Eric Jacobson On Management And Leadership

Prepare to be enlightened, fascinated and inspired by the stories of some of history’s iconic men and women that show   where they were at near the age of 25 . And how they overcame obstacles, defied their critics and forged ahead to attain success.  Author  Robert L. Dilenschneider  tells these stories of 25 men and women from around the globe who shaped the world in his new book,  Nailing It .  You’ll learn how these individuals : Came from modest means and went on to help change the world. Went on to do what put them in the history books. Used their unique personal traits to enable them to beat all odds and persevere. The stories offer some perspective on what young people are experience now. The COVID pandemic turned young adulthood upside-down. For millions of millennials, what should have been a key transformation period, full of adventure, freedom, and self-exploration, was temporarily halted. Key life events were put on hold, delayed, or outright ca...

Having conducted extensive field research,  Ranjay Gulati , author of the book,  Deep Purpose ,  The Heart and Soul of High-Performance Companies ,  reveals the fatal mistakes leaders unwittingly make when attempting to implement a reason for being.   “My interviews with well over 200 executives across 18 firms revealed the secrets of these companies—not the usual facile frameworks, but new ways of thinking about business that allow leaders and companies to operate with heightened passion, urgency, and clarity,” shares Gulati. “I call this,  deep purpose .”   Furthermore, Gultai explains that most leaders think of purpose functionally or instrumentally, regarding it as a tool they can wield. On the other hand, deep purpose leaders think of it as something more fundamental; an existential statement that expresses the firm’s very reason for being. These leaders project it faithfully out onto the world.   “Rethinking the nature of purpose should prom...

  “Disasters and crises are inevitable, but businesses do not have to face them unprepared,” explains James Burstall , author of the new book, The Flexible Method: Prepare To Prosper In The Next Global Crisis .  Whether the crisis be global or not, this book offers a practical guide for business leaders on how to navigate a crisis and then emerge in better shape than prior to the crisis.  Burstall covers sixteen tried and tested methods to futureproof businesses. Among the sixteen are:  Collaborate and Connect Lead with Calm Purpose Gather Your Generals Communicate, Communicate, Communicate Protect Your Cash Learn From History Put Your People First Seek Help Supercharge Your Creativity Rest, Reward, Review The sixteen methods make up what Burstall calls, The Flexible Method .  “None of the Flexible Method is easy, but I will take you through it one step at a time. I truly believe that you can transform your future by reading this boo...

Ten years ago, I featured l eadership consultant, coach, trainer and thought leader, Nathan Magnuson , for the first time on my blog. Since then, Magnuson has provided his leadership insights multiple times for my blog and in 2020, I named his book, Stand Out! , as the best new leadership and business book for that year.   I’m a big fan of Magnuson’s work and have enjoyed following his ever-growing career during the past decade.   Today, Magnuson shares more about his latest endeavors and provides some timely leadership guidance: Nathan Magnuson Question: Tell us about the evolution from Nathan Magnuson Everyday Leadership  to Leadership-in-a-Box ® .   Magnuson : It's been a great ride! I started the Everyday Leadership blog 11 years ago. I had just wrapped up a consulting project helping the FBI build a brand new leadership development program from scratch. I guess you could say my leadership engine was all revved up. I wanted to find a way to share what ...

  The new 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 m...

High-functioning teams can disagree and still produce excellent products and results. Team members can also disagree and still care about each other. And, they can challenge each other to think differently. Best-selling leadership book authors  Scott J. Allen  and  Mitchell Kusy  recommend that leaders ask seven tough questions of their teams to help maximize their results. Here are those questions to ask each team member: What are some obstacles  affecting this team? What are opportunities  we could take advantage of that we have been largely ignoring? Where can you take greater ownership  on this team? Where have you let this team down ? Compared to other teams with which you are familiar,  how are we doing ? When was the last time you complimented the team  or one of its members? How open are you to giving direct feedback  to team members?

Here’s another must-read book to add to your list as you transition from manager to leader. It’s The Leap to Leader , by Adam Bryant . As the creator of the iconic “Corner Office” column in the New York Times , Bryant has spoken with more than a thousand leaders over the years about the challenges and nuances of leadership. Many of his discussions are included in his interview series on LinkedIn.  “The goal of this book is to provide an intensely practical guide to making that transition by sharing insights, stories, and approaches from hundreds of leaders to build the skills you will need to make the leap to leader,” explains Bryant.   He adds that the book is useful to everyone who is interested in leadership, regardless of where they are in their career.   The book covers:   The central paradox of leaders: selfless vs. self-centered. How to perfect the do-to-say ratio. Ways to navigate office politics. Tactics to making better decisions. The crucial art of...

  Stumped for what business books to add to your summer reading list? Here are  five must-read books for leaders  well worth adding to your list: Lead With A Story  -- A Guide To Crafting Business Narratives That Captivate, Convince, and Inspire . Author Paul Smith explains why storytelling has emerged as a vital skill for every leader and manager. In the book, you'll find over 100 ready-made stories you can use as templates to tell your stories. Stories are so powerful because they are simple, timeless, demographic-proof, contagious, easy to remember and inspiring. Most important, they put the listener in a mental learning mode. What's The Future Of Business? (WTF?)  -- Changing The Way Businesses Create Experiences . This book, by Brain Solis, details the incredible transformation happening in business today, driven by new social and mobile technologies. And, he explains how experience design helps your business and how you can harness its power for busin...

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

Here is a book that provides workplace leaders an urgently needed methodology for helping companies to reduce worker loneliness, and it delivers a blueprint for building strong, high-performing workplace teams. The book is,  Connectable: How Leaders Can Move Teams From Isolated To All In , by  Ryan Jenkins  and  Steven Van Cohen .   “72% of workers suffer from loneliness. And, what was once a simmering problem shifted to a crisis when COVID-19 and the sudden transition to remove work isolated workers from each other as never before,” report the authors.   “Loneliness is the absence of connection,” explain the authors. “Loneliness is not defined by the lack of people, because someone can be lonely even while surrounded by others. We require more than the presence of others. We require the presence of others to dream, strategize, and work toward commons goals.”   Furthermore, “workplace loneliness is defined by the distress caused by the perceived inadeq...