Long before the world knew there was a coronavirus, I, and a team of executives, implemented a flexible work environment enabling 45% of a medical device company workforce to work from home three to four days a week. The result…
Category: team leadership
Forget SMART goals. Use OKRs instead!
Executives who want to dramatically increase their success should implement Objectives with Key Results (OKRs). Research shows that executives who set such goals can significantly improve the performance of their organizations over telling employees to “just do their best.”[i] Moreover,…
Newly promoted to manager? Your learning has just begun…
I remember being promoted to my first leadership position early in my career and thinking about how I was going to set the world on fire. Slowly, I began to realize that the role of the manager, being the leader…
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How to stop promoting bad managers
I remember once considering an overseas assignment to avoid a terrible boss in HR. It turns out, I am not alone. According to Gallup’s most recent report, State of the American Manager, about one-half of employees choose to leave their…
7 Qualities of Team Leaders Who Drive Innovation
Many executives we work with are frustrated in their efforts to improve the innovation of their companies. One of the problems? Middle management gets in the way of innovative employees by clinging to dominant leader styles. Our experience and the…
9 Steps to Assure Success of Global Teams
Establishing a global team is always a daunting task. How do you get people on time zones around the world on a video conference together, knowing someone will be up in the middle of the night? How do you motivate…
Seven Traits of Agile and Innovative Leaders
Dominance used to be the main criteria CEOs and Chief Human Resources Officers used to determine who would make a great leader. Dominance and achievement were the most reliable characteristics CEOs looked for to determine who would be their successors.…
Seven Ways to Assure High Performance with Global Teams
The new general manager of a recently acquired, innovative global business asked me if his new staff, which spanned seven countries and four continents, could understand English. “Yes, they can,” I responded with a smile. “But it doesn’t mean they…
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The Secret to Keeping Smart Teams from Failing
Many teams, and especially teams loaded with smart and highly educated people, fail because management and team members do not understand the fundamental differences in communication styles among employees. I learned this lesson up close and personal, working with research…
Managers, will your team achieve their year-end goals?
Companies don’t generate value - people do. Your role as a manager is critical for aligning, motivating, and empowering your team to succeed. It’s half way through the calendar year. How is your team doing? How is each individual team…
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