Eric Jacobson On Management And Leadership

Today's high school and college team sport athletes are learning leadership skills that will serve them well when they enter the workforce.  Here's some information about the research supporting the link between sports and leadership, along with some first-hand testimonials.

The former director of communications for McDonald's, David Grossman, now a leading consultant, speaker and author has released a free eBook about how to communicate effectively.  Titled, The Leader Differential: Five Steps To Thrive (Not Just Survive) , it's ideal for any leader or manager who wants to brush up on his/her communication skills. I particularly like the parts about: How much information is enough information to communicate How to choose the best communication channel How to manage your company's rumor mill David recently told me that his eBook is for any leader.  He said, "I've seen the traps discussed and the strategies to overcome them work irrespective of the economy, industry, leader's tenure or personality/style." David has worked with Microsoft, Cisco Systems and Virgin Atlantic, and is the president and founder of The Grossman Group in Chicago, IL. Poor communication within a company leads to more workplace theft, more i...

It's somewhat difficult to find a copy of Price Pritchett's 1992 handbook called, The Team Member Handbook For Teamwork, but if you do locate a copy, it provides you good, practical, useful information. Even if you can't snag a copy, you can learn a lot just from seeing the handbook's Table Of Contents.  You'll learn as a manager how to build a strong team.  You'll learn as a team member how to be effective on a team. Here's the Table Of Contents: Push for high quality communication Bring talent to the team Play your position Turn diversity to the team's advantage Back up others who need help Practice Be prepared to sacrifice for the team Help new teammates make entry Play down yourself and build up others Spend time with your teammates Help drive discipline into the group Make sure you make a difference Give attention to group process Help create a climate of trust Strengthen the leader through good followership Be a good sport T...

If you are leading a business or a nonprofit organization, take the hour or two to read Peter F. Drucker's book, The Five Most Important Questions You Will Ever Ask About Your Organization .  The 100-plus page book, co-written with Jim Collins, Philip Kotler, James Kouzes, Judith Rodin, V. Kasturi Rangan and Frances Hesselbein, encourages readers to ask these five critical questions about their business or organization: What is our Mission? Who is our Customer? What does the Customer Value? What are our Results? What is our Plan? These questions seem basic, but it is surprising how some companies don't dedicate the time and effort to formally ask these quesitions on a routine basis. Often, an organization may have a clearly defined mission, but that mission may not sync up with what their customer truly values.  Other times, an organization's results don't fully meet what the customer values most.  And, if #4 and #3 above don't match up correctly, the...