May, 2013

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Twelve Ways to Spot Fools

Leadership Freak

'Spotting and dealing with fools challenges leaders. Foolishness has nothing to do with intelligence or talent. Smart, gifted people are prime candidates for foolishness. Twelve ways to spot fools: Believe they are right. Hate accountability and practical strategies. Love blaming and reject responsibility. Pursue personal ease rather than challenge.

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Who’s to Blame?

Kevin Eikenberry

'Watch the news, listen to a child, in fact listen to a whole lot of the conversations you will encounter today, and you will hear discussions that include blame. Fingers are regularly pointed at others to explain, justify, and rationalize our actions and results. The more attuned to this you become, the more prevalent you [.].

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Erika Andersen | How To Lead So People Want To Follow You

Tanveer Nasser

What does storytelling reveal to us as being the key attributes leaders everywhere need to exhibit to encourage employees to follow them both in good times and in bad? That's the basis of my conversation with Forbes columnist and leadership writer/consultant, Erika Andersen. Erika is the founding partner of Proteus, a coaching, consulting and training firm that focuses on leader readiness.

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Confronting Toxicity

Leadership Freak

'Average leaders feel successful when they get things done. Exceptional leaders feel successful when they build exceptional places to work. Average leaders fix and do. Exceptional leaders build. You begin thinking leadership is all about results but come to learn it’s about the way we treat each other. Results matter, but how you achieve results [.].

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How to Make The Best Benefits Decisions for 2025's Workforce: An HR and Total Rewards Guide

Speaker: Kaitlin Ruby Carroll

Retaining top talent in 2025 means rethinking benefits. In a competitive job market, fertility benefits are more than just offerings - they are a commitment to your team’s well-being. Gain critical insights into the latest fertility benefits strategies that can help position your organization as an industry leader. Our expert will explore the unique advantages and challenges of each model, share success stories from top organizations, and offer practical strategies to make benefits decisions tha

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Addressing the Rotten-Apple-People Problem

Leadership Freak

'Rotten apples – negative, destructive, self-absorbed, unethical employees – pollute organizations. Furthermore, foul leaders inevitably build stagnant, foul organizations. Worse yet, passive leaders – those who tolerate rotten apples – create rotten environments by default. Leaders who tolerate rotten apples are rotten themselves. Facebook contributors discuss: “One bad apple spoils the whole bunch, true or [.].

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The Complete List of Reasons Leaders Fail

Leadership Freak

'Top 12 reasons leaders fail: Neglecting culture. Culture building is job-one for all leaders. Lack of paranoia. The paranoid think about what could go wrong and make contingency plans. Bitterness, grudges, and resentment. People fail. Successful leaders allow fresh starts. Task rather than people focus. Accepting complexity. Lack of political awareness.

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Simple Isn’t Simple

Leadership Freak

'Any fool can create complex. Complexity leads to confusion. Confusion leads to uncertainty. Uncertainty produces cowardice. Cowards never take meaningful action. Simplicity: Longfellow said, “… in all things, the supreme excellence is simplicity.” John Maxwell said, “The leaders job is reducing rather than adding to complexity.” (Chick-fil-A Leadercast 2013) Lousy leaders confuse – exceptional leaders […].

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The Surprising Path to the Top

Leadership Freak

'Image source Top tier leaders develop their leadership; bottom tier leaders don’t. Lousy leaders don’t develop their leadership. Those who need it most – want it least. Those who need it least – want it most. Simple test: Ask yourself, “What am I doing to develop my leadership?” Lousy leaders don’t have an answer. Number […].

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12 Ways to Find Your Confidence

Leadership Freak

'Lack of confidence is the dirty secret in top leaders. Insecure leaders often cover insecurities with strutting. Cocky is compensation for lack of confidence. Cocky is phony confidence. Puffing up, putting down, posturing, excuse making, and negative comparisons express – lack of confidence – cockiness. The need to feel superior means you aren’t.

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Where Passion Comes From

Leadership Freak

'Passion is longing to be what you could be, but aren’t. Passion for leadership is the combination of falling below your imagined leadership potential and longing for exceptional leadership – at the same time. The gap between longing and attainment is passion. You: ABC’s of finding your passion: Accept disappointing performance. You read leadership books, blogs, […].

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The Diversity Reckoning: Can HR Survive Without New Perspectives?

Speaker: Jeremy York

2024 has tested every organization, and 2025 promises no less - the warning signs are everywhere. If you’re relying on superficial approaches to diversity, you might find yourself scrambling to catch up. Thought diversity - the fuel for new ideas, fresh perspectives, and disruptive innovation - is more than a buzzword. It's a survival strategy. And if you’re not building it into your workplace culture right now , you’re heading for trouble.

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Make Your Number One – Number Two

Leadership Freak

'Image source “How do you get people to pull you, rather than you pushing them?” The question came from a leader in South Africa on a recent Skype call. Don’t waste your leadership influence getting people excited about things you’re excited about… Go with their excitement. Motivating the unmotivated is frustrating, exhausting, and wasteful. Essential […].

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10 Ways to Disrupt Successfully

Leadership Freak

'Embrace the power of disruption or tomorrow will be today, again. More of the same produces more of the same. All leaders disrupt. Successful disruption: Disruption makes new futures possible. But, disruption “gone wild” destroys your capacity to build the future. Too much disruption irritates and aggravates. People make fun of the “innovation of the […].

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The Power of Second Questions

Leadership Freak

'“Most people never listen.” Hemmingway Questions are gifts. Asking, followed by listening, says others matter; telling says you matter. Eager to talk is reluctant to ask. Enemies of curiosity: Disinterest. You really don’t care. Need to appear smart. Hurry. The need for speed, at least initially, stifles curiosity. Knowledge. Those who know don’t ask.

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Growth Hurts: Creating Positive Discomfort

Leadership Freak

'Growth hurts. Doubt, uncertainty, and apprehension describe growth points. “Growth and comfort do not coexist.” Ginny Rometty, CEO of IBM. Growth feels good after, not during. Growth occurs when you think or do things you haven’t already thought or done. New feels awkward. The more it hurts – without breaking or defeating – the more you […].

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Recognition Powers High-Performance — If You Do it Right

Speaker: Radhika Samant and Todd Wuestenberg

Employee recognition has often been deemed a "feel-good" initiative, tied closely to rewards. While we understand its importance, we tend to associate recognition with intangible outcomes like engagement and sentiment, rather than direct impacts on retention and high performance. In today’s workplace, the true ROI of recognition lies in its ability to regenerate tangible, business-driven results.

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12 Ways to Connect and Mobilize People

Leadership Freak

'Young leaders often explain their aspirations in self-centered language. They focus on themselves and neglect others. Individual contributors are great, but leaders always connect and mobilize people. Leadership is about them. 12 ways to connect and mobilize: Highlight need – explain why things can’t go on as they are. Make them know they matter – show […].

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Too Afraid to Matter

Leadership Freak

'Image source Fear binds to the present. Paralyzing fear pats you on the back when nothing changes. Fear cheers for the status quo. Fear says; don’t stand out because you’ll: Look foolish. Screw up. (You will) Get in over your head. Lose what you have. Seem arrogant. Others aren’t standing out. What gives you […].

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When a Second Chance is Worth the Risk

Leadership Freak

'Leave a comment today to become eligible for one of twenty-five complimentary copies of, “Leaders Open Doors,” by Bill Treasurer. * Leaders often fail at letting others fail. But, only perfect people don’t need second chances. There’s no point in getting up if trying again isn’t an option. No second chances: Leaders – who don’t give second […].

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A To-Don’t NOT a To-Do

Leadership Freak

'Even four year olds know that being helped isn’t always helpful. Over eager parents, who step in to “help,” often hear frustrated children say, “I’ll do it myself!” Never help those who can help themselves. You got up this morning thinking about things to-do. But, leaders think about things to-don’t. Helpfulness lifted you to leadership but the [.].

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HR Meets AI: The New Way of Keeping Large Workforces Connected and Engaged

Speaker: Miriam Connaughton and Donald Knight

As organizations scale, keeping employees connected, engaged, and productive can seem like a monumental task. But what if AI could help you do all of this and more? AI has the power to help, but the key is implementing it in a way that enhances, rather than replaces, human connection. Join us for an exploration into how industry trailblazers are using AI to transform employee experience at scale while addressing both the potential and the pitfalls.

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Jack Welch on the Cruelest Environments

Leadership Freak

'Image source: me Jack Welch and candor come together. It didn’t take long for the topic of candor to come up at the dinner I attended after the Chick-fil-A Leadercast. In his usual no-nonsense fashion, Jack said, “If your employees don’t know where they stand, you have no right to call yourself a manager.” Here’s […].

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Why Teams Fight and What to Do About It

Leadership Freak

'Image source Nothing is more frustrating, from a leadership point of view, than a group of individuals circling each other like vultures. Team conflict wastes time, energy, and resources. Incompetent leaders have teams who turn on each other. Focus: Lack of focus invites conflict. Teams who don’t know what’s important can’t focus. Leaders focus teams […].

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Facing Reluctance

Leadership Freak

'Don’t waste yourself. You can – you must – lead. Every connection, challenge, problem, pain-point, opportunity, or exchange, opens doors to leadership – to make things better. Reject: Embarrassment with your desire to make things better. Waiting for titles or position. Leadership isn’t a title. Beat-down from do-nothing detractors.

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Giving Liars a Second Chance

Leadership Freak

'Liars lie for gain, protection, or harm. Lies are self-serving manipulations that violate trust. Some lies are malicious. Others are spoken for personal gain. Still others are silent omissions. The lies we tell include: I’m sick. Customers come first. There’s just this one little problem. People are our most valuable asset. That’s great. I came […].

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The Upskilling Advantage: Transforming Your Workforce For Future Growth

Speaker: Brian Richardson

With a staggering 92% of CEOs prioritizing skill development, and 84% struggling with transformation, mastering upskilling is now more critical than ever. Drawing on extensive research and collaboration with hundreds of leading organizations, discover key hurdles and innovative best practices in workforce upskilling. You'll walk away with a deep understanding of how to build a culture of continuous learning, expert insights into assessing the current skills of your employees, and a strategic too

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15 Ways to Make Your Voice Matter

Leadership Freak

'Pathetic talkers – talk after listeners check out. Blabbing leaders have something to say and it doesn’t matter that people in the room have turned to bored, lifeless manikins. They keep blabbing. Talkative leaders talk long past listener’s capacity. Distracting talkers – tweak, guide, correct, add, and adjust ad infinitum ad nauseum. They unnecessarily prolong meetings with [.].

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How to Bring Out the Best

Leadership Freak

'Bringing out your best in yourself is child’s play compared to bringing out the best in others. Leaders who bring out the best in others make courage possible. Nothing meaningful happens without courage. Encourage courage. Everyone is still unlearning the necessary fear parents taught us. Leaders have the courage to develop courage in others. Who […].

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Hit it with the Simple Stick

Leadership Freak

'Complexity makes confused leaders feel important when they should feel like failures. “The business schools reward difficult complex behavior more than simple behavior, but simple behavior is more effective.” Warren Buffett Rivers take long, complex routes to the ocean because they follow the easy path. The hard path is the straight one. Rejection: Simplicity is […].

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Don’t Go with Your Gut

Leadership Freak

'Everyone has an inner voice, intuition, or feelings that something is right or wrong. Your gut could be wrong. Don’t trust it. Ask the poker player who went all-in and lost. What about the manager who felt great about hiring a job applicant that didn’t work out. Have you ever felt you were driving in [.].

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Mastering Remote Onboarding: Proven Strategies for Seamless New Hire Integration

Speaker: Tim Buteyn, President of ThinkingKap Learning Solutions

Join this brand new webinar with Tim Buteyn to learn how you can master the art of remote onboarding! By the end of this session, you'll understand how to: Craft a Tailored Onboarding Checklist 📝 Develop a comprehensive, customized checklist that ensures every new hire has a smooth transition into your company, no matter where they are in the world.

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Help for Blabbermouths

Leadership Freak

'Raise your hand if you have a boss who talks too much. Blabbermouth bosses exasperate everyone. Raise your hand if you’re a boss. I bet you talk too much, too. As a general rule… Leaders talk too much and listen too little. Blabbermouth bosses talk too much because they: Don’t want others to talk. Believe […].

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The Secret Power of Vulnerability

Leadership Freak

'Image source The power of vulnerability is lost when you don’t dare or don’t know how. Bill Treasurer, author of, “Leaders Open Doors,” said, “I used to drink too much. Way too much. … Three years after getting sober … I decided to reveal to my boss, a partner at Accenture, that I was in […].

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The Power of Habits

Kevin Eikenberry

'I am often reminded of the power of habits in my personal life, and today I wanted to explore that with you and make some important connections to our role as a leader, why it can be difficult, and how to improve our success. Two Kinds of Habits While all habits are automatic responses, they [.].

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How Pretending Develops Leaders

Leadership Freak

'Your brain knows gibberish when it hears it. You can’t fool yourself. “I think I can,” sounds like a lie to someone who believes they can’t. Pretending you can doesn’t help, but pretending does. Expand skills and develop behaviors by pretending. Example: Fred’s performance stalled. It’s time for a tough conversation that you dread. Worse yet, tough conversations often […].

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How To Empower Your Workforce With Modern Fertility Benefits

Speaker: Andrea Wuchiski

In an era where a workforce spans multiple generations, HR managers and Total Rewards leaders face the unique challenge of designing benefits packages that cater to diverse employee needs. This session will delve into how comprehensive fertility benefits can bridge generational gaps, support employees’ health, and enhance workplace satisfaction. Join us for an insightful session that highlights the strategic importance of fertility benefits in today’s competitive job market.