The senior vice president for product development and his team had spent nearly 18 months developing a new range for an international cleaning products business. Initial customer research in two European markets had identified a need for office cleaning machines with a more efficient use of the cleaning agent, and the project had passed through the company’s structured product … [More]
Who Manages the Endowment?
Though they are only one part of a nonprofit’s cash equation, endowments provide a predictable source of income and may be a lifeline during economic downturns. They allow nonprofit entities to produce income as well as growth. But who should manage the assets in an endowment? It might seem a single executive or executives seated at the boardroom table are best suited. After … [More]
Return on Integrity
Core values have been featured in countless books over the last decade, but none has taken the search as deep or has focused on the intersection of leaders’ personal values and those of their organization. At this intersection, Return on Integrity reveals the linchpin of leadership and legacy. Core values are not just a guide; they should be the basis of every decision and … [More]
Powerful Strategic Planning
Annually — or every three to five years — nonprofit board members gear up for strategic planning retreats, assessing the organization’s performance over the previous year or tackling long-term planning. Some view strategic planning as nothing more than a label: Yes. We have a strategic plan. Check. Others see such planning as a waste of time or money. Still others see its value … [More]
The ‘Boys Club’ Needs to Include Girls
Whether it’s Hollywood movie studios and their paucity of female directors, the tech industry and its alarming exodus of frustrated women, or the stifling male fraternity culture that dominates Wall Street, women continue to be marginalized in the business world. The vast majority of CEOs responding to a McKinsey survey noted that hiring females is essential to “getting the … [More]
Creating a Culture of Philanthropy
Ask five different executives sitting on nonprofit boards to define “culture of philanthropy,” and five different definitions will rise to the top. Board members may also differ in their opinion of the role they should play in building a culture of engagement and philanthropy within their nonprofit. Clarity on these two points is essential, however; if organizations can … [More]
Dealstorming
There’s a good chance even those who think they’re applying teamwork to their challenges may be operating inside a sales silo, not building a truly collaborative team across the whole company. The more disciplines that are brought into the process, the more unlikely (but effective!) solutions the team can come up with. Sanders explains his seven-step Dealstorming process and … [More]
Humility Is the New Key to Success
Not so long ago, our culture really (really) admired people with big egos. We called them rugged individualists, fearless leaders, MVPs, visionaries and go-getters. We respected these confident and successful folks for (seemingly) having all the answers. They were all too happy to stand their ground and argue their point, and we saw this as a sign of strength and … [More]
The Art of Leading Collectively
Readers learn how to tackle system change for sustainable development, reimagine leadership as a collaborative endeavor, retrain leaders to work collectively, and manage diverse groups through a change process that has sustainability as a guiding focus. Drawing upon two decades of pioneering, internationally recognized work orchestrating multi-stakeholder initiatives, Kuenkel … [More]
Manage Energy, Not Engagement
After 20 years of trying to get it right, few organizations truly understand employee engagement or have failed to see its improvement in their company. And yet, there are organizations that have increased engagement — but find their employees are drained and depleted. What causes this “engagement paradox”? It’s simple. Managing engagement turns out to be just another drain … [More]
The Second Decision
Author Randy H. Nelson knows that in business, the majority of entrepreneurial CEOs are not required to be qualified to lead their organizations. In The Second Decision, Nelson has combined his six years of naval service, 25 years of business experience and thousands of hours with business leaders to develop The Entrepreneur QualCard™. Chapter by chapter, the reader will … [More]
The McKinsey Edge
The McKinsey Edge culls the personal best practices of an exclusive group of managers connected to McKinsey & Company, a firm that services 80 percent of the world’s largest corporations. Through a wealth of 47 rigorously selected, battle-tested, immediately implementable and practical tips, readers will discover the secrets to building the self, growing with others, … [More]
Motivation: Why Money Won’t Work
Spending time trying to identify what motivates one’s employees and then finding meaningful ways to do those things might not be the easiest strategy, but it is one that is consistently more successful than money. While we all love a good gift card, why do organizations continue to spend countless dollars trying to motivate and engage their staff with monetary incentives if we … [More]
Motivation: Gamifying the Workplace
Only 31.5 percent of U.S. workers were engaged in their jobs in 2014, according to a 2015 Gallup poll. A recently released survey from global business gamification leader Badgeville suggests gamification may be a motivator to help overcome this disengagement. The independent survey of more than 500 business workers, ranging from entry-level employees to C-level executives, … [More]
Managing the Millennials
This is a valuable tool for anyone who wants to effectively manage and motivate 20-something workers. Many books are being published on how to manage employees of the “millennial” generation, but the solutions offered are anecdotal at best. Backed by years of serious research, Managing the Millennials provides managers of all ages with specific recommendations and tools for … [More]
Founding Collaborative Intelligence & Innovation on ‘Purpose’
A new intelligence is required in workplaces today. It’s collaborative intelligence, or, as we prefer to call it, We-Q™. We-Q is not how smart or emotionally developed we are as individuals; rather, it is how intelligent we are mentally, emotionally and socially as a collective — and it is a crucial skill for all kinds of business in the digital age. The reality of this … [More]
Creative Management Transforms People into Profits
When faced with any given challenge, the natural human response is, “What’s in it for me?” Consider the banking fiasco, the granddaddy of “What’s in it for me?” Our country watched in horror as executives paid themselves outrageous bonuses while their companies were failing. These senior managers felt no remorse at slashing their workforces and abandoning their customers … [More]
Keep Out of the Friend Zone
“Keep your work life and business life separate.” “Don’t get involved in your employees’ personal matters.” “There is no place for friendships in the office.” This is all age-old advice, but it is out of sync with what really happens in our workplaces. Friendships form in the workplace and it is, at times, impossible for employees to leave personal issues at home. As … [More]
