Many years ago, when asked what the most powerful force in the universe was, Albert Einstein said, “compound interest.” What I am writing about today, might be, with all due respect to Albert, just as powerful. The reason is that in many ways, they are the same thing: compound interest allows your money to grow on itself and incremental improvement allows your skills and … [Read more...]
The Compassion Paradox
Effective leaders are comfortable with paradox. They can call on skills and work in ways that seem to be contradictory. Dictionary.com defines paradox as “a seemingly contradictory statement that may nonetheless be true.” As I study the field, I find many paradoxes associated with leadership. I see that developing the skills of a great leader requires us to work in apparently … [Read more...]
Do You Have a High-Performance Culture and Why Does it Matter?
CEOs and C-level team members are generally focused on building the right company culture, and the “right culture” for many is a high-performance culture. The term has become a buzz word for company growth, and many executives believe that they have already mastered this culture. But does your company actually have a high-performance culture, and why does it matter if you … [Read more...]
Infographic: 9 Daily Rituals to Boost Performance at Work
We have officially turned the page on 2020, and now is a great time to put into place best practices that enable you to maximize the hours you spend on the job. Check out this outstanding infographic for quick tips and daily rituals you can use to boost your overall productivity and happiness at work. And if you want a free source of weekly inspiration to help you become a … [Read more...]
Manage “Everything is Urgent” Behavior
We all know one person who thinks every to-do is urgent. Everything the person asks of you needs to be done right now. Maybe, as the leader, you are that person, expecting your employees to drop everything to focus on your requests, no matter how insignificant. Right now, when people are already feeling stressed, overwhelmed and distracted, that kind of attitude can have a … [Read more...]
4 Ways to Promote Remote Team Collaboration
Maybe when you started your leadership gig you had no plans of managing a virtual team, but the pandemic forced you to adapt quickly. Maybe you were hired specifically to manage a virtual team or a hybrid team, with some employees on site and others working remotely. Or maybe as times have changed, your team has morphed in to all or partially virtual. Regardless how you got … [Read more...]
Should You Already Be Grooming a Successor?
Imagine this interesting scenario: You just began your new supervisory role and your boss announces that it’s time for you to find your replacement. No, you haven’t done anything wrong and you’re not getting fired. Your boss believes in preparing for the future by succession planning, which means you train your replacement in conjunction with doing your job. Surprisingly, this … [Read more...]
The Leadership Secret to Getting More Done
One of the things I notice as I work with new leaders is a tendency to accept work practices and processes as fixed entities. In some cases, company procedures, processes and work practices are mandated from a level far removed from the front-line supervisor, and they are relatively fixed. However, in most cases, front-line supervisors have more flexibility and … [Read more...]
In Person Meetings in the Time of Corona? How One Company is Making it Happen
Remote meetings have kept business going during the pandemic, but as companies open back up, leaders are realizing that face-to-face meetings could benefit the team. "Remote work may be the new normal, but there are also times when getting everyone together in the same room is extremely valuable," says innovation expert Howard Tiersky, owner of New York City's Innovation Loft, … [Read more...]
140 Top CEOs Identify Nine Crucial Skills and Mindsets for Future Leaders
This is a guest post by Jacob Morgan, author of The Future Leader. When I would speak at conferences and events around the word, I would frequently get asked, "What should we be teaching leaders now to prepare for the future?" Unfortunately, there is not much research that explores this, especially including the perspectives of top CEOs, so I decided to tackle this with my … [Read more...]