Tag: leadership

The heart of a king—but the incredible leadership of a queen

by Dan Oswald When Queen Elizabeth I ascended to the throne in 1558, England was, in a word, a mess. The country was struggling financially with runaway inflation and a debased currency. It was a cultural wasteland that was far behind other countries when comparing achievements in literature and the arts. And it was a […]

Do You Train Your Leaders to Avoid These ‘7 Enemies of Success’?

Forty percent of newly promoted leaders fail within the first 18 months, says Diane Egbers, president of Leadership Excelleration, Inc., (LEI Consulting) (www.lei-consulting.com). “It’s often what leaders don’t know that can harm them,” Egbers warns. In The Ascending Leader: Conquer the Seven Enemies of Success—A Strategic Guide for the Newly Promoted, Egbers and coauthor Karen […]

The smartest person in the room

by Dan Oswald I recently was reading on the subject of leadership, and one topic that came up was intelligence. So I set out to do some research on the importance of IQ in leadership. I must admit, it’s not easy to find a lot written about the intelligence of leaders. Type “leadership and intelligence” […]

Train Supervisors on These 4 Steps to Recognize Alcohol Abuse Problems

CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden called the effect of excessive alcohol consumption devastating. He added, “In addition to injury, illness, disease, and death, it costs our society billions of dollars through reduced work productivity, increased criminal justice expenses, and higher healthcare costs.” The study says the economic burden on states is huge—an average of $3 […]

5 More Strategies for Succession Planning

“Succession planning is critical for an organization’s long-term success, yet it’s a task that’s often overlooked,” says John Reed, senior executive director of Robert Half Technology. “By taking proactive steps to identify and develop future leaders, a manager’s departure is a workable issue instead of an imminent crisis,” Reed said in a press release. Reed […]

5 Tips for Effective Succession Planning

If a firm loses its top leaders, who will take their place? It’s a question without an answer within many organizations, according to new research from Robert Half Legal. Charles Volkert, executive director of Robert Half Legal, stresses that “proactive planning not only ensures the transfer of knowledge and business continuity, but it also adds […]

What’s the right thing to say?

by Dan Oswald Last week I took my second child—and my only daughter, which is a significant distinction for a father—to college for her freshman year. I knew it would be an emotional time for her, her mother, and me. And I wanted to offer some sage advice as I left her behind in her […]

Train Employees to Avoid These 3 Leadership Mistakes

Leadership expert John Hamm, author of Unusually Excellent: The Necessary Nine Skills Required for the Practice of Great Leadership (Jossey-Bass/A Wiley Imprint, February 2011, www.unusuallyexcellent.com), has spent his career studying the practitioners of unusually excellent leadership via his work as a CEO, venture capitalist, board member, high-level consultant, and professor of leadership at the Leavey […]

Common sense ain’t so common

by Dan Oswald Have you ever known someone who was incredibly intelligent but had absolutely no common sense? I’ve known a few. So the other day when a colleague was describing to me a book he came across that contained “cowboy logic” and the line, “I’ve learned that common sense ain’t so common,” it got […]

Are Your Leaders Trained to Avoid These 4 Mistakes?

Leadership expert John Hamm, author of Unusually Excellent: The Necessary Nine Skills Required for the Practice of Great Leadership (Jossey-Bass/A Wiley Imprint, February 2011, www.unusuallyexcellent.com ), has spent his career studying the practitioners of unusually excellent leadership via his work as a CEO, venture capitalist, board member, high-level consultant, and professor of leadership at the […]