Eric Jacobson On Management And Leadership

Each year at this time, I reflect on the valuable lessons my father taught me that have served me well in business and in life - including lessons I learned when I didn't at the time necessarily realize I was learning from him. So, I thank my dad for teaching me the following  business and life lessons : Listen  - Growing up, I thought my Dad was perhaps shy or quiet. Really, he was just a great listener. I believe that's what made him so wise. He would listen to anyone. Young or old. New acquaintance or friend. Provide  - My Dad provided for me. Music lessons. Vacations. Summer camp. Boy Scouts. He gave. He put others' needs first. Today, I find in volunteering likely the same satisfaction he felt when he provided to others. Educate  - My Dad's passion was education. He loved to learn. He loved even more to teach. He lived to help other people learn. In the workplace, providing learning opportunities is one of the most powerful things you can do for a...

"Questions help us break down barriers, discover secrets, solve puzzles, and imagine new ways of doing things, But few of us know  how  to question in a methodical way," explains  Frank Sesno , Emmy-award-winning journalist, and author of the book,  Ask More . Sesno's book teaches readers how the power of questions: Opens doors Uncovers Solutions Sparks Change More specifically, he reveals: The power and payoff of targeted  diagnostic  questions. How  strategic  questions can ease the hardest decisions and support triumphant outcomes. How and when to use  empathy  questions. How asking  creativity  questions help to get people to imagine, set their sights high and soar above failure. And, "when a leader fails to know where he/she is going, refuses to listen to what he/she doesn't want to hear, or relies on faulty information, bad things happen," adds Sesno. Frank Sesno Sesno also shares that some questions work best when they d...

  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

  What is even better than a really good book about leadership? Answer: An updated edition of that book. And that's exactly what author and London Business School professor Herminia Ibarra has done with her 2015 global bestseller,  Act Like A Leader, Think Like A Leader . Among the updates are new examples and self-assessments.  Since the first edition's publishing, Ibarra explains that the world has changed and so must one's leadership skills and style. Similarly, "The importance of soft skills like listening, coaching and empowering others has been on the rise as organizations try to create more inclusive and productive work environments," shares Ibarra. "Stepping up to play a bigger leadership role is not an event; it's a process that takes time before it pays off. It is a transition built from small changes," explains Ibarra. Furthermore, and contrary to popular opinion, Ibarra argues that you have to  act  your way into a new type of leadership...

“Our proposition is simple: to be a successful business leader in today’s world you are expected to deliver societal value alongside financial value. Not one at the expense of the other,” share Jon Miller and Lucy Parker , authors of the book, The Activist Leader . “And doing that takes a new mindset: the ability to think like an activist about the role your business plays in the world,” add the authors.   The book focuses on how to think like an activist leader and introduces the reader to some businesses and business leaders who are doing pioneering work in this regard.  As you read the book, you’ll discover more about these types of activist leaders:  The Fixer The Mobiliser The Campaigner The Pathfinder The Bridge-builder The authors share “that most people feel powerless when they look at the problems facing the world – but if you’re a leader in a big business, you’re not powerless.”  Thinking like an activist includes :   Deciding what m...

Each year, I select my pick for the best new leadership book released that year. As published earlier on my blog, my pick for 2023, was When Everyone Leads .   Some years, among the many books about leadership that I read, there is another book that is so good, it becomes my runner up for the best new leadership book of the year. That runner-up book for 2023 is,  The Communication Code , by Jeremie Kubicek and Steven Cockram .   “Effective communication is the lifeblood of every healthy relationship,” explain Kubicek and Cockram, whether that relationship is at work or at home. And effective communication is essential for successful leadership.   Fortunately, the authors' book provides a proven series of easy-to-implement skills, techniques and powerful strategies via what they call the Communication Code that anyone can use to make their communication, relationships deeper and more productive.   “Using five simple code words, you can verbally reac...

In  Bob Rosen ’s book,  Grounded: How Leaders Stay Rooted In An Uncertain World , he explains that there are  six dimensions of being a healthy leader : Physical health : how you live. How you manage your mind and body – managing your energy and living a peak performance lifestyle. Emotional health : how you feel. This is about being self-aware and having positive emotions and the ability to be resilient, catching yourself when you have a counterproductive thought. This also includes seeking feedback from others about how you act and trying to be more reflective. Intellectual health : how you think. This is about asking questions, being deeply curious and seeing changes as an opportunity to grow, learn and reassess the way you see and talk about the world. Social health : how you interact. This is about authenticity. How do you build relationships? Are you being honest about yourself? Are you comfortable being vulnerable? Do you consider other people’s viewpoints? Vocatio...

“To be most effective in today’s environment, leaders must be  human  leaders. Human leaders must be able to lead not only with their heads but also with their hearts and souls,” says veteran executive coach  Hortense le Gentil , author of the new book,  The Unlocked Leader: Dare to Free Your Own Voice, Lead with Empathy, and Shine Your Light in the World .  She adds, “In addition to being respected, seen, and valued, employees also seek leaders who feel human, not distant and perfect beings with whom they can’t connect.”  Additionally, leaders need to put the collective interest before their own and work hard to make other people’s good ideas happen.  “And although the book focuses on leadership at work, each of us is a complete individual, not a sum of separate, isolated parts. As such, the process presented in the book applies to all areas of your life,” shares the author.  She further explains that becoming a human leader is a journey, not a d...

You can't lead if your employees, team or followers don't trust you. Building trust takes  energy, effort and constant attention  to how you act. To help build trust, follow these 16 tips , recommended by author  Susan H. Shearouse : Be honest Keep commitments and keep your word Avoid surprises Be consistent with your mood Be your best Demonstrate respect Listen Communicate Speak with a positive intent Admit mistakes Be willing to hear feedback Maintain confidences Get to know others Practice empathy Seek input from others Say "thank you"

With 2024 fast approaching, it's a good time to identify your New Year's Resolutions for next year. To get you started, how about selecting one or more of these 70 New Year's resolutions for leaders? Perhaps write down five to ten and then between now and January 1, think about which couple you want to work on during 2024. 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 as an opportunity to grow Summarize group consensus after each decision point...

  Each year, after reading and reviewing dozens of new leadership books, I select my pick for the year's best new leadership book. For 2023, after reading nearly 40 leadership books, my pick for this year’s best new leadership book is When Everyone Leads .   It’s a terrific book that captured my attention back in January when I wrote this on my blog: “It’s only January and the new book,  When Everyone Leads , could likely be my pick for the best new leadership book of 2023. It’s that good. There’s still nearly a whole year ahead of us so we’ll see what other books debut. In the meantime, add this book to your must-read list.”   I selected this book to be this year’s winner because it is full of specific examples of challenges and solutions from fields as diverse as nonprofits, school boards, healthcare, and the corporate world. It offers proven, actionable approaches for any company, organization, or community to navigate through that entity’s most pressing chal...

  Today's life quotes to guide you as we near the start of a new year: “ Your present circumstances don’t determine where you can go. They merely determine where you start ." - Ido Qubein  “ Approach the New Year with resolve to find the opportunities hidden in each new day ." - Michael Josephson  “ Every year you make a resolution to change yourself. This year, make a resolution to be yourself " - Unknown  “ The bad news is time flies. The good news is you’re the pilo t.” - Michael Altshuler

Describing the new book, In Her Own Voice , by Jennifer McCollum , Anne Chow (former CEO of AT&T Business) says that “for women, the book does a beautiful job of explaining not just what to do to advance in your career, but also what to expect. For leaders, it helps you recognize the gap between what you think women seeking advancement want and what they really need.”  Chow adds, “the book is based on the experiences of tens of thousands of women, with guidance that is applicable to every one of us, no matter where we are on our own unique journey.”  McCollum divides her book into three parts:  Understanding the hurdles to women’s advancement Overcoming the hurdles Eliminating the hurdles  She professes that women have unique gifts and abilities. “Businesses need talented women, now more than ever. We need to do everything possible to engage, develop, and inspire them—and to advance them into leadership roles, all the way to the C-suite and board posi...

Now is a perfect time to read the leadership book,  Leading With Gratitude , by authors  Adrian Gostick  and  Chester Elton .  The book provides managers and executives with easy ways to add more gratitude to the everyday work environment to help bolster moral, efficiency, and profitability.  Gostick and Elton also share  eight simple ways managers can show employees they are valued . Then, they supplement their insights and advice with stories of how many of today’s most successful leaders successfully incorporated gratitude into their leadership styles.  Earlier this year, the authors answered this question for me:  Question : During this most unusual and challenging recent pandemic time why is it more important than ever to express gratitude? And how best should a leader do that?  Gostick and Elton : “Our research shows there is a staggering gratitude deficit in the work world, especially when times get tough. People are less likely t...

Here is a new book I imagine nearly everyone will benefit from. It is, The Negativity Fast . It's both a self-help book and a book for leaders who want to lead with positivity. At the core of the book is a thirteen-week negativity fast, during which you’ll progressively eliminate sources of negativity in your life for 90 days. And then from that point, you’ll have a new outlook on life and will have learned how to use gratitude to completely transform your mental outlook as you reframe the negative events in your life into events that made you stronger, more resilient, and better prepared for future setbacks.   “My goal is to help you reduce the time you spend in a negative state and increase the time you are positive,” explains the book’s author, Anthony Iannarino .   Particularly for business leaders, the book   offers easy-to-follow lessons on l earning to lead with positivity for effective change throughout your team and organization. The evidence-based exercise...