Eric Jacobson On Management And Leadership

"The challenge for the organizational architect is to systematically create the blueprint for an organization that  consciously connects everything to purpose ," explains author   Clive Wilson , in his book,  Designing the Purposeful Organization . "The product of doing this are measurable results and, importantly, a felt sense of success." Wilson's book is packed with  case studies  and  activities  that help you put to practice in your organization the learnings from the book. Clive Wilson One of the activities that I found most interesting and revealing is Wilson's " Where Did They All Go and Why? " Think of the household names of just a decade or so ago that are no longer with us, write their names on a sheet of paper, then make brief notes on what happened to them and why.  Then, ask yourself, to what extent was it to do with their purpose (e.g. a lack of purpose, an unclear purpose, an uninspiring purpose or purpose being so...

Here are some of my favorite quotes from John C. Maxwell's book,  The 5 Levels of Leadership  -- a book I   believe should become a must-read for any workplace/organizational leader: Good leadership isn't about advancing yourself.  It's about advancing your team. Leaders become great, not because of their power, but because of their ability to empower others. Leadership is action, not position. When people feel liked, cared for, included, valued, and trusted, they begin to work together with their leader and each other. If you have integrity with people, you develop trust.  The more trust you develop, the stronger the relationship becomes.  In times of difficulty, relationships are a shelter.  In times of opportunity, they are a launching pad. Good leaders must embrace both care and candor. People buy into the leader, then the vision. Bringing out the best in a person is often a catalyst for bringing out the best in the team. Progress come...

Millennial turnover is a huge problem for leaders. Millennials account for nearly 40 percent of the American workforce, and by 2025, that number balloons to 75 percent of the global workplace. “Over 60 percent of millennials leave their company in under three years,” explains Elizabeth McLeod , a Millennial and cum laude grad of Boston University. “And, there are four reasons why Millennials dump their middle-aged managers,” adds McLeod. She says those reasons are:  Leaders tolerate low performance ROI is not enough of a motivator Culture is more than free Panera Leaders often treat their employees like a number Elizabeth McLeod and her mother, Lisa Earle McLeod , are a mother/daughter consulting team whose clients include Google, Roche, Hootsuite, and G Adventures. Lisa is the author of the book, Selling with Noble Purpose .  Lisa Earle McLeod Elizabeth McLeod The mother/daughter duo this week shared their insights about Millennial...

Within the first 100 days as a new leader  in an organization, you'll want to assess your  organization's risk . Authors George Bradt, Jayme A. Clark and Jorge Pedraza, in their book,  The New Leader's 100-Day Action Plan  (third edition), recommend you do your assessment using the  5Cs : Customers : First line, customer chain, end users, influencers Collaborators : Suppliers, allies, government/community leaders Capabilities : Human, operational, financial, technical, key assets Competitors : Direct, indirect, potential Conditions : Social/demographic, political/government/regulatory, economic, market Use a  SWOT  (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) as you examine  each category  if that helps.

Here are  10 important questions  business leaders should ask, according to Ken Blanchard and Garry Ridge, authors of  Helping People Win At Work : Does my business have a clear, meaningful, and easily understood vision/mission? Do I have the right people in the right seats on the bus? Do I have a BHAG (big hairy audacious goal), and have I communicated it to my employees? Are my values driving the behavior I want in my organization? Am I creating a culture that increases employee engagement? Am I cultivating a spirit of internal and external learning? Do my employees know what an A looks like, and am I supporting them to get that A? Are our products/services creating lasting, positive memories for our customers? Do I have the best, most timely data and information to help my business make good decisions? Are our key performance indicators the right ones, and are we measuring what matters? And, one more questions to ask is: Do we celebrate success ?...

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...

I ran across this awhile back and found it so compelling and powerful: Your beliefs become your thoughts, Your thoughts become your words, Your words become your actions, Your actions become your habits, Your habits become your values, Your values become your destiny - MAHATMA GANDHI