On engaging the human beings of the organization
Read moreLast week, I wrote that today’s biggest challenge for managers and leaders is inspiring knowledge workers in ways that stimulate their energy, passion and creativity. Of course, this is a concept that many scholars and practitioners have been talking about for years, so it is somewhat surprising that we are simply not better at it. In fact, it appears that
Management for the Information Age
Read moreAs discussed in the previous post, the managerial capitalism of the Industrial Age succeeded because it produced growth through centralized planning and efficient deployment of a company’s assets. In the age of industry, strategic planning and control were exercises in discipline and exactitude. Management could treat workers as semi-programmable robots. In fact, one of Henry Ford’s most famous quotes reveals
The Age of Industry and its management legacy
Read moreLast time, I presented studies and statistics showing that an astonishing number of people are simply not happy with their jobs and their bosses. One surprising element of this discussion, at least for me, was the number of people who say that the primary source of their discontent is that their boss makes them miserable. So, I would like to
Miserable at work?
Read moreLately, I seem to be running across, in a variety of contexts and forms, the observation that a high percentage of workers are not happy with their jobs and their managers. So, I embark here on a series of posts—perhaps two, three or more, depending on my reading and thoughts in the coming weeks—to give my perspective on why so
Leading by autobiography is not only for the famous
Read moreIn the previous post, I cited examples of well-known world and business leaders who teach and inspire others with their personal stories of identity. But, as I often tell my students and clients, leading by autobiography is something we can all learn to do. Not only do the Barak Obamas, the Warren Buffetts and the Margaret Thatchers learn and use
Turning life’s lessons into inspirational stories of identity
Read moreLast time, I wrote that effective leaders learn to process their experience and to use their life lessons to teach and inspire others. The finest leaders reflect continuously on their life experience, refining and updating their points of view as they acquire new knowledge and experience. In 1997, professor Noel Tichy of the University of Michigan wrote The Leadership Engine,