The difference between management and leadership is like the difference between flashlight and candlelight. In the focused, flash-lit world of management, we try to bend others to our will. But in the candle-lit world of dialogue, we blend with others in order to see a greater whole.
For Steve Jobs, Apple's products had to be beautiful as well as functional. His pursuit of beauty highlights that while power may inspire the mind of a leader, it is beauty that inspires their soul, grips the imagination and inspires what needs to get done.
Whichever way we look at workplace culture, critical elements such as productivity, job satisfaction and personal responsibility all boil down to one factor: boss behavior. Without knowledgeable and empathetic leaders, healthy cultures, work environments and systems can’t exist.
Newcomers in leadership positions often feel as if they’re wearing clothes that don’t quite fit. But the ability to mitigate this discomfort and to project a sense of calmness and clarity - even if you don’t feel it - is one of the keys to effective leadership.
Leaders can make or break an organization. Great leaders drive great organizations and great organizations produce great results. Less-than- stellar leaders usually deliver the opposite. So what characterizes winning and losing leadership styles?
As we move into a new year, we are also moving from seeing our world as a machine to seeing it as a garden - a living ecosystem. And that’s a shift of mindset that will bring with it a new leadership renaissance.
If you aspire to be a leader, you have to accept that you are where the buck stops. If you’re not prepared to take responsibility and be accountable, look for another role.
Have we learned anything new about leadership over the past few decades or are we just touting the same mantras over and over? To answer that, let’s take a journey through history.
None of us are perfect. All of us have blinds spots and areas where we need to raise the bar (sometimes a long way) to improve the quality and effectiveness of our work. Here are five common leadership pitfalls that can keep you stuck in the lightweight division.
Organizations are living ecosystems in which everything and everyone is connected, directly or indirectly. So it doesn’t matter if you’re managing a team of 10 or a company of 100,000, every choice you make as a leader has a ripple effect across your responsibility pond.
It might have been like something out of a TV soap opera, but the extraordinary saga of U.S. supermarket chain, Market Basket, is a powerful reminder of the difference that a CEO can make to a business and the value of mutual respect.
Leadership training is big business. But that doesn't alter the fact that most of it is hooey and it won't change a thing. So why do companies bother? Does the lip service they pay to leadership stem from corporate schizophrenia, hypocrisy, or just outright lies?
Happiness is good for business and leadership behavior is what sets organizational mood. And nowhere is that more important than with front-line employees, who are possibly your organization’s biggest competitive advantage.
Many people get promoted to leadership roles because they are good at what they do but soon find themselves out of their depth. But an accidental leader need not be an accident waiting to happen if they can be equipped with some of the skills of ‘real’ leadership.
Virtual teams may be shaking up organizational dynamics, but the fundamentals of how to lead a team are the same whether its members are all based in the same building as you or scattered across four continents.
It’s more than just dodgy ignition switches, GM’s leadership has produced a real lemon. When we start to examine the culture that has led to this sorry state of affairs, it’s clear that the rot starts at the top. But all is not lost - at least, not yet.
On this holiday weekend in the midst of fireworks and fun, how about taking a moment to reflect on how you're doing as a leader, manager or supervisor. Are you a sparkling firecracker or a fizzling dud?
Most of what we hear about leadership is about leading people who work for us or with us. But what do you do when the people most in need of coaching and guidance outrank you? How do you do that in a way that ensures you will still have a job?
As I recently found out, relying on a free tourist map to get around an unfamiliar city is a sure-fire way to get lost. The same is true of leadership. Navigating intensely complicated human interactions is much more complicated than following a few easy steps to success.
Horses are prey animals. Humans are predators. Our wiring is completely different. But horses can teach us an enormous amount about ourselves. And if we can build a rapport with such a different species, it becomes much easier to handle our human relationships.
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