Eric Jacobson On Management And Leadership

If you want to delight your customers, then the new book by Steve Curtin, Delight Your Customers -- 7 Simple Ways to Raise Your Customer Service from Ordinary to Extraordinary , is a must-read for you and your employees. Published just a few weeks ago, the book explains the seven ways for you and your employees to demonstrate exceptional customer service : Express genuine interest Offer sincere and specific compliments Share unique knowledge Convey authentic enthusiasm Use appropriate humor Provide pleasant surprises Delivery service heroics "Exceptional customer service typically costs no more to deliver than poor customer service," explains Curtin. For example: How much does it cost to express genuine interest in customers or to anticipate their needs? Does it cost more to display a sense of urgency or to pay attention to detail? Do you pay your employees more to smile, to make eye contact, or to add energy to their voices? Curtin reminds readers t...

"Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen." -- Winston Churchill

These  five quotes from the new book released this week, Manager 3.0 , really impress and inspire me: "The leader is the person who brings a little magic to the moment." -- Denise Morrison "The task of leadership is not to put greatness into people, but to elicit it, for the greatness is there already." -- John Buchan "The ones who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones that do." -- Apple Inc. "The single biggest problem with communication is the illusion that it has taken place," -- George Bernard Shaw. "Twenty years from now you will more be disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did." -- Mark Twain Manager 3.0 is a management book tailored specifically for young business leaders and provides them with the tools to bridge generation gaps in the workplace and gain awareness of other's differences and their own. It's authored by Brad Karsh and Courtney Templ...

The  70 tips  below make for a good list for learning how to become a better leader when you don't have a lot of time to read books about leadership. And, if you've been a leader for a long time, how about taking a few minutes to run through the list and scoring yourself on how well you carry out each leadership skill? 1. Don't micromanage 2. Don't be a bottleneck 3. Focus on outcomes, not minutiae 4. Build trust with your colleagues before a crisis comes 5. Assess your company's strengths and weaknesses at all times 6. Conduct annual risk reviews 7. Be courageous, quick and fair 8. Talk more about values more than rules 9. Reward how a performance is achieved and not only the performance 10. Constantly challenge your team to do better 11. Celebrate your employees' successes, not your own 12. Err on the side of taking action 13. Communicate clearly and often 14. Be visible 15. Eliminate the cause of a mistake 16. View every ...

Leadership and communication expert David Grossman  has released his most empowering eBook yet --  The Courageous Communicator Quest -- designed for leaders who don’t want to just lead; but be great leaders. Grossman's latest eBook is an ideal guidebook for those who are brave at heart and are ready to embark on the journey to become a remarkable leader. “To be a great leader, we need to bust the myths within ourselves, face common fears that come with leading, and tackle our challenges head on,” explains David Grossman , ABC, APR, Fellow PRSA, Founder and CEO of The Grossman Group . “With effort and determination, anyone can be a great leader.” Those who embark on The Courageous Communicator Quest will spend 13 weeks working through 13 challenges on the road to extraordinary leadership. “If you’re ready to leave your comfort zone, reach new heights and journey to new lands of self-understanding, this eBook is for you,” says Grossman. You can download...

I so appreciate this advice from William Arthur Ward , one of America's most quoted writers of inspirational maxims: Do more than belong: participate. Do more than care: help. Do more than believe: practice. Do more than be fair:  be kind. Do more than forgive: forget. Do more than dream: work.

Imagine navigating a tiny boat through a sudden, violent storm at sea -- with winds roaring at nearly 100 mph and waves soaring to 80 feet -- to not only survive, but triumph over formidable competitors in one of the world's toughest ocean races . It's a feat claimed by the crew of the AFR Midnight Rambler , overall winner of the 1998 Sydney to Hobart -- the most treacherous and tragic race to date in the six-decade history of Australia's iconic competition. As Dennis Perkins , an expert on thriving under daunting conditions, shows in his new book, Into The Storm , it's also a feat rich in lessons for anyone tasked with maintaining smooth, effective teamwork -- and delivering winning results -- in the unpredictable, turbulent waters of today's business environment. Inspired by the Ramblers -- the Midnight Rambler 's team of one determined skipper and six dedicated amateur sailors -- here are five crucial strategies, with proven tactics , for Teamwork ...

There are so many good things to learn in the book, Helping People Win At Work , by Ken Blanchard and Garry Ridge. Among those is the section about how to define meaningful work . Their definition consists of these seven attributes.  Work is meaningful when it : It is conducted in a manner that is "good and proper" in all respects. It positively affects our company and our communities, giving our work an impact that extends beyond ourselves. It provides learning and growth, offers challenges, requires creativity, pushes us to surpass limits, and creates exciting results. It provides recognition and rewards for our achievements. It allows us to succeed as a team while excelling as individuals. It allows us to enjoy the ride, bringing humor and fun into our work. It fuels passion!

When I think about excellent mentors in the business world, I think of Debbie Laskey , who has mentored many people during her career.  Debbie is passionate about mentoring.  So, she's an ideal person to answer the following five questions about mentoring: 1.  Why do you enjoy being a mentor? Since I have been in the workplace for nearly two decades, I have had the opportunity to learn from a number of individuals. Some were supervisors, some were executives, some were co-workers, and some were employees who reported to me. However, the mentorship relationship is different than those relationships. As a mentor, I have been able to share what I’ve learned with individuals (mentees) who are at the beginning stages of building a business. They have an insatiable appetite for suggestions and always appreciate ideas – even if they don’t apply them immediately. Mentees have no agenda and no time for unnecessary drama. While they may question suggestions, most of the time,...

Here's a good definition of the difference between a mission and a vision by leadership book authors George Bradt, Jayme A. Check and Jorge Pedraza: Mission - A mission guides what people do every day. It informs what roles need to exist in the organization. Vision - A vision is the picture of future success. It helps define areas where the organization needs to be best in class and helps keep everyone aware of the essence of the company.

In their 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?