Leadership Freak
APRIL 26, 2012
** People who change the world are like everyone else except they do something. They are moms, dads, men, women, young, old, rich, or poor. Some are educated – some not. Race isn’t the issue, either. People who change the world all begin at the same point – the point where you may be today. [.].
Eric Jacobsen Blog
APRIL 26, 2012
Former Verizon Wireless CEO, Denny F. Strigl offers these tips for how to be a good coach to an employee. He explains that good coaches help performers by: Keeping them focused. Giving them objective, helpful feedback. Acting as a sounding board for new approaches. Identifying blind spots that may be holding the performer back. Reinforcing key values, principles, and behaviors that improve performance.
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Kevin Eikenberry
APRIL 9, 2012
Surrender? When you think about surrender, you don’t likely think of great leadership. People who surrender, lose, right? The dictionary tells us that surrender, as a verb, means things like: “to yield possession or power,” “to give (oneself) up,” “to give up, abandon or relinquish.” These are hardly the ideas we connect with leaders we [.].
GMC
APRIL 30, 2012
A/B Testing. Brian Christian reports in the May 2012 edition of Wired that (now-classic) A/B testing of web site variations has virtually replaced HiPPO decision-making in tech circles, at least for web design decisions. (HiPPO is “highest-paid person’s opinion.”). “Over the past decade, the power of A/B testing has become an open secret of high-stakes web development.
Speaker: Chandra McCormack, CPA, MBA, NACD.DC
Technical degrees might open doors—but it’s the soft skills that keep them open. In the face of disruption, evolving workplace dynamics, and rising expectations of leadership, soft skills like communication, emotional intelligence, and presence have become core business essentials—not nice-to-haves. Inspired by stories from her father coupled with her own career journey, seasoned executive Chandra McCormack breaks down how to lead with impact, connect with purpose, and cultivate a workplace cult
Harvard Business Review
APRIL 26, 2012
A few weeks ago, I returned from a week-long technology-free vacation with my family. No computer, no phone, no email. When I got to the office and checked my computer, I had hundreds of email messages waiting for me. I took a deep breath and started in on them. Three hours later, my inbox — a week's worth of messages — was empty. Contrast that with my experience the next day, and each day after that, when I've spent well more than three hours each day on email.
Leadership Freak
APRIL 23, 2012
** You can’t lead with an empty tank. 16 energy drainers: Incomplete tasks. Responsibility without authority. Proving you’re right rather than seeking best solutions. Following urgencies rather than priorities. Pretending you’re something you aren’t. Feeling alone and disconnected. Procrastination. Go do that dirty deed before it does you in. Negative people and complainers.
OrgDev Digest brings together the best content for management professionals from the widest variety of industry thought leaders.
Leadership Freak
APRIL 28, 2012
(Photograph courtesy of NASA Langley Research Center) ** Repeating the past in a changing world makes you irrelevant and insignificant. Employing old strategies in new situations tends toward failure. Transition, turbulence, and change test leadership-confidence. Danger and beauty: The danger of confidence is quantity – too little paralyzes; too much and you’re an arrogant fool [.].
Leadership Freak
APRIL 30, 2012
Freedom ignites passion, imagination, and initiative; control destroys it. Freedom feeds vitality; control oppresses and limits. Freedom, however, is dangerous. Freedom is essential because their expertise exceeds yours, in their area. If you know more than everyone on your team, you have a weak team. Effective leaders set people free. Finding freedom: #1.
Leadership Freak
APRIL 25, 2012
The real test of leadership isn’t what you do it’s what you inspire others to do. Great leaders inspire others to contribute greatly. The shift from individual contributor to inspiring others may be your greatest leadership challenge. They – not you - become central. Six Secrets of Inspirational Leadership #1. Pushing people isn’t inspiration.
Leadership Freak
APRIL 11, 2012
The line between healthy dissatisfaction and destructive criticism is narrow. Dissatisfaction drives change and inspires innovation – all leaders feel it. Criticism, on the other hand, inspires fear, resistance, defensiveness, excuses, anger, or bitterness. Dissatisfaction points to potential, growth, and improvement. Criticism digs at what was wrong.
Speaker: Jeremy York
Join us for a thought-provoking exploration of the rapidly evolving HR landscape as we examine how technological innovation, regulatory changes, talent strategies, and evolving diversity approaches are reshaping the profession. This webinar will provide HR professionals with practical insights on leveraging AI and emerging technologies while maintaining compliance in an increasingly complex regulatory environment.
Leadership Freak
APRIL 8, 2012
I asked the “Freaks” that follow my Facebook page, “What are women leaders better at than men?” Knowing when there is no value in fighting. Understanding when someone just has a crummy day. Understanding the pressures that other women leaders face. Organization and multitasking. Compassion. *Empathy. Tenderness. Building consensus, supporting staff, sharing credit, and leading [.].
Leadership Freak
APRIL 5, 2012
Jack Dempsey on one knee. (From Washington Post) ** The ability to get up after being knocked down is the most important ability in life. ** Alison asked, “After being knocked down it feels a lot slower to rise up? Is it ok to take it slow?” Don’t pop up quickly after being knocked down. [.].
Leadership Freak
APRIL 24, 2012
It perilous to ignore the way people expect you to behave. Like it or not, we have stereo typical expectations when it comes to talking and power. We expect powerful men to talk more than their less powerful counterparts. This is not true for powerful women. Women – men – who talks more: You’d be [.].
Leadership Freak
APRIL 16, 2012
It doesn’t matter how hard you work if you’re working on the wrong things. Managers, leaders, and business owners are the hardest working people I know. Working in your business is necessary but dangerous. You work “in” when you do business. Farmers milking cows, accountants accounting, preachers preaching, teachers teaching, and doctors doctoring are all [.].
Speaker: Carolyn Clark and Miriam Connaughton
Forget predictions, let’s focus on priorities for the year and explore how to supercharge your employee experience. Join Miriam Connaughton and Carolyn Clark as they discuss key HR trends for 2025—and how to turn them into actionable strategies for your organization. In this dynamic webinar, our esteemed speakers will share expert insights and practical tips to help your employee experience adapt and thrive.
Leadership Freak
APRIL 2, 2012
Painful endings and uncertain beginnings are the two moments you make the most difference in a leader’s life. 10 Dangers in every new beginning: Confusing and obscure pictures of success. Listening to counsel from people who don’t first ask, “What’s your vision?” Everyone who offers advice without clarifying vision has their own agenda, not yours, in [.].
Leadership Freak
APRIL 9, 2012
If high impact – positive leadership – was easy there’d be more of it. Your work-place would be invigorating and supportive rather than defeating and cut-throat. The world would be a better place. High impact is hard because: Leaders with power attract people who want power. Relationships become smokescreens. Leaders with resources have “friends.
Leadership Freak
APRIL 15, 2012
If you don’t have something worth talking about, talking and listening are a waste of time. Communication skills are irrelevant apart from meaningful outcomes. Define the future first, then determine and develop the skills that take you there. Leadership skills are best learned when needed. Outcomes, deliverables, and noble goals infuse leadership skills and techniques with meaning. [.].
Leadership Freak
APRIL 17, 2012
It’s unrealistic and foolish to think you’ll always thrive. Sometimes just making it is enough. Dennis N. T. Perkins, author of, “Leading at the Edge,” did a lot of things well until Plebe Year at the Naval Academy, then he couldn’t do anything well. It’s designed that way. His goal – survive. I asked Dennis [.].
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
Leadership Freak
APRIL 22, 2012
Dumb people talk – smart people do. Talking makes you seem smart. Talking without doing, in reality, makes you dumb. Doing is the only thing that makes you smart. Stuff in our heads doesn’t make us smart until it’s put into action. If you can’t describe it, you can’t do it. If you can’t explain it, [.].
Leadership Freak
APRIL 21, 2012
People who aren’t known for something haven’t done anything. “How to Build a Brand,” was the title we settled on for a recent presentation. It included social media content and making money using your online presence. Leadership brand building: On the negative side of brand building, I know leaders who are “save the day” leaders. They love [.].
Leadership Freak
APRIL 19, 2012
Dishonest leaders lie to cover up, manipulate, and protect their image. Deceptive strategies range from false humility – the subtlest form of arrogance – to telling people what they want to hear. All deceptions begin with cowardly self-interest. Lying is fearful posturing for personal advantage. For example, we don’t want to look dumb so we pretend [.].
Leadership Freak
APRIL 4, 2012
The past is the future, apart from courageous leadership. Doing hard things takes courage; letting go takes most of all. Someone moves first, that’s you. Leaders move toward “not yet” while letting go of what is. The challenge of leadership is we never move up till we let go of what’s below. Testing points: [.].
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.
Leadership Freak
APRIL 3, 2012
Big problems are the result of neglecting small ones. “How often have we learned the harsh lesson that, like unharvested fruit, untended problems turn rotten?” Jim Moorhead, The Instant Survivor. Delay: Delay, not problems, destroys us. A crisis was a small problem, once. General Douglas Macarthur said, “The history of the failure of war can almost [.].
Leadership Freak
APRIL 7, 2012
Leadership Freaks who contribute to the Leadership Freak Coffee Shop on Facebook answered, “The leadership book that most changed my leadership is. Who Moved My Cheese by Spencer Johnson *Failing Forward by Maxwell *Bible Servant Leadership Spiritual Leadership by Oswald Sanders First, Break all the Rules Situational Leadership II by Ken Blanchard Strength Based [.].
Leadership Freak
APRIL 12, 2012
If perception is reality, pay attention to perceptions. It’s frustrating that hands-off leaders may be perceived as distant rather than making space for others to shine. The way you see you and the way others see you frequently aren’t aligned. Identify: If more eye contact made others feel you cared, would you give it? First, determine if [.].
Leadership Freak
APRIL 18, 2012
Blemishes captivate just like the negative past. The dark past draws you backward into futile conversations that solidify rather than solve. Complaints always focus on the past. Problems pull backward. But, solutions draw forward. You become what you talk about. Reflect: I’ve been thinking about conversation topics. I know better, but I’ve slipped into conversations [.].
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.
Leadership Freak
APRIL 14, 2012
Talking about gender stereotypes is dangerous. It was interesting and less dangerous to see research indicating women leaders are better than men in specific areas, statistically speaking. See: “It’s Harder for Women than Men” Where men leaders are better than women is an awkward question. Men dominate top executive roles nine to one. It feels [.].
Leadership Freak
APRIL 27, 2012
Image source Passion drives all success but it also stands in the way. The dark side of passion: #1. Independence: Successful leaders never succeed alone, they inspire others. Passion may motivate you to focus on your actions while neglecting the power and importance of others. You’re all jazzed about YOUR impact. Effective leaders, on the [.].
Leadership Freak
APRIL 13, 2012
Image by David Thyberg ** You’ll never succeed until people listen to you. Leadership is challenging because most people aren’t good listeners - leadership requires listeners. Earnest Hemingway said, “Most people never listen.” If they never listen, they can never be led. Watch children playing and you’ll see that listening is rare – telling is common. 6 Excuses [.].
Leadership Freak
APRIL 20, 2012
How can leaders powerfully drive home essential principles and values without seeming pedantic? I’ve had teams leave meetings early to participate in community service. Yes, six people left 30 minutes early to go feed the homeless. Couldn’t they wait? Yes. Couldn’t we schedule community service on another day? Yes. I’ve had teams disrupt meetings by [.].
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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