Leadership
No more onboarding
Onboarding is the wrong term to use for fulling welcoming and integrating employees. Let's think about immersion, instead.
When Growth Stalls
Leadership
Businesses that tighten up get hurt
Companies age, just like people, and they'll tighten up unless they have the right planning, the right exercises and the right precautions.
Leadership
The power of a singular strategic objective
What's your singular strategic objective? Aim for that instead of getting lost in a pile of strategics, tactics and objectives.
Leadership
A new take on planned obsolescence
Planned obsolescence has a deserved bad reputation, but it's also a strategic mindset every company needs if it's to stand the test of time.
Management
The secret of great companies is chemistry, not alchemy
Leaders can't dictate corporate culture, but employee chemistry isn't alchemy! Learn why corporate chemistry is within your control, unlike Rumpelstiltskin's alchemy.
Strategy
AI vs. humans, part 1
AI and the metaverse won’t make humanity better; they will augment and intensify what we all already are, for good and for ill. Here's what that means for leaders and companies.
Strategy
The dangers of strategy myopia
Leaders need to define their strategy, regularly revisit it and avoid the perils of win/lose thinking.
Strategy
“Day one” of succession planning
Founders and CEOs alike need to plan their succession -- and they likely need more time than they're alloting. Learn from a business owner who's done succession.
Strategy
The beauty of contrast
Contrast is how we discover new ideas and move forward. Embrace the contrast between you and other people in your work and life.
Management
Mongers wanted: Why expertise plus calling equals success
"Monger" is a unique combination of knowledge and passion that is rare to see and intoxicating to experience. Here's why being a monger might be a worthy career goal.
Strategy
Leadership is a bumpy journey, but that’s the job
Leadership can be a series of starts and stops, but that's how it is. Great leaders understand that and focus on "ensuring all your key players arrive."
Management
In defense of overhead
Overhead is a fact of life, and while business leaders never want too much of it, they shouldn't lose sight of overhead's value.
Strategy
3 Rs to fight inflation
In good or turbulent times, looking at ways you can retain, refocus or retool is a smart strategy for any business.
Management
Wanted: More unicorns
What employees go beyond the norm and get things done, even in tough times? Do you recognize those people? Are you one of them?
Management
Desperate times and double measures
You usually have more time than you think, whether it's in taking action or saying something. Measure twice so you cut once -- and well.
Strategy
Business lessons from repeating as Diablo II reset champion
Speedruns require teams to work together toward a common goal, often under less-than-ideal circumstances. Read on to learn why businesses should pay attention to the lessons learned.
Communication
Stop walking on eggshells
Conflict and disagreement are inevitable. How we handle that is up to us, however.
Management
“We” are the problem
Too many workplace discussions complain that "we" aren't doing enough. What are YOU doing to turn complaining into action?
Leadership
What SmartBrief’s top leadership posts of 2020 tell us
SmartBrief on Leadership examines the top blog posts of 2020 and what we can learn from them.
Strategy
Creative destruction: Eat or be eaten
The idea of creative destruction means that businesses are constantly being formed and constantly folding. The fate of your business isn't inevitable.
Strategy
You’ll never get there
For leaders and organizations, the job is rarely done. That's the point: Long-term thinking is less about doing something than being something.
Management
How can office politics work for you instead of against you?
Unlike elections, we live with office politics 365 days a years. Here's a guide to making it work for you.
Management
Management by contention doesn’t work
Consensus and contention have key differences that can make or break how things get done inside your organization.
Strategy
How to mix business and politics (if you must)
Brands and companies sometimes have to get political. But they should make sure they understand why mixing politics and business has become their strategy.
Communication
The human costs of quarantine on communication
Isolation has weakened our ability to communicate and to interpret other people's communiation. We must be aware of this vulnerability before we can correct it.
Inspiration
“Because I said so” isn’t the answer
Compliance isn't the same as influence, and it's not lasting. All tyrants start out as leaders, but not all leaders become tyrants.
Strategy
The paradox of risk
It’s possible to get so preoccupied with mitigating a risk that we neglect the risk of mitigation itself.
Inspiration
It’s time to rouse your inner Churchill
Dealing with the coronavirus isn't quite like leading World War II-era Britain, but the way Winston Churchill led and communicated can still help us today.
Strategy
Leadership by fools
The failure of Brandless shouldn't obscure the larger strategy lesson: If you’re going to do something groundbreaking, you must be willing to at first be thought a fool.
Strategy
Why your succession plan is failing
Succession planning isn't easy, and if you don't prepare, it's even more difficult.
Strategy
The 3 most dangerous words in business
Data is important, but it's no substitute for imagination, critical thinking and decision making.
Leadership
SmartBrief on Leadership’s 2019 in review — editor’s picks
You probably didn't read everything SmartBrief on Leadership published in 2019. Here are some gems you should revisit.
Management
So good that nobody notices
Too many brands forget about the customer as time goes on. Be more like Disney, instead.
Management
The art of not taking offense
Communication is difficult, and mistakes will happen. You can hammer away at each other, or someone can be willing to be the anvil.
Management
In with the old
Technology is constantly advancing, but wisdom can be found regardless of age.
Management
The perilous pursuit of leadership
In your aspiration to lead, beware the temptation of power. What are you in it for?
Management
Persistence is underrated
Sooner or later in every story the protagonist is faced with a fateful, consequential decision. In a movie or novel, it’s entertaining. In real life, it can be terrifying.
Management
Will your cultural values survive the test?
A strong economy makes it easier to support culture, training and L&D. But will that support survive a downturn?
Management
Don’t stop at diversity
Just as people express a common language through different accents, we express our common humanity from different perspectives. Finding the fusion is where magic happens.
Inspiration
The ministry of culture
Leaders can set the tone, but they can't force culture. When they try, they end up running a ministry of culture.
