some way. We enter professions, pick jobs and choose friends (and mates) because of fascination. We pick movies, television shows and books because of  . . . fascination. This book arrived in my mail courtesy of the author. When I met Sally more than a year ago she was working on this book. We talked about it. I was fascinated. When I picked up the book, I knew Sally hit a home run. The book is divided into three parts:…

• Seven Ways to Nurture Professional Relationships

  Kevin Eikenberry

  8 Feb 2010 | 3:30 am

  Early in my consulting career I started telling people the consulting business is a relationship business. I was right, just a little short sighted. Actually all business is a relationship business. All work is a relationship business. All leadership is a relationship business. And while our focus in this article is on business or professional relationships, I believe you could say, at some level, life is a relationship business. Regardless of how you would say it, it is hard to overlook the importance of relationships in all of our professional endeavors. Having stronger relationships…

• Grade Your Goals

  Kevin Eikenberry

  6 Feb 2010 | 5:18 am

  Tony Robbins says, “People are not lazy. They simply have impotent goals – that is, goals that do not inspire them.” So I ask you . . . Are your goals impotent, or important? If you aren’t making as much progress as you wish, in any area of your life, ask yourself that question again. And as a leader I challenge you . . . Have you created created impotent or important goals? If you wish your team was more “engaged” or “motivated”  look first in the mirror and the goals that exist for the team/organization.

• Your Farmer List

  Kevin Eikenberry

  5 Feb 2010 | 11:04 pm

  The title and  idea for this post comes from social media superstar and super good guy (I’m pleased to call him a friend) Chris Brogan, who recently wrote a post called, Your Farmer List . In the post Chris shares things that should be on a blogger’s daily task list.  Of course, as a farm kid, I totally get Chris’ point.  Growing up with hogs, there were tasks that had to be done everyday.  Pigs had to be fed – at least twice per day.  7 days a week, 365 days a year.  This wasn’t a “should do” or “put it on your to do list” thing,…

• I Love Snow – and Why That Matters to You

  Kevin Eikenberry

  5 Feb 2010 | 2:55 pm

  Watch this video, and take the action I suggest – it might be your most important leadership activity of the day – and I might make you smile too!

• 
  Andrew P. Moore

• 4 Templates IT Departments MUST Have!

  andrew

  29 Jan 2010 | 4:09 pm

  During my career as an IT consultant, I have been asked by many different clients and by various members of my team for information on policies, procedures and templates.  There are thousands of small businesses that do not have the time or resources to draft documents or polices for items like acceptable use of computers/media, setting up new computers/users or change control. Work Without Process is Burn Out I believe that there are certain critical documents and policies that every IT department should have regardless of the size.  The level at which the policy…

• Spiderman, Perspective, Theft and Cookies

  andrew

  29 Jan 2010 | 8:56 am

  I have found that I gain a different view of how I perform as a manager when I grow as a father, husband and a human being.  It was a very enlightening lesson.  The truth is I used to separate who I was as at home and who I was at work.  I used to call this the Spiderman theory.  My thoughts were that I had to be a different person when I was at work.  I walled off my personal life from the office.  I built a boundary in order to be tough at work so I could “better lead” my team.  This strategy was very ignorant. Breaking down my walls in order to bring a personal,…

• Volunteerism in the Workplace- Leading by Example

  andrew

  23 Jan 2010 | 1:30 pm

  It is now 2010…  I look back on 2009 and cannot believe what had to happen for our firm to come out without having to lay off anybody.  There is truth that many Managed Service Providers (MSPs) grew in 2009 due to outsourcing, but many stayed flat and did all hey could to stay in the black.  We stayed flat- mostly because we chose to invest in our business with items like a building and a cloud network and training systems.  I digress…  My point is that we as a company seem to have weathered part of the greatest economic turn down in a lifetime without losing…

• Hubris – How Not to Lead

  andrew

  20 Jan 2010 | 7:59 pm

  Don't Let Your Passion Destroy Your Dream At seeing the Whale-  Ahab lost his last sense of reason.  ”All that most maddens and torments; all that stirs up the lees of things; all truth with malice in it; all that cracks the sinews and cakes the brain; all the subtle demonisms of life and thought; all evil, to crazy Ahab, were visibly personified, and made practically assailable in Moby Dick. He piled upon the whale’s white hump the sum of all the general rage and hate felt by his whole race from Adam down; and then, as if his chest had been a mortar, he burst his hot…

• 5 Most Important Business and Leadership Posts This Week

  andrew

  20 Jan 2010 | 2:37 pm

  I have decided to begin a post each week of the top 5 best links I have come across.  I hope that the information will focus on leadership.  Some of this will focus on SEO and Social Networking.  Here is the best of what’s around: Email Etiquette 101 –  Great Article by Michael Hyatt on how you should deal with email. Why Your 4,243,564 Twitter Followers Don’t Mean Jack – Perfect examples of how people push one way on web 2.0 Why Google Employees Quit – Shocking info on what everyone thinks is a great place to work! 21 Dumbest Moves in Business 2009 –…

• 
  LeaderLab

• Skills Theory

  david

  4 Feb 2010 | 6:06 am

  The skills theory grew from the obvious flaw in the trait approach; traits are relatively fixed. This meant that trait theory was not particularly useful for developing new leaders who lack those traits. Skills theorists sought to discover the skills and abilities that made leaders effective. Similar to trait theory, skills theories are leader-centric, focused on what characteristics about leaders make them effective. The two primary theories to develop from a skills approach were Katz’sthree-skill approach and Mumford’s skills model of leadership. The three-skill approach argued that…

• Trait Theory

  david

  28 Jan 2010 | 5:21 am

  The search for the characteristics or traits of leaders has existed for centuries. History’s greatest philosophical writings from Plato’s Republic to Plutarch’s Lives have explored the question of “What qualities distinguish an individual as a leader?” Underlying this search was the early recognition of the importance of leadership and the assumption that leadership is rooted in the characteristics that certain individuals possess. So it is natural that the first systematic attempt t study leadership researched the traits of leaders. The theories that began were also dubbed…

• Book Review: The Peter Principle

  david

  26 Jan 2010 | 4:00 pm

  I’m going to stretch my rule on reviewing solid, researched books on leadership or organizational theory. The Peter Principle is in, fact theory. However, it hasn’t been researched because it’s also satire. The Peter Principle is both a book by Dr. Laurence J. Peter and Raymond Hull and an organization principle similar to Parkinson’s Law. The Peter Principle is the principle that “In a Hierarchy Every Employee Tends to Rise to His Level of Incompetence.” The Peter Principle introduced the “salutary science of Hierarchiology,” “inadvertently…

• A Word on Theory

  david

  21 Jan 2010 | 12:32 pm

  Two Actually: useful lies. All theories are useful lies. Theories are attempts to simplify what is happening in a set of observations. They are attempts to describe reality that typically fall short (otherwise they wouldn’t be so simple). Consider the opposing theories of the earth’s shape: flat or round. At first, mankind thought the earth of flat. Then, at a highly debatable point in time, it was decided that the world was a sphere. However, both theories are still being used. Shipbuilders didn’t need to make any adjustments in designing boats with this new information, so the old…

• LeaderLab Episode 0101 – Bret Simmons

  david

  19 Jan 2010 | 7:02 pm

  This inaugural episode’s guest is Dr. Bret Simmons, PhD.  Dr. Simmons is a professor of organizational behavior and leadership at the University of Nevada, Reno. His interests include leadership, followership and positive organizational behavior. Additionally, Dr. Simmons runs corporate training sessions and blogs regularly at bretlsimmons.com. 0:00 Introduction 2:05 Do you notice a difference in receptiveness to theory between university students and corporate trainees? 5:15 Do you tend to favor certain theories? 6:41 How do you determine what theory to use? 10:45 Talk to us about…

• 
  Reflection Leadership

• February Leadership Development Blog Carnival

  Tom Glover

  8 Feb 2010 | 4:14 am

  Reading time: 1 – 2 minutes It’s time again for the Leadership Development Blog Carnival. This month’s blog carnival was put together by Mark Bennett and is being hosted at TalentedApps. This month’s offering includes submissions from 35 of the best leadership writers that I know and I’m honored to be included along with this group. The monthly Leadership Development Blog Carnival is a great source of information related to developing leaders. Some of the information that we find helps with our own development as leaders and some helps with our development of others. Since…

• The Right Way to Delegate

  Tom Glover

  5 Feb 2010 | 4:54 am

  Reading time: 4 – 7 minutes In a previous article about why leaders can’t do it all, I suggested that we need to be able to delegate work effectively if we hope to be able to get all the work done that we need to in order to meet our goals and vision. I also suggested what delegation should not be. Now I want to take a look at what effective delegation should be. Those who have a position of leadership or authority need to be spending the bulk of their time leading and managing. In most cases, this means there isn’t enough time to be able to lead and manage AND be able to do the…

• Leaders Can’t Do It All

  Tom Glover

  2 Feb 2010 | 5:19 am

  Reading time: 4 – 6 minutes One of the main purposes of leadership is to get things done. We have a vision or goals that we want to meet so we motivate and inspire others who follow us and help us get where it is we’re trying to go. In most cases, the complexity of the leader’s job is such that there isn’t enough time in the day to do everything ourselves. This is why effective leaders need to be able to become effective delegators. Delegation Isn’t Always Easy Unfortunately, delegation seems to be one of the hardest skills for leaders to learn. Of the folks I’ve asked to…

• Should Leaders Focus on Each Individual Follower?

  Tom Glover

  29 Jan 2010 | 4:07 am

  Reading time: 3 – 4 minutes My previous two articles included and introduction to Leader-Member Exchange theory, or LMX, as well as the challenge we face as leaders because of this theory. Once again I owe the topic for this article to David Burkus who, in a comment he posted to the last article, asked a great question: Do we always want to move people out of our in-group, or are there valid and preferable reasons to relegating someone to our out-group? As I’ve thought about this question, I can certainly think of reasons why I’ve put folks in my out-group, but I struggle with…

• The Challenge of Leader-Member Exchange Theory

  Tom Glover

  27 Jan 2010 | 4:37 am

  Reading time: 4 – 6 minutes In my last article, I introduced the Leader-Member Exchange theory or LMX as it’s known. LMX suggests that every leader has a unique, individual relationship with each follower and that each of these relationships is different in terms of the quality of the interactions. LMX also goes on to suggest that as leaders we have a definite “in-group” and “out-group” and the group individual followers end up in will determine the quality of the interaction and relationship we have with each follower. So, if the Leader-Member Exchange theory is accurate and…

• 
  Blanchard Leader Chat

• Leadership Lessons from Super Bowl XLIV

  Randy Conley

  8 Feb 2010 | 1:24 pm

  The underdog New Orleans Saints defeated the Indianapolis Colts 31-17 in yesterday’s NFL Super Bowl, in large part I believe, to the power of their purpose. Purpose is defined as “the reason for which something exists or is done; an intended or desired result; determination, resoluteness.” Not that the Colts didn’t have a purpose because they certainly did. Every NFL team has a purpose of winning the Super Bowl each year. But this year it seemed as though the New Orleans Saints connected with their own purpose on a much deeper level that fueled them to victory when it counted most.

• A Deeper Look at the 100 Best Places to Work

  David Witt

  5 Feb 2010 | 9:23 am

  Earlier this week, Fortune magazine announced this year’s 100 Best Companies to Work For, an annual listing of the companies that provide employees with the best combination of pay, perks, and culture.  It’s a great list that highlights some of the best employers, but sometimes the publicity that accompanies the list’s release gives people the wrong idea about what makes up an engaging work environment. While the consultancy that scores the companies, Great Place to Work Institute, goes to great lengths to measure each company on five serious organizational factors, the follow up…

• Creating a Culture That Works

  David Witt

  2 Feb 2010 | 6:55 am

  Do you think about the culture operating in your organization? Unless you’re employed in a human resource capacity, the answer is probably “no.”  In a new article entitled Creating a Culture That Works, senior consulting partners Chris Edmonds and Bob Glaser say that culture is usually poorly understood in most organizations even though it is a key factor that impacts employee satisfaction, engagement, and overall employee productivity. Considering the importance of a supportive and aligned culture, why is it under the radar for most senior executives? Part of the reason is that…

• Advice for New Managers—3 tips for a fast start

  David Witt

  27 Jan 2010 | 7:52 am

  Madeleine Homan-Blanchard, the co-founder of The Ken Blanchard Companies’ Coaching Services Division has a soft spot for new managers.  She understands the challenges people face when they make the shift from an individual contributor to a supervisor.  To help with the transition, Homan-Blanchard recommends that new managers take a minute to catch their breath and then review a couple of the new changes in their life. Three things—getting comfortable with being a beginner again, scoring some early wins, and learning how to ask for help—can make the transition smoother. Being a…

• Making the Shift from Knowing to Doing

  David Witt

  22 Jan 2010 | 7:29 am

  Has there ever been a time when we’ve had more access to good information about leading and managing people? Probably not.  Has it changed the way the majority of managers are leading their people?  The jury is still out on that one. What gets in the way of managers making the shift from knowing to doing?  In their book Know Can Do! authors Ken Blanchard, Dick Ruhe, and the late Paul Meyer, identify three big reasons why people don’t put more of their good ideas into practice. See if any of these rings true for you. Too much knowledge Too much negativity Bad habits To overcome these…

• 
  RoundtableTalk

• Undercover Boss has WM COO Larry O’Donnell shovelling *bleep*

  LeaderTalker

  5 Feb 2010 | 4:51 pm

  And we’re not talking about the type of “shovelling” that can on around the boardroom table!  Here’s a show you’re going to have to check out. Its called Undercover Boss and premiers after the SuperBowl this weekend. The first episode follows Larry O’Donnell, President and COO of Waste Management, a Fortune 200, 45,000+ employee company. It is absolutely fascinating to watch the big cheese go from the boardroom to literally pumping poop out a port-a-potty. There are countless lessons in this episode, but the big reminder I got was how easy it is for…

• Managing expectations

  LeaderTalker

  3 Feb 2010 | 5:49 am

  Here’s a little trick I learned from a consulting colleague about how to manage the expectations of yourself, your boss or your direct reports.  You could do this exercise with peers too. One of the biggest gaps I’ve found as a leader is the gap between what I consider to be “at performance” expectations vs. “exceeding” expectations.  In my head, with my teams, it’s always been “clear” to me when I felt someone was performing at, above or below expectations.  But here’s the thing… I was shocked to find that people…

• Was Leno sheepwalking?

  LeaderTalker

  31 Jan 2010 | 11:04 am

  Readers of our monthly e-zine, The Roundtable Recap (see a back issue here), would have caught our latest book review on Seth’s Godin’s little book of big ideas: Tribes.  It’s an excellent read for too many reasons to mention, but one of the concepts that Godin throws out is that of individuals who choose to “sheepwalk” through their careers by sticking with the status quo, never challenging assumptions, doing what’s been told.  He paints a picture of the hazards of this, seemingly, “good” employee approach and encourages individuals to play…

• What’s your Ghostbuster?

  LeaderTalker

  29 Jan 2010 | 5:38 am

  Last night, I moderated a panel for the Schulich MBA alumni on Brand You.  We did our own “Brand You” event in October (check out the blog recap here).  Anyway, great group and great panelists – Andrea Garson and Gabriella O’Rourke – but my memorable moment came from the crowd: After a table discussion break, one of the participants made a statement that went along the lines of “When you think about your brand – or as I like to call it, your Ghostbuster – you gotta think how do I get people to think ‘who you gonna call?’ With the answer being, me!”. I love that! …

• The trouble with blindspots

  LeaderTalker

  26 Jan 2010 | 6:00 am

  Recently, I had a conversation with a client about the evils of 360 feedback (for the uninitiated, this is when you get feedback on your performance from your boss, peers and direct reports and see how it stacks up with your own self perception.  A humbling experience for many and a downright nightmare for some).  Apparently, my clients’ organization had rolled  out some 360 tool and it was a disaster.  People were alienated and bad feelings were rampant.  Needless to say, my client isn’t in much of a hurry to put leaders through another 360 any time soon (and I’m sure…

• 
  RockStar Leader

• Leadership Lessons from Wynton Marsalis

  Barry Zweibel

  17 Jan 2010 | 4:43 pm

  Here are 15 lessons to help you become and stay a better leader from Wynton Marsalis. 1- THINK BIG, BUT DON’T BE IMPATIENT. Deferring the rewards of long-term success is difficult but necessary if you are going to have the mental fortitude to achieve them. 2. BE PERFECT IN INTENTION; YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE PERFECT IN EXECUTION. Mistakes, by you and your staff, will happen. 3. YOU CAN ONLY DO THE BEST THAT YOU CAN DO. Keep your goals high, but don’t set yourself up for failure. Be patient. 4. DON’T APOLOGIZE FOR A MISTAKE. APOLOGIZE IF YOU DON’T PLAY. Knowing that…

• Book a Bigger Gig

  Dave Mayer

  8 Jan 2010 | 7:51 am

  You could say that I booked the first major club gig for our band because of the opportunity to play in front of a larger audience. Or because of the massive sound system we’d get to run through. Or because we could finally hand out actual tickets – with our band name on them! – to our friends and fans. You could say any of those things, and you wouldn’t be far off the mark, but in truth, I booked it for another, more fundamental reason: our band wasn’t going anywhere at the time. We’d played block parties, office get-togethers, impromptu jams for friends, even a late-night (very…

• Design Your Best Year Ever

  Tom Schulte

  7 Jan 2010 | 8:47 am

  Design Your Best Year Ever. Posted in Intersections

• Clean, Crunch, and Lead

  Dave Mayer

  20 Dec 2009 | 9:05 pm

  Clean, crunch, and lead… They’re the holy trinity of tone among guitarists – endlessly discussed, tweaked, and refined. We’ve all heard dozens of variations on each in popular music. Clean is the sparkling guitar tone in the introduction to Boston’s “More than a Feeling.” Crunch is the thick, meaty  tone that opens Deep Purple’s “Smoke on the Water.” Lead is the soaring, incendiary tone on famous guitar solos – think Eddie Van Halen’s seminal “Eruption.” Guitarists obsess over these three separate, but related, guitar tones; famous ones are analyzed at…

• String Cheese and Rock Star Leadership

  Barry Zweibel

  19 Dec 2009 | 7:16 pm

  I liked the format of Time magazine’s 12/14/2009 interview with Foo Fighters front-man, Dave Grohl – regular people emailing in questions for Grohl to answer, which he did with surprising candor and aplomb. But something he said really got me thinking about an important element of being a Rock Star Leader (RSL). First, an excerpt from the interview: To the question, “Has becoming a father changed the way you write music?” Grohl replied: “I used to tour nine months out of the year. Now I don’t like being away from my kids for more than 12 days. It’s changed…