Eric Jacobson On Management And Leadership

  Scott Belsky wrote his book, The Messy Middle , because even though the middle of a journey isn’t often typically pretty, it is illuminating and full of essential realizations to finish whatever it is you set out to start. His book guides you on how best to manage the middle of your business journey.  “We love talking about the starts,” says Belsky. “We also love talking about finishes,” he adds. “However, while difficult to withstand and tempting to rush, the middle of the journey contains all the discoveries that build your capacity .”  Some of my favorite takeaways for leaders from the book include:  Leave every conversation with energy . As a leader you can’t always provide answers. And you shouldn’t, as the correct solution may still be premature. But what you can do is always add energy to the situation even if the ultimate resolution isn’t yet possible.  Great teams are more than the assembly of great people . On the contrary, great teams are u...

In Peter Block ’s book, The Empowered Manager (Second Edition) , he shares that the following values and statements can shape a vision of greatness for your employees and company. Each starts with, “We want:”  Consistency between our plans and actions. A willingness to share. To disagree without fear. Commitment to a long-term strategy. To create a safe workplace. To live our values. To have each person connected with the final product. To treat each person in a unique way. To overcome levels and hierarchy. Our people to be the business. A positive attitude, and less energy spent on bad situations. To see caring and love in all our actions. Every person to be responsible for building the business. To work as a team. Each person to have a place at the table. Each person to feel valued and respected. To provide meaningful work. Managers to exist to serve their employees. To eliminate nonproductive work. Each person to have the right to say no. ...

Asking Why? multiple times helps you get to the root cause and helps your company to prevent undesirable results from occurring again or allows you to repeat a desirable results, explains author Michael Kallett in his book, T hink Smarter: Critical Thinking To Improve Problem-Solving And Decision-Making Skills . For example: Ask why to get to “I don’t know” and then go learn what you don’t know. Ask why to get to “Because” – which is a constraint to your eventual solution. In short, Why? Is the most powerful question you can ask, and ask again, during the critical thinking process.

“Success happens by focusing on the process, not the outcome,” explain Jon Gordon and Mike Smith , co-authors of the book, You Win In The Locker Room First .”  They add that, “You win by cultivating the right culture, leadership, expectations, beliefs, mindset, relationships, and habits before you even play the game.”  From this insightful and helpful book also come these takeaways I really value:  Culture is defined and created from the top down, but it comes to life from the bottom up. To have sustained success, you need a winning organizational culture. Know what your company stands for. Your vision and mission should be simple, clear, bold, and compelling. No buzzwords. No jargon. Instead, make it tangible and exciting to serve as a rallying cry and focal point for your team. Ideally, your vision and mission should include the greatness you want to chase with a focus on the character traits and process that will help you get there. Communication is the foundati...

My favorite takeaways from the book, Becoming The Best , by Harry M. Jansen Kraemer, Jr., are:  Your best self is not about perfection (an impossible and, therefore, futile goal). It is about becoming consistently disciplined and focused, making sure you challenge yourself to truly be your best self—instead of becoming complacent, convinced that you have arrived. No matter how good you are, you can always be better. Being your best self is a lifelong commitment.  True self-confidence and genuine humility are the distinguishing characteristics that will showcase your values and highlight your authenticity.  A best team is formed when people are self-reflective, understand themselves, and come together with a sense of common purpose. It takes each person operating as her or his best self for the group to function extremely well together. As their best selves, team members are self-reflective, balanced, have self-confidence, and are genuinely humble.  Thank you ...

Heed this advice from Julian Birkinshaw , author of the book,  Becoming A Better Boss , on how to be a better leader. Strive to  answer “Yes” to these three questions : Do you invest your time in things that help others to succeed? Do you invest in projects that will help the company in the long run, even if you won’t be around to get any credit for their success? Are you prepared to try out a new way of working that may fail, even if you risk looking foolish?

According to  Ron Ricci  and  Carl Wiese , authors of the book,  The Collaboration Imperative , high-performing teams have the following characteristics: People have solid and deep trust in each other and in the team's purpose--they feel free to express feelings and ideas. Everybody is working toward the same goals. Team members are clear on how to work together and how to accomplish tasks. Everyone understands both team and individual performance goals and knows what is expected. Team members actively diffuse tension and friction in a relaxed and informal atmosphere. The team engages in extensive discussion, and everyone gets a chance to contribute--even the introverts. Disagreement is viewed as a good thing and conflicts are managed.  Criticism is constructive and is oriented toward problem solving and removing obstacles. The team makes decisions when there is natural agreement--in the cases where agreement is elusive, a decision is made by the team lead or ex...

There is good reason why,  The Leadership Challenge , book is now in its sixth addition. It expertly teaches you what to do as a leader to mobilize others to want to get extraordinary things done in your organization. Revised to address current challenges, this sixth edition marks thirty-plus years since the book was first published. Embedded in  The  Five Practices  of Exemplary Leadership  are behaviors that can serve as the basis for becoming an exemplary leader. The authors,  James M. Kouzes  and  Barry Z. Posner , call these  The  Ten Commitments  of Exemplary Leadership . Chapters in the book explain the conceptual principles that support each practice and prescribe specific recommendations on what you can do to make each practice and commitment your own. The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership: Model the Way Inspire a Shared Vision Challenge the Process Enable Others to Act Encourage the Heart  Kouzes and Posner expla...

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 on what matters  – honing o...

When you want to improve your competence and how others view your competence, the book,  Convinced: How To Prove Your Competence And Win People Over , by Jack Nasher , is your go-to resource. With the advice in the book you will be able to exhibit your abilities in front of customers, colleagues, and superiors – whether in meetings, presentations, or crucial conversations. Chapter 1 shows you why competence is the most important single factor for your professional success, according to Nasher. Chapter 3 shows you how to present good and bad news in the way that is most beneficial to you. Chapter 5 synthesizes research on the role of speech in projecting an image of expertise and provides tips for speaking like an expert. Chapter 6 emphasizes the importance of body language that demonstrate competence. My favorite verbal communication tips for displaying competence that Nasher shares in his book are:   Speak a little faster than usual, but clearly and smoothly. Speak somewhat d...

According to  Ron Ricci  and  Carl Wiese , authors of the book,  The Collaboration Imperative , high-performing teams have the following characteristics: People have solid and deep trust in each other and in the team's purpose--they feel free to express feelings and ideas. Everybody is working toward the same goals. Team members are clear on how to work together and how to accomplish tasks. Everyone understands both team and individual performance goals and knows what is expected. Team members actively diffuse tension and friction in a relaxed and informal atmosphere. The team engages in extensive discussion, and everyone gets a chance to contribute--even the introverts. Disagreement is viewed as a good thing and conflicts are managed.  Criticism is constructive and is oriented toward problem solving and removing obstacles. The team makes decisions when there is natural agreement--in the cases where agreement is elusive, a decision is made by t...

The Art of Change Leadership demystifies the psychology behind our reactions to change and offers a powerful collection of tools to inspire individual and collective transformation quickly and more effectively, explains author of the new book, Cheryl Cran . The book teaches you how to: Leverage your current technical knowledge to increase the rate of innovation. Use the cycle of change to foresee and handle change-related issues affecting yourself, others, and business. Raise your emotional intelligence to match your IQ. Guide "change" initiatives with repeatable success by using the reliable three-step change model. Cran also explains the differences between a Change Manager and a Change Leader . For example: A Change Manager creates a plan, directs projects and people to achieve a goal. In contrast, a Change Leader sets the compelling vision; tells a story that includes the hero's journey for each person involved . In addition, a...