“In all our research to predict the satisfied, engaged, and committed employee versus the dissatisfied, disengaged, and uncommitted employee, one variable emerged as the best predictor of the differences. That one variable is, “Who is your immediate supervisor?” ” … leadership strengths as those qualities that are highly valued in most cultures, that are valued […]
Read post »How to Be Exceptional couldn’t come at a better time. We’re standing at a very critical crossroad. Our organizations desperately want and need much stronger leadership at all levels. But a torrent of studies show most leadership development approaches aren’t working. We need a better way. We’re also at the intersection of powerful and revolutionary […]
Read post »It’s both jarring and exciting to learn that I’ve been wrong. Most of my last few decades in the leadership development field I’ve fallen headlong into the trap ensnaring a vast majority of us in this business; focusing on closing organizational or managerial gaps or weaknesses. We’ve used needs analysis or facilitated a gap analysis […]
Read post »The more we learn about Zenger Folkman’s leadership development research and approaches, the more excited we are to be their Canadian Strategic Partner. At risk of sounding like a sleazy late night TV pitch man; Zenger Folkman’s Strengths-Based Leadership Development System is a major revolution in our field. We’ve got a leadership crisis. Our organizations […]
Read post »Another exciting and inspiring Olympic games has come to a close. The Olympic flame has been extinguished until it will be relit four years from now in Rio de Janeiro. Chris Brasher, a British athlete, sports journalist and co-founder of the London Marathon once observed, “There is something in the Olympics, indefinable, springing from the […]
Read post »Insights and inspiration as I attend Zenger Folkman’s Extraordinary Leadership Summit this week in Utah and the world watches the London Olympics: “The highest reward for man’s toil is not what he ‘gets for it,’ but what he ‘becomes by it'” – John Ruskin, 19th century English social thinker, philanthropist, artist, and writer We were […]
Read post »This week I am at the beautiful and inspiring Sundance Ranch in Utah at Zenger Folkman’s Extraordinary Leadership Summit, learning about innovative new research and approaches for developing extraordinary leadership. At the same time, the London Olympics are inspiring us with powerful examples of extraordinary athleticism and the pursuit of excellence. Zenger Folkman’s research shows […]
Read post »I’ve just read an advance copy of Zenger Folkman’s new book, How to Be Exceptional: Drive Leadership Success by Magnifying Your Strengths. It’s an outstanding — it really is exceptional — leadership book co-authored by four of Zenger Folkman’s top executives. In upcoming blogs I’ll review and draw from How to Be Exceptional. Next week […]
Read post »Just after we announced our new relationship with Zenger Folkman a reader sent me an e-mail inquiry that directly hit an issue Zenger Folkman has researched: “Do you have any suggestions on how to promote and get buy in from employees regarding productivity standards? Any suggestions or resources you could give would be appreciated.” Getting employee […]
Read post »So far this year my blog posts with the biggest reader response concerns the nonsense we keep hearing about generational differences. My first post was We Need Less Generational Nonsense and More Leadership. Last month I posted a follow up blog on More on Less Generational Nonsense. In response to that last blog, Rande Matteson, […]
Read post »This spring I blogged about the firestorm of debate Jack Zenger and Joe Folkman ignited with their March Harvard Business Review blog post, “Are Women Better Leaders than Men?” Their research was based on a recent survey of 7,280 leaders. The study reinforced some long held beliefs and uncovered a few surprises in the gender […]
Read post »We’ve just finalized a Strategic Partnership with Zenger Folkman (www.zengerfolkman.com). After so many years of successful partnering with Jack Zenger at his previous company (he headed up Zenger Miller when I was a partner in The Achieve Group), I am quite excited to be working with him and his colleagues again. Their foundation program is […]
Read post »Later this month, the 2012 Summer Olympic Games get underway in London, England. The games certainly do have their detractors and a history of controversy, violence, and scandal. But more importantly, the games are an inspiring tribute to healthy competition, international cooperation, and the pursuit of exceptional performance. Dawn Fraser, gold medal Australian swimmer at […]
Read post »Earlier this month, Nik Wallenda made his record-breaking walk right across roaring Niagara Falls from the U.S. to Canada. With wind blowing mist around him and the wire dripping wet, he descended and ascended the sloping cable. It was high definition, nail biting, heart pounding, suspense that left Heather and I feeling weak-kneed as we […]
Read post »Lead by example is a management cliché. Most executives mouth the words. But many executives don’t appreciate how their behaviors set the upper limits for any core value they’re trying to build their culture around. Too often the espoused values are what the top tells the middle to do for the bottom. Ethics and honesty […]
Read post »I am fed up with the continuing stream of unsubstantiated psychobabble about how younger generations need to be managed so much differently than previous generations. This usually comes from, or is spouted by “experts” to, mediocre managers who aren’t inspiring leaders. In their solidly researched book, The Inspiring Leader, Jack Zenger and Joe Folkman provide […]
Read post »This is an extraordinary book on leadership from the experts in extraordinary leadership. In 2002, legendary training and development expert Jack Zenger (he’s been given numerous international awards and citations) and Joe Folkman (renowned psychometrician with extensive expertise in survey research and leader assessments) published their groundbreaking book The Extraordinary Leader: Turning Good Managers into […]
Read post »It was an eerie coincidence! Maybe it’s because Halloween is about to pounce on us … I had just read my old colleague Jack Zenger, and his colleagues Joe Folkman and Scott Edinger’s excellent article in this month’s issue of Harvard Business Review. Entitled “Making Yourself Indispensible”, the article builds on the strong research and […]
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