Tag: leadership

‘Tis the season to do right by your employees and customers

by Dan Oswald Have you ever thought about what employees really want from a company and a manager? What is it that really makes employees feel satisfied in their work? Among other things, having a manager who cares about them as people is part of being happy at work. So when I heard about Liberty […]

Master of his fate: leadership lessons from Nelson Mandela

by Dan Oswald “A good head and a good heart are always a formidable combination.” Nelson Mandela On December 5, the world lost an incredible leader when Nelson Mandela passed away at age 95. Mandela was South Africa’s first black president and led the country after the end of apartheid. Mandela’s passing caused me to […]

Obamacare provides lessons for every manager

by Dan Oswald It’s one of the most controversial pieces of legislation passed in my lifetime, with its legality being ruled on by the U.S. Supreme Court, but whether you support or reject Obamacare, it’s obvious that its execution has been deeply flawed. There’s a lesson in this for all of us. It’s not unusual […]

Increase company performance by instilling sense of ownership

by Dan Oswald “He acts like he owns the place!” Depending on the context, that single sentence, when used in the workplace, can either spell disaster or be one of the most positive and flattering things to be said about an employee. If the statement is made out of frustration about an employee who throws […]

If you don’t have anything nice to say . . .

by Dan Oswald “Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.” —Abraham Lincoln As a child, whenever my mouth started running in the wrong direction, my mother would say, “If you don’t have anything nice to say about someone, don’t say anything at all.” It’s not […]

Train Managers to Take Stock of Their Own Leadership Style

Both leaders with advanced skills and bosses who could use a bit of polishing will benefit by taking account of management areas upon which they can improve, according to Fierce, Inc. Train employees to take stock of their own management style with the information in today’s Advisor. While there are many different types of bosses, […]

Do Your Managers Know the 6 Essential Dimensions of Great Leaders?

Increased demands, overstretched budgets, stressed-out workers, flat business performance, and poor leadership role models—combined with a leadership model that tends to reward short-term results—have created a “growing gap between the leaders we have and the leaders we need,” says author Bob Rosen. Rosen (bobrosen.com), who is CEO of Healthy Companies International (healthycompanies.com) and author of […]

7 lessons for better managers from Alabama coach Nick Saban

by Dan Oswald Some of you might get tired of my use of sports stories to illustrate good management, but when I see something like the recent 60 Minutes piece on University of Alabama football coach Nick Saban, I’m struck by the parallels between coaching a sport and managing people. In the end, people are […]

Live generously: business with an eye on helping others

by Dan Oswald I was in Birmingham, Alabama, over the weekend visiting my daughter at college. While out for breakfast, I saw a local newspaper with the headline “Live Generously: How three Gardendale teenagers hope to change lives with new business.” The headline caught my attention for a number of reasons. I love the “Live […]

After setting goals, be vigilant in achieving them

by Dan Oswald If you’re like me, it’s time to turn your attention to 2014. As we move through the fourth quarter of 2013 and can see the end in sight, our thoughts turn to what we want to accomplish in the coming year. At our company, we’re in the midst of our budgeting process […]