Articles
A coach helps you be successful in business. A mentor helps you be successful in this business, — in this company, in this industry.
It used to be that you started your career at the bottom and set your sites on the corner office. If you were good — and just a tad bit lucky — a company veteran tapped you on the shoulder and took you under their wing. They showed you the ropes. They introduced you to the right people. They taught you how to lead and they made sure that you got what you needed to be successful. We reverently called these people our “mentors.”
What’s changed?
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In my ongoing mission to turn ideas into action, I am pleased to announce another deep-dive into a classic leadership book. Beginning in May, 2012 friends, fans and fellow ambitious leaders will read and discuss a chapter a week in Jeffery Pfeffer’s seminal work Managing with Power: Politics and Influence in Organizations.
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The Globe and Mail reported on research by Matthew Bidwell, a management professor at the Wharton School. Bidwell discovered that …outside hires receive a significantly lower performance evaluation in the first two years of their new job compared with internal workers who are promoted into similar jobs… It doesn’t have to be that way. Read The First 90 Days or Your Next Move by Michael Watkins. Hire a seasoned coach to help you. Outsiders often fail…
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Silos — along with unhealthy, dysfunctional organizations — will not last long in today’s world of complex products and broad ecosystems. To be successful today a healthy, well-networked, resonant organization.
A study published by the MIT Media Lab puts data and some substance around this idea.
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Here are the books that nourished my soul, satisfied my curiosity, and shaped my thinking in 2011.
Of the fourteen books in the stack,
- Twelve were non-fiction, two were fiction.
- Two were paperback
- Twelve were on the Kindle
- Two were audiobooks from Audible
- One was both Audible and Kindle
- One was both paperback and Kindle
Most people start a company with a product in mind, and then, often much later, look for people to build a team. I think we have that backwards. propose that a strong leadership team is a prerequisite for product or market decisions.
How are most companies started? In typical entrepreneurial circles — business schools, incubators, angel funds, venture capitalist firms — entrepreneurs are relentlessly challenged with two questions: 1) What is your product? and 2) Who is your market?
Both local and global markets are accelerating. Consumers are becoming sophisticated and have complex needs. They are constantly demanding new and individuated products. Competitive pressure is escalating. In this environment, successful organizations are those that can change and adapt. Only a cohesive leadership team can lead this change.
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My research has clearly shown that high levels of engagement, and the associated discretionary effort, occur when our work experiences reflect a clear set of values that we share. For many today, meaning is the new money. It’s what people are looking for at work. Clear company values, translated into the day-to-day work experience, are one of the strongest drivers of an engaged workforce, one primed for successful collaboration. As the old assumption that managers…
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A spotlight post highlighting some research on, what I call, Cohesive Leadership, reinforcing what I mean by an aligned organization and a cohesive leadership team. A cohesive leaderhsip team trusts one another, leverages each other’s skills to innovate, commits to a common agenda, and delivers results.
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A little bit of success is a dangerous thing. It lulls us into believing that we are savvy and invincible, that what got us to this point will continue to propel us forward.
I learned so many things from this book. Goldsmith is the preeminent executive coach of our time. I learned as much about my craft as an executive coach from reading between the lines as I did from digesting the text.
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You can say a lot of things about Steve Jobs. You can quote him, disagree with him, glorify or vilify him. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore him. In his lifetime he has managed to transform four industries. He has radically reinvented the computer, music, movie, and telecommunications industries. I would add, along with a chorus of others, that Jobs and Apple have transformed retail as well.
Read MoreAbout Heather
Heather Hollick has been helping others become better leaders and craft more meaningful careers for more than 25 years. Her experience spans both business and technology, operations and organizational development. Oh, and she was born in Canada, so she can't help but be helpful. 😉