Leaders: 7 Smart Things To Do To Drive Success

Here are the seven smart things you need to do to succeed in the future, according to leadership expert. John Baldoni, in his book, Lead With Purpose:

Make purpose a central focus.
Instill purpose in others.
Make employees comfortable with ambiguity.
Turn good intentions into great results.
Make it safe to fail (as well as prevail).
Develop the next generation.
Prepare yourself.

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How To Ensure Merger And Acquisition Success

“Our book will be of considerable interest to corporate executives and directors, who will likely be involved in M&As during their careers,” share the authors of the new book, The M&A Failure Trap: Why Most Mergers and Acquisitions Fail And How The Few Succeed . They add, the book is also essential reading for: Investors and shareholders asked to vote on merger proposals. Investors who are considering investment in the acquiring company. Business professionals in general. Economists. Business school and university instructors. Students of business and economics interested in business restructuring and acquisition. And I contend, it is revealing reading for anyone interested in one of the most important and consequential economic events – business acquisitions. The M&A Failure Trap serves as the very blueprint to help top-level management and interested parties make better choices about their organization, avoiding the pitfalls that have led many

Leadership Lessons From A Serial Entrepreneur

Brad Jacobs ’ book provides you a treasure trove of leadership lessons from a man with more than four decades of CEO and serial entrepreneur experience. So, even if you don’t envision yourself wanting to earn a billion dollars, don’t pass up reading Jacob’s, How To Make A Few Billion Dollars . In the book, Jacobs defines the mindset that drives his remarkable success in corporate America – and distills a lifetime of business brilliance into a tactical road map. And he shares his techniques for: Turning a healthy fear of failure to your advantage. Building an outrageously talented team. Catalyzing electric meetings. Transforming a company into a superorganism that beats the competition. “This book is about what I’ve learned from my blunders, and how you can replicate our successes,” says Jacobs. He shares his candid account of the highs and lows of entrepreneurship. Jacobs has founded seven billion-dollar or multibillion-dollar businesses, completed approximately 500 M&A

Effective Listening: Do's And Don'ts

Here are some great tips from Michelle Tillis Lederman's book, The 11 Laws of Likability . They are all about: what to do and what not to do to be a leader who's an effective listener : Do : Maintain eye contact Limit your talking Focus on the speaker Ask questions Manage your emotions Listen with your eyes and ears Listen for ideas and opportunities Remain open to the conversation Confirm understanding, paraphrase Give nonverbal messages that you are listening (nod, smile) Ignore distractions Don't : Interrupt Show signs of impatience Judge or argue mentally Multitask during a conversation Project your ideas Think about what to say next Have expectations or preconceived ideas Become defensive or assume you are being attacked Use condescending, aggressive, or closed body language Listen with biases or closed to new ideas Jump to conclusions or finish someone's sentences

How To Survive And Then Reset To Ultimately Thrive

“Uncertainty is here to stay. Rather than seeing it as an obstacle to overcome, integrate it into your strategic approach to invigorate your high-growth potential and outperform competition under any market condition,” explains Rebecca Homkes , author of the new book, Survive, Reset, Thrive . “Most books aren’t honest enough about how hard it is to reset ,” adds Homkes. Yet, resetting and leaning into change is essential. “If you are ready to embrace change as a central element of your growth strategy, this book is for you.” Homkes’ book is a timely, comprehensive, and essential read for business leaders looking to take the next step toward ensuring high growth for their companies. The book brings together more than 15 years of Homkes working directly with high-growth companies of all sizes and across a wide variety of industries. Survive, Reset, Thrive (SRT) is a practical and innovative interconnected three-mode approach : Survive : Stabilizing your business when

Best Practices For Effective Communication

Here are the 12 golden rules of effective communication from Paul Falcone , as highlighted in his book, 2600 Phrases for Setting Effective Performance Goals . Always remember to : Recognize achievements and accomplishments often. Celebrate success. Deliver bad news quickly, constructively, and in a spirit of professional development. Praise in public, censure in private. Assume responsibility for problems when things go wrong, and provide immediate praise and recognition to others when things go right. Create a work environment based on inclusiveness, welcoming others' suggestions and points of view. Listen actively, making sure that your people feel heard and understood and have a voice in terms of offering positive suggestions in the office or on the shop floor. Share information openly (to the extent possible) so that staff members understand the Why behind your reasoning and can ask appropriate questions as they continue along in their own path of career development and l

The Power Of Middle Managers In The Workplace

The book, Power To The Middle , shows how managers are the crucial link between a company’s ground floor and top brass. “Too often company leaders view middle managers in a negative light as expendable employees who can slow down productivity and overall strategy,” explain the book’s authors and McKinsey partners Bill Schaninger , Bryan Hancock , and Emily Field . “However, new KcKinsey research reveals that this outdated perspective needs to change and that well-developed managers are the strategy that companies must prioritize to succeed today,” they add. Most importantly, by the end of their book, the authors sum up their insights and provide a playbook that will help senior leaders let go of the command-and-control mindset that has hobbled their managers for so long. The authors define middle managers as the people who are at least once removed from the front line and at least a layer below the senior leadership. From this pivotal position, a middle manager’s job is to

10 Leadership Experts Explain How To Lead During COVID-19

The following 10 leadership and business book authors answered this question for me: Question: While we surely will find ourselves challenged by COVID-19 in the foreseeable future, what is the most important thing a leader can do as they lead their business/organization? “Leaders have had some great opportunities as a result of COVID-19. Topping the list: hire the best people, not just the best people geographically convenient. The world just gave permission to have people working remotely. Take advantage. As a bonus tip, it is more important than ever to remember that your team is made of humans and this is an extremely difficult time for humans. Build in extra supports for your team.” -- Michael Solomon and Rishon Blumberg, co-authors of, Game Changer . “First, don’t allow yourself to become so overwhelmed and distracted by the uncertainties—what you don’t know—that you lose sight of what you do know, and what you can control. Second, you must establish a protocol for maintaini

Success Stories From 10 Successful Entrepreneurs From Around The World

Read the informative and inspirational, The Entrepreneur’s Faces , to follow the intriguing stories of 10 real entrepreneurs from around the world as they reveal their personal entrepreneurial journeys – overcoming pain and setbacks, all the while demonstrating tremendous vision, imagine and drive. This is a must-read book whether you are an aspiring entrepreneur or a current entrepreneur. The 10 journeys are engaging, relatable and profiled through these personas: The Maker : Prototypes everything, learns by doing. The Leader : Rejects traditional structures, seeks inspirational role models, tests leadership ideas. The Accidental : Hobbyist mentality, obsessive tinkerer, passionate beyond practicality. The Guardian : Turns empathy into a lens to better serve customers. Improves lives and heightens human interactions. The Conductor : Thinks big, undaunted by regulations or limitations. Platform builder. The Evangelist : Sparks imagination by telling a story, plants seeds for fut

Eight Things I Am Thankful For

Each year, around Thanksgiving time, I think about what I am thankful for. This year, I decided to once again take the time to make a list. A list of eight things I am thankful for . What's on your list this year? And, what's on your list this year that wasn't on your last year's list? Here is my list : Family and friends. Blogs, LinkedIn and other sources that help me to be a constant learner. Setting personal goals and working hard to reach or exceed them. Good books (including ones the book club recommended). Nonprofit organizations that provide vital services and ways for me to volunteer and donate to support their causes. Music. The ability to travel for vacations. Readers, followers and guests of my Blog and via X/Twitter @ericjacobsonkc Wow, I have a lot to be thankful for this year!

Don’t EVER Doubt How Leadership Impacts the Employee Experience, Customer Experience, and Overall Brand Experience!

Image Credit: Ryan Plomp via UnSplash Today, I feature an interview with Debbie Laskey , MBA. With two decades of marketing experience and an MBA Degree, Debbie developed her marketing expertise while working in the high-tech industry, the Consumer Marketing Department at Disneyland Paris in France, the nonprofit arena, and the insurance industry. Her expertise includes brand marketing, social media, employee engagement, leadership development, and customer experience marketing. Since 2002, Debbie has served as a judge for the Web Marketing Association’s annual web award competition. Her Blog has been recognized as one of the "Best 21st Century Leadership Blogs" and also as a "Top 100 Socially-Shared Leadership Blog." Be sure to visit both her website and her blog . Debbie and I have known each other since 2009, when we worked together virtually for MicroMentor, Debbie on the West Coast, and me in the Midwest – and Debbie has appeared here on my blog many

Eric Jacobson On Management And Leadership

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