Eric Jacobson On Management And Leadership

In Andrew Leigh's new book, Ethical Leadership , he provides these compelling and important benefits of having an ethical culture in your business/organization: Customers prefer dealing with companies who put ethics at the center of their culture. Most employees would prefer to earn less working for an ethical company than being paid more and working for an unethical company. More than one in three people at work say they've left a job because they've disagreed with the company's ethical standards ( Trevino, L and Nelson, K - 2011 ) If you adopt an early warning system against misconduct it reduces the risk of you facing expensive litigation. An ethical culture helps you make your company a strong affirming place to work in. "The foundations of an ethical culture include values, attitudes, meaning, behaviors, purpose, and management practices," explains Leigh.

  Last month, the   Kansas City Business Journal   published its list of   2013 Best Places To Work Companies   in the Kansas City metro.  As you review the winning companies profiles (the publication's October 4, 2013 issue), you'll notice that wellness and fitness programs and perks are common among this year's winners.   For example: Health center   - Burns & McDonnell Subsidized fitness club memberships   - DEG; Ryan LLC Monthly massage therapist visits   - FishNet Security Inc. No-cost 15 fruit and vegetable "brain foods" every day   - Genesys Systems Integrator Fitness facility   - Argosy Casino Hotel & Spa; Henderson Engineers Inc.; Plattform Advertising Inc. Healthy snacks in general gathering rooms   - Tortoise Capital Advisors LLC Wellness and fitness events   - Lockton Cos., Kansas City Employee Benefits S tand-up workstations spread throughout the office   - Netsmart Technolo...

During this season of giving thanks, I thought I'd bring back one of the most popular posts from my Blog.  Here it is from 2012: In your leadership role, it's vital that your team members know how to deliver excellent customer service. " Knock Your Socks Off " type service as book editor Ann Thomas and Jill Applegate would say. Part of delivering excellent customer service is saying "Thank You" to your customers and knowing when to say "Thank You". Thomas and Applegate recommend telling your customers "Thank You" during at least these nine situations : When they do business with you...every time. When they compliment you (or your company) When they offer you comments or suggestions When they try one of your new products or services When they recommend you to a friend When they are patient...and even when they are not so patient When they help you to serve them better When they complain to you When they make you smile...

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.