Eric Jacobson On Management And Leadership

The former director of communications for McDonald's, David Grossman, now a leading consultant, speaker and author has released a free eBook about how to communicate effectively.  Titled, The Leader Differential: Five Steps To Thrive (Not Just Survive) , it's ideal for any leader or manager who wants to brush up on his/her communication skills. I particularly like the parts about: How much information is enough information to communicate How to choose the best communication channel How to manage your company's rumor mill David recently told me that his eBook is for any leader.  He said, "I've seen the traps discussed and the strategies to overcome them work irrespective of the economy, industry, leader's tenure or personality/style." David has worked with Microsoft, Cisco Systems and Virgin Atlantic, and is the president and founder of The Grossman Group in Chicago, IL. Poor communication within a company leads to more workplace theft, more i...

It's somewhat difficult to find a copy of Price Pritchett's 1992 handbook called, The Team Member Handbook For Teamwork, but if you do locate a copy, it provides you good, practical, useful information. Even if you can't snag a copy, you can learn a lot just from seeing the handbook's Table Of Contents.  You'll learn as a manager how to build a strong team.  You'll learn as a team member how to be effective on a team. Here's the Table Of Contents: Push for high quality communication Bring talent to the team Play your position Turn diversity to the team's advantage Back up others who need help Practice Be prepared to sacrifice for the team Help new teammates make entry Play down yourself and build up others Spend time with your teammates Help drive discipline into the group Make sure you make a difference Give attention to group process Help create a climate of trust Strengthen the leader through good followership Be a good sport T...

If you are leading a business or a nonprofit organization, take the hour or two to read Peter F. Drucker's book, The Five Most Important Questions You Will Ever Ask About Your Organization .  The 100-plus page book, co-written with Jim Collins, Philip Kotler, James Kouzes, Judith Rodin, V. Kasturi Rangan and Frances Hesselbein, encourages readers to ask these five critical questions about their business or organization: What is our Mission? Who is our Customer? What does the Customer Value? What are our Results? What is our Plan? These questions seem basic, but it is surprising how some companies don't dedicate the time and effort to formally ask these quesitions on a routine basis. Often, an organization may have a clearly defined mission, but that mission may not sync up with what their customer truly values.  Other times, an organization's results don't fully meet what the customer values most.  And, if #4 and #3 above don't match up correctly, the...

Sometimes when you are leading an organization or business and struggling to articulate your core values, it helps to see how others have stated theirs. In past postings I've shared Marriott's core values.  Below are the 10 core values of Zappos.com, a company founded in 1999 with the goal of becoming the premiere destination for online shoes.  Now, it is much more than just an online shoe store, and it's known for its unwavering focus on superior customer service. Deliver WOW through service Embrace and drive change Create fun and a little weirdness Be adventurous, creative and open-minded Pursue growth and learning Build open and honest relationships with communication Build a positive team and family spirit Do more with less Be passionate and determined Be humble I like these because they are stated with no fancy words or stuffy jargon.  They clearly guide employees.  They quickly paint a picture of what the company is all about...

I'm a big fan of the books authored by Leigh Branham.  He recently shared his findings from his latest book, " Re-Engage: How America's Best Places To Work Inspire Extra Effort In Extraordinary Times ." What he found after studying 10,000 employers is that the senior leaders at the best performing companies during these tough economic times are doing these three things to maximize engagement with their employees : Developing a clear and credible plan for, and path to, success Making sure the plan is clearly communicated from top to bottom Seeking and welcoming every idea for making the plan a reality and delivering more value (e.g. big and small improvements, new ideas and suggestions for innovation.) Without these actions and in the absence of communication from management, Branham says employees create their own information, which is often worse than the reality. The three things one should do may see like common sense and may appear easy to do, but it's...

Great ideas for your business can come at anytime from anyone on your team. So, as a leader, be sure you dig deep for ideas, and provide an easy way for all employees to make suggestions. Did you know that the idea for the microwave oven came to the inventor, Percy L. Spencer, when a chocolate bar melted in his shirt pocket as he stood in front of a magnetron, the microwave tube used to power radar? Carl Magee invented the parking meter when back in 1932 the Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce asked Magee to solve problems caused by all-day parkers in the downtown business district. To jump-start your idea sharing program, encourage employees to: Tell you the obstacles they encounter Share what they are hearing from satisfied and unhappy (or lost) customers Explain what they think your business can do better than the competition

I had the pleasure of interviewing Overland Park, KS-based author Leigh Branham recently.  He's the author of three best-selling books, including Re-engage and The 7 Hidden Reasons Employees Leave . When asked what are the most important skills a leader should have to effectively lead, he offered this good advice: Vision Integrity Courage Authenticity In addition, he suggests that to be effective a leader should have: the ability to face and address unpleasant realities the willingness to welcome disagreement and open discussion the ability to open up and field tough questions the balance to be both tough and tender minded the ability to adapt oneself to the needs of those being led Most important, according to Branham, is a leader should have authenticity and courage.