Top 5 Leadership Challenges

Imagine a world where…

One-third of the CEOs in the Fortune 500 last less than 3 years
Executive failure rates are up to 75%
Only 3% of companies say that they develop their people well
The demand for leaders who can deal effectively with change and ambiguity is increasing, while the supply of leaders with these capabilities is shrinking

Actually, you [...]

Leadership in a Virtual Organization

Recently I was reading the Society for Human Resource Management’s (SHRM’s) Q1 2010 research quarterly entitled, Successfully Transitioning to a Virtual Organization:  Challenges, Impact and Technology.  A key point from the article was that “effective leadership is the number one factor that influences success in a virtual organization.”  The article goes on to state, “Leadership skills [...]

Taking Calculated Risks

This post continues our series on some common sense behaviors typically exhibited by great leaders…

Many of us during our careers have worked in an organization that talked a good game when it came to risk-taking, but in reality didn’t live up to this espoused value.  I’m talking about the kind of place where everyone knew [...]

Listening to Your People

This post continues our series on some common sense behaviors typically exhibited by great leaders…

Think about people you know who are good listeners, and others who are not.  Which type of person do you admire?  Who would you rather spend time with?  How many times have you had something to say only to have the person on [...]

Great Leadership isn't Rocket Science

Are leaders born or made?  I don’t know the answer to that question, nor do I really care.  I’ll let those with too much time on their hands ponder over it.  What I do know is that one thing all leaders have in common is the challenge of how to get the most out of their [...]

How Effective are Your Human Capital Practices?

If I asked you to evaluate the overall effectiveness of your company’s human capital management (HCM) practices, how would you respond?  Are they “world-class”?  Average?  Poor?  How do you know? 

What if I asked you to evaluate the effectiveness of each individual talent management process?  Would you be able to do so? 

Effective management practices lead to greater productivity [...]

Achieve Results by Creating Greater Accountability (Part 2)

In my previous post I discussed the importance of creating greater accountability throughout your organization to achieve results and build a positive workplace.  But how do you do it?

In their 2009 book, How Did That Happen?  Holding People Accountable for Results the Positive, Principled Way, Roger Connors and Tom Smith present an effective, systematic approach to creating accountability based [...]