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Category: Leadership (Page 4 of 19)

McKnight Principles – Chasing innovation

05/12/2018 /

William McKnight was the CEO of 3M, also known as the “innovation company”, from 1949 to 1966. He was a living example of how all managers should create an environment which fosters a growth mindset (you can read more about that here) in order to create a successful, thriving and long-lasting business.

In McKnight’s own words, here are the principles to follow in order to build innovative companies:

“As our business grows, it becomes increasingly necessary to delegate responsibility and to encourage men and women to exercise their initiative. This requires considerable tolerance. Those men and women, to whom we delegate authority and responsibility, if they are good people, are going to want to do their jobs in their own way.

“Mistakes will be made. But if a person is essentially right, the mistakes he or she makes are not as serious in the long run as the mistakes management will make if it undertakes to tell those in authority exactly how they must do their jobs.

“Management that is destructively critical when mistakes are made kills initiative. And it’s essential that we have many people with initiative if we are to continue to grow.”

 

Image result for mcknight 3m

Image: AZquotes

The Bus Metaphor

26/09/2018 /

The right people in the right seats on the bus: this is the metaphor from the first Jim Collins best-seller ‘Good to Great’. In that book – published in 2001 – the author identifies what leaders need to do, in order to see their teams and organizations excel. And he uses the power of an image to communicate the following concept.

According to Collins, leaders who are able to transform their organizations begin not by setting a direction, but by getting the right people on the bus – and the wrong people off the bus.

Actually great leaders understand the following three simple truths:

1. If you begin with “who,” rather than “what”, you can more easily adapt to a changing world.

2. If you have the right people on the bus, the problem of how to motivate and manage people largely goes away, because they will be self-motivated by the inner drive to produce the best results and to be part of creating something great.

3. If you have the wrong people, it doesn’t matter whether you discover the right direction; you still won’t have a great company.

Assembling the team is the first crucial point. Then a leader has to develop a vision (the direction of the bus), to remove obstacles to high performance (that is, maybe people are not exactly in the right seats and need to be assigned to the right role) and to help people with diverse talents and interests building trust in each other.

It is an hard work, but leaders need it to accomplish objectives with the right people.

Image source: http://bit.ly/16TU0QU

 

18 Tips To Become a Young Leader

18/09/2018 /

Hung Vo, Director of Policy of the International Youth Council, has posted on his Blog on The Huffington Post some tips for anyone aspiring to become a young leader or just a more effective one.

1. Be confident, but be careful to not confuse confidence with arrogance.
2. Leadership is about vision.
3. Inspire others to take action by showing your own action, commitment and good work for a better world. Make it easy for people to step in and join forces if they want to help.
4. Be ambitious and do not be afraid to take risks.
5. Never let someone tell you that you cannot do something.
6. Be organized.
7. Be able to articulate your thoughts and speech thoroughly and efficiently (a.k.a. communication skills).
8. Be able to establish your goals and commit to your plan.
9. Make sure your project, campaign or endeavor solves a problem and you that have clearly defined what the problem is and how you are going to solve it.
10. Know the strengths and weaknesses of yourself and your team.
11. Be fair.
12. Be clever.
13. Be optimistic.
14. Remember that you are young.
15. Connect! Strive to make a vast and diverse network of friends and colleagues.
16. Know when to give “the talk,” and do give it when it is necessary.
17. Have a right-hand man (or woman).
18. Know when to listen to others, and when to listen only to yourself.

Read the full article: The Huffington Post

Image source: Flickr – Ian (CC BY-NC 2.0)

10/03/2018 /

Politics, when it is an art and a service, not an exploitation, is about acting for an ideal through realities. Charles de Gaulle

Image source: Wikimedia Commons

Leadership and drumming

03/01/2018 /

In his post for DDI, Bill Hester speculates on what it takes to be a gifted leader. Being passionate about drumming, Hester makes a comparison between leadership and drumming.

“Like a drummer, a leader sets the tempo, keeps everyone aligned, and—when he or she is really good—inspires us to do great things.”

Like good drummers, also for leaders it takes a lifetime of learning to really excel.

To know more read the original full post

Image source: Pixabay (CC0)

Leadership advices

04/10/2017 /

The executive leadership coach, Lolly Daskal, lists a few tips to follow in order to improve your leadership skills.

No courses or teaching sessions can make you an exceptional leader. The key element to become an amazing chief is to get out of the office and follow some simple advices:

1.Smile to connect with people and make them feel part of a great project.
2.Becoming the best leader possible is not only about talking, but also about listening, asking the right questions and answering earnestly.
3.Make sure your team constantly exchange information.
4.Always give and ask for feedbacks.
5.Make people understand that you care: leaders are remembered for how they make people feel.

If you want to read more, see the full article 

 

Image source: Flickr – astrangelylsolatedplace (CC BY 2.0)

Do you know how to be successful in life?

30/08/2017 /

It is very important to take in mind that in order to be successful and taking charge of your career is not sufficient studying and finishing school.

A real “leader” is always sure of himself and goes on and faces adversities even if is not simple and there are many obstacles, which apparently seem impossible to overcome.

Here are some suggestions from the article 12 lessons you learn or regret forever:

  1. Have confidence in yourself. Confidence comes first!But remember: Successful people often exude confidence, but it isn’t their success that makes them confident. The confidence was there first.
  2. Success in life depends on you. No one can force you to make decisions and take actions that run contrary to your values and aspirations. Do not believe in destiny. You create your destiny.
  3. Being busy does not equal being productive
    It not necessary to work many hours. What counts, is the quality of what you produce. Do no forget it!
  4. You’reonly as good as those you associate with
  5. Don’t say yes unless you really want to
  6. Squash your negative self-talk
  7. Avoid asking “what if?”
    Do not think too much about what could have happened if…
  8. Schedule exercise and sleep
    It is fundamental to plan and organize you job. Do not come at the last moment!
  9. Seek out small victories
  10. Don’t seek perfection
  11. Focus on solutions
  12. Forgive yourself

Leaders

Image source: Flickr – thinkpublic  (CC BY-ND 2.0) 

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