Eric Jacobson On Management And Leadership

There is nothing more powerful for a leader to do than to lead by setting a good example . So, here are 15 things you can do to be an effective and successful leader : 1. Praise when compliments are earned. 2. Be decisive. 3. Say “Thank You” and sincerely mean it. 4. Communicate clearly. 5. Listen carefully. 6. Teach something new to your team members. 7. Word hard and lend a hand when deadlines are tight. 8. Show respect for everyone on your team. 9. Follow through when you promise to do something. 10. Allow learning to happen when mistakes are made. 11. Allow prudent autonomy. 12. Respond to questions quickly and fully. 13. Return e-mail and phone calls promptly. 14. Take an interest in your employees and their important personal milestone events. 15. Give credit where credit is due. And, last but not least, be humble!

Interesting observation about Steve Jobs from Bloomberg's Business Week magazine: "People credit him as an inventor akin to Edison, but his real genius was seizing upon existing concepts, simplifying and perfecting them, and then putting them forward at exactly at the right moment ."

Soon I'll post my full review of John C. Maxwell's latest book, The 5 Levels of Leadership .  In the meantime, here are some of my favorites quotes from the book that I believe should become a must-read book by any workplace/organizational leader: Good leadership isn't about advancing yourself.  It's about advancing your team. Leaders become great, not because of their power, but because of their ability to empower others. Leadership is action, not position. When people feel liked, cared for, included, valued, and trusted, they begin to work together with their leader and each other. If you have integrity with people, you develop trust.  The more trust you develop, the stronger the relationship becomes.  In times of difficulty, relationships are a shelter.  In times of opportunity, they are a launching pad. Good leaders must embrace both care and candor. People buy into the leader, then the vision. Bringing out the best in a person is often a catal...

I always look forward to my flights on Southwest Airlines .  That's because I get to read Gary Kelly's (Chairman, President and CEO) monthly column in the airline's in-flight magazine. This month, Kelly speaks to Southwest's Core , a core of values and company culture principles that leaders should emulate.  Kelly explains: Southwest is a company of people . We hire great people who have a passion for serving others . We give them the freedom to be themselves and to take care of our customers. We treat our employees like family . We treat our customers like guests in our home. Our guiding principle is, above all else, The Golden Rule

Be sure to check out the October 10, 2011 issue of Bloomberg Businessweek magazine, where you'll find an entire 66-page issue that takes you through the entire life of Jobs in what they describe as a biography of a boundary-breaking thinker and endlessly astute businessman. What got me hooked on the issue are the following quotes of wisdom and leadership from Jobs that the magazine features as its intro into its impressive retrospective issue: There is no reason not to follow your heart. Simple can be harder than complex.  You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. The only way to be satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. Don't be trapped by dogma. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. It's only by saying no that you can concentrate on the things that are really important. Don't settle. Things don't have to change the world to be important. Stay hungry.

" There is only one thing more painful than learning from experience and that is not learning from experience " -- Archibald MacLeish

" Frustration in the workplace is a silent killer," claim authors Mark Royal and Tom Agnew in their terrific new book, The Enemy of Engagement , coming out this month from Amacom. Further, "in an organizational context, frustration is not as simple as failing to get something you want.  Rather, it involves the inability to succeed in your role due to organizational barriers or the inability to bring the bulk of your individual talents, skills, and abilities to your job." Royal and Agnew further explain that a staggering number of highly motivated, engaged, and loyal employees quit trying--or quit, period---because they feel frustrated . And what's causing all that frustration?  It's lack of enablement .  According to Royal and Agnew, as employees grow in experience in their roles, they begin to focus less on learning the ropes and more on achieving desired results.  In the process, they are increasingly confronted with enablement constraints t...

As a leader , the time will come when you will have to speak with an employee about his or her poor performance. Here are six steps that will guide you through that process: Tell him what performance is in need of change and be specific. Tell him how his actions negatively affect the team. Let the discussion sink in. Set expectations of performance improvement and timeframe, and get his agreement on the desired outcome. Remind him that he is a valuable part of the team and that you have confidence his performance will improve. Don't rehash the discussion later. You made your point. Give him to make his improvement.