Eric Jacobson On Management And Leadership

"When you convey your vision, you must show your passion for it and commitment to it," explains Bart Egnal in his book, Leading Through Language.
And, use words that show how you and your listeners should feel about what you are saying whether that be about your vision or the vision of your organization.
For example, here are two examples from Egnal that demonstrate how to take a generic vision and then deliver it with language that shows the speaker's emotions:
Emotionless: "To become Florida's industry leader in caring for seniors in their retirement by 2020."
With excitement: "I believe that together we can take this company to a place where we are the industry leader in Florida by 2020 - and we'll do it by becoming the first choice for seniors who are looking for a place to retire comfortably."
Emotionless: "To become a truly global fertilizer products business that serves clients on all continents."
With urgency, passion: "We'…

One of the most difficult words for anyone, leaders included, to say is, "sorry."
Yet, the time will likely come when that's the word you need to say. Research shows that apologizing in a heartfelt way can help you reduce stress and alleviate guilt.
In the position of needing to apologize?  Do this: Apologize immediately. Say you are sorry.Take responsibility for the situation.Acknowledge the offense.Ask forgiveness with a promise that it won't happen again.Offer restitution whenever possible.And, should your apology go unaccepted, most experts say forgive yourself and move on.
Note: Thanks to St. Joseph Medical Center in Kansas City, MO for this sound advice.

Author Paul Falcone offers the following great advice for how to become a stronger career mentor and coach by helping your subordinates grow and develop in their own careers. Encourage others to engage in random acts of kindness.Find creative ways of surprising your customers.Focus on making bad relationships good and good relationships better.Look for new ways of reinventing the workflow in light of your company's changing needs.Think relationship first, transaction second.Realize that people can tell more about you by the depth of your questions than by the quality of your statements.Separate the people from the problem.Always provide two solutions for each question you ask or suggestion you raise.Employ right-brain imagination, artistry, and intuition plus left-brain logic and planning.And, one of my favorite pieces of advice from Falcone: Convert "yes...but:" to "yes...and" statements to acknowledge the speaker's point of view and to share additional insi…

Today's leadership tip on how to be an active listener comes from the book, Stronger. The authors explain that perhaps the best single technique to convey effective listening requires you to be an active listener.
When someone has finished making a point, use that person's name and then paraphrase in your words the essence of what you understood that person to say. Then ask a follow-question. Frame your question to keep the focus on the person speaking.

Change is inevitable. Change is good.  Help your employees and team learn to embrace change.
Here are some solid insights from Dr. Rodger Dean Duncan's (Liberty, Missouri) book, Change-friendly Leadership -- How to Transform Good Intentions into  Great Performance: The kind of behavior change that results in lasting (sustainable) change must accommodate people's feelings--feelings that involve trust, confidence, passion, and all those other intangible but very real things that make us human.It's often the stress that people resist, not the change itself.Continuity gives us roots; change gives us branches, letting us stretch and grow and reach new heights (Pauline R. Kezer).A transformational leader focuses primarily on initiating and "managing" change.  He/she influences people to improve, to stretch, and to redefine what's possible.It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change (Charles Darw…