Eric Jacobson On Management And Leadership

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...

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated more than 55 years ago, yet his words continue to inspire millions of people, young and old—from all races and backgrounds. During his remarkable life, he embodied bold and compassionate leadership.  The new book, Lead Boldly , by Robert F. Smith , Founder, Chairman and CEO of Vista Equity Partners, is a personal reflection of how Dr. King inspired Smith. He shares his insights and experiences on how King’s themes like “The Beloved Community,” “Economic Justice,” and “Two Americas” played a central role in his own leadership development and why the visionary ideas of Dr. King espoused are so important for leaders to understand and apply today.  As you read the book, you can reflect on some of Dr. King’s most impactful speeches and integrate his lessons into your leadership journey.  Smith encourages readers to consider how they can:  Contribute to fostering unity, support, and positive change. Embrace the power to cre...

Gregg Thompson’s book,  The Master Coach , reveals these 10 mistakes that you should avoid when you coach someone:  Trying to be a great coach . Instead, put your energy into helping the person become great. Working too hard . It’s your job to challenge the person to do the hard work. Not saying what needs to be said. Neglecting to ask the person how you can be most helpful. Assuming the person is a challenge to overcome or a problem to be fixed . Coaching is not a project, but rather a special relationship and conversation. Talking too much . Silence and attentive listening are some of the most powerful coaching tools. Owning the outcome . The person being coached owns both the success and the failures; you don’t. Giving excessive well-meaning advice . Steering the conversation toward the path you know is best . Instead, allow the person to find their own best path forward. Finishing without a commitment . Insist the person promises to advance their cause in some way.

Alex Goryachev ’s book, Fearless Innovation , teaches you how to go beyond the buzzword of innovation to continuously drive growth, improve your bottom line and enact change.  It’s a down-to-earth guide that provides advice and actionable steps on how to: Get teams to embrace innovation beyond empty slogans. Focus on execution of innovation to showcase ROI . Break down organization silos by empowering effective, diverse, and inclusive teams . Communicate the value of innovation. “Innovation isn’t a  thing , it’s a mindset and attitude made up of clear principles that help individuals, organizations, and societies adapt to change, survive and grow, and prosper,” explains Goryachev. “Innovation is more art than science, but its principles can easily be put into practice.” Alex Goryachev Goryachev recommends you continually: Pay attention to current social, economic, and technological transformations that may be affecting your organization and understand their implications. An...

In  Choosing Courage , by  Jim Detert , he shares how to increase the chance of accomplishing something positive when acting with courage at work, while decreasing negative personal consequences.   You’ll learn the tangible and concrete steps to take, using a  courage ladder  (a personal roadmap of sorts), for how to have difficult conversations, engage in challenging situations, and embrace opportunities for courageous action in your workplace and in your own life.   Detert explains that his book is a must-read for you if you want to:   Do more to protect others at work —whether colleagues, subordinates, or customers. Do more to solve important problems at work , whether they be inefficiencies that waste time or money, internal processes that sap morale, or product or service choices that lead to dissatisfaction among current customers. Pursue opportunities more frequently , whether that means taking “stretch assignments” or pursuing work in a differe...

The book,   The Venture Mindset , is all about how to make smarter bets and achieve extraordinary growth. The authors,  Ilya Strebulaev   and   Alex Dang , explain that if any company wants to win big in competitive times, they need to think differently. They need to think like a venture capitalist (VC).   “This book teaches you to spot new opportunities, nurture the right talent, foster a culture of innovation, and take calculated risks,” say Strebulaev and Dang.   In their book, the authors share  nine distinct principles inspired by the unique way VC’s think :  Home Runs Matter, Strikeouts Don’t Get Outside the Four Walls Prepare Your Mind Say No 100 Times Bet on the Jockey Agree to Disagree Double Down or Quit Make the Pie Bigger Great Things Take Time  These nine principles drive VC’s unique behaviors that have flourished in an ecosystem of thousands of startups, some of which went on to disrupt or create entirely new industries, accordi...

To help you bring out the best in your team, you need to get close and understand their skills, abilities, and motivations. So, the authors of the book,  Your First Leadership Job , recommend you hold  getting-to-know-you conversations  with each of your direct reports. Ask these  open-ended questions . Let each team member know the purpose of the meeting in advance. And, don't cheat by adding in work-specific questions. What do you enjoy doing most as part of your work? Why? What do you  miss most about the jobs you've had in the past? Why? What things about your current job do you enjoy the least? Why? How do you cope with or relieve stress? To help you do your job, what could I change about: Your work environment? The content of your work? How you get your work done? What form of recognition do you prefer or not prefer? Thank you to the book's publisher for sending me a copy of the book.

If you have an employee who needs to improve his/her performance don't delay the tough conversation with them. If you don't address the issue right now, the employee has little chance to improve, and you'll only get more frustrated. Most employees want to do a good job. Sometimes they  just  don't know they aren't performing up to the required standards. Waiting until the employee's annual performance appraisal to have the tough conversation is unhealthy for you and the employee. So, address the issue now. Sit down with your employee in a private setting. Look them in the eye. First, tell them what they do well. Thank them for that good work. Then, tell them where they need to improve. Be clear. Be precise. Ask them if they understand and ask them if they need any help from you on how to do a better job. Explain to them that you're taking the time to have the tough conversation means you care about them. You want them to do better. You believe they can do be...

Here are some of my favorites quotes from   John C. Maxwell 's book,  The 5 Levels of Leadership  that I believe should become a   must-read book   by any workplace/organizational leader: Good leadership isn't about advancing yourself. It's about advancing your team. Leaders become great, not because of their power, but because of their ability to empower others. Leadership is action, not position. When people feel liked, cared for, included, valued, and trusted, they begin to work together with their leader and each other. If you have integrity with people, you develop trust. The more trust you develop, the stronger the relationship becomes. In times of difficulty, relationships are a shelter.  In times of opportunity, they are a launching pad. Good leaders must embrace both care and candor. People buy into the leader, then the vision. Bringing out the best in a person is often a catalyst for bringing out the best in the team. Progress comes only from taki...

Each year, I select my pick for the best new leadership book released that year. As published earlier on my blog, my pick for 2023, was  When Everyone Leads .   Some years, among the many books about leadership that I read, there is another book that is so good, it becomes my runner up for the best new leadership book of the year. That runner-up book for 2023 was,  The Communication Code , by  Jeremie Kubicek  and  Steven Cockram .   Today, let's take a look back at that book: “Effective communication is the lifeblood of every healthy relationship,” explain Kubicek and Cockram, whether that relationship is at work or at home. And effective communication is essential for successful leadership.   Fortunately, the authors' book provides a proven series of easy-to-implement skills, techniques and powerful strategies via what they call the  Communication Code  that anyone can use to make their communication, relationships deeper and more prod...

What you don't see about yourself can hold you back as a leader. That's typical for many leaders. What we don't see is what we  can't  see: we have  blindspots . Your blindspots prevent you from achieving your greatest success.  “It turns out that we're often not great judges of ourselves, even when we think we are. Sometimes we're simply unaware of a behavior or trait that's causing problems,” explains Martin Dubin , author of the new book, Blindspotting: How To See What’s Holding You Back As A Leader . “Bottom line: until we uncover these blindspots, we can't move forward. The good news is that you can learn to do your own  blindspotting .”   “Most of us understand the idea of blindspots in a general sense—areas we can’t see, to take the term most literally, or places we have gaps that we may not even realize, to be a little more abstract,” says Dubin.  “But in the context of this book, I’m defining blindspots quite specifically: They are the par...

Mastering AI  by  Jeremy Kahn  is absolutely a must-read for every business leader who wants to better understand the history and evolution of AI (Artificial Intelligence), and more important, the promise and perils of AI for businesses and society. Even if you think you have a basic understanding of AI, this book is an essential resource for you.   That is because Kahn delivers not only a timely, thorough and thought-provoking examination of AI’s benefits to humanity as well as its potentially chilling dangers, but also and vitally, a declaration for how we should proceed as AI evolves. Reading  Mastering AI  reminded me of the popular  The Popcorn Report  by Faith Popcorn – where in 1992 she identified and forecasted trends to chart the future's impact on our businesses, our lives, and our world.  Similarly,  Fortune  magazine journalist, Kahn, draws on his expertise and extensive contacts among the companies and scientists at the...