Eric Jacobson On Management And Leadership

“Fear creates the gap between who you are and who you can be. Courage closes it,” explains Margie Warrell, PhD , author of the book, The Courage Gap: 5 Steps To Braver Action .  “To clarify, closing your courage gap is not about 'de-risking' your life or sheltering from problems—natural and human created. Rather, it is about bringing the bravest version of yourself to every situation,” adds Dr. Warrell.  That includes actively taking on rough problems, doing what is unpopular, facing storms head-on, and maybe even reshaping the broader landscape in the process. Dr. Warrell empowers us to recognize that courage is a learnable skill accessible to everyone, regardless of how risk-averse, timid, or defensive we may be.  Additionally, for leaders , The Courage Gap provides a guide to operationalize and scale the courage mindset across your team and organization to deepen trust, dismantle silos, foster innovation, accelerate learning, and unleash collective courage toward a ...

“By focusing in specific ways on five key leadership elements— Purpose, Process, People, Presence, and Peace —you can increase your time, capacity, energy, and ultimately your leadership impact,” explains  Amy Jen Su , author of the book   The Leader You Want To Be: Five Essential Principles for Bringing Out Your Best Self—Every Day . Su shares both Western management thinking and Eastern philosophy to provide a holistic yet hands-on approach to becoming a more effective leader with less stress and more equanimity. She draws on rich and instructive stories of clients, leaders, artists, and athletes. And, she focuses on three foundational tenets: s elf-care, self-awareness, and personal agency . Most important, Su explores in depth, chapter-by-chapter the  Five Ps : Purpose  – Staying grounded in your passions and contributions, doing your highest and best work that has meaning and is making a difference. Process  – Relying on daily practices and routines th...

  Jacob Morgan’s book,  The Future of Work , helps you understand:  How the world of work is changing and the trends driving that change. How these changes impact the way employees work, the way managers lead, and how organizations are structured. And, what needs to be done to adapt to these changes.  You’ll learn specific principles for employees, managers, and organizations for how to stay relevant and competitive in a rapidly changing world. Morgan explains that the five primary trends shaping the future of work are: New behaviors Technology Millennials Mobility Globalization Furthermore, future managers, explains Morgan, must: Be a leader. Follow from the front. Understand technology. Lead by example. Embrace vulnerability. Believe in sharing and collective intelligence. Challenge convention and be a fire starter. Practice real-time recognition and feedback. Be conscious of personal boundaries. Adapt to the future employee. Thank you to the book's publisher for s...

  In Bob Rosen’s book, Grounded: How Leaders Stay Rooted In An Uncertain World , he explains that there are six dimensions of being a healthy leader: Physical health : how you live. How you manage your mind and body – managing your energy and living a peak performance lifestyle. Emotional health : how you feel. This is about being self-aware and having positive emotions and the ability to be resilient, catching yourself when you have a counterproductive thought. This also includes seeking feedback from others about how you act and trying to be more reflective. Intellectual health : how you think. This is about asking questions, being deeply curious and seeing changes as an opportunity to grow, learn and reassess the way you see and talk about the world. Social health : how you interact. This is about authenticity. How do you build relationships? Are you being honest about yourself? Are you comfortable being vulnerable? Do you consider other people’s viewpoints? Vocational hea...

Whether you are a business owner or entrepreneur, Do It! Marketing , is a must-read book for you to learn how to stand out from the crowd and attract, engage, and win more customers and clients.  Using example proven strategies and tactics, checklists, tools and action steps, you’ll learn how to how to effectively use social media, blogs, video, online and offline marketing, your website and more. Plus, the book provides you a clear 21-day marketing launch plan.  First published in 2013, this is a book I refer to often and find its practical action steps still relevant today.  Thank you to the book’s publisher for sending me a copy of the book. 

I run a lot. And, running coaches, trainers and books all stress the importance of alignment. Muscle imbalances and misalignment in the body decreases running efficiency and leads to injuries. That's why the premise of the book,  Total Alignment , makes perfect sense to me. As the authors stress, only when you have total alignment in your organization can you achieve maximum results. Unfortunately, most organizations have a vision and a mission statement, but few know how to align everyone in the organization around that vision to achieve results. Even fewer measure and reward alignment. "This book is for leaders and managers in organizations of all sizes," explain authors  Riaz  and  Linda Khadem . "The book will show you how to release the power of alignment, how to create unified action, and channel everyone's energy in the same direction," With each of the book's 14 chapters, readers are are presented with a fictional case study based on the authors...

Yes, it will take you some time to read  Joshua Spodek 's book,  Leadership Step by Step . Yes, it will be a little like doing "homework." Yes, this is a book you'll read and likely need to revisit a few times for the concepts to fully sink in.  Yes, this is a book you must read if you want to become the person others will follow . The time and effort you put into,  Leadership Step by Step , will be well worth it! Spodek guides you through what to do and how to do it in an  integrated and comprehensive progression of exercises  designed to cultivate key abilities, behaviors, and beliefs through experiences. The progression contains four units : Understanding Yourself Leading Yourself Understanding Others Leading Others Each chapter within the four units provides you: Hands-on Exercises Reflection Questions Post-Exercise Observations "By the time you finish the book, you'll have competed 22 exercises." explains Spodek, who is an Adjunct Professor at NUY a...

From  John Blakey 's book,  The Trusted Executive , here are these four tips from Jim Collins for  how to be a humble leader : Demonstrate a compelling modesty, shunning public adulation and never be boastful. Act with quiet, calm determination and motivate others through inspired standards, not inspiring charisma. Channel ambition into the company, not the self, and set up successors for even more greatness in the next generation. Look in the mirror, not out of the window, when apportioning responsibility for poor performance.

"It takes more than encouraging words to get a team thinking beyond the ordinary," explains  Jackie Barretta , author of the book,  Primal Teams . She suggests you must help team members to redefine the purpose of their work with broader and more expansive thinking. Use certain pointed questions to guide a team toward a loftier view of their purpose. Specifically, Barretta recommends you as the leader ask the following purpose-broadening questions to encourage the team to think of providing value beyond the ordinary : What major contributions can our team make to the company's success? What do we do that makes our colleagues and customers happy? What does our work do to give our company a competitive advantage? What do we do that no one else can do? What legacy do we want to leave? What future possibilities excite us? What difference does our work make in the lives of others?

“I wrote this book as a roadmap to help you find success, purpose, and happiness,” explains  Tom Lewis , author of the new book,  Solid Ground . In his highly personable book, Lewis uses his life story to connect the dots between his challenges and accomplishments to demonstrate the  five foundational building blocks of success . He speaks from his experience as an award-winning homebuilder and philanthropist. And, as someone who overcame difficult markets, tough competition, and a life-threatening illness. Those f ive foundational building blocks and key qualities necessary for reaching your potential  are: Finding your talent Making good decisions Taking smart risks Keeping your drive alive Managing your career In  Solid Ground , Lewis also covers the topics of personal character, goal setting, helping others, benefits of self-awareness and finding purpose and meaning. T.W. Lewis Some of Lewis’  life lessons  are: Finding your talent and your purpose...

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...

Check out the  definitive book on servant leadership . It's a curated collection of incredibly insightful and motivational perspectives on servant leadership via essays by 44 servant leaders. Edited by  Ken Blanchard  and  Renee Broadwell ,  Servant Leadership in Action , includes the personal stories from some of the most well-respected authorities on leadership: Patrick Lencioni John C. Maxwell Marshall Goldsmith Stephen M. R. Covey Plus, you'll read keen advice from celebrated sports coaches, company CEO's, pastors and retired military leaders. Each of the  44 stories/chapters  stands strong on its own. However, Blanchard and Broadwell group them within  six parts : Fundamentals of Servant Leadership Elements of Servant Leadership Lessons in Servant Leadership Examples of Servant Leadership Putting Servant Leadership to Work Servant Leadership Turnarounds Get your pen or highlighter ready. You're sure to take lots of notes as you capture advice...

If you want to create a heart culture and a people-first culture at your workplace, read the book,  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 steps , based on human virtues we all strive to achieve, t...

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...

Ken Marlin 's book,  The Marine Corps Way To Win On Wall Street , is all about a Marine-turned-banker's tactics for succeeding ethically, and more specifically about  11 key principles from battlefield to boardroom . Ken Marlin "I wrote the book in part because of the bashing that corporate executives and Wall Street bankers have been receiving for many years in the press and in political circles. I wanted to show people a way to be successful on Wall Street and on Main Street that works better than the current system -- and allows you to be proud of how you did it," explains Marlin. The 11 key principles Marlin covers in his book are: Take the long view Take a stand Be the expert (or use one) Know the enemy Know what the objective is worth Know yourself Control the timing Negotiate from the high ground Seek foreign entanglements Trust  and  verify Be disciplined Ken Marlin Between 1970 and 1981, Marlin rose from the enlisted ranks to become a Marine captain and infa...

After two years of research, forty focus groups and a national survey, author  Sylvia Ann Hewlett  contends the  three pillars  of  Executive Presence  are: How you act ( gravitas ) How you speak  (communication ) How you look ( appearance ) All three work together to help you  telegraph  (signal) to others that you have what it takes and that you're star material.   "One thing to note at the start is that these pillars are not equally important--not by a long shot," explains Hewlett.  "Gravitas is the core characteristic." And according to the senior leaders that Hewlett researched the  top aspects of  gravitas are : Confidence and "grace under fire" Decisiveness and "showing teeth" Integrity and "speaking truth to power" Emotional intelligence Reputation and standing/"pedigree" Vision/charisma In her book,  Executive Presence , she teaches how to act, communicate and look your best while  avoiding the most comm...

I'm a big fan of  Marcus Buckingham 's work, teachings and books, so I was eager to read his book, co-authored by  Ashley Goodall . Titled,  Nine Lies About Work: A Freethinking Leader's Guide to the Real World , the book debunks what we've come to believe as basic truths in the workplace. What at first may seem provocative and counter-intuitive, you'll learn why the nine lies "cause dysfunction and frustration, ultimately resulting in workplaces that are a pale shadow of what they could be," explain the authors. Keep an open-mind as Buckingham and Goodall take you through these nine lies (each a chapter in the book) with engaging stories and incisive analysis as they reveal the essential truths behind these lies: People care which company they work for The best plan wins The best companies cascade goals The best people are well-rounded People need feedback People can reliably rate other people People have potential Work-life balance matters most Leadershi...