Leadership: an evolutionary journey
Duane Dike
Have we learned anything new about leadership over the past few decades or are we just touting the same mantras over and over? To answer that, let’s take a journey through history.
12 differences between winning and losing leadership
James M. Kerr
Leaders can make or break an organization. Great leaders drive great organizations and great organizations produce great results. Less-than- stellar leaders usually deliver the opposite. So what characterizes winning and losing leadership styles?
The new language of leadership
Neil Cassie
A profound shift is taking place from predictive to non-predictive demand – from push to pull economics. And if organisations are to adapt to this, their leaders need to radically reassess their behaviour.
Wanted: more bad (as in good) leaders
Max McKeown
Sometimes, bad behaviour is inspirational. That's why great leaders need to be unreasonable. That's what leaders do. It's why the cool kids were the cool kids. It's what progress depends on.
True leaders are human
Duane Dike
True leadership is the stuff of relationships. Being a leader is much more complicated than simply acting leader-like. True leadership is quality-based. Fake leadership is leader-like-sound-bites of things leaders might say.
Three key leadership skills for 2025
Tony Fournier
As technology evolves at breakneck speed, what are the leadership qualities that will be most critical in 2025?
How to lead with questions in cognitively diverse ways
Megan Seibel
Questions can be powerful leadership enablers. So it is worth taking time to understand the art of asking the right questions and creating a questioning culture when leading others.
Leadership advice you should ignore
David Livermore
So much advice to leaders and entrepreneurs is ill suited to leading in today's digital, diverse world. It often includes kernels of truth, but much of it needs a major rethink, starting with these.
Five questions culturally intelligent leaders ask themselves everyday
David Livermore
While cultural intelligence (CQ) needs to inform big picture strategic and operational issues, where it really comes to life is in the everyday practices of a leader.
What Is the language of conscious leadership?
Vlatka Ariaana Hlupic
Words have their own energy and meaning and need to be chosen with care. That's why language is such an important barometer of organisational culture.
Taking time for leadership
Duane Dike
Pondering issues before acting brings new alternatives, fresh perspectives and creative solutions. That why leaders who don't pause to reflect often run into trouble.
What is a 'global' leader?
David Livermore
'Global leadership' is one of those fancy terms that gets used in glossy consulting reports and EMBA marketing briefs. But what does it actually mean?
Harnessing natural intelligence
Rosie Tomkins
All change brings new opportunities. The tree that looks almost dead in the winter bursts with blossom in spring. The frozen wasteland delivers a bountiful harvest in the autumn. As business leaders, we can learn a lot from nature.
In praise of inconspicuous leadership
Duane Dike
Many so-called leaders have an unhealthy interest in the outward trappings of their position. But real leadership is inconspicuous - and it’s about far more than status or measurable achievements.
We're in a crisis! Why can't we all just get along?
David Livermore
Even faced by a global pandemic, we don't seem able to bridge our tribal divides and leverage our differences to find solutions, rather than using them to further destroy us.
A formula for trust
John Blakey
Academics have been arguing for years about what makes a leader trustworthy, but it can really be boiled down to three clear attributes: ability, integrity and benevolence.
Leadership in a networked world: from chess master to gardener
Rod Collins
Command-and-control management assumes that social systems work like machines. But they don’t. So in today’s networked world, leadership is less about playing chess and more about becoming a gardener.
Honest feedback can make you a better leader
Jim Barnett
We humans are often very poor at self-awareness. But anyone who sees themselves as a leader can’t afford to be complacent, and emerging leaders in particular need honest feedback.
Mission first, people always
Gary Burnison
During this crisis, it is people who will be the ultimate differentiator. And leading means meeting people where they are, because that's the only way to convert self-interest to shared interest.
Key skills for virtual leaders
Wayne Turmel
Suddenly finding yourself sitting at home leading a virtual team is a tough call, particularly with everything else that's going on in the world. So here are seven key behaviors that will make the task of virtual working much easier.
How different is leading remotely?
Wayne Turmel
If you've never led a remote team and you're worried about how you might cope if the Coronavirus puts you in that position, fear not. For a competent team leader, the differences aren't as great as you might think.
Embracing the paradoxes of leadership
Ella Miron-Spektor
In today’s organisations, demands, goals and expectations are dynamic, complex and interconnected. That’s why we need to move from an ‘either/or’ to a ‘both/and’ view of priorities.
The Icarus syndrome: flying too close to the sun
Manfred Kets De Vries
The Icarus syndrome, with its signature lack of humility, has felled many leaders who planned grandly but failed miserably. That’s why every leader needs to keep their hubris in check.
The Icarus syndrome: flying too close to the sun
Manfred Kets De Vries
The Icarus syndrome, with its signature lack of humility, has felled many leaders who planned grandly but failed miserably. That’s why every leader needs to keep their hubris in check.
Three scary things that real leaders need to do
Greg Giuliano
If you want to be a leader and not just a boss, you need to stop relying on your title or your position to get people to comply and start to strengthen your connections with others.
Leadership and the ripple effect
Roxi Bahar Hewertson
Organizations are living ecosystems in which everything and everyone is connected, directly or indirectly. So it doesn’t matter if you’re managing a team of 10 or a company of 100,000, every choice you make as a leader has a ripple effect across your responsibility pond.
How to fail as a leader
Peter Vajda
Leadership is impossible without self-knowledge and self-development. But if you're really set on failing as a leader, here are some key behaviors that will go a long way towards creating a toxic, disengaged, distrustful and low-performing organization. Do any of them describe you?
Leading a team is about them, not you
Wayne Turmel
Influencing people and getting them onboard has very little to do with what you want and everything to do with them. If they don't see why they should cooperate, they won't. If they see why they should want to help you, you can hardly stop them.
Outstanding leaders put people first
Brian Amble
A people-centred approach to leadership, rather than a tough, controlling, target-driven style, is more effecive and delivers better performance, new research from the UK suggests.
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More on Leadership
Taking time for leadership
Duane Dike
Pondering issues before acting brings new alternatives, fresh perspectives and creative solutions. That why leaders who don't pause to reflect often run into trouble.
The Icarus syndrome: flying too close to the sun
Manfred Kets De Vries
The Icarus syndrome, with its signature lack of humility, has felled many leaders who planned grandly but failed miserably. That’s why every leader needs to keep their hubris in check.
Three scary things that real leaders need to do
Greg Giuliano
If you want to be a leader and not just a boss, you need to stop relying on your title or your position to get people to comply and start to strengthen your connections with others.
Ten ways to shift from founder to leader
Greg Giuliano
Successfully founding a company is a very different to successfully leading it. Some make the shift. Others do not. Missing the turning point or making it too late can cause a company to stagnate or even implode. So how do you avoid this fate?
A Christmas gift that lasts all year round
Fiona Logan
What gift will you give your employees this festive season? Throwing an office party might seem like a nice thing to do, but the gift that will really be appreciated - and is much more lasting - is the gift of leadership.
The key to cultivating agility in decision making
Marc Le Menestrel
Decision-making excellence requires self-awareness and the ability to choose how to think in different situations. That's why being able to understand different perspectives is such a crucial skill for today’s business leaders.
I think, therefore I feel
Duane Dike
How many of us have said, “I’ve been so busy today I haven’t even had time to think?” If you haven’t had time to think, you haven’t had time to lead. Leading without thinking is leading into disaster.
Are you addicted to power?
Manfred Kets De Vries
In democracies, a free press and the separation of powers reduce the risk of leaders becoming power addicts. But most businesses concentrate power at the top, a design that all too easily leads to power intoxication.
The invisible woman
Myra White
Visibility is key to building the type of power that leads to top jobs. Men are masters of this visibility, but women are not. So we won't get more women in leadership positions until they start to step out of the shadows and give themselves and their talents a higher profile.
Leadership Is a journey, not a destination
Ian C. Woodward
Whether you are a leader of today or tomorrow, thinking consciously about leadership is essential. Every context requires different talents and skills, so leaders must learn to adjust themselves along the way.
Horizontal leadership and the spaces in between
Michael Jones
Horizontal leaders don’t just think outside the box, they think outside the building, seeking answers and opportunities in the ill-defined, ambiguous spaces at the boundaries of sectors, disciplines and capabilities.
Leadership, innovation and the future
Duane Dike
Leaders are critical to innovative thinking. Great ideas don't emerge from companies whose leaders try to control and micromanage. Innovation only thrives in organizations whose members are free to think and express themselves.
Everyday leadership
Duane Dike
Over the years, I’ve lost count of the number of leadership theories and styles that I’ve studied, practiced and discarded. What all this has taught me is that leadership is a complicated puzzle - and that the best solution is to keep things simple.
Developing agility
Val Nichols
Top-down, command-and-control leadership slows organizations down and limits creativity. Instead, we need to develop the agility to rethink, reinvigorate and reinvent in response to changing circumstances.
Leading from the heart
Michael Jones
In a future of intelligent machines, the fastest growing segment of the economy will be the emergence of artist-leaders who build value through experiences that connect people with their hearts.
Leadership and the power of the imagination
Michael Jones
At the core of our existence is a pool of energy that has very little to do with personal identity. This is the world of the imagination, a world in which we play only a small part in the whole marvellous act of creation.
Encouraging others to do what you want
Val Nichols
Having a job title doesn’t make you a leader. If you want other people to follow you, you first have to enlist their support. And that means that you need to build your influencing skills.
Would you follow you?
Val Nichols
If you want to be a leader, a good place to start is by considering what convinces you to follow someone else. The chances are that the factors that carry the greatest weight are ones to do with trust.
Learning from Demosthenes
Wayne Turmel
If you’re looking for a role model for how to conduct yourself as a business person and a human being, my vote is for a lawyer who pounded the streets of ancient Athens 2300 years ago. Yup, Demosthenes is my boy.
The road to Rio: three powerful leadership lessons
John Blakey
The road to Rio represents four years of dedication, hard work and suffering for thousands of athletes from around the world. But working with Olympic sports coaches can also offer valuable lessons for those of us leading businesses.
The music of leadership
Michael Jones
Music is a powerful vibration. Too often our world seems filled with bits and fragments that don’t make sense. But then we hear the music that tells the story and our world feels coherent and whole again.
Choosing brave leadership. Blue pill or red pill?
John Blakey
Are you one of the 'old guard' dutifully propping up the creaking edifice of the blue pill world, comfortable in your sense of denial? Or are you one of the 'new guard' digging the foundations of the new red pill business architecture?
Truth, authenticity and leadership
Duane Dike
‘Authentic leadership’ is one of those phrases that gets tossed around so much that its real meaning is in danger of getting lost. So let’s take a look at ‘authentic’ in the context of leadership, music and tourism.
More Good Stuff
Names without faces
Duane Dike
'Recognition', in its most basic sense, means being able to put a name to a face. But in the business world, names without faces are all too common. And the larger a company grows, the more likely it is that bosses don’t know the names or faces of the people who do the work.
Leadership and the art of minimum force
Michael Jones
Sometimes by forcing less, we accomplish more. It is when we are at ease that life rushes in. So for leaders, instead of trying to impose their will based on what they believe ought to happen, perhaps they'd be better off going with the flow.
Lessons in trust from the Panama Papers leak
John Blakey
Ever since the 2008 crash, public anger and scepticism has been running like a river of lava beneath the fabric of our societies. And the Panama Papers leak is yet another nail in the coffin of popular trust in those in positions of leadership.
Regenerative leadership: learning from craftwork
Michael Jones
Every leader has some sort of theory being the way they lead. For some it might be military strategy or competitive sport. But for others, it is the regenerative and transformational notion of craftwork.
Are you an alpha male leader?
Manfred Kets De Vries
Alpha male leadership comes with a hefty price tag. Fear, low morale, high absenteeism and stress. So shouldn’t we be looking instead for models of leadership that connect, build and nurture?
Leaders who can read collective emotions are more effective
Quy Huy
For leaders to be able to respond successfully to frustrations, hopes and fears of their organisation, they need to be able to read the patterns of emotions that signal the onset of different behaviours.
When CEO narcissism spreads to the board
Guoli Chen
The push for better corporate governance has overlooked the problems that occur when narcissistic CEOs load their board with images of themselves.
Leading in an unpredictable world
Michael Jones
We can’t predict the future, but we can imagine and feel it. So rather than avoiding surprise, leaders can embrace uncertainty and learn from the unexpected by being open to subtle signals that they may not fully comprehend.
Respecting the moment
Michael Jones
Some leaders are so focused on outcomes that they can’t leave space to listen to other points of view. They could learn a lot from artists about respecting the moment and the importance of the spaces between the notes.
Leading through stories of place
Michael Jones
Too often, we try to change things without taking into account the narrative that holds everything together. At the heart of that narrative is a sense of place, because place is not an object or a thing, but a power and a presence.
Wisdom vs intelligence
Peter Vajda
Many business leaders are intelligent. But they're not wise, or even aware that they lack wisdom. And that's something that no amount of left-brain thinking, operations-focused education or experiential learning is going to change.
Five ways leaders can communicate change
Marcia Xenitelis
No matter what the issue - be it a merger, acquisition or and organizational crisis - there are five key ways that a CEO can communicate with employees and achieve positive outcomes each time.
Leadership and the art of the impossible
Michael Jones
In times of volatility and change, we need to dig deep for fresh responses. That is a leader’s work now, to master the art of the impossible and, in so doing, to achieve what we did not think it was possible for us to do.
When management meets emotional intelligence
Sandrine Frémeaux
The fine balance any emotionally intelligent leader has to strike is to take into account basic human needs without being tempted to institutionalise them. And the the most important element in this is the example set by a leader’s own actions.
Abolishing the myths of leadership
John Roulet
We tend to associate leadership with individuals who are visionary and inspirational. But this is a hopeless distortion. Leadership is about work, not personality traits or social behaviors Business leaders simply need to manage performance
The three legs of leadership
Duane Dike
Every move a leader makes affects someone and something else. So leadership effectiveness depends on three things: knowledge of the job, your place in the working environment and your ability to relate to others. Remove any of these and - like a stool - you're heading for a fall.
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