Do some disadvantages come with a hidden upside?
Malcolm Gladwell, popular author of books like “Outliers” and the recent “David and Goliath,” thinks the answer is a resounding yes. In a conversation at the World Business Forum he discusses how “strategic disadvantages” such as a learning disability can be instrumental to your future success because they force you to adjust your learning strategies and work around obstacles from an early age. (more…)
by Kathy F. Bernhard
What, another generation of Star Trek extraterrestrial humanoids to contend with?
Mercifully, no. Look carefully, and you’ll see we’re not talking about Star Trek Vulcans; rather it is a real life, non-fiction uber-challenging force facing all of our organizations, the advent of the VUCA world. (more…)
by Robert Kegan, Lisa Lahey and Andy Fleming
When we hear people talk about struggling to maintain work-life balance, our hearts sink a little. As one executive in a high-performing company we have studied explained, “If work and life are separate things—if work is what keeps you from living—then we’ve got a serious problem.” In our research on what we call Deliberately Developmental Organizations—or “DDOs” for short—we have identified successful organizations that regard this trade-off as a false one. What if we saw work as an essential context for personal growth? And what if employees’ continuous development were assumed to be the critical ingredient for a company’s success? (more…)
By Bill Sims, Jr.
Are you keeping up with your New Year’s resolution? If you’re like most folks, you’re probably hard at work on that new diet or workout program.
While you’re doing those next 25 crunches, ask yourself these questions: What’s my New Year’s resolution for my business? What are the exercises that will help me and my team perform better at work this year?
That answer is positive reinforcement. (more…)
by John Coleman
An inspiring historical story is once again making the rounds at least partially because of its inclusion in Malcolm Gladwell’s new book, David and Goliath. In it, Gladwell tells the story of the French town of Le Chambon-sur-Lignon, which became a safe haven for Jews in Nazi-occupied France during World War II. Led by minister André Trocmé, the residents of Le Chambon-sur-Lignon saved between 3,000 and 3,500 Jews (in addition to others seeking refuge) from 1940 until the end of the war, bringing them into the community and hiding them from French and Nazi officials. By any measure, their actions were courageous and inspiring. They were also an example of the power of community in leadership. (more…)
