Speaking of Leadership^® Blog

Reading Time: < 1 minute Risk is so pervasive in business that we often fail to ask ourselves if we really understand the fundamental nature of it, how to assess it and then manage it.  This short article by Jean Proussen of the Institute of Directors provides a valuable primer for C-Level Executives for thinking about,

Reading Time: < 1 minute In the late 1700s, Captain James Cook made history by being the first European to discover Hawaii, circumnavigating the globe in the process. During these long sea voyages, a disease created by lack of Vitamin C known as scurvy was very common among the crews and very difficult to treat

Reading Time: < 1 minute As organizations grow and C-Level executives become busier they often lose sight of the team members who occupy the lower rungs of an ever-growing org chart. Charles Schwab CEO Walt Bettinger shared a valuable lesson in a  NY Times Interview which taught him “you should never lose sight of people who

Reading Time: < 1 minute One trait we don’t normally associate with great leaders is introversion.  Instead, leaders are often chosen for a winning, outgoing personality, which, sadly, sometimes is all that disguises an “empty suit.” Recent research from the Harvard Business Review may give cheer to introverts and a new perspective to those hiring

Reading Time: < 1 minute The great Danish physicist Niels Bohr once remarked to a young scientist who had presented a new idea to him that “Your idea is crazy.  The problem is that it’s not crazy enough to work.”  Many new businesses start out with a business model and/or strategies that are dismissed as “to crazy

Reading Time: < 1 minute For decades, the Intelligence Quotient (IQ) was the metric most focused upon in assessing one’s chances for success. In the 1990’s,  the Emotional Intelligence quotient (EQ) took on increasing importance as a predictor of career success. Now comes “AQ”.  A short Wired Magazine article provides a good overview of how AQ along

Reading Time: < 1 minute What You Might Some Day Tell Yourself:   In addition to what CEOs think you should read,  here’s the advice they would give their 22 year old selves if they could go back and offer themselves a stern warning.

Reading Time: < 1 minute Mentoring and coaching are usually thought of as an older, more experienced person guiding a younger inexperienced person. However, in a time of a great change, it may make sense for the senior person to have a junior coaching him or her as the young generally do better adapting to,

Reading Time: < 1 minute We are constantly reminded about the importance of a strong company-wide culture.  But there are sub-cultures within the whole.  Take sales, Do you know who owns the sales culture? Is it the CEO, the Sales Manager, the COO?   Collen Stanley, Vistage Speaker and president of Sales Leadership, Inc. knows, and if

Reading Time: < 1 minute The importance of emotional intelligence has been documented for years.   However, there are some very important traits that, while required for success, don’t have a visible effect on one’s career until later in life. This short HBR blog post outlines research that identifies the three personality traits that SIGNFICANTLY affect lifetime earnings,