leadership

Smart IT

Smart IT Buys Require Long-Term Thinking

By Kevin Beaver Tuesday May 4, 2010

Harold Geneen said "You read a book from beginning to end. You run a business the opposite way. You start with the end, and then you do everything you must to reach it." This ties right into what I believe is the mark of a true business leader: the ability to think long term.

Must Read

Today in Management: Today's Leaders Break B-School Rules

By Eric Reyes Wednesday Apr 7, 2010

In today's Must-Reads in management stories from around the web, learn why today's most effective leaders are challenging conventional wisdom, how your biggest strengths can become your biggest weaknesses, why you should be your company's customer — and more:

Open Mic

4 Pivotal Leadership Qualities You Need in a Crisis

By Glen Daley Wednesday Apr 7, 2010

Leadership is always in demand, and even more so when faced with crises such as the one we now find ourselves in. It is appropriate to examine exactly what is demanded of those who will lead reinvented, adaptive and vibrant organizations. What are the characteristics and behaviors of those who are to lead ‘brilliantly’? Noted management thinker Warren Bennis has been quoted as saying that leadership is about ‘managing’ Attention, Meaning, Self and Trust. This is a useful starting point from which to explore what needs to be done by the leader in these tough times.

Smart IT

3 Rules for IT Managers to Live by

By Kevin Beaver Tuesday Apr 6, 2010

James Champy of Perot Systems coined one of my favorite IT-related quotes: “Many executives are insulated from reality and consequently don’t know what the hell is going on.” I still see this more than I ever imagined I would early on in my career and I'm sure you've witnessed and been subjected to it as well. Executives with their heads in the sand aside, here's a good video snippet of Mr. Champy talking about IT innovation. Two things he mentions really stood out:

Open Mic

9 Strategies of Highly Productive Workers

By Stephen Blakesley Wednesday Mar 24, 2010

People with talent fail at an alarming rate within organizations. According to Robert Kelley and Janet Caplan, researchers who studied workers at Bell Labs, most talented hires wind up as average or below-average performers. Among the people at Bell Labs and those of competitors, Kelley and Caplan found that 85 to 90 percent of the extremely talented people hired never rose beyond average, when it came to productivity.

Vistage CEO Solutions

The Collaborative Way to Manage Projects and People

By Paul Diamond Friday Mar 19, 2010

Collaborative leaders focus on making decisions by including the input of everyone who works on the project and whose work will be affected by the decision. The act of getting “buy-in” from all of your stakeholders increases employee engagement and commitment. That’s the contention of Nilofer Merchant, author of The New How: Creating Business Solutions Through Collaborative Strategy. “The way you lead,” says Merchant, “has a huge impact on your team’s readiness to collaborate and the results they get.”

Vistage CEO Solutions

5 Steps to Becoming a More Authentic Leader

By Paul Diamond Thursday Mar 18, 2010

Are you ready to change leadership habits that erode your creditability? Dictatorial, bureaucratic, opportunistic, competitive and appeasement styles of leadership just don’t inspire employees to give their best to a company.

Vistage CEO Solutions

Leadership and the Top 10 Boat Names of 2009

By Paul Diamond Friday Mar 5, 2010

What’s the connection between the top 10 boat names, popular sentiment and leadership? First, let’s look at the top 10 boat names of 2009, compiled by BoatUS.com (The Boat Owners Association of the United States).  1. Second Wind 2. Seas the Day 3. Lazy Daze 4. Jolly Roger 5. Bail Out 6. On the Rocks 7. Pegasus 8. Serenity Now 9. Namaste 10. Comfortably Numb

Must Read

Today in Career News: Lost Your Job? Careful What You Say

By Eric Reyes Wednesday Feb 24, 2010

In today's roundup of Must-Reads from around the web, find out why new leaders have a hard time keeping a job, why your job search should be run like an election campaign, how to talk about being laid off in an interview — and more:

Vistage CEO Solutions

20 Smart Minds on What Leadership Means

By Paul Diamond Friday Jan 29, 2010

There's no shortage of advice on leadership, and yet all of that advice delivered in books and seminars is hard, if not impossible to put into practice. To save you the time and money, I've captured the essence of the subject in a series of pithy quotes — from some of the world's greatest leaders. “Generals don't belong in the trenches.” David Hauseman, Hauseman Group