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Slowly but steadily, while we’ve been preoccupied with trying to meet demands that outstrip our resources, grappling with unfair treatment, or watching our working hours encroach upon our downtime, burnout has become the new baseline in many work environments. From the 40% of Gen Z workers who believe burnout is an inevitable part of success, […]
Growing old gracefully, isn’t just about maintaining physical health. It’s also about nurturing happiness. But, there are certain habits we cling onto that can seriously hinder our joy. The trick to aging happily is not just adopting positive habits, but also discarding the negative ones. The ones that hold us back from truly embracing each […]
Successful transformations harness the collective wisdom of middle managers and teams. To increase your company’s chances, you need to: 1) Enlist your very best middle managers. Transforming a business demands a blend of creativity and ingenuity. By setting this challenge you can also test and nurture the next generation of leaders. 2) Empower the middle to […]
AI is a machine’s ability to perform the cognitive functions we associate with human minds, such as perceiving, reasoning, learning, interacting with the environment, problem-solving, and even exercising creativity. You’ve probably interacted with AI even if you don’t realize it—voice assistants like Siri and Alexa are founded on AI technology, as are some customer service […]
For organizations to truly innovate and grow, leaders in every role and at every organizational level must be attuned to how they are creating new value while simultaneously protecting existing value. Just as a soccer coach must simultaneously pursue both scoring and defending, leaders must constantly focus their attention on opportunities to create value — […]
Research suggests that the most effective leaders adapt their style to different circumstances — be it a change in setting, a shift in organizational dynamics, or a turn in the business cycle. But what if you feel like you’re not equipped to take on a new and different leadership style — let alone more than […]
Gartner research has found that managers today are accountable for 51% more responsibilities than they can effectively manage — and they’re starting to buckle under the pressure: 54% are suffering from work-induced stress and fatigue, and 44% are struggling to provide personalized support to their direct reports. Ultimately, one in five managers said they would […]
When an executive makes a big bet, he or she typically relies on the judgment of a team that has put together a proposal for a strategic course of action. After all, the team will have delved into the pros and cons much more deeply than the executive has time to do. The problem is, […]
Do you take on the stress of others? Are you very sensitive? Do you feel overwhelmed in crowded spaces? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, you may be an empath. An empath takes on the feelings of others and can relate to what someone else may be feeling, whether that’s emotionally or […]
There has never been a more difficult time to be a CEO — the urgency for bold and transformative leadership echoes louder than ever. In an environment where the stakes are high and the competitive landscape is rapidly evolving, complacency is a risk few can afford. In PwC’s 27th Annual Global CEO Survey, 45% of […]
Motivating employees begins with recognizing that to do their best work, people must be in an environment that meets their basic emotional drives to acquire, bond, comprehend, and defend. So say Nohria and Groysberg, of Harvard Business School, and Lee, of the Center for Research on Corporate Performance. Using the results of surveys they conducted […]
More and more organizations are looking to create flatter, less hierarchical models to increase collaboration, agility, and employee empowerment. But recent research at a food processing company in Colombia outlines some stumbling blocks companies might face when trying to change their structure. Specifically, the researchers and company CEO highlight a series of structural and people […]
Leaders faced with volatility and uncertainty will benefit from building a keen awareness of both themselves and the operating environment around them. In their new book, Deliberate Calm: How to Learn and Lead in a Volatile World (HarperCollins Publishers, November 2022), authors Jacqueline Brassey, Aaron De Smet, and Michiel Kruyt investigate a concept they call “dual awareness,” […]
It’s one thing to lead through a normal range of uncertainty with its ups and downs. But how do you lead when the inflections, disruptions, dislocations, and other threat conditions pile up, as they have in the last few years? While the leader has little to no control over the external competitive environment, they have […]
Early results from McKinsey’s proprietary CEO Excellence Assessment Tool offer insights into the key issues facing more than 100 CEOs, mostly from Asia, and where they feel most confident—and most vulnerable. The CEO role is one of the most challenging and demanding positions in any organization, particularly in the current economic climate. It is also […]
McKinsey’s latest findings on organizational health demonstrate that it remains the best predictor of value creation and a sustainable source of competitive advantage in today’s global marketplace. Organizational health refers to how effectively leaders “run the place”—that is, how they make decisions, allocate resources, operate day to day, and lead their teams with the goal […]
Growth—in revenues and profits—is the yardstick by which the competitive fitness and health of organizations is measured. Consistent profitable growth is thus a near universal goal for leaders—and an elusive one. To achieve that goal, companies need a growth strategy that encompasses three related sets of decisions: how fast to grow, where to seek new […]
When you’re part of a company’s management structure, there will be moments when you’ll have to represent a decision your bosses made that you don’t agree with to your team. Carrying the proverbial flag on behalf of the powers-that-be won’t feel good, but that’s part of the job. Barring a decision or action that is […]
Too few COOs have a defined agenda that reflects the role’s unique responsibilities. Here’s how to start.
If you wanted to boil down 2023 to one concept, it would have to be generative AI (gen AI). Few of us can remember a technology that has swept through the business community with such speed and impact. Hardly a day passes without a new development hitting the headlines. While still blanketed with caveats and unknowns, […]
Generative AI can empower people—but only if leaders take a broad view of its capabilities and deeply consider its implications for the organization.
It’s no surprise that trust is at the core of high-performing teams. But conversations about cultivating trust at work often focus on the relationship between managers and employees. As important — if not more so — is establishing trust between teammates. To understand how the best teams build trust among themselves, researchers interviewed 1,000 U.S.-based […]
Many managers view strategy as a complex subject, but at its essence it boils down to three questions: Where are we now? Where do we want to go? What is a credible path to get there? To successfully use these questions to chart a course, people must be brutally honest with themselves about where they […]
In corporate strategy projects, executive leadership teams work through a series of questions to determine how their businesses can succeed. Individuals can use a similar process to figure out how to live a meaningful life. It starts with defining what makes a great life for you and then outlining your purpose and vision. You must […]
Ed’s books on Leadership, Life and Business will elevate your knowledge and give you the confidence to apply it to your personal and professional life.