Management
Is political righteousness killing your corporate culture?
Everyone needs at least one diversion that makes friends and family go, “Really? You spend your time on that?” Mine at the moment is...
Management
Management
Leadership-development technology can be a bridge between generations
Two decades ago, if you polled most employees inquiring whether their boss was older or younger, “older” would have been the overwhelming response. Now,...
Management
Be authentic when you speak
The ability to communicate is not merely the ability to string words together coherently. It is the ability to authentically connect with people. If...
Management
25 tips for managing your first direct reports
Congratulations, you’re now the boss! Welcome to the deep end of the pool — now it’s time to learn to swim. Managing your first...
Management
3 ways managers damage their reputation without knowing it
With a never-ending to-do list, meetings and pressure to maximize the bottom line, it can be easy to let essential courtesies in your day-to-day...
Management
Go beyond first impressions to better understand others
He was a leader who had a big swagger. He was brash, with an audacity and arrogance beyond compare. I observed him from afar...
Management
Kiss up, kick down boss
The next time you want to hire an executive for your organization, find out how he treats people who work for him. Senior executives...
Management
Unlock employee engagement
One of the best parts of my job is working with leaders to engage their employees. While the engagement buzzword has launched thousands of...
Management
When betrayal stinks from the head
I have a friend who has a secret for staying young: She makes it her business not to know stuff. In contrast, it’s my...
Management
Culture not working? Make a change
Sometimes it feels like your team or organization is running beautifully. Other times, it feels like the team is a little off track. Or...
Management
5 must-haves for a successful meeting
We’ve all heard the jokes — hold a meeting! You can see people, create charts, drink coffee, have doughnuts, impress your colleagues — all...
Management
How technology can help you build an effective board of directors
Virtually every aspect of corporate America has been affected by the adoption of new technology. Social networks and collaboration technologies are revolutionizing and changing...
Management
You don’t need leaders in an operational world
I am a simple, straight-forward operations guy. I’ve read about leadership. It’s of no use to me. It might be OK for army officers...
Management
Employee engagement after Election Day
We are just a week away from making our 2012 Election Day choices. For the first time in my voting career, we’re choosing more...
Management
Surround yourself with those who will talk back to you
Shakespeare wrote in “Henry IV, Part 2“: “Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown.” The man or woman at the top of the...
Management
11 ways leaders can encourage employee job referrals
Most companies realize the value in employee referrals. For one, they’re often better candidates for openings since they’re pre-screened by folks who already work...
Management
Mistakes leaders can and can’t make
Gen. David Petraeus (credit: Wikipedia) Everything we thought we knew about erstwhile CIA Director Gen. David Petraeus is now up for debate — his...
Management
Write your eulogy
An obituary is a recitation of facts embellished with stories. A eulogy is a song of praise to a life well led. It may...
Management
Are your meetings derailed by trivial matters?
Have you ever noticed that committees or management teams tend to spend way too much time in meetings endlessly debating the most unimportant or...
Management
The new leadership mandate: Reclaim the next generation
Making the rounds these days among my appalled colleagues is a photo of a pretty little girl, around 9, looking tragically earnest as she...
Management
Plaques and platitudes can lead to paralysis
Walk down Mahogany Row in most corporate offices and you’ll be able to read a lot about what the organization stands for. You’ll likely...
Management
Why your company isn’t growing
Editor’s note: SmartBrief is proud to feature this infographic from McKee Wallwork Cleveland examining internal difficulties that organizations face. At the “When Growth Stalls”...
Management
Q-and-A with Ron Vlasic of the American Hotel & Lodging Association
Ron Vlasic Ron Vlasic, regional vice president of hotels at Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, is the 2012 vice chair of the American Hotel &...
Management
SmartBrief’s Best of 2012: Industry thought leaders
SmartBrief publishes scores of daily and nondaily e-mail newsletters across dozens of industries, and each year, we highlight industry thought leaders in select publications...
Management
“Commander’s intent”: Strategic planning in a box?
My son is applying to a military academy. As you might imagine, our household has been full of discussions about military issues and approaches...
Management
7 things employees hate
Do you want to get your business off to a fresh start in 2013? Focus on the issues your employees hate. There’s always a...
Management
How can you improve your business presentations?
It may have been a few years since you graduated from B-school. Since then, you’ve done dozens, maybe hundreds, of formal and informal presentations...
Management
How do you avoid workplace divisiveness when your CEO is political?
I talked in late 2012 with Beth Carvin about politics in the workplace and what companies — and human resources — can do to...
Management
Helping your team transition to a new president or CEO
Companies and organizations will eventually have to hire a new leader. Whether due to retirement, the resignation of a president or the need for...
Management
CEOs and leaders: Are you rewarding rabbit tricks?
Listening to the CEO of the $500m manufacturing firm describe the exploits of his operations vice president was fascinating: “Louis was incredible … again....
Management
Master the art of rapid recovery
In 1998, a 35-foot boat called the AFR Midnight Rambler accomplished an amazing feat — winning one of the toughest ocean races in the...
Management
Why leadership requires prudence and temperance
Courage is an important virtue for leadership. It is critical for leading people, disrupting the status quo and having significant impact. But I also...
Management
Looking for lasting commitment? Look beyond the engagement
Leaders are enamored with employee engagement. They repeatedly conduct surveys to assess it and hold meetings to address it. Yet, despite the millions of...
Management
How to kill your negotiation advantage
One of the most fundamental rules of effective negotiating is to maintain emotional neutrality. Being emotionally neutral means emptying your mind of all past...
Management
How managers can keep their top talent
Some managers are perceived as micromanagers, while others are so far removed from the day to day that they just administrate. So what’s right?...
Management
A CEO’s guide to leadership development
“The difference between involvement and commitment is like ham and eggs. The chicken is involved; the pig is committed.” — Martina Navratilova “The biggest...
Management
Reputation without character is worthless
“Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow,” wrote Abraham Lincoln. “The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is...
Management
Better sales probing with Socratic questions
What’s the most important skill for a salesperson? Some sales managers say it’s negotiating, and some think it’s closing. However, some of the most...
Management
Is your company being bullied by customers?
The outdated mantra "the customer is always right" has been challenged in recent years -- and with good reason.
Management
SmartBrief’s guide to effective telecommuting
For a couple of weeks recently, all journalists seemingly stopped writing about anything that wasn’t related to Marissa Mayer, Yahoo or telecommuting. The media’s...
Management
When great leaders need to be great followers
After a year as president on a board of directors, I’m now officially the “immediate past president.” I’m learning to be more of a...
Management
How to develop a flexible leadership style
Feeling adrift in a business world where uncertainty is the norm? Where complex problems bubble up quickly and defy conventional leadership thinking? Where, as...