Eric Jacobson On Management And Leadership

While recently reading C. Elliott Haverlack's new book,  Unbundle It , I found his  11 ground rules for meeting behaviors  to be particularly helpful: Arrive on time. Be respectful of other attendees. No phones or computers if at all possible. No leaving the meeting or getting up to walk around until scheduled breaks. No eating unless during working meal meetings (consuming beverages as appropriate is acceptable). No side conversations. Good posture. Listen intently (even if you don't want to). Ask questions at the appropriate time. No filibustering. Take notes.

With just a few days left in the first half of this year, it's time to check in to see how we're doing with our New Year's Resolutions for 2018. Congratulations on everything you've accomplished so far. And, if you are still seeking resolutions for this year, perhaps write down (and start working on) five to ten from the following list of ideal resolutions for leaders: Don't micromanage Don't be a bottleneck Focus on outcomes, not minutiae Build trust with your colleagues before a crisis comes Assess your company's strengths and weaknesses at all times Conduct annual risk reviews Be courageous, quick and fair Talk more about values more than rules Reward how a performance is achieved and not only the performance Constantly challenge your team to do better Celebrate your employees' successes, not your own Err on the side of taking action Communicate clearly and often Be visible Eliminate the cause of a mistake View every problem

A good manager is both a  coach and a counselor . Generally, coaching should precede counseling. As a coach ,   a manager: identifies an employee's need for instruction and direction and this need is usually directly related to his or her performance or career goals. Coaching is collaborative. It relies on mutual, progressive goal-setting, personal feedback, and an ongoing, supportive relationship. You coach to help retain employees and to show you care about your employees as individuals.  It's best to coach when a new procedure is introduced, a job is changed, and/or a skill gap is identified. As a counselor , a manager first identifies a problem that interferes with an employee's work performance and then helps the employee to define specifically what behavior he or she needs to change in order to improve his or her performance or resolve a problem. So, the difference between coach and counselor is subtle, but important. And,

Perhaps now more than ever it's time for the book by John Blakey called, The Trusted Executive: Nine Leadership Habits That Inspire Results, Relationships, and Reputation . The book is divided into three parts: Part One : Blakey explores how trust in executive leadership has been lost so that we can understand the scale and depth of the problem. Part Two : Here, Blakey shifts from exploring the theory of trustworthiness to studying its practice. Specifically, you'll learn a three pillar approach to building trustworthiness: Habits of Ability; Habits of Integrity; Habits of Benevolence . Part Three : Finally, Blakey reviews the impact of the three pillars and discusses governance, remuneration, corporate social responsibility, reporting, scale, regulation and structure. By the time you finish the book, you will also have learned about the nine habits that inspire trust . Choosing to: Deliver Coach Be Consistent Be Honest Be Open Be Humble Evangelize

"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."

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 o

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 t o 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 responsi

Hiring Greatness is the book by David E. Perry and Mark J. Haluska , who combined have closed more than 1,800 hiring search projects. In their book, the authors share their guide for how to attract, recruit and retain star executives . They advise that it is far more important that a leadership candidate possess specific intangible core attributes, than just decades of industry experience. And, these core attributes go far beyond mere technical skills. For Perry and Haluska, there are 28 core attributes they always look for in a candidate. Those 28 fit within  five pillars of success : Character Intellect Business Intelligence Leadership Emotional Intelligence They also recommend that when interviewing a candidate you particularly like that you take a healthy step back to figure out why you feel so strongly about that person. So, that you ensure you are not being biased by the following prejudices: Charm - Outward personality is never an accurate pre

Communication expert Bart Egnal reveals why jargon is so prevalent in the workplace, and why it usually undermines those who use it, in his new book, Leading Through Language . Step by step, Egnal demonstrates how effective leaders reject fuzzy terminology in favor of the language of leadership. And, by language of leadership, he means using language that clearly and powerfully brings ideas to life for the audience. The book has two parts. The first part examines why jargon exists and discusses its implications for leaders.The second part teaches how to use language that conveys ideas with energy, clarity, and conviction. Egnal also explains that before you think about language you need to adopt a leader's mindset using these s ix principles : Begin with vision . You must define the vision as a possibility that others can embrace or aspire to fulfill.Yet, it must be concrete enough that people can grasp it as something clear and achievable. Define your own c

Flashback to three years ago...because this book is so, so good! After reading nearly 30 new books about leadership this year, my pick for  2015's best new leadership book  is,  Advisory Leadership , by  Greg Friedman , Although the book is authored by an award-winning financial advisor and primarily written for professionals in the financial services industry, this book is a must read for any leader who wants to create a nurturing  heart culture  that hinges on the human-centric values the next generation of employees hold in high regard. And, what exactly is  heart culture ? Friedman says, "At its core, heart culture symbolizes how a company values more than just an employee's output. It's not about the work, but rather, the  people  who do the work." He further explains that leaders can no longer afford to ignore the shift toward a people-first culture and its direct influence on a healthy, effective work environment. Friedman t