Eric Jacobson On Management And Leadership

This time each year, I select my pick for best new leadership and business book for the year . For 2020, my pick is,  Stand Out! Become a Young Professional Who Wins at Work and Life , by Nathan Magnuson , published in June this year. Written by a humble, wise, insightful millennial, Magnuson provides a timely resource to help young professionals excel in the workplace and beyond.  I selected this book because Magnuson tells it like it is, provides clear, practical, actionable advice and speaks with authenticity and in a conversational style that will resonate with young career professionals. Call it a blueprint, handbook, guide or manual,  Stand Out!  is a must-read for young professionals early in their career, for recent college graduates, and for workplace leaders respectfully guiding and coaching the young professionals within their organizations.  Stand Out!  also makes for a good gift from a parent or life/business coach and is perfect for a millenni...

With 2021 fast approaching, it's time to identify your New Year's Resolutions for next year. To get you started, how about selecting one or more of these 70 New Year's resolutions for leaders? Perhaps write down five to ten and then between now and January 1, think about which couple you want to work on during 2021. 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...

Today, we flashback to 2018 : The new book,   Say What You Mean , by   Oren Jay Sofer , couldn’t have come at a better time. Because 2018 was a year filled with communication challenges for so many people.   Often, those conversations were ineffective and unhealthy, causing frustration, conflict and distress. Published toward the end of 2018, Sofer’s book teaches you  how to find your voice, speak your truth and listen deeply . Most important, via the book, Sofer provides us the skill necessary to transform communication into a vehicle for greater intimacy, honesty, and compassion to bring us to greater equity and peace. And, that’s why,  Say What You Mean ,  is my pick for B est New Leadership Book for 2018 . The overarching framework for the book is taking  three steps to create effective conversation : Lead with presence  – show up and be fully in the moment. Come from curiosity and care  – rooted in the foundation of our intention. Focus ...

Originally published in December 2016: After reading nearly 30 new books about leadership this past year, my pick for  2016's best new leadership book  is,  Mastering the Challenges of Leading Change , by  H. James Dallas . Technically, the book came out in the fall of 2015, but gained its popularity and momentum in 2016, hence my selection as my 2016 pick. Virtually every business is undergoing change. And, one of the most difficult things for a leader to do is to successfully lead a change initiative. And, change is what most employees fear most. That's why, says Brown that on average nearly 75 percent of change initiatives fail. What's more... When the rate of external change exceeds the rate of internal change, the end is in sight. Fortunately, Brown has written what I consider to be one of the most straight-forward, practical and timely books on how to lead a transition through change effectively. H. James Dallas More specifically, Brown covers much more than ta...

Flashback to this post from early 2016 : After reading nearly 30 new books about leadership this year, my pick for  2015's best new leadership book  is,  Advisory Leadership , by  Greg Friedman , Although the book is authored by an award-winning financial advisor and primarily written for professionals in the financial services industry, this book is a must read for any leader who wants to create a nurturing  heart culture  that hinges on the human-centric values the next generation of employees hold in high regard. And, what exactly is  heart culture ? Friedman says, "At its core, heart culture symbolizes how a company values more than just an employee's output. It's not about the work, but rather, the  people  who do the work." He further explains that leaders can no longer afford to ignore the shift toward a people-first culture and its direct influence on a healthy, effective work environment. Friedman teaches that there are  seven s...

  Flashback to this post from early 2015 : After reading nearly 40 books about leadership released this year, my pick for the very best new leadership book of 2014 is,  The Front-Line Leader: Building a High-Performance Organization from the Ground Up , by  Chris Van Gorder . This book is my top choice because it : Covers the issues most important to today's workplace leaders Provides "real-world" and practical everyday steps you can take Gives you  specific  techniques and tactics Tells powerful, life-experience stories Capsulizes "Take Action" to do’s for you at the end of each chapter Reveals how to create a culture of accountability that creates a high-performing organization with a competitive advantage And,  most important, because the entire premise of the book  is: People come first! Today, Van Gorder is the  President and CEO at Scripps Health , one of America’s foremost health systems with 14,000 employees and 2,600 affiliated physicians...

  Flashback to this post from early 2015 : After reading nearly 40 books about leadership released this year, my pick for the very best leadership book for 2014 is,  The Front-Line Leader: Building a High-Performance Organization from the Ground Up , by  Chris Van Gorder . This book is my top choice because it : Covers the issues most important to today's workplace leaders Provides "real-world" and practical everyday steps you can take Gives you  specific  techniques and tactics Tells powerful, life-experience stories Capsulizes "Take Action" to do’s for you at the end of each chapter Reveals how to create a culture of accountability that creates a high-performing organization with a competitive advantage And,  most important, because the entire premise of the book  is: People come first! Today, Van Gorder is the  President and CEO at Scripps Health , one of America’s foremost health systems with 14,000 employees and 2,600 affiliated physicians....

Each year, after reading and reviewing dozens of new leadership books, I select my pick for the year's best new leadership book . For 2019, that book is Paul Smith's, The 10 Stories Great Leaders Tell , released this past summer. I selected this book as best for its innovative format, timely and pertinent content, and how easy it is to put what Paul teaches to immediate use as a leader. All of Paul Smith’s three books on storytelling are must-reads for business leaders, salespeople and parents. And, The 10 Stories Great Leaders Tell , is yet another required read for leaders – managers, CEOs and team leaders. “ Every great leader is a great storyteller. And, the first and most important part of being a great storyteller is knowing what stories to tell ,” explains Paul. In fact, “ What stories you tell is more important than how you tell them ,” he adds. Part of an innovative book format from  IgniteReads , Paul’s new book features a bold design and expertly guid...

With only a few months left in 2019, it's not too early to start identifying your New Year's resolutions and goals for 2020. As you prepare for creating those, add reading The  School of Greatness  to your "to do" list. It's a highly uplifting and motivational book on how to strive for greatness in your everyday life. Specifically, author  Lewis Howes , shares his progression of a series of lessons --  eight areas  that help you focus on continual improvement: Create a vision. Turn adversity into advantage. Cultivate a champion's mindset. Develop hustle. Master your body. Practice positive habits. Build a winning team. Be of service to others. Packed with exercises, tools, tips and examples, the book makes for a perfect read at the start of the new year.