Executive Presence: The X Factor In Leadership

Suzanne-Bates-101-copyby Suzanne Bates and David Casullo

As every CEO knows, there is an X factor in leadership that is hard to nail down but essential to successful management.

We’ll start with a case example. Steve, the CEO of a company we’ll call ICON, wondered whether the leader of one of ICON’s businesses had that X factor necessary to lead a key strategic initiative for her business, Logistical Systems Advisors (LSA).

The board of directors and executive team had set a new course for LSA to grow by acquisition, and though Jane, the business president, was delivering results, her style chafed some members of the company. Smart, focused and results-driven, Jane’s style had improved product performance and client responsiveness. However, Steve also thought her style might not be collaborative and inclusive enough to ensure successful integrations. Continue reading

If You’re Always Giving Orders, You’re Not a Great Leader

The best leaders spend five times more time teaching with questions than telling people what to do. What’s your ratio?

Think about a leader and chances are your first image is of someone giving orders — maybe it’s the quarterback in a huddle outlining the next play for his teammates, maybe it’s an army officer coolly  barking commands in the heat of combat. But chances are, when many of us think of leadership, we picture a person telling others what to do. Continue reading

An Organizational Structure That Drives Change

a6bd8901b34cc3128cf6680491af16abby Tom Somodi

Most people would argue that the ability for an organization to change over time is critical to that organization’s long-term survival. To this end, the literature is full of theories, methodologies, recommendations and analysis on how an organization should be structured in order to maximize the likelihood of obtaining successful change.

Organizations need to be structured to provide employee empowerment, lean operating techniques and continuous improvement philosophies. Yet organizations still fail to obtain desired change even though they put in exemplary efforts to support such structural recommendations. Continue reading

Emotions Are Data, Too

by Gianpiero Petriglieri

Hardly a day goes by that I don’t meet it, the struggle with emotions at work.

The misunderstood colleague, filled with frustration, attempting not to show it; the executive wondering how to confront her team’s lack of enthusiasm; the student hesitating to confess his affection to a classmate. Continue reading

7 Ways to Craft a Great Company Culture

By Amy Power

Company “culture” is a major buzzword for big business — and with good reason. When an executive is leading a large enterprise with financial and human resources, it’s much easier to leverage a massive budget to create company culture. Google touts lavish perks including on-site physicians and nurses to save time, massage chairs, nap pods, free meals and a stable of electric cars for those in need of a ride. Facebook offers a bike-repair shop, barbershop, video arcade, free candy shop, bakery and free computer-accessory vending machines. Continue reading