For those in the northern hemisphere, this is a time of year where you may find your mind and body lying on a beach towel, arm chair or in some other relaxing location treating your mind, body and soul to some downtime, along with a cool beverage. Some amongst us, can’t completely shut off and may still find the act …
‘Strong’ Leadership – an oversold promise: some lessons from the political realm
Why does there appear to be a fashionable bias toward strong leaders versus effective leaders? What about leaders that appear weak according to conventional wisdom, but are effective and contribute in far more significant ways? Perhaps they are more likely to be consultative with colleagues and work for the betterment of her/his team, constituents, society or whomever s/he is accountable …
Boosting new CEO Success: A data driven look
A recent study by McKinsey&Company looked at nearly 600 CEOs who left S&P 500 companies over a period of 10 years (2004 to 2014) and joined companies that were either under-performing or performing well at the start of their tenure. For each CEO they gathered information regarding their actions in their new roles from a range of sources (i.e. company reports, investor …
An important week in 2015: From Elon Musk’s new $1 Billion Not-for-profit, to Paris and Saudi Arabia
There were three unprecedented events globally last week that captured my attention, for more than just a few seconds. [A] Elon Musk’s announcement of his new $1 Billion not-for-profit to benefit humanity [B] a meaningful and unprecedented Global Climate agreement which was reached in Paris with support from almost 200 developed and developing nations, and [C] the first ever elections …
Leadership, Collaboration & Syrian Refugees
While many may conceptually or intellectually agree with the practice and spirit of collaboration, few in my experience truly know what this means in practical terms to their work or participate in it wholeheartedly. How can we know how to, when apart from some group projects and team work at school or university (often completed by the most diligent person …
A $12 Trillion Business Case for Gender Equality in the workplace
In spite of my gender, I have always been a staunch advocate for gender equality and for having more women in leadership roles. As someone who has always been interested in creative, innovative and better ways of doing things in the workplace, I have found that the perspective women generally offer on virtually any subject matter is ‘thought provoking’ to …
From Management to Leadership: Why the difference is even more important today!
Few ‘Managers’ truly understand the difference between Management and Leadership. Some make the assumption that they are synonymous with each other, yet others assume the difference to be minor. So why is understanding the difference even more important today than it was before? As it turns out, the Millennials (Ages 18-34) are more interested and are far more responsive to those who Lead …