Eric Jacobson On Management And Leadership

In Marcus Buckingham ’s book, Love + Work , he busts a variety of business myths, including this one: Myth : The organization’s most valuable asset is its people. In reality, Buckingham argues that “ An organization’s most valuable asset is its trust .” After analyzing over a million StandOut strengths assessments, and having recorded more than four million check-ins, Buckingham reports the following: “We asked people if they trusted their teammates, their team leader, and their senior leaders. Those who strongly agreed that they trust two of these three groups were three times more likely to be fully engaged and highly resilient. Those who strongly agreed that they completely trusted all three groups were fifteen times more likely to fully engaged and forty-two times more likely to be highly resilient.” So, says Buckingham, “trust is just everything. Anything you do to build trust with your colleagues will be a step in the right direction."

  When you read the book, Right Kind of Wrong: The Science Of Failing Well , you’ll gain a greater appreciation for the benefits that comes from failure, and how to embrace failure as part of your journey to achieving greater success.   Author Amy Edmondson ’s book and revolutionary guide will undoubtedly transform your relationship with failure.   She defines failure as an outcome that deviates from desired results. Failure is a lack of success. Failure is different, explains Edmondson, from errors and violations . “Errors (synonymous with mistakes) are unintended deviations from prespecified standards, such as procedures, rules, or policies. Violations occur when an individual intentionally deviates from the rules,” adds Edmondson.   After decades of award-winning research, Edmondson provides the framework to think, discuss, and practice failure wisely. Outlining the three archetypes of failure— basic , complex , and intelligent —she highlights how to minim...

  Julie Charlestein  is the author of the book,  How To Lead Your Family Business: Excelling Through Unexpected Crises, Choices, and Challenges . Charlestein is also the fourth-generation leader of an incredibly successful family-owned enterprise, and she’s seen it all firsthand, including family drama in the workplace and the office politics that come with any corporation. Her book features her  unique set of strategies for navigating the distinctive challenges and choices facing family businesses. In her highly personal storytelling style, Charlestein shares her experience as an emerging leader and ultimately CEO, who has worked to earn her colleagues’ respect. She details her leadership adventure, offering actionable strategies for those leading and working within their own family businesses. The book is ideal for anyone leading a family business or starting a family business.  It’s also good for anyone taking over an existing (or new) business. More about Ch...

If you are new to managing, or if you are struggling with a management dilemma, ask for help. There is no shame in asking for help. Seek the guidance of a colleague at work. Reach out to a mentor at or away from work. Turn to an online resource. Consult a book on managing. Whatever you do, don't sit back and do nothing. Managing even one employee can be challenging. And many managers receive little or no formal training on how to be a manager. That means you have to be proactive about learning how to be a good manager. Your team is depending on you, and to lead them effectively you need to know to how manage effectively. So, ask for help.

If you want to learn how to more effectively embrace change, read   Build For Tomorrow , by   Jason Feifer , Editor in chief of  Entrepreneur  magazine and host of the podcasts   Build For Tomorrow   and   Problem Solvers .  “My book is for anyone facing down an uncertain future, as well as a practical guide for every entrepreneur and aspiring entrepreneur,” says Feifer.  Organized around the four phases of change, Feifer shares personal insights and learnings from his interviews with success entrepreneurs and changemakers who have experienced tectonic shifts in work, culture, and life.  The  four phases of change  are: Panic Adapt New Normal Wouldn’t Go Back  – When we gain something so new and great that we wouldn’t want to go back to a time before we had it.  “Change is coming. It’s here. It cannot be stopped! And when it comes for us, we really only two choices – to embrace it, or to fight a losing fight,” explain...

Brad Jacobs’ new 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 businesse...

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 lead...

Here is some great advice from the book,  Anticipate, the Art of Leading by Looking Ahead ,  by  Rob-Jan De Jong . Use these 13 energizing verbs more often when communicating: Discover  (instead of See) Explore  (instead of Discuss) Radiate  (instead of Display) Uncover  (instead of Show) Transform  (instead of Change) Engage  (instead of Involve) Mobilize  (instead of Gather) Stretch  (instead of Develop) Boost  (instead of Increase) Propel  (instead of Move) Deliver  (instead of Give) Grasp  (instead of Understand) Connect  (instead of Join)

From the book,  Mastering the Challenges of Leading Change , comes this useful checklist from author H. James Dallas for how to  identify and develop emerging talent  in your company/organization. Dallas recommends that each question should be graded on a scale of 1 to 3, with 3 being the best.  Use the questions and the scoring for you and your employee to work together toward the highest ratings across the board. Has the person demonstrated a "getting lost with confidence" mind-set? Does the person communicate with authenticity? Has the person created a strong personal brand that is recognized by colleagues of all levels? Does the person know his or her blind spots and have people watching to prevent him or her from crashing? Is the person getting exposure to executive management? Does the person seek out and seriously consider advice? Is the person building an inclusive team and sponsoring others? Is the person proactive in finding opportunities to initiate and l...

“By focusing in specific ways on five key leadership elements— Purpose, Process, People, Presence, and Peace —you can increase your time, capacity, energy, and ultimately your leadership impact,” explains  Amy Jen Su , author of the book,  The Leader You Want To Be: Five Essential Principles for Bringing Out Your Best Self—Every Day . Su shares both Western management thinking and Eastern philosophy to provide a holistic yet hands-on approach to becoming a more effective leader with less stress and more equanimity. She draws on rich and instructive stories of clients, leaders, artists, and athletes. And, she focuses on three foundational tenets: s elf-care, self-awareness, and personal agency . Most important, Su explores in depth, chapter-by-chapter the  Five Ps : Purpose  – Staying grounded in your passions and contributions, doing your highest and best work that has meaning and is making a difference. Process  – Relying on daily practices and routines that ho...

"Stories strengthen communications and presence for leaders," explains  Kristi Hedges , author of the book,  The Power of Presence . She recommends you  consider adding stories to your communications when you : Want to motivate others and paint a picture of what's possible. Need to show others -- whether a large audience or one person -- that you have shared commonalities. Are trying to deliver difficult news and want to show empathy. Are facing adversity in the present that relates to a situation you've experienced before. Are interviewing for a job and want to demonstrate your ability to adapt, learn, and overcome challenges. Are in a new position and would like to show others your approach and values. Want to show clients or colleagues that you've been in their shoes. Want to encourage another person to tackle something difficult.

  Last fall, leadership experts Frances Frei and Anne Morriss , cohosts of the TED podcast Fixable, released their book, Move Fast & Fix Things . In it, th ey share a unique, engaging and hands-on playbook developed from their work with companies from Uber to Riot Games to Walmart.   The authors say there are five essential steps leaders must take to both move fast and fix things and more specifically, you can use their week-long approach that lays out a distinct agenda for each day.  That approach is:   Monday: Identify the real problem holding you back – Far too often, companies don’t tackle the root issues but instead focus on surface problems that mask what’s really going on. The solution is to ask tough questions, build a team of problems solvers, and surface major roadblocks to progress. Then, gather new data and listen, really listen , with the curiosity of an anthropologist and the accountability of a leader.   Tuesday: Build and rebuild...

As a manager, you've undoubtedly worked for other managers in your career. You've likely worked for good managers and for not so good managers. One of the simplest things you can do to ensure you are a good manager is to think about what you liked and disliked about your past managers. Then, adapt your management style to include the things you appreciated most from your past good managers. Most important, don't do the things that you disliked about how your past managers behaved. Odds are that those are the same things your employees won't like you to do.

Yes, it will take you some time to read  Joshua Spodek 's book,  Leadership Step by Step . Yes, it will be a little like doing "homework." Yes, this is a book you'll read and likely need to revisit a few times for the concepts to fully sink in.  Yes, this is a book you must read if you want to become the person others will follow . The time and effort you put into,  Leadership Step by Step , will be well worth it! Spodek guides you through what to do and how to do it in an  integrated and comprehensive progression of exercises  designed to cultivate key abilities, behaviors, and beliefs through experiences. The progression contains four units : Understanding Yourself Leading Yourself Understanding Others Leading Others Each chapter within the four units provides you: Hands-on Exercises Reflection Questions Post-Exercise Observations "By the time you finish the book, you'll have competed 22 exercises." explains Spodek, who is an Adjunct Professor at NUY a...

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...