Eric Jacobson On Management And Leadership

Getting an MBA takes time and money, making it inaccessible to many people who want to take charge in the business world.  The 12-Week MBA  offers an alternative way to learn business essentials by focusing on the skills and knowledge required to succeed as both a manager and a business leader.   “This book is the result of what we have learned teaching leadership and business acumen classes to rising and senior leaders at  Fortune 500  companies for twenty years,” share authors  Nathan Kracklauer  and  Bjorn Billhardt . The 12-Week MBA ’s unique premise is that business leaders in any industry, any function, and at any level need the same core knowledge, skills, and attitudes to effectively manage and lead.    That core consists of working through and with other people to create value while using financial concepts and metrics to maximize the value created for all company stakeholders. The timeless essence of managing numbers and l...

The book,  Shine , is a transformative guide that illustrates how looking inward is the key to unlocking true entrepreneurial freedom. Certainly,  Shine  is a book for entrepreneurs, however, it is bound to benefit any business leader.   “Entrepreneurs often have a burning need to succeed. But that same relentless brilliance that propels you in your career can take a toll on your teams, personal relationships, and even your health,” explain author  Gino Wickman  and   coauthor  Rob Dube . “Our book will help you strike a crucial balance between those inner and outer worlds while taking your success to new heights.” In  Shine , Gino shares  10 disciplines  to help you stay sharp and energetic without burning out.  The  10 Disciplines  teach you how they can lay a foundation that creates space in your busy life for you to consistently and optimally perform and achieve your inner peace.   “I have helped tens of thou...

Bruce Tulgan ’s book,  The Art of Being Indispensable at Work   is   all about  how to win influence, beat overcommitment, and get the right things done in your workplace .   Tulgan says that what truly sets “go-to people” apart is how they think and what they do, including:   They understand the peculiar mathematics of real influence  – doing the right thing for the long term. They lead from wherever they are  – going vertically before going sideways (or diagonally). They know when to say no and how to say yes . They work smart  – creating checklists, step-by-step instructions, and professionalizing everything they do. They finish what they start . They get better and better at working together . They promote “go-to-ism”  – finding other indispensable people throughout the organization and building new go-to people whenever there’s a chance to do so.   Other  characteristics of indispensable people , are:   Maintaining a ...

In the book,   Good Judgment , author   Richard Davis ,  PhD , explains what the   science of personality   is and how it works, and how all of us can use it to improve our working relationships, careers, and lives.   “Understanding the science of personality and how to utilize it is the key to exercising good judgment, shares Davis. “The ability to read others’ personalities quickly and accurately, overcoming biases and prejudices that might skew our perception, is critical when making decisions and managing relationships both professional and personal.”   Psychologists widely agree that  five key traits define our personalities :   Intellect : How people think. How people process information, make decisions, and solve problems. Emotionality : How people express emotions. How people typically experience and/or express their emotions. Sociability : How people engage with others. How people tend to interact, communicate, engage, and get a...

This year's Father's Day has come and gone. However, the business and life lessons he taught me stays with me forever. What he taught me has served me well--even 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. 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 ...

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...

Startup founders are often celebrated as visionaries—but what happens when their greatest strengths become their biggest liabilities?   They face a crucial, often overlooked problem in the startup world: the very qualities that help founders launch companies—relentless drive, rebellious thinking, and big-picture vision—can derail them as their businesses grow.   Most founders hit a leadership ceiling, and without personal evolution, their companies (and careers) implode.   “Why? Because the same people who command respect and effort also happen to be control freaks who are terrible at delegating and worse at empowering,” share Richard Hagberg and Tien Tzuo , authors of the new book, Founders, Keepers .   They add that, “The same people who will new things into existence are undisciplined workaholics who exhaust themselves and everyone around them. They can see the future, but they lack the capacity to think and organize collectively.”   Drawing on nea...

“Today, being memorable is the holy grail of communication,” says bestselling author Bill McGowan . “ Exceptional speaking, in its truest sense, has been buried under layers of bland, banal, and forgettable communication. In a world where everyone’s 'on message,' no one can stand out.”   His terrific, tactical, timely, and entertaining new book, Speak, Memorably  (authored with Juliana Silva ), helps professionals break away from canned communication and find their true—and most effective—voice no matter the workplace.  McGowan explains that the three edicts for how NOT to speak memorably are: Produce three key messages. Keep bridging back to those messages. Tell ’em what you’re going to tell ’em, tell ’em, and tell ’em what you told ’em.  Therefore, Speak Memorably  offers concrete strategies and tools to help anyone, in any stage of their career, cut through the numbing sameness of cliches and boring business rhetoric — and helps them break ...