Insights & Expertise | Executive (32)

2 min read

The Paradox Of Pragmatic Optimism

By Tim Leman on Mar 9, 2018 6:30:00 AM

It was from Jim Collins’ masterpiece Good To Great that I learned Admiral James Stockdale was something other than Ross Perot’s running mate in the 1992 presidential election. Long before he was a target of Saturday Night Live’s irreverent humor, Stockdale was the highest ranking naval officer to be held as a POW in Vietnam.

After Stockdale's A-4 Skyhawk was shot down over North Vietnam in 1965, he shared space at the “Hanoi Hilton” with, among others, John McCain. He was brutally beaten, starved, and denied medical care, never knowing if he would survive or see his family again, until his release in 1973.

Stockdale and his wife Sybil shared their story by writing alternating chapters in the book In Love and War. Collins, in preparing to meet Admiral Stockdale, read his book, describing it as bleak and depressing, even though he knew that Stockdale got out and reunited with his family. When Collins asked Stockdale what it felt like living the story and not knowing how it ended, he replied:

Topics: Executive

4 min read

Master These 4 Leadership Styles For The Stages Of Your Business

By Gibson on Mar 2, 2018 6:30:00 AM

Today we’re sharing insight from guest blogger, Jim Canfield, Managing Director at CEO Tools. We hope you enjoy Jim’s wisdom and perspective.

As the company grows, it requires a different approach for the leader.

When it comes to business leadership styles, there’s an obvious sentiment that bears repeating: How you manage is as important as who you manage, if not more so. To ensure your business weathers any storm, your leadership style should incorporate various management methods to use in different situations. But for even the most experienced business leader, that can be easier said than done.

Topics: Executive

3 min read

Building A High Performance Culture

By Gibson on Feb 23, 2018 6:30:00 AM

Today we’re sharing insight from guest blogger, Rick Nichols, Managing Partner of TechCXO's Sales & Marketing Practice. We hope you enjoy Rick’s wisdom and perspective.

We define corporate culture as a shared pattern of values, beliefs, and expectations. These values produce rules for behavior and pressure to conform on the job. Tom Peters’ timeless book In Search of Excellence tells us that “excellent companies are marked by very strong cultures, so strong that you either buy into their norms or get out. There’s no halfway house for most people in excellent companies.”

Fortune magazine pointed out in an article several years ago that it may be easier to change a company’s people than to change its culture. In the long term, the key to culture is whom you hire and promote. People often get jobs and move up more based on the degree to which they fit prevailing cultural norms than for any objective reason. For hiring leaders who must interview and hire candidates from outside the company or industry, this carries very important implications. We need to know if candidates will fit into our culture.

Topics: Executive

5 min read

Let Silence Do The Heavy Lifting

By Gibson on Feb 16, 2018 6:30:00 AM

Today we’re sharing insight from guest blogger, Jill Young, Certified EOS Implementer and Author of “Earn It!” We hope you enjoy Jill’s wisdom and perspective.

It could be that one of the main reasons you are a successful business leader is that you really know how to talk. You’ve been rewarded in your career for being able to talk your way into (or out of) anything. You’ve been successful in convincing people, inspiring people, and getting your way because of your ability to talk. But, like most things in life, too much of a good thing can turn a strength into a weakness.

Because I’m in the business of guiding companies from GOOD to GREAT, I get to work with lots of leaders like you who have mastered the art of talking. And for many of you, the next step in becoming your best as a leader is learning when to be silent.

Topics: Executive

2 min read

The Quality That Guarantees All Others

By Tim Leman on Feb 9, 2018 6:30:00 AM

It was christened by Aristotle as the first of all human qualities because he felt it guaranteed the others. Dr. Keshavan Nair called it the “foundation of integrity.” And still Hemingway described it as “grace under pressure.”

What magical virtue were they referring to? Why courage, of course. It’s the mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty.

Topics: Executive

2 min read

Leading An Ethical Organization

By Gibson on Feb 2, 2018 6:30:00 AM

Today we’re sharing insight from guest blogger, Kevin Brozovich, Founder and Chief People Officer at HRM Innovations. We hope you enjoy Kevin’s wisdom and perspective.

We’ve all seen it in the news, the trusted leader or long-term employee who gets caught doing something unethical. Suddenly it all goes south and the organization is faced with a public relations nightmare, legal action, or worse.

How does that happen? How do good leaders and organizations find themselves in such a mess?

Topics: Executive

5 min read

Growing Pains: How To Transition From Startup To Scaleup

By Gibson on Jan 26, 2018 6:30:00 AM

Today we’re sharing insight from guest blogger Tiffany Sauder, President of Element Three. We hope you enjoy Tiffany’s wisdom and perspective.

Now that 2018 is upon us, it’s hard not to reflect on the lessons we learned in 2017.

The truth is, 2017 was good for us. We grew at a faster pace than we had in the last four years—something that’s harder to do as you get bigger. And while becoming the largest agency in Indianapolis wasn’t necessarily our goal, it happened.

But just because a lot of things went our way doesn’t mean we didn’t struggle at times. Here’s what 2017 taught us about transitioning from a startup organization to a scaleup organization, and where we’re headed in 2018. While I’ll draw from our own experiences, if you work at or lead an organization experiencing high growth, I’m confident many of these lessons will feel extremely applicable.

Topics: Executive

3 min read

How To Bring CLARITY

By Gibson on Jan 19, 2018 6:30:00 AM

Today we’re sharing insight from guest blogger, Mike Natalizio, CEO at HNI Risk Services. We hope you enjoy Mike’s wisdom and perspective.

Effective leadership is all about clarity. Being clear about where you want to go, what you want to achieve, and how you're going to get there.

This level of clarity doesn’t come from a "to-do" list of loosely tied together ideas that aren’t truly tied back to WHY you do what you do.

As business leaders, we all want our organizations to grow. Unfortunately, crushing your tactical "to do" list isn't going to deliver you to the fountain of perpetual growth.

Topics: Executive

3 min read

Less Is More

By Gibson on Jan 12, 2018 6:30:00 AM

Today we’re sharing insight from guest blogger Justin Maust, Professional EOS Implementer, Certified John Maxwell Team Keynote Speaker, Trainer & Coach, and CEO of EntreLegacy Group. We hope you enjoy Justin’s wisdom and perspective.

My best advice comes from a painful lesson I’ve had to learn more than once.

Less is more.

I have a nasty habit of taking on more than I can handle. It’s been a very difficult lesson to learn and I have no idea how much it really has impacted me because I can’t ever get that time back.

Topics: Executive

2 min read

…Ready For It?

By Tim Leman on Jan 5, 2018 6:30:00 AM

It’s 2018, and just like 2017, nothing ever lasts forever. One minute you're here and the next you're gone.

Topics: Executive

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