To hear the talk of these days it would seem that to the business minded, costs are to be cut to the bone if not avoided altogether. So let’s consider what different minded leaders might do in regards to costs.
Archive for the ‘Management’ Category
Cost as Cause or Outcome
Posted in Leadership, Progress, Systems Thinking, Management, tagged Business of business, Critical Thinking, Decision-making, Leadership, management, Progress, Quality, Systems Thinking on May 16, 2012 | 1 Comment »
Not All Data Are Valid
Posted in Leadership, Management, Problem Solving, Quality, Systems Thinking, tagged Critical Thinking, Decision-making, Leadership, management, Problem Solving, Quality, Systems Thinking on April 30, 2012 | 2 Comments »
Many people—probably with the exclusion of politicians—have come to believe data based decision-making is the way to effective action. In the words of Lord Kelvin, “to measure is to know” and so if our decisions and actions are to be directed by knowledge—not just by what we believe—then we must base them on data. While [...]
Facilitate Performance, Don’t Appraise It
Posted in Leadership, Management, partnership, Progress, Quality, tagged Development of Self, human spirit, Leadership, Learning, management, organizational design, partnership, Progress, Quality, relationships, Systems Thinking on March 11, 2012 | 2 Comments »
Ah the annual performance appraisal! Let’s deconstruct this. Annual means every year. Performance means accomplishment. Appraisal means offering a judgment on the value of something or someone. So the annual performance appraisal is a yearly judgment of another person’s value to the organization.
Hidden Leadership Lesson #32
Posted in Leadership, Management, Relationships, tagged Development of Self, human spirit, Leadership, Learning, management, Moral Values, partnership, relationships on March 6, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
A leader is one who others have chosen to follow. So because leaders require followers, it is imperative that the leader be a person of utmost integrity. Knowing who you are and what you stand for and embodying this in your way-of-being is paramount. Moreover integrity is the antecedent to trustworthiness. Why is this important? [...]
Divest or Invest
Posted in Leadership, Management, Progress, tagged Business of business, Critical Thinking, Leadership, Learning, management, Progress, Systems Thinking on February 19, 2012 | 3 Comments »
Profit can be realized in the short-term by divesting and over the long term by investing. In the former management cuts costs, most likely by firing people and/or squeezing more out of those who remain. Because you can only squeeze people so much before the lifeblood of the people and the business runs out, this [...]
Performance Appraisal: Pathway to Mistrust
Posted in Leadership, Management, partnership, Quality, Relationships, tagged Culture, Decision-making, human spirit, Leadership, Learning, management, organizational design, partnership, Progress, Quality, relationships, Systems Thinking on February 4, 2012 | 3 Comments »
Robert Galford’s HBR Blog Network article, “How to keep your cool during a performance review” suggest there is a widespread abhorrence and likely fear of the annual performance review. To make what is often a not-so-good experience better Robert offers four tactics: relax; prepare yourself to hear one or more unexpected ‘somethings’; if you don’t [...]
Hidden Leadership Lesson #31
Posted in Leadership, Management, Quality, tagged Culture, Development of Self, human spirit, Leadership, Learning, management, organizational design, Quality, relationships on January 14, 2012 | 1 Comment »
Those in authority can provide leadership experience to people in their organization by striving to provide them the opportunity to realize joy in work. Accordingly, in a New York Times interview, Ori Hadomi (CEO of Mazor Robitics) asserts, “It’s important that people are happy in what they do. I believe my role is not to [...]
Retaining Talent
Posted in Leadership, Management, partnership, Quality, Relationships, tagged Development of Self, human spirit, Leadership, management, organizational design, partnership, Progress, Quality, relationships, Systems Thinking on January 3, 2012 | 1 Comment »
In a Forbes.com article Eric Jackson presented the following top ten reasons why large companies fail to keep their best talent.
Hidden Leadership Lesson #30
Posted in Leadership, Management, Relationships, tagged Decision-making, Leadership, management, relationships on November 25, 2011 | 1 Comment »
In a New York Times Corner Office interview Kathleen Flanagan, President/CEO of Abt Associates, recalled her first meeting with management as the new 29-year old leader of a business unit of Abt.
Becoming the Greatest
Posted in Economy, Life, Management, Morality/Ethics, tagged Business of business, Economy, Ethical Principles, Moral Values, Progress on September 17, 2011 | 1 Comment »
Where are we headed? The significant finding in a recent US Census report (Income, poverty, and health insurance coverage in the United States: 2010) isn’t that the poverty rate is highest since 1993. Rather it is that the poverty rate had been steadily declining between 1993 (15.1%) and 2000 (11.3%) and steadily increasing to its [...]