On several occasions in this series of articles I have used the phrase “there is no magic formula” to make the point that a given situation or problem has many potential avenues of redress, none of which carries the guarantee… Read More ›
Leadership
ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE: ORGANIZE AROUND NETWORKS
“Networks, — social, neural, physical, metaphorical — enable connectedness and connectedness changes everything. Networks compress distances and time, that concentration speeds up life, and that, in turn, creates sociological and economic change” (“The New Victorian Age”, by Om Malik, Fast Company, May 2015, P. 38…. Read More ›
AN ETHICAL TRIP WIRE
Throughout human history, mankind has proven quite capable of ethical breaches that inflict harm on one another. Examples of everything from minor offenses to serious ethical lapses easily come to mind. Professional men and women with influence, power and authority over others,… Read More ›
CREATING POSITIVE TEAM CHEMISTRY
Now here is a dream achievement for most managers; creating positive team chemistry. If only a manager could find the magic formula that creates a team environment where almost any accomplishment is possible. The trouble is, there is no magic… Read More ›
MERGING ORGANIZATIONS? MERGE PEOPLE AND FAST
Over the years I have observed — up close and from afar — numerous company, business and agency mergers. None of them ever went as smoothly as promised. A few well-managed mergers produced minimal pain, while some others had their human victims… Read More ›
BALANCING THE VISIONARY AND THE PRACTICAL
Having a vision for the future of your organization, a big idea, a grand goal! It is hard to argue against the importance of these things when it comes to inspirational management and leadership and to the success and continued relevance… Read More ›
DON’T ASK IF YOU ARE NOT PREPARED TO ACT ON WHAT YOU HEAR
I recently encountered the following story. A supervisor initiated an employee opinion survey designed, among other things, to identify what the staff thought of their performance as a manager. The supervisor promised the responses would be anonymous and had arranged to have another staff… Read More ›
MANAGING FIRST IMPRESSIONS
We are all familiar with the power and durability of first impressions. And nowhere is this more critical for a manager, than those created during their first week or two in a new job. A manager’s new subordinates and colleagues will… Read More ›
EFFECTIVE CORPORATE DECISION MAKING: STEP SIX IMPLEMENTATION AND FOLLOWUP
To be a manager is to make countless individual decisions for which you will personally be held responsible and accountable. However, in most organizations managers collectively are also required to occasionally come together at various levels to decide and implement… Read More ›
EFFECTIVE CORPORATE DECISION MAKING: STEP FIVE COMMUNICATING DECISIONS
To be a manager is to make countless individual decisions for which you will personally be held responsible and accountable. However, in most organizations managers collectively are also required to occasionally come together at various levels to decide and implement… Read More ›