Eric Jacobson On Management And Leadership

Why do some teams succeed while others stumble?   Because hiring, developing and engaging talent requires careful decisions that are too easy to get wrong without data. In   The Science of Dream Teams: How Talent Optimization Can Drive Engagement, Productivity, and Happiness , author   Mike Zani   introduces the science of “ talent optimization ,” a new discipline that’s a far more reliable way to manage your employees than your gut instincts.  “ Proper talent optimization lifts morale, builds teams, and turbocharges productivity ,” explains Zani.  With simple steps, Zani (a former US Olympic sailing team coach) shows how companies of any size can collect and analyze voluntary data about their employees to purposefully align a company’s business and talent strategies.  The book explores how CEOs and management teams can collect and use data to: Build effective teams of highly sought-after professionals while optimizing costs. Create a company culture b...

Startup founders are often celebrated as visionaries—but what happens when their greatest strengths become their biggest liabilities?   They face a crucial, often overlooked problem in the startup world: the very qualities that help founders launch companies—relentless drive, rebellious thinking, and big-picture vision—can derail them as their businesses grow.   Most founders hit a leadership ceiling, and without personal evolution, their companies (and careers) implode.   “Why? Because the same people who command respect and effort also happen to be control freaks who are terrible at delegating and worse at empowering,” share Richard Hagberg and Tien Tzuo , authors of the new book, Founders, Keepers .   They add that, “The same people who will new things into existence are undisciplined workaholics who exhaust themselves and everyone around them. They can see the future, but they lack the capacity to think and organize collectively.”   Drawing on nea...

“Today, being memorable is the holy grail of communication,” says bestselling author Bill McGowan . “ Exceptional speaking, in its truest sense, has been buried under layers of bland, banal, and forgettable communication. In a world where everyone’s 'on message,' no one can stand out.”   His terrific, tactical, timely, and entertaining new book, Speak, Memorably  (authored with Juliana Silva ), helps professionals break away from canned communication and find their true—and most effective—voice no matter the workplace.  McGowan explains that the three edicts for how NOT to speak memorably are: Produce three key messages. Keep bridging back to those messages. Tell ’em what you’re going to tell ’em, tell ’em, and tell ’em what you told ’em.  Therefore, Speak Memorably  offers concrete strategies and tools to help anyone, in any stage of their career, cut through the numbing sameness of cliches and boring business rhetoric — and helps them break ...

In the new book, The Upper Hand , human behavioral scientist Dr. Abbie Maroño shows you how to influence people and situations in your favor with skill and integrity—and without the need for leverage or coercion.  “You will learn how to get what you want from others and build stronger relationships by replacing coercive tactics with a social science-backed playbook for winning trust,” says Maroño.  She explains that “The Upper Hand” is a framework for using influence through ethical, mutually beneficial means. And more specifically, she shows you how to build and maintain trust by gaining an understanding of the psychological mechanisms underpinning human decision making.  The book presents five key truths about the complexity of human behavior that you can count on one hand to give you the upper hand: We are our brains. We are driven to survive (by any means necessary). We want to connect and cooperate. We have a mind-body feedback loop. We want to protect our ...

“How you show up, what you stand for, and what actions you take to that end—as an individual and as a leader in your organization—are now gating factors to lasting success,” explains   Frank Calderoni   in his book,   UPSTANDING:  How Company Character Catalyzes Loyalty, Agility, and Hypergrowth .  Calderoni explains that leaders must put character at the center of everything they do, and he explains that  company culture is distinct from company character . He explains that:   Company culture  is the system of beliefs, values, goals, behaviors, and the way employees feel working in the organization—from leadership style, decision-making norms, customer experience, and company policies—officially and unofficially. Essentially, it’s the personality of the organization.   Company character  is the integrity, respect, and fortitude residing at the core of your culture. It is the basis of trust and emotional connection people have with your ...

“By understanding how their own mind works and training it for the most essential qualities, leaders can lead themselves effectively first, in order to better lead their people and tap into their human need for meaning, fulfillment and human connectedness,” explain  Rasmus Hougaard  and  Jacqueline Carter , authors of the book,  The Mind Of The Leader . Their book is based on extensive research, including  assessments of more than 35,000 leaders and interviews with 250 C-level executives. The authors found that  three mental qualities are essential to becoming effective leaders . Leaders must be: Mindful  – being present and attentive to their employees’ needs. Being focused versus distracted. Being aware versus being on autopilot. Selfless  – to model cultures based on growth and learning instead of ego. Being selfless versus ego-centered. Being confident versus diffident. Compassionate  – to show their employees they have their backs. Being...