Eric Jacobson On Management And Leadership

Describing the 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 positi...

In  Dream Big and Win , author  Liz Elting  shares the lessons she learned―both the successes and failures―while building a billion-dollar company from scratch. She explains why you need not only passion and purpose to win big, but also: a willingness to take decisive action grit sweat equity determination positive attitude Elting’s fascinating story began with her entirely self-funded business launch that started in a dorm room. By possessing a disciplined set of principles and focusing on carefully developing her leadership skills throughout the process, she was able to achieve her goal of becoming #1 in the translation market that was already dominated by established competitors. Today, Elting is the Founder and CEO of The Elizabeth Elting Foundation, which creates scholarship opportunities for entrepreneurial young women, funds exciting women-led startups and social businesses, and supports women-led organizations that foster women’s success through educational progra...

If you want to delight your customers, then the book by  Steve Curtin ,  Delight Your Customers -- 7 Simple Ways to Raise Your Customer Service from Ordinary to Extraordinary , is a must-read for you and your employees. The book explains the  seven ways  for you and your employees to demonstrate  exceptional customer service : Express genuine interest Offer sincere and specific compliments Share unique knowledge Convey authentic enthusiasm Use appropriate humor Provide pleasant surprises Deliver service heroics "Exceptional customer service typically costs no more to deliver than poor customer service," explains Curtin. For example: How much does it cost to express genuine interest in customers or to anticipate their needs? Does it cost more to display a sense of urgency or to pay attention to detail? Do you pay your employees more to smile, to make eye contact, or to add energy to their voices? Curtin reminds readers that: Customers don't establish relationship...

Yikes. It's already March. Hopefully, you've mastered or are achieving good progress with your New Year's resolution(s) for 2025.  If you need another resolution to tackle this year or haven't yet selected one, now is a good time to review this list below.  New Year's Resolutions for leaders : 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 during a meeting Prai...

Read the inspiring book,  Making Waves , by  Lisa Lutof-Perlo . You will follow the impressive career journey of Lutoff-Perlo, from her stories as an ambitious young woman to first women President and CEO of Celebrity Cruises to Vice Chairman for External Affairs at Royal Caribbean Group.   In the book, she reveals  how she navigated an extraordinary four-decade journey with boundless energy, quick wit, and the pursuit of excellence in the face of adversity.   At the heart of her vivid stories of triumphs, hardships, and never letting the word “no” dictate her destiny are  essential lessons  such as:   The importance of caring deeply for people and putting others first. How to use your superpowers to set yourself apart from other leaders. Why you don’t always need a linear plan—sometimes it can be a long and winding journey. The value of looking at failure and setbacks as success in progress. Why p...

  Kathleen deLaski’s new book, Who Needs Collage Anymore?: Imagining A Future Where Degrees Won’t Matter , offers an optimistic yet practical assessment of how postsecondary education can evolve to meet the needs of next-generation learners. ​She reimagines what higher education might offer and whom it should serve. This is a must-read for anyone concerned about the future of employment, education, and the economy. deLaski shows that we are on the cusp of a Great College Reset in which workforce training, college, and corporate training become more interchangeable—requiring unprecedented coordination between public, private, and educational institutions and new ways of thinking about the future of work.   In the wake of declining US university enrollment and widespread crises of confidence in the value of a college degree, deLaski urges a mindset shift regarding the learning routes and credentials that best prepare students for success after high school.   "Can...

  “Fear creates the gap between who you are and who you can be. Courage closes it,” explains Margie Warrell, PhD , author of the new book, The Courage Gap: 5 Steps To Braver Action .  “To clarify, closing your courage gap is not about 'de-risking' your life or sheltering from problems—natural and human created. Rather, it is about bringing the bravest version of yourself to every situation,” adds Dr. Warrell.  That includes actively taking on rough problems, doing what is unpopular, facing storms head-on, and maybe even reshaping the broader landscape in the process. Dr. Warrell empowers us to recognize that courage is a learnable skill accessible to everyone, regardless of how risk-averse, timid, or defensive we may be.  Additionally, for leaders , The Courage Gap provides a guide to operationalize and scale the courage mindset across your team and organization to deepen trust, dismantle silos, foster innovation, accelerate learning, and unleash collective ...

T he new book, How To Get Along With Anyone , by John Eliot and Jim Guinn , is the playbook for predicting and preventing conflict at work and at home.  As you read the book, you will discover how to defuse any heated conflict by learning which of the five conflict styles you are and how to resolve even the most sensitive dispute with this must-read guide.  Through decades of building and facilitating team chemistry for Fortune 500 companies, professional sports franchises, schools and government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and families, Eliot and Guinn have discovered people respond to conflict in one of these five ways:  Avoider : Uninterested in minor details; excels in solitary work with a knack for concentration.  Competitor : Always pushing the envelope; never rests on laurel and takes risks for achievement.  Analyzer : Evidence-based and methodical; patiently gathers information before acting.  Collaborator : A deeply caring individual,...

Within the workplace there are Contributors and Impact Players – each representing a distinct way of working – the first leads to a job well done while the other carves a path to true leadership and generates immense value.  More specifically,  Liz Wiseman , author of the book,  Impact Players , explains that:  While others do their job, Impact Players figure out the real job to be done. While others wait for direction, Impact Players step up and lead. While others escalate problems, Impact Players move things across the finish line. While others attempt to minimize change, Impact Players are learning and adapting to change. While others add to the load, Impact Players make heavy demands feel lighter.  “ Impact Players  is written for aspiring leaders, striving professionals who want to be more successful at work, increase their influence, and multiply their impact,” explains Wiseman. “It is also a book for today’s leaders, those managers who want to cultiv...

Why do some teams succeed while others stumble?   Because hiring, developing and engaging talent requires careful decisions that are too easy to get wrong without data. In   The Science of Dream Teams: How Talent Optimization Can Drive Engagement, Productivity, and Happiness , author   Mike Zani   introduces the science of “ talent optimization ,” a new discipline that’s a far more reliable way to manage your employees than your gut instincts.  “ Proper talent optimization lifts morale, builds teams, and turbocharges productivity ,” explains Zani.  With simple steps, Zani (a former US Olympic sailing team coach) shows how companies of any size can collect and analyze voluntary data about their employees to purposefully align a company’s business and talent strategies.  The book explores how CEOs and management teams can collect and use data to: Build effective teams of highly sought-after professionals while optimizing costs. Create a company culture b...

For the past 15 years, I have relied on Debbie Laskey's Blog for expert leadership guidance and always interesting insights into marketing best practices and recaps of marketing trends.   Fortunately, through the years, Debbie has also shared her expertise through a variety of postings on my blog and I'm honored again today to feature Debbie via the following Q&A's:   Question: What inspired you to become so passionate about marketing?   DEBBIE LASKEY : When I started graduate school, I thought I would travel the typical MBA journey by studying finance, management, and organizational behavior. However, from the first moment in my first marketing course, I found my calling.  My assignment was to choose a product or service in order to write a classic 30-page marketing plan. I considered a famous retailer (Nordstrom) and the city of San Francisco, but I wanted to make substantive recommendations upon the completion of the project, so I chose EuroDisney, beca...