The latest issue of McKinsey Quarterly contains a case study titled Developing Better Change Leaders. Using the backdrop of a multi-national operations improvement initiative, it addresses leadership development and organizational change and highlights the factors that make it possible to drive and sustain profound transformation. The case study underscores a number of important change leadership practices. Below, we touch on…
Influence – “the action or process of producing effects on the actions, behavior, opinions, etc., of another or others.” – Random House Dictionary Jeremy Lin, Hillary Clinton, Warren Buffet, Adele, Justice Anthony Kennedy, Tim Tebow, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, and Stephen Colbert; what do these people share in common? These individuals are on the Time magazine…
By Derek Murphy Facebook made headlines once again, and it was not due to another layout change. Apparently, the company’s second-in-command, COO Sheryl Sandberg leaves work every day at 5:30 p.m. so she’s home for dinner with her kids. If you’re wondering why this has any sort of significance, think about all the advancements in…
The Great Jim Collins is at it again. The author of “Good to Great” and “Built to Last” has brought us another installment in his collection of business and leadership development owner’s manuals. In “Great by Choice”, Collins takes us through the development of ambition and its equated value to 10x Leadership. With the support…
That which is compensated, is motivated. Nothing more, nothing less. Between my speaking and consulting, I have many opportunities to compare comp plans and the resulting corporate cultures they create. If you want to have a strong customer service culture, for example, you’ll need to aim all compensation plans at achieving it. If you want…
Blind Spots. In cars, we have blind spots where we can’t see what is going on right around us. The larger those blind spots are, the more dangerous we are. We can have blind spots in our life as well – things and behaviors that we do that we don’t understand or appreciate the impact…
You can start right where you stand and apply the habit of going the extra mile by rendering more service and better service that you are now being paid for. – Napoleon Hill In his book, Waking the American Dream, Don McCullough relates a story about Winston Churchill during World War II. England decided to…
“As a speaker, trainer, coach and consultant helping companies and organizations to improve customer and workplace relationships one question I always get is, “What are some ways to deal with complaints?” The word “complaint” is loaded with negative connotations. But in fact, complaining does offer an opportunity to set things right. According to Sandra Crowe,…
The above image is taken from a great infographic on Techcrunch. It’s message is simple: The more you sit, the worse you’ll feel. Recent studies suggest that of all of our bad contemporary habits, sitting all day is a killer. With the rise of the information age, more of us earn a living sitting down,…
A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles. – Christopher Reeve Sports Illustrated columnist Kostya Kennedy wrote a moving tribute recently in honor of Rachael Robinson, the widow of the late baseball Hall of Famer Jackie Robinson. Now 93-years old, Rachael Robinson remains very…
For me, a coach who specializes in executive communications, the topic of attire is like an unwelcome neighbor who keeps popping over. It’s a subject I’m not entirely comfortable talking about as it seems superficial and off-topic. (I’m a business coach not a style consultant, thank you very much.) But we all know it matters.…
Piggy-backing on a blog post by Morag Barrett on the Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce site titled How to Avoid Mistakes New (and Experienced) Managers Make, we address the new manager’s role in supporting change within the organization. To clarify, by “new managers” we are referring to individual contributors who have recently been promoted into roles…
One of my favorite speaking topics is about the power of one person. One person, or a small group of likeminded individuals, can accomplish anything. Likely, they have more power than mega-organizations, due to their nimbleness and ambition. One of the greatest impacts a conference can have on an organization is to unleash this type…
The deepest principle in human nature is the craving to be appreciated. – William James A story is told that Napoleon’s genius had been attributed to many things, but above all, he was a superb natural leader of men. Like any wise leader he was aware that his own success would have been nothing had…
“Good communicators are open to my ideas. They respect me. They know who they are and what makes them ‘tick’ and they want to know the same about me. They foster my growth while attending to their own. They are proud of their accomplishments and of mine-for our mutual benefit.” A Get Along seminar participant…
A few weeks back Greg Smith published his letter of resignation from Goldman Sachs in the New York Times. There were those who applauded Mr. Smith’s call for human dignity in a professional world turned shark tank. Most of the reaction I encountered, however, spoke of sour grapes. Mr. Smith’s detractors cast him away as…
For many of you, finding new leaders is an on-going challenge. In HR world, they call this the “bench-strength” issue and it can be a game changer. As companies expand, new divisions are formed, requiring fresh leaders to guide them to effectiveness. For startups, this is even more critical. Pick the wrong one and you…