Leadership
What SmartBlog on Leadership’s top posts of 2015 tell us
What did you, our readers, most enjoy from SmartBlog on Leadership in 2015, and how does it compare with our most-clicked links in our...
Leadership
Inspiration
Become a serving leader
“It is more blessed to give than to receive.” When it comes to leadership, this familiar proverb may be one of the least believed...
Communication
Creative talks any presenter can learn from
When thinking of ways to blow your audience away, make sure you can actually execute your ideas. Practice everything in real-time to ensure success...
Leadership
Stop using “work-life balance” and start using “work-life integration”
There’s a “grass is always greener” fallacy in business that can result in looking at people in other sectors and feeling envious of their...
Leadership
How to build a digital transformation dream team
Digital transformation is at the top of many organizations’ to-do lists. It is a lofty, and necessary, objective, but like any process of true...
Leadership
How to Handle a Potential Bed Bug Infestation at Your Property
Paul Curtis This post is sponsored by Terminix. Paul Curtis, a board-certified entomologist, is the manager of technical and regulatory services at Terminix’s commercial...
Inspiration
How great leaders balance execution and empathy
They’re caring. They also get $tuff done. It’s often the great debate of what defines an exceptional executive, the discussion of EQ (emotional intelligence)...
Management
The promise of high-ownership teams
I attended a conference in Southern California last week just after the San Bernardino massacre. I couldn’t help but notice the hosts and hostesses...
Management
Abundance theory in the workplace
“He who wishes to secure the good of others has already secured his own.” ~ Confucius A few years back, I made the decision...
Leadership
Q&A: Cardiology expert on the top cardiology news and future health care challenges
Dr. Kim Eagle, clinical director, UM Cardiovascular Center; Int. Med.-Cardiology Dr. Kim Eagle, editor-in-chief of ACC.org, discusses the biggest advances and shortcomings of the...
Management
Diversity needs to go beyond gender and ethnicity
In modern industry, one of the most sought-after qualities in a business is diversity. It’s a concept that impacts everything from a company’s efficiency...
Leadership
10 questions to help create better engagement with your leadership team
“How much time does your team invest in becoming better leaders — together?” That’s a question Bob Anderson likes to ask when he consults...
Management
Engagement and empowerment: 4 simple ways to make work better
Most of us actually enjoy working and doing a great job. We find fulfillment in adding value and contributing our time and energy to...
Careers
Returning to ready, aim, fire: The power of the pause
With our seemingly never-ending to-do lists and 9-to-5 back-to-back meetings, we are navigating at breakneck speeds in our work days to attempt to keep...
Small Business
What are the secrets to surviving and prospering over 3 decades?
During the celebratory toasts for my company’s 30th anniversary, one of our contractor consultants raised his glass and said, “Congratulations! And thank you for...
Management
How to develop a thriving wellness program
Leadership buy-in of corporate wellness programming can make a big difference in the success of your company’s wellness program. In fact, sincere interest in...
Leadership
It’s not the economy, stupid
This is the first in a monthly column called When Growth Stalls that will look at why businesses and brands struggle and how they...
Management
Leading is about simple actions taken every day
Leading is about simple actions taken every day, not about copying your heroes or flashy actions.
Management
What can entrepreneurs learn from the recent Amazon articles?
The Young Entrepreneur Council is an invite-only organization comprised of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. In partnership with Citi, YEC launched BusinessCollective, a free virtual mentorship...
Communication
Vocal delivery: Take command of your voice (part 2)
In the first part of our series on vocal delivery, we introduced the basic components of vocal expression (power, pace, pitch and pause) and...
Management
Do you and your company make the “integrity” grade?
How would you rate your personal integrity? On a grading scale of A (high demonstrated integrity) to F (low demonstrated integrity), what grade would...
Inspiration
The 7 forms of courage every leader should demonstrate
Through years of consulting to many organizations, I’ve been blessed to work with wonderful, accomplished leaders — individuals who are deeply in touch with...
Communication
Let’s face it. Soft skills are hard
When will we stop giving short shrift to “soft” skills? We’ve all seen it. We attend conferences, and load up with sessions on technical,...
Management
What might “the best workplace on earth” look like?
This post is adapted from “Why Should Anyone Work Here? What It Takes to Create an Authentic Organization,” (Harvard Business Review Press, November 2015)...
Communication
The art of asking effective questions
A wise man said there are three kinds of questions: Ones that show how smart you are, ones that show how dumb they are,...
Inspiration
Accentuate the positive
How do you motivate yourself? That’s a question I sometimes get and when I do I like to give a three-word answer: Accentuate the...
Management
How exceptional people developers beat bad systems
A manager who doesn’t appreciate the value of something or simply doesn’t want to do it will always find an excuse not to. And,...
Communication
Vocal delivery: Take command of your voice (part 1)
How do strong vocal delivery skills enhance your presentation? A voice that is both easy to hear and pleasing to listen to immediately grabs...
Management
How can I personalize employee development on a budget?
The Young Entrepreneur Council is an invite-only organization comprised of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. In partnership with Citi, YEC launched BusinessCollective, a free virtual mentorship...
Management
Stepping up to senior leadership: Lessons learned from those who’ve made the leap
Every new role at work offers the chance to build your skill set, and the move into senior management is no exception. When you...
Management
Questions leaders can ask
The work needs to get done, and it needs to be done well. So why aren’t your people doing that? Maybe you think you know. But...
Inspiration
Leading to liberate: Freedom through discipline
The most effective leaders know how to teach their employees the value of one powerful quality, one that most likely helped them rise to...
Management
Collaboration through disagreement
FreeImages.com/Sias van Schalkwyk The ability to disagree effectively is critical in creating alignment and shaping direction. It’s also an important aspect of generating creative...
Communication
3 essential traits for leaders in confronting conflict
How do you solve conflicts that get in the way of success? You need to acknowledge them! Name the elephant in the room.
Management
An elite Navy SEAL trainer defines “leader”
For 20 years, I’ve seen it done right, and I’ve seen it done wrong. In my active SEAL duty, I’ve mostly seen it done...
Management
3 arguments against performance reviews
I don’t like performance reviews. I never liked giving them, and I never liked getting them. They are like school report cards, only less...
Careers
The journey to authentic leadership
Red this excerpt from "Discover Your True North, Expanded and Updated Edition" by Bill George.
Inspiration
How to evolve management
The term management has baggage. It’s associated with conclusions that no longer benefit a business or its people. Management is linked to controlling people,...
Management
What is one way to help burned-out executives get back on track?
The Young Entrepreneur Council is an invite-only organization comprised of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. In partnership with Citi, YEC launched BusinessCollective, a free virtual mentorship...
Careers
Leaving our mark
We live in the mountains outside of Denver at 8,400 feet above sea level. When people learn that, they assume I’m a snow skier....
Careers
You’re fired! What one executive learned about leadership after losing a job
While making a mad dash to board an airport train last week, I ran into Stephen — literally ran into him — as we...