Image credit: Google Leadership: Google Tried to Prove Managers Don’t Matter
Middle management is tough. Entry level employees focus on applying skills to get tasks done. Upper management has proven they have the skills. So they get to talk strategy, markets. Use ‘soft skills.’ But life in the middle is responsible for the tasks of others, to coach, assist and not succumb to the ‘I’ll just do it myself’ temptation. It’s a balancing act of people and task. So in 2002, Google tried to prove that middle managers didn’t matter. Inc.: Google Tried to Prove Managers Don't Matter
Image credit: Photograph by Allison Shirreffs Leadership: Tom Peters Wants You to Read
Heading into summer, we look at the whole “Leaders are readers/ readers are leaders” theme. Tom Peters reinvented the business book with “In Search of Excellence” over 35 years ago. A voracious reader himself and writer of 29 books, he recently found himself talking with a “top 10 list of [Warren] Buffett–like” person. Their take? Today’s CEO’s don’t read enough. See what you think, plus get names of some books that Peters thinks are worth the time investment. Strategy+Business Magazine: Tom Peters Wants You to Read
Image credit: Dr. Henry Cloud Leadership: You Are Ridiculously In Charge – Aren’t You?
Boundaries define things – from nation states to subdivisions to individuals. In an interview, author Dr Henry Cloud talks about examples of leaders who don’t set boundaries and some of the issues they have, seven types of boundaries leaders can create, what happens when co-workers overstep boundaries and more. Get a taste at Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/danschawbel/2013/05/10/dr-henry-cloud-how-to-manage-boundaries-in-the-workplace/#112b3568681d How To Manage Boundaries In The Workplace and check out his book: Boundaries for Leaders: Results, Relationships, and Being Ridiculously in Charge
Image credit: Harvard Business Review Leadership: Stop Reading Lists of Things Successful People Do
Last issue we talked about leaders as readers – and what other leaders are reading. This month, Inc. Magazine reminds us not to fall for the click-bait of “X ways to be a successful leader.” Everybody’s got a list these days. And it’s always numbered – “3/5/7/10 ….” They remind us success is personal, with contexts and conditions that aren’t generic. You bite “success’ click-bait at your own peril. HBR:Stop Reading Lists of Things Successful People Do
Image credit: McKinsey Leadership: Leaders are Readers and Readers are Leaders
One of the things the new year offers is a time to reflect and to plan. The Central Florida Vistage group, a roundtable of CEO’s and business owners, discusses their “MERPS” – Mental, Emotional, Relational, Physical and Spiritual goals. One means to growth that transcends all categories is reading (or listening to) good books. Here’s what some global CEO’s are reading: McKinsey: What CEO’s Are Reading
Leadership: Strategic Decisions: When Can You Trust Your Gut?
Winging it, vs the paralysis of analysis. To some there’s never enough data, to others experience/intuition is their guide. A “McKinsey Classic” from 2009 talks with two authors of an article in American Psychology in which they debate when and how to rely on intuition, engage dissent, utilize checklists – and a great nugget on doing a “pre-mortem” on new ventures/strategies. McKinsey: Strategic decisions: When can you trust your gut?
Image credit: Shutterstock Leadership: Delivering Negative Feedback Without Being a Jerk
Vision, passion, drive, fear, stress – it all comes in to play in the daily lives of business owners. And most won’t realize their vision without bringing along others to help them. The demands of the business can send you into two worlds – blurting out frustrations, or stuffing them in hopes they’ll repair themselves. Neither of those options is usually optimal. Here’s a few suggestions to address that staff behavior that’s driving you crazy. Entrepreneur: Delivering Negative Feedback to Employees Without Being a Jerk
Leadership: Avoiding Decision Fatigue
As a business owner, you may view your CEO role as the top of the pyramid, or the foundation supporting all the others. Either way, key decisions tend to rise or fall to you. It’s part of being the Kahuna, the compass-setter, el Capitan. And not just for the business, but how it interacts with your other circles of life like home and community. Here’s some thoughts on avoiding decision burnout: Forbes: Why Essentialism is the Key to Avoiding Decision Fatigue
Image credit: Bridge of Spies (2015) Leadership: Best Negotiation Movie of 2015
Who says you can’t learn something while having fun, too? If you haven’t seen Bridge of Spies, then go now to the nearest Redbox and get it – it’s the compelling story of negotiating for the release of two Americans from the Soviets at the height of the cold war. In this brief blog, Michael Wheeler of Harvard Business School turns Hollywood entertainment into a business education video with a straight forward analysis. Wheeler: Best Negotiation Movie of 2015 and What You Should Learn From It.
Image credit: Millo, 2014, B.Art-Arte in Barriera, Turin, Italy Leadership: What? Me? Biased?
A fundamental human truth is we make emotional/gut decisions which we then rationalize with supporting facts. It’s a common human malady — the heart wants what it wants. A recent Harvard Business Review article looks at the different ways we deceive ourselves, with some ideas on how to compensate. But remember, the first step to recovery is always acknowledging we have a problem. Then read on: HBR: Outsmart Your Own Biases.
