As a woman, I’ve always wanted to talk about leadership. Right from a young age, I’ve always been fascinated by the concept of leadership and especially, women leaders. From Benazir Bhutto to Indira Gandhi, from Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, Indra Nooyi to Angela Merkel, I have always been heavily inspired by women who rose to greater heights through sheer dedication and hard work. In … [Read more...]
How to Become a Better Leader for Your Team
It's no secret that one of the most difficult parts of being a manager, at any level, is the ability to effectively lead your team(s). Ironically, it's also an area that companies often neglect, with research from Grovo suggesting as many as 98% of leaders feel they would benefit from more training in this area. Whether you've been managing people for a long time or you're … [Read more...]
8 Qualities Leaders Need to Get Their Teams Through Tough Times
It’s easy to be a leader when things are going well. In fact, it can be downright awesome. But what about when times are tough? With the current state of the world, the global threat of Coronavirus and the uncertainty of the economy, it's important that those who lead, lead in a way that will keep people on track and help them stay as positive and productive as is … [Read more...]
Why Personal Branding is a Leadership Must
Ascending to a role as a leader -- whether that is in a company, community, or organization -- can be an opportunity to make a significant impact. But simply assuming a title as leader doesn't do it. You don't create significant impact just because you occupy a role or wear a title. You make the significant impact because of your strategic actions that inspire, empower, and … [Read more...]
3 Key Areas to Improve Your Business
The small percentage of entrepreneurs who succeed know this: If your business is going to succeed, you must focus on constant improvements. Small incremental changes in your business are the key to succeeding in business. Following are three key areas every business should focus on: 1. Customer Acquisition Getting new customers is tough for most businesses. Getting new … [Read more...]
5 Best Ways to Irritate Your Employees and Paralyze Production
Whether you manage employees from one to one hundred, you’ve probably said and done things that you wish you hadn’t. Take heart; there is no perfect leader, just as there’s no perfect employee; but there are perfect ways of irritating your staff members, forcing the best ones to leave and paralyzing productivity. And you’re probably already doing them. So before you continue … [Read more...]
Mining the Collective Intelligence of Your Board of Directors
Do you mine the collective intelligence of your board? In today’s world, corporations are establishing processes that have an emphasis on collective wisdom for competitive advantage. This concept can be actualized at the board level through the board evaluation process. A recent study by PwC found that 63% of directors believe self-evaluations are mostly a “check the box” … [Read more...]
Unanimous Illusion in the Boardroom
One of the downfalls I see in boardrooms is what Daniel Goldman calls “unanimous illusion.” Goldman defines this as a behavior that, once a group adopts a belief, individual members are likely to believe it is true. All the more reason for directors to ask questions during board meetings on a broad range of topics of critical importance to their oversight role. This … [Read more...]
Recruiting a Director for Strategic Board Challenges – 3 Key Considerations
Creating a 21st century board means making significant transitions towards more future-focused leadership behaviors and practices. Rethinking both how new directors are recruited and successfully retained can provide a progressive focus to a director search. Candidates whose backgrounds speak to these areas will ultimately bring a honed perspective for competitive … [Read more...]
When is a Lead Director Really Independent?
In a recent conversation with a director who has held the lead director position in a number of public companies, the question arose---when is a lead director really independent? The director I was speaking with said a major problem on many boards is that a director is often reluctant to raise an issue, or make a strong comment, if he/she knows the chairman will not be … [Read more...]