The Most Important Decision You Will Ever Make

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lukeby Luke Havard

It’s lonely at the top,” said a CEO I was working with. “Sometimes I feel like I’ve got no one to turn to, everyone expects me to always have the answer, to always know what to do, but on this occasion I just don’t know what to do.”

We hear terms like “self-made man” and self-reliance bandied around all the time, but are the world’s most successful leaders just looking to themselves for advice, inspiration and guidance? Are all millionaires and billionaires really self-made? In my experience, no. All the most successful leaders that I have worked with or studied carefully selected mentors to guide them on their rise to greatness. Continue reading →

Lions and tigers and… CEOs? ‘The Wizard of Oz’ as leadership guide

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by Jake Turtel

The greatest leader in the Land of Oz wasn’t the wizard, according to a new business book. It wasn’t Dorothy or Glinda, either.

Toto, we’re not in Kansas anymore—we’re in a boardroom.

The little black Cairn terrier who rose to doggy-fame from MGM’s 1939 classic, “The Wizard of Oz,” (which was based on the book, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum) is arguably the most famous canine in movie history. Toto’s character (played by a female dog, believe it or not) might even be more important than some give him credit for. Kevin Fickenscher, medical executive and now business author, sure thinks so. Fickenscher, in his book Toto’s Reflections: Leadership Lessons from the Wizard of Oz, suggests that the greatest leader in the Land of Oz wasn’t the wizard. And it wasn’t Dorothy or Glinda, either. Continue reading →

What Your Employees Can Teach You About Running Your Business Better

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Avatar of James O'Brien, PhDby James O’Brien, PhD

It should come as no surprise to small-business owners that employees often see things differently than they do, especially when it concerns how the company should be run. Understanding what these differences are, however, is crucial to a healthy business—one that prospers under strong management and continues to thrive and grow with help from loyal employees. Continue reading →

Lead Without Trying So Hard

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80-whitney-johnson-1by Whitney Johnson

In early 2011, I gave a TEDx speech. Because I wanted my ideas around dreaming and disrupting to come alive in a way that’s not possible in writing – and because of my nagging performance anxiety – I started working with a speech coach. Since then, I’ve given a series of talks across the country. But it wasn’t until early in 2014 when I had a true breakthrough, one as much about being a great leader as it was about giving speeches. Continue reading →

How to Explain a Career That Looks Stalled

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80-john-leesby John Lees

People hold on to jobs too long for all kinds of reasons. Sometimes it’s loyalty to co-workers at a company you’ve outgrown, or maybe you spent a long time thinking you were just about to get promoted… but never got the call. Or perhaps you simply had a lot going on in your personal life and your somewhat dull job felt steadying. During the downturn, many people decided to stay in whatever job they had, figuring that any job was better than no job. Continue reading →