Eric Jacobson On Management And Leadership

Legacy in the Making is the fascinating book where authors Mark Miller and Lucas Conley provide readers a toolkit for how to be a modern day legacy builder for your company/brand.   The tool kit provides the roadmap for leaders who can harness the power of long-term thinking in a short-term world; the skill needed to create a modern day legacy. The fascinating part of the book is the stories from the authors’ exclusive interviews with modern legacy thinkers who are transforming business as we know it – stories from The Honest Company , Grey Goose , Taylor Guitars , Girls Who Code , and the San Diego Zoo . “These are the legacy builders that are out-performing rivals, attracting and keeping the best talent, and changing the way others engage with their work and think about their own legacies in the making,” explain the authors. Modern day legacy building is a new kind of legacy creation that simultaneously encompasses what was and what wil...

According to  Ron Ricci  and  Carl Wiese , authors of the book,  The Collaboration Imperative , high-performing teams have the following characteristics: People have solid and deep trust in each other and in the team's purpose--they feel free to express feelings and ideas. Everybody is working toward the same goals. Team members are clear on how to work together and how to accomplish tasks. Everyone understands both team and individual performance goals and knows what is expected. Team members actively diffuse tension and friction in a relaxed and informal atmosphere. The team engages in extensive discussion, and everyone gets a chance to contribute--even the introverts. Disagreement is viewed as a good thing and conflicts are managed.  Criticism is constructive and is oriented toward problem solving and removing obstacles. The team makes decisions when there is natural agreement--in the cases where agreement is elusive, a decision is made by the t...

The book,  The Decision Makeoever , by  Mike Whitaker presents a fascinating look at decision making and the importance of  decision size and timing . As you read the book, you'll gain a better understanding of: The power of decisions Why we make bad decisions How to deal with bad decisions How to deal with regret How to take control of decision making How goals and decisions can help each other Perhaps the most significant part of the book is the author's perspective on goals. " Knowing your goals is the key to making good decisions ," says Whitaker. "Because goals and decision-making are so intimately intertwined." Therefore, he advises that you: Keep a few key goals close : Choice five prime goals and stay focused on them. Decide which goal is top priority and always give it favorable treatment  when making decisions. Know that when a decision overlaps a prime goal, it becomes a prime decision . And, prime d...

The Courage Solution , a book by  Mindy Mackenzie , is all about the simple truth that the only thing you can reliably change or control is yourself. So, that is why Mackenzie wrote her book -- to teach you how to take actions that ultimately will improve your impact on the job and increase your happiness and fulfillment in your career. Mackenzie's  quick-read strategies focus on these four key areas : Part 1: You First  offers techniques to take ownership and accountability for creating a career and life you love. Part 2: Lead Your Boss  describes proven techniques to transform your relationship with your boss. Part 3: Lead Your Peers  provides methods for accelerating positive peer relationships to improve business results. Part 4: Lead Your Team  gives approaches for generating and creating the most effective teams and having more fun while doing it. Mindy Mackenzie A preview from the book of Mackenzie's advice on Leading Yo...

Set a good example for your employees and follow through on everything you say you are going to do. If you promise to get an employee an answer, get it for him or her. If you say you'll send a team member a report, do so. As the Nike campaign/slogan so aptly says, "Just Do It." Too many leaders don't follow through. Perhaps they get busy. Perhaps they forget. However, following through is critical to keeping your team effective and efficient. And it's necessary for gaining respect from your employees. Following through also means doing so in a timely fashion. If you take too long to follow through, it's as bad as not following through at all.

To help you bring out the best in your team, you need to get close and understand their skills, abilities, and motivations. So, the authors of the book, Your First Leadership Job , recommend you hold getting-to-know-you conversations with each of your direct reports. Ask these open-ended questions . Let each team member know the purpose of the meeting in advance. And, don't cheat by adding in work-specific questions. What do you enjoy doing most as part of your work? Why? What do you  miss most about the jobs you've had in the past? Why? What things about your current job do you enjoy the least? Why? How do you cope with or relieve stress? To help you do your job, what could I change about: Your work environment? The content of your work? How you get your work done? What form of recognition do you prefer or not prefer?

When you start reading Mark Thompson’s and Brian Tracy’s book,  Now…Build a Great Business! , you may feel like you are reading 200 pages of Blog posts, but the bite-sized approach to providing tools, practical steps and ideas, rather than theory, is precisely the authors’ intended approach. The book thoroughly explains the  seven keys for how to achieve business success : 1.  Become a great leader 2.  Develop a great business plan 3.  Surround yourself with great people 4.  Offer a great product or service 5.  Design a great marketing plan 6.  Perfect a great sales process 7.  Create a great customer experience You’ll find a checklist at the end of each step (each chapter) where you can write down your action plan for applying what you’ve learned. Particularly interesting is the chapter on  strategic planning , where the authors recommend you should  ask yourself these important questions before you...