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Showing posts from March, 2014

So many leaders get HR wrong!

So Many Leaders Get This Wrong March 24, 2014 By Jack and Suzy Welch We've always said that human resources should be the most powerful part of an organization. So why, in reality, is its impact more often felt in a negative way? Because human resources, unfortunately, often operates as a cloak-and-dagger society or a health-and-happiness sideshow. Those are extremes, of course, but if there is anything we have learned over the past five years of traveling and talking to business groups, it is that HR rarely functions as it should. That’s an outrage, made only more frustrating by the fact that most leaders aren’t scrambling to fix it. Look, HR should be every company’s “killer app.” What could possibly be more important than who gets hired, developed, promoted, or moved out the door? Business is a game, and as with all games, the team that puts the best people on the field and gets them playing together wins. It’s that simple. You would never know it, though, to l...
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Is this your place of work?

A culture of fear Every day in workplaces ¬large and small - from Fortune 50 corporations to high-tech start-ups, 'mom and pop' ventures or not-for-profits, people are living in fear. It might be fear of losing their jobs, fear of being judged and criticized, fear of being disliked, fear of being embarrassed, fear of being ostracized, fear of making mistakes, fear of being the target of gossip or fear of facing uncomfortable challenges or problems. The same workplaces are also home to individuals happy to indulge in inappropriate behaviour, deceit, fraud, harassment, gossiping, lying, cheating and stealing. Yet at the same time, many organizations exhort their employees to abide by organizational values such as honesty, integrity, trust and openness. The 'dirty little secret' (maybe not so little) is many of our workplaces are challenged when it comes to looking into the honesty mirror. It's not so much that inappropriate beh...
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Quality, not quantity

10 Big Ideas from BRIEF “Brevity is the soul of wit.”  – William Shakespeare, Hamlet I finished reading Brief: Make a Bigger Impact by Saying Less , by Joseph McCormack. It’s a brilliant book on the art and science of brevity. The point is this: If you can’t capture people’s attention and deliver your message with brevity, you’ll lose them. With that in mind, I’m going to share 10 big ideas from the book that I think will help you cut the fluff, make your point, and share your ideas in a stickier way. 1. Master “Lean Communication” Verbosity can weight you down and hold you back.  If you want to succeed in today’s information overloaded world, learn to be a lean communicator. Via Brief: Make a Bigger Impact by Saying Less : “When you want to get more, decide to say less.  Those who want to succeed — even thrive — in an attention-deficit economy are masters of lean communication.  They stand out, their ideas are seen and heard, and their comp...
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Sting, in his own words

We’re all in the same boat: Sting at TED2014 Here’s a moment that a certain formerly absurdly hormonal teenage girl had been looking forward to for some time. As had many others in the audience, to judge from the rapturous applause that greets Sting as he takes the TED stage. He plays some songs from his upcoming Broadway musical, The Last Ship. It’s the story of his own upbringing, raised in the shadow of a shipyard in northeast England. In fact, Sting escaped from there as quickly as he possibly could, but he describes being roiled by writer’s block and forced to fall back on writing what he knew. “It’s ironic that the landscape I worked so hard to escape from, the community I more or less abandoned, is where I had to return to to find my missing muse,” he said. “As soon as I decided to honor the community I came from to tell their story, the songs started to come thick and fast.” The process reminded him that whether you’re a rockstar or a ship-builder, ...
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Learn to listen. You might learn something

Listening!: The Simple Skill That Will Boost Your Influence at the Office Imagine you’re having a conversation with your boss, making your case for a raise. Or maybe you’re speaking with a major client, proposing a new program implementation. Now imagine that during the conversation, the person you’re speaking to is checking email, flipping through a notebook, or texting away on his or her cell phone. Or, what if he or she keeps interrupting or disagreeing before you’re able to make your complete point? It’s incredibly frustrating, but unfortunately, it happens all the time. It’s no secret that listening has become harder than ever in today’s workplace. We have so many gadgets, devices, and notifications that scream for our attention every minute of the day—and we often trick ourselves into believing they’re more important than a conversation unfolding right in front of us. We have a biological challenge, too: We can listen about three times faster than anyo...
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Great leadership also requires integrity

Leadership: How to Get From Good to Great  Peter Economy says  Focus on a few core components of leadership and you can take your company to new heights.  http://www.inc.com/peter-economy/leadership-how-to-get-from-good-to-great.html Company leaders always want to motivate, inspire, and support their people to the absolute fullest. But most go to bed at night suspecting that they're coming up a little short. Maybe more than a little. Take heart: You can become a truly great leader. All it takes is: Perspiration Great leadership requires effort-- lots of effort. And much of that effort revolves around learning: about your people, your operations, your industry, and yourself. Be relentless in your pursuit of knowledge about everything--and everyone--in your business ecosystem. Vision Develop a clear vision for what your business is all about, and don't lose faith in it. Know in your heart that you and your team can accomplish anything you...
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Simple advice for improving the organisation's culture and getting valuable contributions from your team

Leaders: Get the Most From Your Team The best teams are greater than the sum of their parts. But for that to happen, they need a leader who can inspire and motivate every member to fulfill their potential. Some leaders struggle to provide the leadership needed to get the most out of members. To achieve maximum results, team leaders need to treat members in a way to encourage input and participation, and direct the team toward success. Here are several ways they can do that. Listen to the team The benefits of working as a team is that each member has something new and unique to offer. Brainstorming and problem solving sessions provide multiple ideas and solutions from which to choose. Leaders need to encourage members to participate by asking them to share their ideas and feedback. Seeking team involvement should be authentic and genuine, which means leaders need to listen to input and consider each idea given. Treat members with respect The fastest way ...
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Does your boss make similar excuses for not working?

Many bosses probably don't even need excuses, but its always best to set objectives, communicate them clearly and often, and let people do what they do best. Courtesy of Jeff Haden: Do you know people who have excuses -- or more likely "reasons" -- for not being a better leader? See if any of these ring a bell: "My employees work better when I leave them alone." If that's true, you're the problem. Great employees don't need (or want) to be told what to do, but they do need to hear they do a great job, to learn about new directions or strategies... everyone likes some amount of attention. Just make sure the attention you give makes a positive impact. "I'm under incredible pressure." Of course you are. Join the leadership club. Every boss is stuck in between, with their employees the "rock" and customers, suppliers, and even their boss the "hard place." If the demands you face seem overwhelmi...
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