Eric Jacobson On Management And Leadership

Because Dr. Rodger Dean Duncan delivers so much timely, straight-forward and relevant wisdom in his new book, Change-friendly Leadership , reading it is like talking with your trusted best friend. Or, listening to your favorite teacher.  Or, soaking in the thoughts from your respected mentor.  That's why you'll want to spend plenty of time reading the book.  Reflecting on the messages.  Absorbing the discussion,  And, then likely re-reading it.  Or, at least certain sections. Duncan demonstrates in the book how humanness, approachability , and friendliness are necessary but often overlooked elements of making change successful in an organization.  He teaches leaders the foundation for effectively engaging people's heads, hearts and hopes -- all necessary to enable effective and lasting (sustainable) change in today's constantly changing world.  Duncan refers to this as leading the whole person . According to Duncan: Change must accommodate people's

Increasingly, more companies are forming teams of employees to oversee their social media responsibilities. In his book, Social Marketology , Rick Dragon, shows business leaders how to choose the best tools for your needs and how to develop a strategy tailored to your goals. He also suggests various roles that you may want to learn more about and then ultimately fill as you create your social media team : Director of social media (DSM) Community manager Blog editor Blogger(s) Channel specialist Channel monitor Search engine optimization specialist Photographer/videographer Web producer Web analytics specialist And, as you grow your social media outreach, consider establishing one policy that covers the following areas, or create stand-alone policies for these areas: Overall philosophy Employee access and acceptable behavior Account management Employee conduct Content Security Legal Brand

In their new book, Rapid Realignment , authors George Labovitz and Victor Rosansky, reveal the most common responses from thousands of managers and workers when they were asked to think of the best boss they ever had, and then answer the question: " What did that person do to qualify as your best boss ?" And, those most common responses were : My best boss listened! My best boss backed me up. My best boss trusted me and respected me. My best boss gave me feedback. My best boss left me alone. What else would you add to this list?

From Paul Smith's new book, Lead With A Story , here are the 10 reasons for embracing storytelling as a business tool: Storytelling is simple Storytelling is timeless Stories are demographic-proof Stories are contagious Stories are easier to remember Stories inspire Stories appeal to all types of learners Stories fit better where most of the learning happens in the workplace Stories put the listener in a mental learning mode Telling stories shows respect for the audience Smith goes on to say that: you don't need a degree in English to tell a story stories can spread like wildfire lessons from a story are remembered more accurately, and for far longer, than learning derived from facts stories spark curiosity and interest rather than the urge to evaluate or criticize stories get your message across, without arrogantly telling listeners what to think or do Smith is Director of Consumer and Communications Research at The Procter & Gamble Company in Cinci

42 Rules For Getting Better At Getting Better is the sub-title of the new book, Practice Perfect . This is an interesting book because it is co-authored by three teachers and clearly it's a book for and about teachers. But, as the authors remind us, as leaders, we are also teachers.  And, that's why Practice Perfect is a valuable read for everyone who wants to help their employees grow and excel through practice. And, although there's a handy three-page summary of the 42 rules toward the end of the book , take the time to read about each rule covered in the chapters: Rethinking Practice How To Practice Using Modeling Feedback Culture of Practice Post-Practice: Making New Skills Stick Key lessons and takeaways for me from the book include the following tips for  providing effective feedback when working with someone who is practicing a skill : Correct instead of critique. Ask participants to redo an action differently or better rather than just telling

If you lead a business, nonprofit, or any entity that interacts with customers and consumers and this infographic surprises you: ...then you'll want to read Anna Ritchie's recent blog post , full of eye-opening infographics about how people are constantly distracted by TV, social media, online content, and more, often all at once.  And, how 90% of all media interactions are now screen-based . Ritchie recaps the findings a new research report that are must-reads for leaders and for all content marketers who are continuously looking for new ways to “break through the clutter” and grab the attention of their target customers, members and constituents.

Can you step back to lead forward ? That is the key question for you to answer as you start to read Kevin Cashman's new book, The Pause Principle . Because, Cashman firmly believes that as a leader, you need to pause to lead forward . " What sleep is to the mind and body, pause is to leadership and innovation ," explains Cashman. He goes on to say: Pause transforms management into leadership and the status quo into new realities. Pause, the natural capability to step back  in order to move forward with greater clarity, momentum, and impact, holds the creative power to reframe and refresh how we see ourselves and our relationships, our challenges, our capacities, our organizations and missions within a larger context. In his book , Cashman teaches you the value of using pause points to : Build self-awareness and clarity of purpose Explore new ideas Risk experimentation Question, listen, reflect and synthesize Challenge the status quo, within and aro

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.

Today, I share some of my favorite  quotes from Kevin Cashman's new book, The Pause Principle . "What sleep is to the mind and body, pause is to leadership and innovation." "Managers assert drive and control to get things done; leaders pause to discover new ways of being and achieving." "Managers require competency to drive results; leaders embody character to build a compelling, sustainable future." "Managers accelerate to keep pace with the competition; whereas leaders paradoxically step back to go beyond the competition."

Social Media For School Leaders is the title of Dr. Brian J. Dixon's new book being published this month by Jossey-Bass, an imprint of Wiley. "Just like websites, which eventually became 'must have,' every school district will ultimately need to embrace social media," says Dixon. In 264 pages, Dixon, with ten years of classroom experience in public, private and charter schools, shares his deep knowledge of social media to provide detailed descriptions of the best online tools available for school leaders.  And most important, he delivers step-by-step instructions for using the channels to move a school community from awareness to advocacy and from feedback to collaboration . Long gone are the days of open houses and photocopied newsletters.  A school's community expects frequent updates and vehicles to provide feedback. Because the book assumes the readers knows virtually nothing about the 14 online tools Dixon writes about, it is ideal for tech

Every business leader should periodically call his/her company to observe how their customers are being treated by their employees -- because, all too often a phone conversation becomes a customer turnoff rather than a relationship builder. So, here's a checklist that is primarily from sales expert and author Paul R. Timm that you can use to evaluate your organization's customer service via the phone: 1. Was the phone answered after two rings or less? 2. Did the employee use an appropriate greeting? 3. Did the employee identify himself or herself by name? 4. Was the employee's tone of voice pleasant and businesslike? 5. Was the call handled efficiently without being abrupt? 6. Did the employee provide accurate information or refer the caller to an appropriate person? 7. Did the employee reflect the best image for the company? 8. Did the employee thank the caller? 9. Did the employee make prudent use of putting the caller on hold if it was necessary to do so