Offering vivid reports of the latest scientific research, compelling case studies and great storytelling, Team Genius shows managers and executives that the planning, design and management of great teams no longer have to be a black art. It explores solutions to essential questions that could spell the difference between success and obsolescence: How to reorganize subpar teams … [More]
The Ignorant Maestro
For 20 years, in addition to conducting orchestras around the world, Itay Talgam has been a “conductor of people” for companies large and small, for CEOs of Fortune 500 companies as well as startup entrepreneurs, and beyond. Drawing on his decades of experience on the podium, he teaches non-musicians how conducting really works and how the conductor’s art can help leaders in … [More]
People Leadership
According to a Gallup poll, more than 70 percent of the American workforce today is “unengaged” — which means that most of the people in an organization are only showing up to work to go through the motions and collect their paycheck. But there’s something employers can do to change that. In People Leadership, Gina Folk covers 30 proven techniques that she learned and utilized … [More]
The Real-Life MBA
The acclaimed authors of Winning show how to galvanize performance, unleash growth, build “wow” teams and create a fulfilling career — and have fun at the same time. In an economy that is changing so rapidly it can feel impossible to keep up, questions abound. Experts espouse theories and concepts, but when it gets right down to it, winning in business is all about mastering … [More]
Meetings: Make Them Time Well-Spent
Typical executives spend more than 20 percent of their time in meetings with five or more people. At the same time, surveys indicate that a majority of them are dissatisfied with the value and outcome of their meetings. There is a simple technique that takes only minutes (no pun intended) that can effortlessly eliminate some of the collisions, faux pas, cancellations, delays … [More]
The High-Speed Company
Bestselling author Jason Jennings believes that urgency and speed are keys to the growth of any business. Jennings draws on years of research and 11,000+ in-depth interviews with executives, business owners and CEOs across the country to uncover how successful leaders build a culture that supports constant innovation and growth. Writing in his trademark down-to-earth style, and … [More]
The Objective Leader
We are all subjective — it’s human nature. We overreact to situations; we judge people too quickly and unfairly; we take something personally when it was not really meant that way. As a result, we lose relationships, reputation, money and peace of mind. And in our ever-more-complex world, leaders must make decisions faster and with more conflicting information; widespread … [More]
Company-wide “Bad Mood”? Boost the Entrepreneurial Spirit
When a company is in a bad mood, the signs aren’t always overt. People aren’t biting each other’s heads off or glaring sullenly across the conference table. Instead, it feels like everyone is just … coasting. Rather than digging for solutions, they make a cursory effort and then lay the problem at their manager’s feet. They’re not cage-rattlers and idea-sharers; they’re “yes … [More]
The Ultimate Competitive Advantage
People are what sustain — or ruin — your brand. If your people are not excited about the company, indifferent or even alienated from it, your competitive advantage will disappear. When you promote a company of proactive and engaged employees who create a winning culture, sustain it, leverage it, and make it work no matter what comes your way, your business rises above the rest. … [More]
Fairness Is Overrated
During the 20 years Tim Stevens served as executive pastor at Granger Community Church near South Bend, Indiana, the ministry grew from a congregation of 300 to more than 5,000; from a staff of five to more than 130; with a preschool, restaurant, three campuses and more than 1,800 new churches planted in southern India. Stevens, now an executive with the Vanderbloemen Search … [More]
The 5 Choices
The time management experts at FranklinCovey share their five critical techniques for avoiding distractions and paying focused attention to our most important goals and tasks in our daily lives. Every day brings businesspeople a crushing wave of demands — not to mention the high-pressure demands of our jobs — that can be overwhelming and exhausting. The sheer number of … [More]
Think Agile
Funding falls apart. A similar product is unveiled by a more established company. A key employee jumps ship to work for a competitor. These are the unexpected obstacles that derail even the most promising new ventures. Entrepreneurs determined to keep up with today’s constantly changing business environment need to stay nimble enough to shift their strategies, products and … [More]
Critical Knowledge Transfer
When highly skilled subject matter experts, engineers and managers leave their organizations, they take with them years of hard-earned, experience-based knowledge — much of it undocumented and irreplaceable. Organizations can thereby lose a good part of their competitive advantage. The tsunami of “Boomer” retirements has created the most visible, urgent need to transfer such … [More]
Succession
Tichy draws on decades of hands-on experience working with CEOs and boards to provide a framework for building a smart, effective transition pipeline, whether for a multi-billion-dollar conglomerate, a family business, a small startup or a nonprofit. Through revealing case studies like Hewlett Packard, IBM, Yahoo, P&G, Intel and J.C. Penney, he examines why some companies … [More]
Leading through Inspiration
Inspiration and motivation are two completely different concepts, but a majority of managers still make the mistake of interchanging the two. It’s easy to get lost in the semantics, but the difference can be boiled down to one simple observation: motivation can be manufactured, inspiration needs to be instilled. Money, job security and career advancement are all effective … [More]
Employee Cynicism: The ‘In’ Attitude that Hurts Business
In an age of cynicism and irony, Northwestern Mutual is a throwback to a more innocent time. The company is the antithesis of “cool.” It has the kind of culture in which people embrace plain suits and sincere handshakes, take pride in wearing achievement ribbons, kick off conferences with patriotic music. It’s the very portrait of wholesomeness and earnestness — the Boy Scout … [More]
Millennials & Management
As management ages and prepares to work longer than previous generations and Millennials join companies at steady rate, companies are suffering through tension and dissonance between Millennials and Boomers, and realizing that they can’t just wait for management to age out to fix it. This book addresses a very real concern of large and small businesses nationwide: how to … [More]
End the Performance Review
As a business consultant with organizations, both big and small, I regularly hear a litany of complaints about performance reviews or appraisals than range from “The formality of the appraisal stifles discussion” to “They are too infrequent” to “They are rarely followed up.” Please don’t get me wrong — I am not against performance feedback. In fact, I believe it is one of the … [More]
