Eric Jacobson On Management And Leadership

"The challenge for the organizational architect is to systematically create the blueprint for an organization that  consciously connects everything to purpose ," explains author   Clive Wilson , in his book,  Designing the Purposeful Organization . "The product of doing this are measurable results and, importantly, a felt sense of success. Wilson's book is packed with  case studies  and  activities  that help you put to practice in your organization the learnings from the book. Clive Wilson My favorite part of the book is the " 10 Questions on Engagement,"  that all start out with, To what extent... ...does your organization  facilitate opportunities  for engagement within and between all stakeholder groups, so that they may share perspectives, learn and grow together in support of the organization's purpose? ...do  people come together to examine the way things are done , criticize processes and behaviors with a v...

Here are 10 tips for how to maximize employee involvement: Have active ways to  listen to your employees . Check often with employees  to see if the information you are sharing with them is what they need and what they want. Share information about customer satisfaction  with employees. Discuss financial performance  with your employees and be sure everyone understands the importance of profitability and how they can contribute to profitability. Allow ad hoc teams among employees to form to address organizational problems  and work with those teams to tackle the identified issues. Encourage employees to make suggestions  for improvement whether those ideas are large or small. Take an idea from one employee and share it with other employees  and teams and let everyone make a contribution to build upon that idea. Train! For long-term employees, find ways to  keep their jobs interesting through new assignments  and challenges. Cond...

"The challenge for the organizational architect is to systematically create the blueprint for an organization that  consciously connects everything to purpose ," explains author Clive Wilson , in his book,  Designing the Purposeful Organization . "The product of doing this are measurable results and, importantly, a felt sense of success. Wilson's book is packed with  case studies  and  activities  that help you put to practice in your organization the learnings from the book. Clive Wilson One of my favorite parts of the book is the " 10 Questions on Engagement,"  that all start out with, To what extent... ...does your organization  facilitate opportunities  for engagement within and between all stakeholder groups, so that they may share perspectives, learn and grow together in support of the organization's purpose? ...do  people come together to examine the way things are done , criticize processes and behaviors...

"The challenge for the organizational architect is to systematically create the blueprint for an organization that  consciously connects everything to purpose ," explains author   Clive Wilson , in his new book,  Designing the Purposeful Organization . "The product of doing this are measurable results and, importantly, a felt sense of success. Wilson's book is packed with  case studies  and  activities  that help you put to practice in your organization the learnings from the book. Clive Wilson My favorite part of the book is the " 10 Questions on Engagement,"  that all start out with, To what extent... ...does your organization  facilitate opportunities  for engagement within and between all stakeholder groups, so that they may share perspectives, learn and grow together in support of the organization's purpose? ...do  people come together to examine the way things are done , criticize processes and behaviors with...

As explained in John Baldoni's, book, Lead With Purpose , Marshall Goldsmith suggests all leaders make it a habit to regularly ask their employees these six questions: Where do you think we should be going? Where do you think you and your part of the business should be going? What do you think you're doing well? If you were the leader, what ideas would you have for you? How can I help? What suggestions or ideas do you have for me?

"The challenge for the organizational architect is to systematically create the blueprint for an organization that  consciously connects everything to purpose ," explains author   Clive Wilson , in his new book,  Designing the Purposeful Organization . "The product of doing this are measurable results and, importantly, a felt sense of success. Wilson's book is packed with  case studies  and  activities  that help you put to practice in your organization the learnings from the book. Clive Wilson One of the activities that I found most interesting and revealing is Wilson's " Where Did They All Go and Why? " Think of the household names of just a decade or so ago that are no longer with us, write their names on a sheet of paper, then make brief notes on what happened to them and why.  Then, ask yourself, to what extent was it to do with their purpose (e.g. a lack of purpose, an unclear purpose, an uninspiring purpose or purpose being...

Here are 10 tips for how to maximize employee involvement: Have active ways to  listen to your employees . Check often with employees  to see if the information you are sharing with them is what they need and what they want. Share information about customer satisfaction  with employees. Discuss financial performance  with your employees and be sure everyone understands the importance of profitability and how they can contribute to profitability. Allow ad hoc teams among employees to form to address organizational problems  and work with those teams to tackle the identified issues. Encourage employees to make suggestions  for improvement whether those ideas are large or small. Take an idea from one employee and share it with other employees  and teams and let everyone make a contribution to build upon that idea. Train! For long-term employees, find ways to  keep their jobs interesting through new assignments  and challenges. Cond...

Overland Park, Kansas-based author Leigh Branham, along with Mark Hirschfeld, awhile back completed a survey of 10,000 employees in 43 states to better understand what separates a "best places to work" company from other companies. What Branham and Hirschfeld discovered is that the best companies use six "universal drivers" that maximize employee engagement: Caring, Competent, and Engaging Senior Leaders Effective Managers Who Keep Employees Aligned and Engaged Effective Teamwork at All Levels Job Enrichment and Professional Growth Valuing Employee Contributions Concern for Employee Well-Being Branham also explains that to get the best from your employees you need to re-engage them. You can learn more about how to do that in his book,  Re-Engage .

As explained in John Baldoni's, book,  Lead With Purpose , Marshall Goldsmith suggests all leaders make it a habit to regularly ask their employees these  six questions : Where do you think we should be going? Where do you think you and your part of the business should be going? What do you think you're doing well? If you were the leader, what ideas would you have for you? How can I help? What suggestions or ideas do you have for me?

" Frustration  in the workplace is a silent killer," claim authors  Mark Royal  and  Tom Agnew  in their book,  The Enemy of Engagement . Further, "in an organizational context, frustration is not as simple as failing to get something you want.  Rather, it involves the inability to succeed in your role due to organizational barriers or the inability to bring the bulk of your individual talents, skills, and abilities to your job." Royal and Agnew further explain that a  staggering number of highly motivated, engaged, and loyal employees quit trying--or quit, period---because they feel frustrated . And what's causing all that frustration?  It's lack of  enablement .  According to Royal and Agnew, as employees grow in experience in their roles, they begin to focus less on learning the ropes and more on achieving desired results .  In the process, they are increasingly confronted with enablement constraints...

Here are 10 tips for how to maximize employee involvement : Have active ways to listen to your employees. Check often with employees to see if the information you are sharing with them is what they need and what they want. Share information about customer satisfaction with employees. Discuss financial performance with your employees and be sure everyone understands the importance of profitability and how they can contribute to profitability. Allow ad hoc teams among employees to form to address organizational problems and work with those teams to tackle the identified issues. Encourage employees to make suggestions for improvement whether those ideas are large or small. Take an idea from one employee and share it with other employees and teams and let everyone make a contribution to build upon that idea. Train! For long-term employees, find ways to keep their jobs interesting through new assignments and challenges. Conduct meetings around specific issues and brai...

Fortunately, most of my career I’ve worked in effective corporate cultures. If I put together the best of each, here is what made those environments effective: • Leaders led by example on a consistent basis and were willing to roll up their sleeves, particularly during tight deadlines or challenging times. • Employees clearly understood how what they did made a difference and how their contributions made the organization either more profitable or more effective. • The workforce included a blend of long-term employees with a rich company, product/service and customer history, employees who had been at the company for five to seven years, and then new hires with a fresh perspective and keen sense of new technologies and techniques. That blend worked best when the mix included virtually all A-players. • Top managers had a clear, realistic and strategic vision for how the company would grow and compete in the marketplace. • Employees were challenged and rewarded thr...

" Frustration in the workplace is a silent killer," claim authors Mark Royal and Tom Agnew in their terrific book, The Enemy of Engagement . Further, "in an organizational context, frustration is not as simple as failing to get something you want.  Rather, it involves the inability to succeed in your role due to organizational barriers or the inability to bring the bulk of your individual talents, skills, and abilities to your job." Royal and Agnew further explain that a staggering number of highly motivated, engaged, and loyal employees quit trying--or quit, period---because they feel frustrated . And what's causing all that frustration?  It's lack of enablement .  According to Royal and Agnew, as employees grow in experience in their roles, they begin to focus less on learning the ropes and more on achieving desired results.  In the process, they are increasingly confronted with enablement constraints that limit their ability to get their ...