Eric Jacobson On Management And Leadership

Because  Dr. Rodger Dean Duncan  delivers so much timely, straight-forward and relevant wisdom in his book,  Change-friendly Leadership , reading it is like talking with your trusted best friend. Or, listening to your favorite teacher.  Or, soaking in the thoughts from your respected mentor. That's why you'll want to spend plenty of time reading the book.  Reflecting on the messages.  Absorbing the discussion,  And, then likely re-reading it.  Or, at least certain sections. Duncan demonstrates in the book how  humanness, approachability , and  friendliness  are necessary but often overlooked elements of making change successful in an organization. He teaches leaders the foundation for effectively  engaging people's heads, hearts and hopes  -- all necessary to enable effective and lasting (sustainable) change in today's constantly changing world.  Duncan refers to this as  leadi...

I recommend that all leaders every so often read the  What Will Matter  poem by  Michael Josephson . It serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of unselfishly serving and leading with character. I've highlighted in bold and in color my favorite parts of the poem: Ready or not, some day it will all come to an end. There will be no more sunrises, no minutes, hours or days. All the things you collected, whether treasured or forgotten, will pass to someone else. Your wealth, fame and temporal power will shrivel to irrelevance. It will not matter what you owned or what you were owed. Your grudges, resentments, frustrations and jealousies will finally disappear. So too, your hopes, ambitions, plans and to-do lists will expire. The wins and losses that once seemed so important will fade away. It won't matter where you came from or what side of the tracks you lived on at the end. It won't matter whether you were beautiful or brillian...

You can't lead if your employees, team or followers don't trust you. Building trust takes  energy, effort and constant attention  to how you act. To help build trust, follow these 16 tips , recommended by author Susan H. Shearouse: Be honest Keep commitments and keep your word Avoid surprises Be consistent with your mood Be your best Demonstrate respect Listen Communicate Speak with a positive intent Admit mistakes Be willing to hear feedback Maintain confidences Get to know others Practice empathy Seek input from others Say "thank you"

The real gems in John C. Maxwell's book,  Everyone Communicates Few Connect , book are the abundant leadership and communication quotes, such as these: To add value to others, one must first value others. People may hear your words, but they feel your attitude. All good communicators get to the point before their listeners start asking, "What's the point?" The first time you say something, it's heard. The second time, it's recognized, and the third time it's learned. In the end, people are persuaded not by what we say, but by what they understand. People pay attention when something that is said connects with something they greatly desire. Maxwell also says that: Management is about persuading people to do things they do not want to do, while leadership is about inspiring people to do things they never thought they could . The book covers five principles and five practices to help readers so they can connect one-on-one, in a group, or...

Many Human Resource (HR) managers have moved away from questions like "What's your weakness?" and prefer  behavior-based questions , which ask you to: describe how you handled specific situations  at your former jobs If you are about to interview for your next leadership position, be prepared for questions like these (from an article in  Reader's Digest ): Tell me about a time when your integrity was challenged . What was the situation, and what did you do? Tell me about a time you had to work with someone you did not personally like . If you could come to work with  only three tools to get your job done, what would they be ? What personal and professional development have you been engaged in outside the workplace  over the past year? Describe your Outlook calendar  on a typical day

A few months ago, I shared my list of my favorite leadership and business books published in 2013.  If you're since then read one or more of these, I'm eager to hear what you thought of them. Ethical Leadership Unlimited Sales Success Manager 3.0 AMA Business Boot Camp The way of the SEAL Becoming a Better Boss Leadership Conversations And, my favorite 2012 in case you haven't read this book: Lead with a Story

Author Joseph McCormack offers these six tips for ways of making your written communication shorter and more appealing: Deliver a strong title or subject line that's your invitation. Limit your email to the original window. Make sure there is white space and balance throughout the text. Call out key ideas by calling them out in bold type. Start each bullet point with a strong word or catchy phrase. Trim the fluff -- anything that's unnecessary, leaving a consumable and concise size communication You can learn more helpful tips in his new book, Brief:  Make a Bigger Impact by Saying Less .