Eric Jacobson On Management And Leadership

  A few years ago, a Forbes survey revealed that nearly 100 percent of CEOs wish they had coaching or leadership advice from outside consultants. The same survey showed that only one-third of those CEOs got that coaching and guidance from outside their companies. That type of coaching often comes from executive coaches . “Executive coaches are professionals who are engaged by executives and/or their companies for the purpose of enhancing performance. Many executive coaches have background in psychology and are able to use that expertise in matters of personal effectiveness, interpersonal relations, general leadership, and a variety of other “ soft skills ,” explains Nancy Falls, author of the book, Corporate Concinnity in the Boardroom: 10 Imperatives To DriveHigh Performing Companies . If you don’t have access to an executive coach, Falls suggests you find opportunities for individual executive advising . Individual executive advisors are a hybrid betwee

“ Leadership is a choice, not a position ” – Stephen R. Covey

Gregg Thompson’s book, The Master Coach , reveals these 10 mistakes that you should avoid when you coach someone:  Trying to be a great coach . Instead, put your energy into helping the person become great. Working too hard . It’s your job to challenge the person to do the hard work. Not saying what needs to be said. Neglecting to ask the person how you can be most helpful. Assuming the person is a challenge to overcome or a problem to be fixed . Coaching is not a project, but rather a special relationship and conversation. Talking too much . Silence and attentive listening are some of the most powerful coaching tools. Owning the outcome . The person being coached owns both the success and the failures; you don’t. Giving excessive well-meaning advice . Steering the conversation toward the path you know is best . Instead, allow the person to find their own best path forward. Finishing without a commitment . Insist the person promises to advance their cause in some way

Jacob Morgan’s book, The Future of Work , helps you understand:  How the world of work is changing and the trends driving that change. How these changes impact the way employees work, the way managers lead, and how organizations are structured. And, what needs to be done to adapt to these changes.  You’ll learn specific principles for employees, managers, and organizations for how to stay relevant and competitive in a rapidly changing world. Morgan explains that the five primary trends shaping the future of work are: New behaviors Technology Millennials Mobility Globalization Furthermore, future managers, explains, Morgan must: Be a leader. Follow from the front. Understand technology. Lead by example. Embrace vulnerability. Believe in sharing and collective intelligence. Challenge convention and be a fire starter. Practice real-time recognition and feedback. Be conscious of personal boundaries. Adapt to the future employee.

According to the authors of the book, The Loyalist Team , members of this type of extraordinary team: Trust each other unconditionally. Assume positive intent, and if they can’t get there alone, they ask. Talk to each other, not about each other. Care about each other’s success as they do their own. Put the team’s agenda ahead of their own. Push each other to do their best work. Hold each other accountable: poor performance isn’t tolerated. Supports all team members, even when they make mistakes. Seek intelligent risk-taking and innovation. Discuss the toughest issues in the room and leave aligned. Give each other feedback, even when it’s hard. Have fun. Enable team members to be authentic.  Unfortunately, without these behaviors, teams typically fall within the these other less effective and functional team types: Saboteur Benign Saboteur Situational Loyalist The authors explain that the difference between Saboteur, Benign Saboteur, Situational Lo

Here is some great email protocol advice from Kory Kogon, Adam Merrill and Leena Rinne, authors of the book, The 5 Choices: The Path To Extraordinary Productivity :  Consciously decide if an email really needs to be sent. Keep it short to get the best response. Make an actionable subject line. Avoid vague on-word subject lines. Don’t discuss more than one subject. Don’t rely on the high-priority indicator (such as “!”). Write the body of the email first, before filling in the “To:” line. List the action steps first. Be clear about whom you’re asking to take the actions. If the message is short, put it in the subject line. Put “NRN” at the end of your message to indicate No Need to Reply. Use prefixes when necessary to let people know the urgency of the email and exactly how they need to respond. Avoid using too many acronyms. Respond to incoming emails within twenty-four hours. Don’t expect an immediate response to your outbound emails. Use out of office replie

Kip Tindell, former chairman and CEO of The Container Store , was at the helm of the company since the first store opened in Dallas, TX in 1978 until late 2019. In 2014, he, along with Paul Keegan and Casey Shilling, wrote the book, Un-contain-able . In it, Tindell reveals the seven foundation principals of his unique values-based business philosophy. Among those, my two favorites are: Hire one great person and you get three great people . One great person elevates the game of everyone around them to a new level. Communication IS leadership . Tindell believed every single employee should know absolutely everything, other than don’t talk about individual compensation. Beyond that, be fully transparent. Good leadership advice all around.

Heed this advice from Julian Birkinshaw, author of the book, Becoming A Better Boss , on how to be a better leader. Strive to answer “Yes” to these three questions : Do you invest your time in things that help others to succeed? Do you invest in projects that will help the company in the long run, even if you won’t be around to get any credit for their success? Are you prepared to try out a new way of working that may fail, even if you risk looking foolish?

When someone gives you negative feedback, think of it as a positive. If it’s accurate, it provides a growth opportunity; if it isn’t accurate, it provides an opportunity to strengthen your conflict resolution skills. Remember, no one is perfect. We all have blind spots when it comes to our strengths and weaknesses. And, we all do things that bother people. The best teacher often comes in the form of negative feedback, but only when we take the time to analyze what we’re hearing. Thank you Reneee Evenson, author of the book, Powerful Phrasesfor Dealing with Difficult People , for this good tip. Her book provides more than 325 ready-to-use words and phrases for working with challenging personalities. Evenson is a small business consultant and write specializing in organization psychology in the workplace.

Here are some great insights about  leading versus managing  from  Bob Kulhan  and his book,  Getting To Yes And . He says, "Leading is not managing. Managing is not leading." "Managing is taking care of logistical and practical details. Every team-related task needs to be managed to some extent, and the quality of managing can fall anywhere on a spectrum that runs from well-oiled machine to gear-grinding nightmare." "The real problem arises when anyone confuses the managing of job-specific details with actual leadership. One does not need to be a visionary to qualify as a leader, but leadership does imply vision from a position of oversight." "Managing is a part of leading, and a great leader can and should be an excellent manager. While a good manager needs to effectively communicate data and details, a good leader communicates on a broader, higher level. A leader drives for results, leads by example, and develops talent." Finally,

The Courage Solution , a book by  Mindy Mackenzie , is all about the simple truth that the only thing you can reliably change or control is yourself. So, that is why Mackenzie wrote her book -- to teach you how to take actions that ultimately will improve your impact on the job and increase your happiness and fulfillment in your career. Mackenzie's  quick-read strategies focus on these four key areas : Part 1: You First  offers techniques to take ownership and accountability for creating a career and life you love. Part 2: Lead Your Boss  describes proven techniques to transform your relationship with your boss. Part 3: Lead Your Peers  provides methods for accelerating positive peer relationships to improve business results. Part 4: Lead Your Team  gives approaches for generating and creating the most effective teams and having more fun while doing it. Mindy Mackenzie A preview of Mackenzie's advice on  Leading Your Boss  includes: Intensel

Be Decisive A manager who can't make a decision or who can't make a timely decision will frustrate his/her employees. Equally bad, a lack of decision will impede the  progress  of the manager's team. Some managers make endless requests for data as a way to postpone their having to make a decision. Employees end up spinning in circles, slicing and dicing the information far beyond what is truly needed for the manager to make a decision. Some managers are simply afraid to make a decision in fear of making a "wrong" decision. These managers don't necessarily request needless data, but simply just never made a decision. Successful managers (true leaders) gather the data from their employees, make any necessary follow-up requests (probing beyond what their employee may have researched/gathered on their own), and then make their decision...knowing that in virtually all cases most decisions are not black and white "right or "wrong," but are the be