One of the main benefits of being out and about is that a leader gets to see how things really get done. But if your physical presence is rare, you are likely training your employees unintentionally. read more >
The reasons that change projects take too long, cost too much, do not deliver promised results or never get over the line point to failures in leadership far more often than failures in execution. read more >
Smart leaders understand that to deal with difficult times, the culture and attitude of their workforce must be critical to survival. read more >
The recent flood of women who have begun speaking out about behavior that ranges from inappropriate to criminal creates a lightning-rod topic for organizational leaders. read more >
If people leave bad bosses, then that means they stay for good ones. In short, a system that spends more to bring in talent and get new hires ready for responsibilities is wasting its time and effort if there is no process for improving those skills and capacity for management. read more >
External skill-building is a good start, but developing an internal leader’s mindset is the key to sustained behavior change. read more >
Research in behavioral science is showing that there is a trend toward higher irritability in the workplace — especially in the United States — and it has been more pronounced over the last 24 months. read more >
Decision making — especially when it is hard — is a fundamental part of leadership. read more >
While few business leaders will face the kind of disaster that Samsung has had to navigate, as leaders approach the new year and lay out plans for a new product launch or geographic expansion, it may not be a bad idea to ask, “What’s MY Galaxy?” read more >
Rather than dwell on the demons and monsters, here's an executive coach’s version of sunlight, wooden stakes and the other talismans useful to exorcise the Halloween crowd from your place of business. read more >
Mainstream, action-oriented leadership thinkers tend to hate the idea of consensus, opting instead for rapid-fire, quick-decision meetings. The efficiency of pushing quickly for a clear path forward is hard to resist; however, it often steps over or forces underground the kind of resistance that will kill a new idea or initiative — but usually not until most of the time and money are spent. read more >
Vistage, a worldwide facilitator of private advisory groups for CEOs, senior executives and business owners, has announced the first chief executive group in northwest Arkansas, led by Terry Bowen, Vistage chair and co-founder and CEO of Sew in Heaven LLC of Fayetteville. read more >
A succession plan means not only knowing who could move into an open slot, but what development gaps the candidate has for readiness and what the plans are for filling those gaps. read more >
Every year, aspiring singers participate in auditions for the New York Metropolitan Opera. Judges provide feedback to each of the singers. Most of the conversations were great examples of powerful feedback, delivered with skill and impact. read more >
Anyone who runs a business is familiar with how easy it is to spend every day heads down in the business. But the same efficiency a leader gains with day-to-day operation also leads to tunnel vision. A leader can easily become isolated as well as stale. read more >
Listening is hard. Like most things that we all do, there are levels of mastery that are only available to those who practice and train. Here then is a quick overview and some suggestions about how to become a better listener. read more >
When Arkansas CEOs come together at their Vistage support group, egos are checked at the door. read more >
Last month, all over the country, we experienced a change in leadership. With the elections behind us, new leaders stepped into roles in all branches of government. As is the case with new corporate leaders, the first weeks show us a lot about how our new political leaders will lead. read more >
If you could, like Shakespeare’s Henry V, walk anonymously in the hallways and meeting rooms of your business, what stories would you hear? Are they focused on historical challenges or on where the company is headed? Are they stories about what the organization can create or on limitations and problems from historical habits or even failures? read more >
It does seem to me that having leadership skills is one of those areas in which women still have to be better than men in order to be recognized, because men can still get away with demanding followership without immediately being written off as bossy. read more >
