Eric Jacobson On Management And Leadership

Early on in Eli Broad's book,  The Art of Being Unresaonable , he reminds us of the power of a child's instinctive asking, " Why not? "  Unfortunately, most adults lose that habit and Broad goes on to explain that it was his continuing to ask "Why not?" throughout his career that brought him success. " The questions you're willing to ask when others think they have all the answers are doors to   discovery ," says Broad. Other words of wisdom from the book, and my favorite takeaways, include : Most successful businesses have to begin by  bucking conventional wisdom .  Invention and innovation don't happen without it. Do your homework  no matter how much time it takes. Big ideas don't happen in a moment . You can't do it all yourself, so  ask questions and delegate . The trick to delegating is to  make sure your employees share your priorities . Find the best people to whom you can  delegate, and know their strengths an...

A former co-worker shared a great blog post with me this past week about the most common complaints about the annoying things bosses do without even realizing it . Here are the highlights : 1. Making social events unofficially required. 2. Pressuring employees to donate to charity. 3. Calling employees who are on vacation. 4. Holding endless meetings. 5. Not making hard decisions. 6. Delegating without truly delegating. 7. Hinting, rather than speaking straightforwardly. Read on for the details behind each of the above statements.

I found particularly compelling the following about trust from Andrew Leigh's new book, Ethical Leadership . He writes: To be trusted, leaders must show : ability - competence at doing their job empathy - a concern for others beyond their own needs and having benign motives integrity - adhering to a set of principles acceptable to others, reflecting fairness and honesty predictability - over time, acting with consistency

AMACOM's (of the American Management Association) sixth edition of the best-selling book, The First-Time Manager -- originally published in 1981 is a must-read for new managers and leaders in business. One of my favorite sections of the book is the one about class in a manager : Class is treating people with dignity. Class does not have to be the center of attention. Class does not lose its cool. Class does not rationalize mistakes. Class is good manners. Class means loyalty to one's staff. Class recognizes the best way to build oneself is to first build others. Class leads by example. Class does not taken action when angry. Class is authentic and works hard at making actions consistent with words. The First-Time Manager is an excellent how-to guide for anyone new to managing people.

The Grossman Group has launched its new Take5 ™ to Communicate Well three part e-learning course designed to teach managers at all levels how to plan and deliver effective communications to their employees . Based on a 5-part model that can be quickly applied to a variety of communication situations, the course uses real-life scenarios designed to help managers immediately apply the model to their work. The interactive course – made up of three 30 minute modules – tackles the following topics and offers 5 key takeaways: Outcome : Get the results you seek by properly identifying your desired business outcome before you communicate Audience : Identify your audience, their needs and care-abouts to help inform what you communicate Message : Move people to action through proper message development Method : Effectively deliver your message by selecting the best method based on the type of information you want to communicate Measurement : Determine the effectivenes...

While recently reading C. Elliott Haverlack's new book, Unbundle It , I found his 11 ground rules for meeting behaviors to be particularly helpful: Arrive on time. Be respectful of other attendees. No phones or computers if at all possible. No leaving the meeting or getting up to walk around until scheduled breaks. No eating unless during working meal meetings (consuming beverages as appropriate is acceptable). No side conversations. Good posture. Listen intently (even if you don't want to). Ask questions at the appropriate time. No filibustering. Take notes.

To help your organization, here are some simple rules for emailing from C. Elliott Haverlack's new book, Unbundle It : Never send an email when you are angry. Never address a sensitive or emotionally charged topic via email. Eliminate the use of return receipts. Mandate that "Reply All" emails are not allowed. Eliminate one word emails. Be cognizant of string or multiple message emails. Ensure emails requiring a response are addressed promptly. Do not expect answers on emails from carbon copy recipients.