Eric Jacobson On Management And Leadership

Speaking about his book,  The Generous Leader , author  Joe Davis  says, “This book is about the ways in which you can become a generous leader to be part of something  bigger than yourself .”  He adds that the old model for a leader – a top-down, unilateral, single-focus boss, isn’t effective in today’s workplace. “That old model no longer attracts talent, invites collaboration, or gets the best results from the team. That leader’s time is passed. Today, there is a need for a more human-centered, bighearted, authentic way to lead,” adds Davis.   To help you become a generous leader, Davis introduces you to seven  essential elements that he believes will develop you into a leader for the future .   The seven elements are:   Generous Communication : Be real to build deep connections. Be available to connect with the person, and not just the person in their role to make them feel seen. Generous Listening : Be sincerely curious about another’s p...

Because  Dr. Rodger Dean Duncan  delivers so much timely, straight-forward and relevant wisdom in his book,  Change-friendly Leadership , reading it is like talking with your trusted best friend. Or, listening to your favorite teacher. Or, soaking in the thoughts from your respected mentor. That's why you'll want to spend plenty of time reading the book. Reflecting on the messages.  Absorbing the discussion, and, then likely re-reading it. Or at least certain sections. Duncan demonstrates in the book how  humanness, approachability , and  friendliness  are necessary but often overlooked elements of making change successful in an organization. He teaches leaders the foundation for effectively  engaging people's heads, hearts and hopes -- all necessary to enable effective and lasting (sustainable) change in today's constantly changing world.  Duncan refers to this as  leading the whole person . According to Duncan:...

  Jack H. Llewellyn , PhD is a sports psychology consultant who has helped a major league baseball pitcher become a Cy Young Award winner, A NASCAR driver go from number six overall to number one and with the Winston Cup Series Championship, and countless leaders at Fortune 500 companies. Now, he’s written the book,  Commonsense Leadership: No-Nonsense Rules for Improving Your Mental Game and Increasing Your Team’s Performance . This is an excellent book for leaders at any stage in their leadership career. It’s a results-driven guidebook that teaches you how to recover quickly from adversity, thrive on stress, preform on the emotional edge, and create a motivating environment (instead of trying to motivate people). My favorite chapter is the one titled,  Winning Versus Surviving . In it, Llewellyn outlines the  life factors that can fuel your everyday success . Some of those factors include: No. 1  – Winners expect to win every day. Your plan as a leader should ...

"It is a driving passion of mine to get people to understand that improv skills can be effectively translated into the business world with powerful results," says  Bob Kulhan , veteran improv performer, university professor, and author of the fascinating book,  Getting To "Yes And": The Art of Business Improv . And, "Nope, improv isn't just making stuff up," explains Kulhan. "Preparation and awareness are critical to successful improvisation." He further explains that improvisation takes technique, training, practice, thoughtfulness and intelligence. "Improvisation at its most effective is a deliberate strategy that draws on intelligence in concert with instinct. And, in business, improvisation thrives at the pivotal intersection where planning and strategy meet execution." Kulhan, who was trained in improv by notables including  Amy Poehler  and  Tina Fey , also teaches you in his book the powerful difference between  "Yes, an...

“Four out of five adults report feeling that they have too much to do and not enough time to do it,” reports  Ashley Whillans , author of the book,  Time Smart: How to Reclaim Your Time and Live a Happier Life . “These time-poor people experience less joy each day. They laugh less. They are less healthy and less productive.” And, in one study, time stress produced a stronger negative effect on happiness than unemployment.   Drawing on the latest science, Whillans teaches us how to escape the time traps that make us feel this way and keep us from living our best lives.   She explains that the  six most common time traps  are: Constant connection to technology. Obsession with work and making money. Limited value placed on time. Busyness as a status symbol. Aversion to idleness. The Yes…and then regret it effect.   Her playbook shows you how to :   take back the time you lose to mindless tasks and unfulfilling chores. improve your "time affluence.” f...

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 lead ch...

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...

  “The chaos of everyday business forces people into an exhausting, ineffective, seemingly never-ending cycle of workarounds, firefighting, and Whac-a-Mole,” share the authors of the new book, There’s Got To Be A Better Way .  And in their book, the authors, Nelson P. Repenning and Donald C. Kieffer , explain there is indeed a better way.  They share the game-changing discipline of dynamic work design that improves productivity, reduces costs, and increases efficiency, ensuring that all parts of a company can work in concert. The discipline has been used in organizations around the world to close the gap between the results promised and results delivered.   The five principles of dynamic work design are:  Solve the right problem – Structured problem-solving to break the biases that come with past success and help you find new levels of performance. Effective problem-solving is the engine of adaptation and agility. Structure for discovery – A series of simple...

Five years ago, I posted about the book, Humanocracy . In it, the authors, Gary Hamel and Michele Zanini , present a fascinating look at how to breakdown the bureaucracy within an organization and unleash the power and true abilities of the human beings in that organization, making the organization more bold, entrepreneurial, and as nimble as change itself.  Humanocracy expertly lays out a detailed blueprint for creating organizations that are inspiring and ingenious, and it provides you with research-based examples, practical guidance and, most important, action steps to take immediately.  Since the book’s release, companies such as Bayer, Ferrari, Ingersoll Rand, GE Appliances, Roche Pharmaceuticals, and the US Army have embraced the book’s principles.  Today brings the extensively updated and expanded edition of Humanocracy . It features new case studies and timely insights drawn from the last five years.  “Since the first edition, the stakes have only g...

Through the years, I’ve featured four books by  Robert L. Dilenschneider  on my blog. His books are that good.   Today, I highlight his The Ultimate Guide to Power & Influence , which is a  Wall Street Journal  Bestseller and has also been on the  USA Today  bestseller list.   In our rapidly changing world, adaptability and influence are key to success. “The book is a comprehensive guide designed to help young professionals and career changers navigate these changes,” says Dilenschneider.   The book is structured into 15 insightful chapters, each focusing on a unique aspect of power and influence. “Every chapter has something relevant for you, no matter your age or place in your career. Pick and choose what you need when you need it,” explains Dilenschneider.   You’ll learn about: understanding the power of personal connections how to pivot in your career the right way to make mistakes how to use influence for the greater good how to...

In his book,   Habits of a Peacemaker ,   Steven T. Collis , a leading expert on civil discourse, reveals ten practical habits that can help you navigate the potential minefields of hard topics and leave you and those you converse with feeling thoughtful and productive.  The  ten habits  are:  Intellectual Humility and Reframing Seek Real Learning Assume the Best About People Don’t Feed People’s Worst Fears Hunt for the Best Argument Against You Be Open to Change Spend Time with People A Sliver of Humor Seek Inner Peace Embrace the Discomfort of Non-Closure  “I have organized the book in a way that makes sense to me, but you should not feel the need to read it strictly from front to back,” shares Collis. “Each chapter provides useful guidance on how to achieve moments of peaceful, productive dialogue with the people in your life.”  He adds, “If how you treat others matters to you, this book offers powerful new habits that can give you the confiden...

From the book,  Anticipate, the Art of Leading by Looking Ahead , by  Rob-Jan De Jong , here are  13 energizing verbs the author recommends we use more often : 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) Great advice, indeed!

To learn how to stay motivated, read  High-Profit Prospecting , by  Mark Hunter . It's a powerful read that includes counter intuitive advice and cutting-edge best practices for sales prospecting in today's business world. Today, I share one of my favorite sections of the book where Hunter describes his  seven things motivated people do to stay motivated : Motivated people  ignore voices in their lives . These might be people in the office and friends who have bad attitudes. They're out there, and if you're not careful, they'll control you, too. Motivated people  associate with highly motivated people . Just as there are negative people in the world, there are also positive people. Your job is to make sure you spend as much time with the positive people as possible.  Motivated people simply  look for the positive in things . Positive people count it an honor to live each day, learn from others, and impact positively those they meet. Positive people tak...