In spite of the importance of Obama’s success in office, there is only so much I can read on a subject before I become jaded. As a result I try to make my sources as objective as possible, which is difficult when the subject is political.
I’m also not a political junkie, so in looking for ‘how’s it going’ information I tend to skip sources with rigid ideologies, since I pretty much know what they will say.
(I must say I find it amusing and satisfying that we finally have a president that both the far right and far left don’t like.)
I …read more

The leadership industry dotes on the idea that visions are what make leaders, since they influence people, and that visionaries aren’t like you and me and require special handling.
It’s CEO visions—those rosy predictions, high hopes and self-deluding prophesies—that fill annual reports that sway analysts.
From Business Week: Are stock analysts swayed by an annual report’s CEO letter to stockholders? Yes, concludes a forthcoming study in Organization Science. Researchers from Pennsylvania State University and other schools looked at 367 shareholder letters written by new CEOs from 1990 to 1999—giving each leader a “charismatic vision” score. To assign ratings, they scrutinized the …read more

It’s a holiday weekend and I assume (hope) that you have better things to do than sit around reading a bunch of stuff on the Net.
So the links I’ve found for you are made to bookmark; they’re ongoing resources for you to explore as the mood and time moves you.
First is a cool site from Stanford Graduate School of Business with videos, such as the one on Jeff Raikes, head of the Gates Foundation, and a large selection of other topics.
Next is a favorite from Business Week’ Innovation and Design. It comes out weekly with great stories; for example, did …read more

Today’s quotes are a sampling of comments I found in Business Week’s profiles of CEOs Of Tomorrow. Take a moment and click through the whole series, I think you’ll find it interesting.
“Numbers tell only part of the story. People get things done.” –John S. Watson, Vice-Chairman, Chevron
“It’s important to have fun as a team. When it is time to hop in the pine box, you’ll wish you had high-fived more people and taken more risks.” –Tim Armstrong, Chairman and CEO, AOL
“Revenue is important, but customer satisfaction is even more crucial. I’ve always believed that it’s not just what you do …read more

One item today, because it has several parts, all revolving around a new, way outside-the-box book.
I’m referring to Jeff Jarvis’ just-released What Would Google Do?, exploring how to apply the lessons of Google to other industries and companies.
Jarvis teaches at the City University of New York Graduate School of Journalism; his blog is BuzzMachine.
Business Week published an excerpt describing how a car company run by Google might function and why the auto industry would be resistant to the approach. Be sure to read through the comments, they’re as interesting as the article.
I like the Management Tip Sheet; here are the …read more

Six weeks ago I started Seize Your Leadership Day; each post had info and links to resources or articles I felt would interest/be or use to you.
Based on your reaction to date, it’s been of little use to you—a giant yawn.
So I thought I’d ask you directly, do you like the feature?
If so, is the content I find of use to you or does it need refining?
If not, what would you like to see here on Saturdays?
Please don’t be shy. The worst thing for any blogger is to ask for guidance from readers and not get any. Makes us wonder …read more

If I had spent the entire year scouring for business quotes to fit this title I probably wouldn’t find as perfect a selection as the ten offered up by Business Week in the Worst Predictions About 2008.
Here are my favorites, which do you like?
The Bad
“I’m not an economist, but I do believe that we’re growing.” —President George W. Bush, July 15, 2008 Nope. GDP shrank at a 0.5% annual rate in the July-September quarter. On Dec. 1, the National Bureau of Economic Research declared that a recession had begun in December 2007. (I thought that’s why presidents have advisers, so …read more

Today I’m going to share with you articles about three folks whom I consider superb leadagers.
Let me know if you agree.
First is Dan DiMicco, CEO of Nucor Steel, who was just named Businessperson of the Year by the Charlotte Business Journal. I’ve followed Nucor for a long time and DiMicco just keeps impressing; more so since he always sidesteps taking personal credit, focusing instead on his senior staff and employees. He’s also produced one of the most forward thinking cultures in the corporate world, especially considering he’s heavy industry, producing a real product that has neither chips nor software, and …read more

Today I’d like to thank you, all of you. You are what make writing Leadership Turn worthwhile—even though you aren’t as chatty as the Prison Break readers.
But today is the day; today I’m asking you to get chatting and tell me what you want from Leadership Turn in 2009.
What features do you like? Which do you hate? What would you like me to do differently?
Do you like Tuesday’s Ducks In A Row? Thursday’s Leadership’s Future focus on education and leading kids? What about CandidProf? Do you want to hear more from him?
Are the multiple links in the new Seize Your …read more

Post from Leadership Turn Image credit: danaloganphotography
Cynic that I am, I never really bought into the idea of “sisterhood” and that women supported each other because they were all in the same boat. Nice idea, but I just couldn’t swallow it, partly based on my own experience and partly on what I saw happen around me.
For all you doubters I offer more proof from a brief item in Business Week synopsizing a study in the Journal of Applied Psychology.

 
Researchers at George Mason and Rice universities had 105 people (56 men, 49 women) play the role of interviewer as nonpregnant …read more