Archive for 'Blog'

Embody Creative Leadership

Creativity is the most important leadership competency, according to IBM’s Global Chief Executive Officer Study. According to the study, leaders work with teams toward a shared vision and integrate a strong learning component with feedback loops that allow for learning and adapting to changing needs and services.

Creative leadership embraces creativity, takes risks that disrupt legacy and leaps beyond the tried and true management systems.It should be taught and fostered throughout the organization, not just in silos. The approach ...

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7
APR

IBM on Capitalizing on Complexity

Complexity is the biggest challenge facing us, says the paper describing the results of IBM’s Global Chief Executive Officer Study. Today’s world is deeply connected on many levels which means it is susceptible to system-level failures. Therefore we need systems-level thinking regarding physical and digital infrastructures to anticipate and respond to how a change in one system affects another. But often the consequences of any change or decision are unknown.

The survey found three widely accepted ...

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2
APR

Defining and Creating Lasting Success

Since the tech crash of 1999, 9/11 and the more recent great recession, many have looked at their values and how they fit, and in many cases, don’t fit, with the realities of their life . Some talk of finding work-life balance, but many times we find ourselves neglecting certain areas in the push to achieve in another. So the short-term feeling of success that comes from one victory; getting that well earned bonus or finishing a project, lasts only ...

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19
MAR

Microsoft Stops Stacked Ranking

Last year I posted an entry in this blog that discussed the flaws of a stacked ranking performance management system. (See “Grading on a Curve: Does it Work?” posted o8/07/2012. ) Stacked ranking was popularized by Jack Welch of GE and was in use at Microsoft. With stacked ranking at Microsoft, employees were ranked from 1 to 5, with the person who ranked 5 in the group at risk for reassignment or dismissal. This tended to encourage competition, rather than ...

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25
NOV

Is Positive Intellligence a Better Predictor of Success?

In earlier posts I have touted the importance of emotional intelligence for career success. But I recently read an article in qz.com that adds another important dimension.

Shirzad Chamine was a Stanford MBA student when he was informed by some fellow students that they always felt judged by him. After some soul searching, Chamine named this judge inside his mind a “sabateur.” Our minds, he says, can be our best friend or our worst enemy. The sabateur judges, controls, is a ...

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19
NOV

Sleep and Rest: Your Brain Needs More Downtime

Do you ever seem to crash around 3 PM in the afternoon? This happens to me religiously; and it is my cue, if my schedule permits, to do my afternoon 20 minute meditation. Although I have been practicing TM since the 70’s, I don’t always do it the best way. Sometimes my dog interrupts me or insists on getting on my lap, or perhaps I need to work through that mid-afternoon period because of scheduled appointments. But when I do ...

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21
OCT

For Better Social Skills, Read Literary Fiction

If you are thrown into a new situation, a project with a new team, or a promotion to a new job, how should you prepare? Researchers have recently discovered that reading literary fiction for as as little as three to five minutes can make you perform better when it comes to empathy, social perception and emotional intelligence. These skills are especially important when you are trying to determine what someone is thinking or to gauge their body language. And these ...

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4
OCT

Flex Work and Telecommuting: Research Backs Benefits

Alternative work arrangements hit the headlines earlier this year as Best Buy and Yahoo both ended their programs after disappointing earnings at both companies. But a review of the extensive academic research on this topic revealed by Ed Frauenheim in his recent article found that companies would benefit from an analysis of the research as they create, review and adjust their policies.

CEO Joly of Best Buy stated that the alternative work approach missed the mark ...

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17
SEP

Hiring the Right Managers is Critical for Employee Engagement

Gallup’s latest employee engagement survey reveals that only 30% of American workers are engaged and inspired at work, and 20% are actively disengaged, meaning that they are verbalizing and acting on their discontent. The cause: bosses that make their lives miserable. The other 50% are more passively disengaged.

The top 25% of teams – the ones who are best managed, have 50% fewer accidents and 41% fewer defects than the bottom 25% of teams. These top teams also have lower healthcare ...

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16
JUL

Leadership, Connectedeness, and Your Potential

Leadership ability determines a person’s level of effectiveness, and your ability to connect with people affects your ability to lead since leadership involves influence. This was the topic at a recent meeting of the Atlanta Chapter of the Society of Human Resource Management. The presenter, Jackie Martin, gave several concrete tips on how to increase your leadership skills and your effectiveness.

She asked, “How can you make your life better? How can you add value?”

1. One way is to choose growth ...

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17
JUN