Management
Why won’t they return your calls? Steps to ensure prospects don’t go silent or dark
We’ve all had it happen to us, and it’s one of the most frustrating experiences in business. You met with your prospective client, and...
Management
Management
Give ’em a second chance
Management can sometimes be an act of faith, particularly when the people you hire have a questionable past. One approach to giving people a...
Management
Being impeccable with your word
Some of you might recognize the title of this post as the first agreement from a thought-provoking little book called “The Four Agreements,” by...
Management
As CEO/founder, how do you make sure your employees feel supported?
The following answers are provided by the Young Entrepreneur Council, an invite-only organization comprised of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. The YEC recently launched #StartupLab,...
Management
Who’s holding you hostage? Mastering difficult conversations, part 1: Conversations with difficult people
Difficult people. Ah, one of my favorite topics about some of my least favorite people. You know whom we’re talking about. They’re the high-maintenance...
Management
How Philips engages employees
The most important quality to look for in new hires is passion, says Dana Stocks, the chief human resources officer at Philips. SmartBrief recently asked...
Management
The leader as craftsman
Craftsmanship is the bedrock principle in the manual arts. We admire artists and artisans who make things with their hands, yet we often overlook...
Management
5 reasons employees hate individual development plans
I once had a coaching client confide to me that professional development just “wasn’t his thing.” His point: some people don’t see the value...
Management
What is one critical piece to include in employee performance reviews and why?
The following answers are provided by the Young Entrepreneur Council, an invite-only organization comprised of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. The YEC recently launched #StartupLab,...
Management
Why staying calm is important
As a new employee, relatively fresh out of college and working at a Fortune 100 company, I had some preconceived notions about how people...
Management
Sales interviews: 4 crucial questions to ask
Here’s a scary statistic: 81% of applicants lie in their job interviews. While you may be aware that candidates can embellish or beef up...
Management
How to lead when your employees don’t have to follow
How long can you hold your breath? Better yet, unless it’s dangerous to your health, try it right now: hold your breath as long...
Management
Mastering difficult conversations, part 2: Difficult conversations with good people
In part 1, we discussed having conversations with difficult people, where the main issue is never expecting such people to not be difficult and...
Management
The perils of “going under” your manager’s head
Most of us know what it means to “go over your manager’s head.” That’s when you’re faced with a situation that you can’t seem...
Management
What one trait do you think predicts a startup leader’s success?
The following answers are provided by the Young Entrepreneur Council, an invite-only organization comprised of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. The YEC recently launched #StartupLab,...
Management
What we’re reading: Remembering the greats edition
We read a lot of articles to winnow down each business day’s SmartBrief on Leadership newsletter. That means hard choices, and sometimes intriguing, excellent...
Management
How to teach resourcefulness
Resourcefulness is a word that was common in the lexicon of our grandparents, those men and women who were adults in the Great Depression...
Management
What we can learn about leadership from superb teachers
I guess I’m old school. No pun intended. Autumn will always mean “back to school” time to me. I got to thinking about what...
Management
How to make sure your new employees fail from day one
Recently. I read that 20% of new employees either quit or are terminally disenchanted after only 45 days on the job. Personally, I think...
Management
3 key elements of leadership communication
My daughter recently started ukulele lessons. At the first lesson, her instructor explained that music is composed of three things: “melody,” which is made...
Management
Why some salespeople are the worst sales managers
The psychology of sales managers is an interesting topic. Using conventional wisdom, one might assume the best salespeople will transition beautifully into management. However,...
Management
What is the most important trait a leader must cultivate?
The following answers are provided by the Young Entrepreneur Council, an invite-only organization comprised of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. The YEC recently launched #StartupLab,...
Management
Hiring employees who are more loyal
Are we in the midst of a loyalty crisis? Once upon a time, employees would often stay with companies for their entire working careers....
Management
Snapping out of your leadership struggle
Leadership can be emotionally difficult at times, and that’s natural for any human being who takes their work to heart. But it doesn’t have...
Management
How to handle a wayward superstar
Have you ever had someone on your team who is very talented but acts as if the rules do not apply to him? The...
Management
How leadership can rise above office politics
This post is adapted from “The Office Politics Handbook: Winning the Game of Power and Politics at Work,” copyright 2013 by Jack Godwin, Ph.D....
Management
After the performance review, what?
Some managers see the annual performance review as a necessary evil. The employees being reviewed sometimes see it as even worse and, for many...
Management
10 tips for hiring great employees
I feel like I’m a little out of my element when it comes to giving recruiting advice. While I’ve written over 700 posts on...
Management
How do you deliver bad news well?
The following answers are provided by the Young Entrepreneur Council, an invite-only organization comprised of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. The YEC recently launched #StartupLab,...
Management
Never act like the smartest person in the room
Sometimes it pays to shut up! Especially when you are really smart. As a bright and capable performer, you will have plenty of opportunities...
Management
The workplace holy grail: Successful collaboration
What is collaboration, really? Office spaces are structured with open-seating plans designed to foster greater collaboration. Steve Jobs so wanted employees to have to...
Management
Make the audience feel welcome (and banish stage fright)
This post is an excerpt from “The Leader’s Guide to Speaking with Presence: How to Project Confidence, Conviction, and Authority” by John Baldoni (AMACOM...
Management
Love and kindness in leadership
The media often portrays bosses as tough, unyielding individuals who want everything done their way. They are often depicted as demanding, order-barking narcissists with...
Management
He’s not ready to be promoted (but thinks he is)
He thinks he’s ready to be promoted. You don’t. You don’t want to crush his spirits, but he’s not listening. He blames you, the...
Management
What one task would you eliminate from your work day? Why?
The following answers are provided by the Young Entrepreneur Council, an invite-only organization comprised of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. The YEC recently launched #StartupLab,...
Management
What’s your best excuse for not delegating?
Delegating work is one of the most endlessly challenging things a leader can do. Leaders at any level in an organization can struggle with...
Management
Presence + patience = power
One thing that all leaders require is patience. And for someone who is in charge that is not easy because it often falls to...
Management
How the co-founders of iAcquire build culture in a rapidly growing company
Joe Griffin and Jay Swansson are co-founders and CEOs at iAcquire, a digital marketing agency that was founded in 2009. They have grown to...
Management
Q-and-A with Bill Swanson, global CFO and North America CEO, Cartridge World
Bill Swanson is North America CEO of Cartridge World, but he’s also the company’s global chief financial officer. I recently asked him how he...
Management
Sales performance isn’t just about teamwork
Fostering teamwork has long been a holy grail in business culture, and, on the surface, the selling function is as committed to this ideal...
Management
What differentiates a CEO from other C-levels?
The following answers are provided by the Young Entrepreneur Council, an invite-only organization comprised of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. The YEC recently launched #StartupLab,...
Management
Shape 2014 with an effective year-end employee message
Credit: iStockphoto If you manage a team or company, it’s time to develop your end-of-year message to employees. The reflective nature of the holiday...