Eric Jacobson On Management And Leadership

The Courage Solution , a book by  Mindy Mackenzie , is all about the simple truth that the only thing you can reliably change or control is yourself. So, that is why Mackenzie wrote her book – to teach you how to take actions that ultimately will improve your impact on the job and increase your happiness and fulfillment in your career. Mackenzie's  quick-read strategies focus on these four key areas : Part 1: You First  offers techniques to take ownership and accountability for creating a career and life you love. Part 2: Lead Your Boss  describes proven techniques to transform your relationship with your boss. Part 3: Lead Your Peers  provides methods for accelerating positive peer relationships to improve business results. Part 4: Lead Your Team  gives approaches for generating and creating the most effective teams and having more fun while doing it. Mindy Mackenzie A preview of Mackenzie's advice on  Leading Your Boss  includes: Intensely study...

“Only  you , as a senior leader, have the power to direct your company to continuous and sustainable success,” says  Scott K. Edinger , author of the book,  The Growth Leader . “Growth is a leadership issue, not a sales issue,” he adds. His book explains why that is true. And why the relationship that executives and leaders have with the sales organization is among the most important elements of growth leadership. The Growth Leader  reveals how top executives create profitable growth through the intersection of strategy, leadership, and sales. With a clear strategy, inspiring leadership, and aligned sales, powerful leaders understand that true competitive advantage doesn't come from innovation alone but belongs to companies that use their sales organization to add and create value. By reading the book, you'll learn how to ensure growth strategy is aligned at every level of your company, from boardroom initiatives to daily customer interaction.  More specifically...

The authors of the new book, More Human , state there are three primary ways that AI (Artificial Intelligence) can transform how we think about leadership:  It can save us time so we can focus on creating more-human experiences for employees. It can enable us to create ultra-personalized leadership. It can help us elevate our “humanness” toward becoming better leaders.  In their book, Rasmus Hougaard and Jacqueline Carter delve deeper into each of these benefits.  “This book was written to help you, and your peers navigate the process of becoming AI-augmented leaders,” say the Hougaard and Carter. “It is based on thorough research and conversations with more than 100 visionary leaders from all over the world.”  Each chapter contains practical strategies for using AI to expand your leadership capabilities. Also, each changer is self-contained and includes proven techniques that can be easily and immediately applied.  By thoughtfully delegating tas...

Extreme Teams  is a fascinating book by  Robert Bruce Shaw , where he takes you inside top companies and examines not just great teams (your more “conventional” teams), but extreme teams. According to Shaw,  extreme teams : View work as a calling —even an obsession. Value members’ cultural fit and ability  to collectively produce results. Pursue a limited set of vital priorities —less is more. Strive to create a culture that is at once both hard and soft  – simultaneously tough in driving for measurable results on a few highly visible targets and supportive of individuals to create an environment of collaboration, trust, and loyalty. Value conflict among team members —recognizing the benefit of being uncomfortable. Companies with extreme teams will go to great lengths to ensure that their extreme teams are well equipped to address not only the challenges of today, but also the challenges of the future.  The central questions to ask , therefore, are: What is...

“To be most effective in today’s environment, leaders must be  human  leaders. Human leaders must be able to lead not only with their heads but also with their hearts and souls,” says veteran executive coach  Hortense le Gentil , author of the book,  The Unlocked Leader: Dare to Free Your Own Voice, Lead with Empathy, and Shine Your Light in the World .  She adds, “In addition to being respected, seen, and valued, employees also seek leaders who feel human, not distant and perfect beings with whom they can’t connect.”  Additionally, leaders need to put the collective interest before their own and work hard to make other people’s good ideas happen.  “And although the book focuses on leadership at work, each of us is a complete individual, not a sum of separate, isolated parts. As such, the process presented in the book applies to all areas of your life,” shares the author.  She further explains that becoming a human leader is a journey, not a desti...

  Stumped for what business books to add to your spring (or spring break) reading list? Here are  five must-read books for leaders  well worth adding to your list: Lead With A Story  -- A Guide To Crafting Business Narratives That Captivate, Convince, and Inspire . Author Paul Smith explains why storytelling has emerged as a vital skill for every leader and manager. In the book, you'll find over 100 ready-made stories you can use as templates to tell your stories. Stories are so powerful because they are simple, timeless, demographic-proof, contagious, easy to remember and inspiring. Most important, they put the listener in a mental learning mode. What's The Future Of Business? (WTF?)  -- Changing The Way Businesses Create Experiences . This book, by Brain Solis, details the incredible transformation happening in business today, driven by new social and mobile technologies. And he explains how experience design helps your business and how you can harness it...

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...