Weekly Leader » Opinion

Boo! A Scary Truth About Leadership Development

Scott J. Allen Ph.D. — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 13:30:21 +0000

It’s almost Halloween, so I thought I would write about something that is kind of scary when you step back and think about it – how we develop leaders. I work with a number of practitioners in a number of different organizations. I have great respect for those on the front lines trying to help lead their organization to new [...] Related posts:

The Best Model of Leadership

Scott J. Allen Ph.D. — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 13:41:27 +0000

One challenging thing about the topic of leadership is that there are so many perspectives – of course this is also the beauty of it. After all, if we new exactly what “it” was, many of us would be out of a job and miss out on a cool opportunity to explore. In his groundbreaking book [...] No related posts.

Are you a Sully or a Slater?

Peter A. Mello, Founder/Editor — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 21:38:38 +0000

Michael Wilson had an interesting post today on the NY Times Cityroom blog entitled Slater vs. Sully: Sizing Up Two Air Men in a Crisis. The title kind of says it all really but it is definitely worth reading and thinking about from the perspective of leadership. He closes: But in the jobs for which they [...] No related posts.

Experience Means Nothing – Judgement is Everything

Mario Vittone — Sun, 30 May 2010 14:39:16 +0000

What we need our leaders to do about the oil spill is to listen to things from all sides and exercise judgment - calm, sound judgment. Not a soul on the earth has any experience capping a mile-deep oil well. Nothing in our leaders experience will help them. We're going to have to hope that they are smart and not unnerved by the ridiculous pressures that come from outside the problem. We're going to have to hope that what the public thinks about what they are doing to work the problem doesn't change how they actually work the problem. The situation itself is pressure enough. Related posts:

Women will Never be Equal to Men

Mario Vittone — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 07:49:30 +0000

With so many organizations competing for the women of the world, trying to get them to take notice and join up with them (instead of their competitors) I've noticed something disturbing: It's not working. Though some have enjoyed moderate success at upping the numbers of female leaders on the payroll - too many (far too many) are struggling. As of April, only 15 of the Fortune 500 were led by women CEOs. That's just .03%? - Pathetic. I think - and bear with me here - that I have identified the primary reason that so many of us long to achievie gender balance on our teams. Ready? Here it is: We keep trying to treat women as equals.....huge mistake. Now I've heard all the arguments: “a woman can do anything a man can do.” and, “women are just as good at men in the workplace.” But it never quite registered with me as the right approach. Related posts:

The Myth of the Turnaround Employee

Mario Vittone — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 13:43:19 +0000

The unaccounted for variable in all these stories, from the "look what my caring leadership and mentoring has produced" series, are the other ten people that worked for you back in 95. What happened to them? What happened to your top three performers that you ignored while you were paying attention to your fixer-upper? Because something definitely happened to them - while you may have thought you were doing a good and noble thing, I personally believe you screwed up royal. Related posts:

Vay-Ner-Chuk Gets Leadership

Mario Vittone — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 22:35:32 +0000

If Marcus Buckingham was right, that leadership is “rallying people to a better future.” – then as much as you may think of him as a marketer, as a merchant, or as a hustler (in a good way); Gary Vaynerchuk is – above all of that – a leader. With the recent release of his [...] No related posts.

Becoming Strong on Strengths

Pam Fox Rollin — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 23:06:45 +0000

“Tell me about your team,” I started. The CEO, who had called me to help create decision-making processes for his senior leadership, said, “I have two stars – Ops and HR. CFO is new, and the jury is out. Sales I promoted too soon… I’m looking right now for a new EVP-Sales.” “And the other [...] No related posts.

A Little Perspective

Mario Vittone — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 12:37:57 +0000

Perspective changes everything. It will let you know when its time to dig in and fight, and when its alright to concede. Perspective allows you to remain calm when everyone else is frantic. Knowing what is bad and what isn't gives you a certain coolness under what is pressure to everyone else, and that can make all the difference. When faced with a "crisis" (please) the ability to temper your reaction accordingly and face the problem makes things better. Calm beats frazzled every time. Related posts:

Book Review: “Sway: The Irresistible Pull of Irrational Behavior”

Mario Vittone — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 10:23:43 +0000

Ori and Rom Brafman’s “Sway: The Irresistible Pull of Irrational Behavior” is another excellent read on human behavior that can add to your understanding of how people make (or don’t make) decisions. There are reasons that seasoned professionals, from all backgrounds and disciplines, make otherwise senseless decisions; and none of us are immune. A successful [...] Related posts: