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Management Resources

There is a bigger difference between management and leadership than most people realize.  Not all leaders make good managers and vice versa.  Whereas leadership is about providing clear direction through strategic thinking, decision making, and planning.  It is about the macro.  Management is about executing leadership initiatives through directing, organizing, coaching, and holding people tactically accountable.  It is about the micro.  A good manager knows his/her people well and is committed to their success individually and collectively.

Leadership Thought #367 – Be Authentic and Honest In Your Communication

I find that most of us tend to avoid the emotionally difficult or awkward conversation. Instead of addressing an issue head on, we “beat around the bush” or try and avoid the issue altogether. This puts the onus on the other person to become a verbal detective and/or force the issue. This isn’t fair to them or us. Moreover, I find that most of these types of exchanges devolve into a passive-aggressive dynamic which is unhealthy for the relationship. You ever notice that avoidance never works – it just delays the inevitable. In matters of importance to you or someone else, when you don’t say what you truly mean (or feel) this is the textbook definition of be inauthentic as fellow human being.

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Leadership Thought #438 – Good People WILL Leave Your Organization

If you employ people, the reality is that employees will come and go. It is extremely rare that someone will take the entire business journey with you (or that you should want them to). A good company still experiences 10-15% turnover each year. One of my old bosses once told me that “The only certainty he had was that he was there at the beginning and would be there until he sells out or hands off the reigns to someone. More than likely, just about everyone else will come and go at some point. All you can do is strive to maximize the mutual benefit of the employer-employee relationship while they are here. You want to create an environment where good people want to stay, but accept the fact they will eventually leave, often for reasons beyond your control.” At the time I thought this was a bit cynical, but I see his wisdom more clearly many years later (Note: I left).

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Why Do Leadership Development Programs Fail?

By Glen Calderon In January 2014, McKinsey & Company conducted a study that examines the 4 main reasons why leadership development programs fail: 1.            Not allowing for context.  Simply, leadership development training is unique.  One size does not fit all regardless of a homogenous company, management or culture.   An organization should ask why do we

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    Recommended Reading

  • The Four Disciplines of Execution

    Chris McChesney

    Read Ed's Book SummaryView the Book

    For fans of Good to Great and The First 90 Days, The Four Disciplines of Execution is the book “every leader should read” (Clayton Christensen, Professor, Harvard Business School, and author of The Innovator’s Dilemma) for creating lasting organizational change. A #1 Wall Street Journal bestseller with more than 500,000 copies sold, The Four Disciplines of Execution will radically change your business. 4DX® is not […]

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  • Myself and Other More Important Matters

    Charles Handy

    Read Ed's ExcerptsView the Book

    One of the world’s most influential living management thinkers, Charles Handy has year-after-year been listed alongside business gurus including Peter Drucker and Tom Peters in the prestigious Thinkers 50 list. His views on management — and life — have inspired and enlightened others for decades. Now, in Myself and Other More Important Matters, the bestselling author […]

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  • The Manager’s Handbook: 104 Solutions to Your Everyday Workplace Problems

    Business Management Daily

    The editors of Business Management Daily have compiled dozens upon dozens of hints and tricks for those tasked with leading employees to greatness. If you’re in management, you’ll consult this handbook weekly, perhaps even daily. Whenever a problem crops up, your handbook will be at your fingertips. And as you become a better problem-solver—and a […]

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    Favorite Articles

  • How to Talk to an Employee Who Isn’t Meeting Expectations

    Approaching a conversation about improving an employee’s performance requires preparation, empathy, and a focus on collaboration. Even though hearing the truth about their current performance will be tough and potentially hurtful, it’s a teaching moment managers must embrace to help them become more resilient and adept at problem-solving and developing professional relationships. The author offers […]

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  • Are Your Individual Contributors Feeling Isolated?

    The autonomy that many knowledge workers have in the workplace can come with the drawback of professional and personal isolation. This can have a negative impact on projects that require collaboration and creativity. One way organizations can mitigate this is by creating a “lab setting” in which employees agree to regular meetings where they share […]

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  • Off the clock: How our perception of time can affect productivity

    Watching the clock drags performance down, and optimism about the future does the opposite. Managers who understand this can help boost engagement. Our personal, internal, and utterly subjective experience of time is pieced together by cooperative neural and perceptual systems that are no less intricate than a finely crafted watch. This internal construction is important. […]

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    Helpful Websites

  • Growth Institute

    Professional development resource/community for leaders looking to scale their business.

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  • Leadership-Tools

    The purpose of this page is simply to share some insights into how and why our website was started. Back in September of 2002, the vision for Leadership-Tools.com was born out of a strong desire to share the many benefits of high quality leadership tools and resources; tools that have helped me in so many […]

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  • The Easy Guide to Employee Performance Planning

    Performance planning is a great way to give a sense of direction to the employees and create a space for them to grow in their career.  In this guide, we will discuss what is performance planning and the process. Some useful templates are also provided. You can edit these online; simply click on the template to […]

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    Video Favorites

  • Five Tips for Better One-on-One Meetings

    One-on-one meetings are among the best opportunities for relationship-building that we’re afforded at work. But when run badly, they can feel like an unproductive use of people’s time. Mistake No. 1: viewing these check-ins as another task list item to check off. With planning and forethought, you can take your one-on-one meetings to the next […]

  • The Four Disciplines of Execution

    Great summary of the book: The Four Disciplines of Execution. 4DX® is not theory. It is a proven set of practices that represents a new way of thinking essential to thriving in today’s competitive climate, making this 2nd Edition a book that no business leader can afford to miss. The 2nd Edition provides more than 30 percent […]

  • The Puzzle of Motivation

    Career analyst Dan Pink examines the puzzle of motivation, starting with a fact that social scientists know but most managers don’t: Traditional rewards aren’t always as effective as we think. Listen for illuminating stories — and maybe, a way forward.

    Reading Excerpts

  • The Effective Manager

    The Effective Manager By: Mark Horstman Book Summary and Excerpts   CHAPTER 1 – Who Is an Effective Manager? Everyone has experienced both good and bad managers. What makes them that way? Is it what they do? How they think? Their personality? What they feel? Where they went to school? Think about this for a […]

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  • Myself and Other More Important Matters by Charles Handy

    Click for hard copy Chapter One – Are You Sure? The two zones of work and friendship operate best when they don’t overlap, because the perceptions of who we are do not become confused. The truth is that we all behave differently, in a way are different people, in different circumstances. Those who claim that […]

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  • HBR Guide to Managing Up and Across

    Managing Up and Across Excerpts   SECTION ONE – MANAGING UP Managing Your Boss: This relationship can be problematic for two reasons. First, a boss plays conflicting roles: supporter and evaluator, which can create confusion. Second, people often bring their past experiences with authority into the relationship, which can create unnecessary complications.   Don’t presume […]

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