Perspectives
William Orton – Leadership without Vision
Leadership is a lot about making good decisions, developing a good strategy, having a vision. So when someone blows it completely, it's worth noting. Today's award for business infamy goes to William Orton, president of the Western Union Telegraph Company in 1876. At...
The Dog and The Wolf – Another Aesop Fable on Leadership
The Dog and the Wolf A gaunt Wolf was almost dead with hunger when he happened to meet a House-dog who was passing by. "Ah, Cousin," said the Dog. "I knew how it would be; your irregular life will soon be the ruin of you. Why do you not work steadily as I do, and get...
How leaders kill meaning at work
McKinsey has done some interesting research and written a great article on how leaders kill meaning at work. I had a conversation recently with a friend who is a recruiter and we were discussing (not gossiping) about a variety of people we know who are serial...
Listening – Maybe the most valuable leadership skill
When I was out interviewing people, I asked a basic question: What was the most valuable skill you learned to become an effective leader? I was surprised by the answer because I thought that they would reply with something like Delegation as that would have been my...
The ultimate in employee initiative
There's a great story about a programmer named Ron Avitzur that was pointed out to me by my Director of Content Acquisition, Lachlan Plant (aka, my son). Ron was working for Apple on a project as a contractor when the project was canned and he was terminated, fired,...
10 Ways that Left-Brain Leadership Torments You
Are you being tormented by your boss? Do you cringe at the thought of going to work in the morning? Perhaps you've quit and stayed. If this is the case then there's a good chance that you're suffering from left-brain leadership. Left-brain leaders focus on logical...
Initiative
Many companies use a rating system for employees in performance appraisals that puts them in classes like A,B,C or 1,2,3. The As and 1s are reserved for the very best employees or as it is frequently put, those whose work exceeds expectations. The Bs or 2s are for...
Wherein Jon gets a promotion and learns to become a leader
Is learning to become a leader getting you frustrated? https://vimeo.com/44870158 If you're getting this blog in an email, click on the link to the blog on my website to watch the video.
What I wish I had learned earlier as a manager
It is never too late to learn and Michael Caron reflects back on what he wishes he had learned earlier as a manager. https://vimeo.com/43546163 If you're getting this in an email, you can watch the video by clicking on the link that will take you to the blog...