Posted by Kalani Iwiula on Mon, Apr 26, 2010
According to a recent Harvard Business Review management tip, too many leaders think they are adept at everything. Self-aware leaders know that they can't possibly have the skills and knowledge to do it all. Instead, they are dynamic, adaptable, and emotionally intelligent. Here are three HBR tips to build your own self-awareness:- Observe your own performance. Take note of the areas you excel in and those that need improvement. Share these observations with your team.
- Know what you don't know. Accept that there are areas you have little expertise in. Seek out a team that can help you fill in the gaps.
- Monitor your impact on others. Because so much of work is about relationships, knowing how you affect others is a critical leadership skill. Manage your emotional responses and look for cues that you're building relationships, not destroying them.
Using a diagnostic instrument to improve your self-awareness can be helpful in your leadership development. While there are many Self or Feedback assessments to choose from, a
normed, reliable, and validated instrument will likely be your best bet.
Good luck, thanks for reading, and feel free to share your thoughts.
Posted by Kalani Iwiula on Mon, Apr 12, 2010
Each episode of this reality TV series features a senior executive at a major corporation working incognito as a new entry-level hire in his or her company. For one week, the executive hopes to learn how the company really works and attempts to identify some of the unsung heroes among the employees.
Tonight's Undercover Boss finale featured Chris McCann, president of 1-800-Flowers. Together with his brother, Jim, their company has become the world's leading florist and gift shop. An early lesson for the McCann brothers was to always manage company culture, and in a business of delivering thoughtfulness and smiles, their effort to "build relationships first and business second" has proved positive for the company.
Early naysayers said the show wouldn't fly but the show has clearly touched a nerve with viewers having consistently pulled favorable TV ratings since its debut on Feb. 7, 2010. It has also been renewed for a second season.
For a brief article, click here to read Steve Tobak's blog post for BNet.
Posted by Kalani Iwiula on Tue, Apr 06, 2010
Research findings on thousands of organizations show that positive leadership strategies promote and reinforce constructive cultures. Constructive cultures in turn have been proven to enhance innovation and ensure sustainability.
On April 27th, Dr. Linda Sharkey, Ph.D., will deliver a free webinar on the knowledge essential to managing the critical forces that are leadership and culture. Learn how to quantify and develop these critical factors in a way that is aligned with your business goals and statistically proven to drive effectiveness.
Dr. Sharkey, is a former vice president of GE and HP, and distinguished fellow at the Global Leadership Development Center (Marshall Goldsmith School of Business), and will share her experiences with and insights on quantifying culture and leadership. Working with executives at GE Crotonville, Sharkey has confirmed that employee engagement, the success of training initiatives, and effective strategy implementation largely depend on having the right type of leadership and culture in place.
Using data collected with the validated Organizational Culture Inventory, Sharkey will present easy-to-digest, graphic illustrations to show how the invisible forces of culture truly impact performance. She will highlight what you can do to get everyone moving in the right direction supporting your organization’s values, vision and mission.
Join us Tuesday, April 27, 2010 - 11 am Pacific/2 pm Eastern
Webinar registration
Linda Sharkey
Executive Director
Executive Networks
Dr. Linda Sharkey is a proven leader with experience in Fortune 10 companies building teams and driving talent development initiatives that support productivity and company growth. She has specific expertise in culture transformation, developing high-potential leaders and building proven talent processes that yield better leadership capability. Sharkey is currently executive director of Executive Networks Inc.—a worldwide organization that connects key HR heads from the largest corporations in the world. She is also senior principal at Corporate Insights Inc., where she leads the talent practice. Previously, Sharkey was vice president of people development at Hewlett Packard. She is widely published in the areas of leadership development, culture change and executive coaching, and holds a Ph.D. in organization development from Benedictine University, an MPA from Russell Sage College, and a B.A. in history from Nazareth College.
Sponsored by Human Synergistics International
Hosted by Talent Management magazine
Posted by Kalani Iwiula on Thu, Apr 01, 2010
San Francisco area workshop - April 22, 2010.
Providing leadership feedback can be a delicate and challenging task, but using Acumen® Leadership WorkStyles™ (LWS) assessments makes the job easier. The feedback from this tool not only increases self-awareness but also provides suggestions and action steps to improve one's effectiveness.
LWS is a 360° feedback assessment that provides clear and concise information about personal work styles. It gives managers and leaders an assessment of their key strengths and developmental needs, as well as specific suggestions for changes that will allow them to make greater contributions.
Well-documented research on LWS is available in a technical report.
WHY COMPANIES CHOOSE LWS
LWS gives a complete picture of how individuals perceive themselves and how their co-workers see them. But LWS’ particular value is that it builds on an individual's strengths and presents negative feedback in a positive way. LWS offers suggestions for people with particular work styles to be more effective, either alone or in employee interactions.
APPLICATIONS AND HOW TO USE LWS
HR professionals, consultants, and internal coaches can use LWS to promote leadership development, team development, and a more collaborative learning environment.
Clients report that when they create readiness and set the context for learning, using LWS supports an ongoing process of continual personal growth. This process begins to create cultural values of collaboration, learning, and open, honest communication.
LWS could be helpful to companies going through major changes and ones that are establishing either new business units or new ways of doing business, particularly if these changes require employees to develop new skills.
SUMMARY
Acumen Leadership WorkStyles (LWS) fills the need to individually assess managers and leaders and provide a framework for behavior change. The assessment’s ease of use and confidentiality allows co-workers to give more honest, accurate data while providing insightful, helpful feedback. What is most significant is that LWS is accompanied by concrete, specific steps for changing behavior in a positive, constructive way.
UPCOMING TRAINING WORKSHOP: April 22, 2010 in Emeryville, California. Click for details.