The word “micromanager” often carries a negative connotation because, from an employee’s perspective, that type of leader is over-involved in their work, creates tension, and doesn’t trust them enough to do their job. Servant leadership, on the other hand, brokers mutual trust because such leaders believe in employees’ skills and knowledge. With a more collaborative and … [More]
Making Great Strategy
Making strategy requires undertaking major — often irreversible — decisions aimed at long-term success in an uncertain future. All leaders must formulate a clear course of action, yet many lack confidence in their ability to think systematically about their strategy. They struggle to apply to their unique contexts the abstract lessons offered by conventional approaches to … [More]
Digital Makeover
Digital Makeover (How L’Oréal Put People First to Build a Beauty Tech Powerhouse) examines L’Oreal’s successful people-driven digital transformation. Professors and authors Beatrice Collin and Marie Taillard set out exactly how L’Oréal turned itself into a digital and tech powerhouse by building on its legacy to reimagine relationships inside the company, and with its customers … [More]
Integrated Tactical Planning
Integrated tactical planning is an essential process for regularly re-aligning product, demand and supply plans in the short term, thereby giving the executive team the confidence that operational activities are being well managed unless they formally hear otherwise. This cross-functional re-planning process is vital to responding to change, increasing competitiveness and … [More]
The Power of Calm
Let me be the first to admit I am a personal “work in progress.” There are moments in my career I am proud of and others I regret. Most of the regrets come from the times I was hurt or angry and tried desperately to avoid feeling those emotions. Yet the emotions always won. They would show up in my body, my stomach aching as I repeatedly played the triggering conversations in … [More]
Behavioral Patterns Impact Communication
Two years ago, when setting out to write The Search for Why, the tools we had at hand were not up to the task to adequately answer the question of why we do what we do. So, we set out to use the best science from the related fields of data science, neuroscience and behavioral science to build a Model of Why. Since the dawn of civilization, the greatest thinkers in the world … [More]
Skills-based Volunteering: The Business Case
The last year has been marked by an unprecedented combination of challenges: a pandemic, economic downturn and devastating racial injustice, all of which have affected individuals as well as public and private-sector organizations. At the same time, pervasive social issues such as unequal access to healthcare, housing, food, education and workforce development remain. Making … [More]
Leading and Living B.I.G.
As human beings, we are meaning-making machines! To make sense of our daily lives, our brains are constantly on the hunt for a story that fits. Yet, there is a problem with stories. Once we give ourselves a good guy and a bad guy, or a right way and a wrong way, our brains reward us with a hit of the feel-good neurotransmitter called dopamine. The brain doesn’t care if the … [More]
Embracing Chaos
Chaos is defined as “a state of utter confusion, or disorder, a total lack of organization or order.” If there is one thing we are not missing right now is more chaos! The world has been turned upside-down in ways that we have never dreamed of! Things that once seemed normal, now require deep preparation, orchestration and facilitation like never before. The new normal is no … [More]
Four Steps to Thinking Positive in Business
It’s long been known by successful people what a powerful tool positive thinking can be. Just think of all the inspirational quotes out there that point out the impact of the right attitude and the importance of perseverance. Positive thinking can help people in all aspects of life, and it can be incredibly powerful in the way people conduct their businesses and lead their … [More]
Feedback: January 2021
Question: What were some critical first steps in incorporating diversity, equity and inclusion policies and practices into your business? Patricia Pace Anderson Manager of Donor Program Development Donor Network of Arizona Sector: Healthcare Recent events in our community and nation over the past year have brought the issue of diversity, equity and inclusion front and … [More]
Culture Renovation
Most business leaders understand the power of a dynamic, positive culture — but almost every effort to change culture fails. Why? The approach is often all wrong. Rather than attempt to “transform” a new culture from the ground up, leaders need to instead spearhead a culture renovation. It’s all about keeping what works, changing what needs to be changed, and ensuring proper … [More]
