Leadership

5 Things Super Successful People Do Before 8am

November 25, 2013

Rise and shine! Morning time just became your new best friend. Love it or hate it, utilizing the morning hours before work may be the key to a successful and healthy lifestyle. That’s right, early rising is a common trait found in many CEOs, government officials, and other influential people. Margaret Thatcher was up every day at 5 a.m.; Frank Lloyd Wright at 4 am and Robert Iger, the CEO of Disney wakes at 4:30am just to name a few. I know what you’re thinking – you do your best work at night. Not so fast. According to Inc. Magazine, morning people have been found to be more proactive and more productive. In addition, the health benefits for those with a life before work go on and on. Let’s explore 5 of the things successful people do before 8 am.

Ethics-Simply Doing the Right Thing?

June 5, 2013

It’s easy to understand and beat the drum for the big ethical mishaps.  It’s not at all difficult to identify the big no-no’s — insider trading, sexual harassment, environmental violations, stealing etc.  These situations don’t just happen.  They begin as a slow drip or leak, that left untended turn into a soggy mess.  All those little dilemmas, those situations that “just don’t feel right” are just the first raindrop in a “storm of scorn”.

Set the Vision

January 17, 2013

In understanding the organizational structure, one finds that their success primarily relies on the employees to accomplish the vision and mission of the leadership team.  The vision comes from the leadership team, based on the expectations of the shareholders. The leadership team identifies his/her area of vision ownership and begins to develop their strategies that their team members will complete to implement the vision.

Flight of the Buffalo

January 11, 2013

Flight of the Buffalo
Soaring to Excellence, Learning to Let Employees Lead
By James A. Belasco and Ralph C. Stayer

7 Keys to Success (Part 2)

December 31, 2012

Let’s review the 7 keys to success.

Do and Dare
Double Your Failure Rate
Use Your Will
You Need Determination and Commitment
Excellence is Required
Vision is Necessary
Go to Success
We covered the first four keys in an earlier post. We continue here with the last three AND one more to round out the list.

7 Keys to Success (Part 1)

December 21, 2012

Let’s talk about success.  Take a look at these 7 keys to success:

• Do and Dare
• Double Your Failure Rate
• Use Your Will
• You Need Determination and Commitment
• Excellence Is Required
• Vision Is Necessary
• Go to Success

A Leadership Gift for You

December 17, 2012

The holiday season is upon us and most of us have shopped for that special something for family members and friends. We’ve decorated our homes and trimmed our trees. And some of you more ambitious types may have even started baking your favorite holiday treats. And of course we all enjoy that wonderful tradition of wrapping gifts. I usually buy several rolls of wrapping paper just so that the presents under my tree are wrapped in a variety of colors and prints. As the end of the year draws near, I look forward to New Year’s Eve and the promise of a new year and new beginnings. We put a lot of care into preparing for the holidays and ensuring that everything is merry and bright. So I thought it would be fitting to put as much energy into wrapping up our year professionally and preparing for new leadership challenges and opportunities in the New Year.

Is It OK to Show Your Heart?

September 3, 2012

Many people are familiar with the hard-charging, take-no-prisoners type of leader. He rarely shows his soft side and you begin to doubt if he even has one! He is forceful, direct, and knows how to “get ‘er done!” But there is another type of leader who is also very effective in a much more understated manner.

Seven Things Global Leaders Know, Do & Believe

August 2, 2012

Most of us have an idea of what being an effective global leader means; however, few take the time to study what these leaders know, do and believe. Some go as far as to know what makes a global leader effective; however don’t take the time to determine if they truly believe the actions these leaders take on a daily basis are relevant to their own professional growth. And even fewer take the time to consistently do what effective global leaders do. It’s not because they don’t want to know, do and believe, it’s because many are so caught up in the trenches of surviving for today – they can’t see anything or do anything else. They are missing the forest because of the trees.

Ignite Your Leaders to Win! (Tip of the Month)

July 11, 2012

In speaking with CEOs from around the country, one continued theme is expressed – how do I keep my leadership team excited about being a member of our company? There’s no one answer or a magic pill for this; however there are a few thoughts which are easily implemented.

What is Transformational Leadership?

July 2, 2012

“Inspiring a shared vision is the most efficient way to produce outstanding results.” –Jack Shiefer (taken from The Leadership Challenge)

7 Signs Of A Dysfunctional Boss

May 5, 2012

I’m going to go out on a limb here and say the word “dysfunctional” probably describes more people than the word “normal” does. When it comes to CEOs and executives, it’s almost certainly true.

Avoid the Top 10 Mistakes Managers Make

April 5, 2012

Many managers lack fundamental training in managing people. But, even more importantly, managers lack the values, sensitivity, and awareness needed to interact effectively all day long with people. Skills and techniques are easier to teach, but values, beliefs, and attitudes are much harder to teach – and harder for managers to learn. Yet, these are the underlying issues that will most make managers successful – or not.

The First Time Manager (Congratulations!! Now what?)

April 4, 2012

Moving from individual contributor to front-line manager for the first time is a significant transition. Today’s business environment often fails to provide the support and leadership development training necessary to aid the front-line leaders during this important transition, often with negative consequences for the entire organization.   Now more than ever, in flatter organizations, more responsibilities have been pushed down to the front-line manager,where the ‘rubber meets the road’.

Leadership Begins Within (Tip of the Month)

March 24, 2012

I like lists and projects. I’m not sure why, except that the existence of both usually helps me feel as if I’m making progress–simply because they exist. However, I’m constantly reminded that busyness and progress are not synonymous and that some things–especially important things–don’t have projected completion dates. Leadership development is one of those things.

Step Up And Get Rid of Your Leaders From Hell

March 16, 2012

Four behaviors distinguish bad leaders from average or well regarded leaders:

Why Leaders Lose Their Way

March 5, 2012

In recent months several high-level leaders have mysteriously lost their way. Dominique Strauss-Kahn, former head of the International Monetary Fund and a leading French politician, was arraigned on charges of sexual assault. Before that David Sokol, rumored to be Warren Buffett’s successor, was forced to resign for trading in Lubrizol stock prior to recommending that Berkshire Hathaway purchase the company. Examples abound of other recent failures:

The Art of Leadership (The Intrapreneur)

March 3, 2012

Management gurus and theorists persistently seek an impossible formula – the universal recipe for successful management and leadership. Is there truly one perfect formula for leadership?

The Days of “Manager Knows Best” Are Ending

February 1, 2012

To get a glimpse of what tomorrow’s young global managers might be like as leaders, take a look at how today’s young people think about communications.

Why Some Teams Succeed (and So Many Don’t)

January 26, 2012

Workplace teams have been studied to death in recent years, and the verdicts are in. They’re a success—and a disaster. They lead to big productivity improvements—and they peter out ineffectively. People love ’em. People hate ’em.

Leadership Problems in Business

January 19, 2012

Increasing costs for materials and utilities with an inability to raise prices on final goods and services due to reduced demand or competition, and competitive pressures arising literally from around the globe, create a difficult enough environment to operate a company. But leadership problems in business can stifle creativity, reduce productivity and cripple a company to the point it can no longer remain viable. These problems stem from a variety of sources, from individual personality conflicts to dysfunctional group dynamics.

5 key leadership management issues from 2011 to drive success in 2012

January 9, 2012

What a turbulent and unpredictable year 2011 was – upon reflection, 2011 has been a wild roller coaster ride for many, a tough road for others and a walk in the park for very few. So what can we learn from LMA’s 2011 L.E.A.D. Survey of the leadership management landscape? Here are Five Key Issues that have surfaced in 2011 and which must be addressed by leaders and managers to drive success in 2012.

Does Setting Major Development Goals Work?

November 18, 2011

When it comes to their own development, there’s something irresistibly appealing to leaders about setting stretch goals. Just selecting one feels like an achievement. And the idea that with enough energy, focus, and initiative, meeting a single goal could dramatically improve a whole company and turn an executive into a better, more developed “super leader” — well, who could resist that?

Are You Ready To Lead?

November 7, 2011

Are you read to lead? To assess your readiness, ask these questions:

• Does your company select its leaders according to whether they can teach others?
• Does your firm reward people for teaching?
• Do your training programs help leaders learn how to teach?
• Do you as a leader have a teachable point of view? Do I share it?
• Do you believe that grooming other leaders is a vital component of my job?
• Do you remain “open to learning”?

Be Clear with Your Feedback

October 27, 2011

Most managers have good intentions when it comes to delivering feedback to employees. But the reality is that most of them aren’t very good at it. What’s the cause? Few role models combined with few training opportunities.

Is There a Leadership Crisis in America?

October 15, 2011

If I had to come up with one definition of leadership, it would be the ability to motivate people to work together toward a common goal. Leadership is about uniting, not dividing.
In that context, I’m thinking we have a serious leadership crisis in America.

8 Reasons Your Employees Don’t Care

September 19, 2011

Pay only goes so far. Higher salaries are like the bigger house syndrome: Move into a bigger house and initially it feels roomier, but after awhile larger becomes the new normal.

Building and Leading High Performance Teams

June 13, 2011

You don’t have to be Michael Jordan or Mia Hamm to have the skills you need to build and lead high performing teams.

When a sports team is working well together, it can feel like magic. We’ve all experienced it, either as a team member or as a fan. Fortunately, you do not have to be Michael Jordan or Mia Hamm to have the skills you need to build and lead high performing teams in your organization.

The Power of Motivation

May 17, 2011

Many managers believe–wrongly–that inadequate workers choose to perform badly. They surmise that employees could do better if they wished. In reality, the two greatest reasons for nonperformance are that employees do not know what they are supposed to do or do not know how to do it. In most other cases, nonperformance is related to:

Ten Core Factors of A Leadership Team

April 4, 2011

There are six critical success factors that must be in place before any group begins to function as a leadership team.

Leadership Lessons From Geese

March 23, 2011

Lesson 1: As each goose flaps its wings it creates an “uplift” for the birds that follow. By flying in a “V” formation, the whole flock adds 71% greater flying range than if each bird flew alone. People who share a common direction and sense of community can get where they are going quicker and easier because they are traveling on the thrust of one another.

From the Top, Down–Tying Your Strategy to the Vision

March 8, 2011

To unify a company’s efforts, CEOs, Department Leaders and Team Leaders must take the time to review the strategic vision and connect it with how their teams are assisting in the achievement of the vision. The best of leaders are able to tie an individual’s performance objective to at least one of the company’s strategic objectives.

The New Leadership Skills You Need!

July 19, 2010

The executive job market intelligence report states that the 21st Century Leader must become more efficient in: company operations, managing plans and objectives, cutting cost, establishing vision and strategy and leading (a CGI addition), managing and developing people.