Umair Haque Director of the Havas Media Lab speaks on “Constructive Capitalism.”  This is an excellent view that will give every leader valuable insights on how to reinvent themselves to succeed in an emerging new era in business.  Take the time to watch this – it will support you as you consider how to rethink your approach moving forward.

Umair Haque @ Daytona Sessions vol. 2 – Constructive Capitalism from Daytona Sessions on Vimeo.

I work in a lot of corporate as well as public sector settings and I am always amazed at the intellectual horsepower found among corporate executives, partners in professional services firms and SES leaders in the Federal Sector.  Unfortunately, this intellectual horsepower goes partially untapped because of one thing -  the lack of regular feedback.  This is certainly not true for all organizations yet in our experience it is for most.

Can you imagine the implication if guided missiles, satellites, GP-S’s, or your own body’s temperature gauge had no feedback mechanisms built in?  Bottom line, they would not work and in the case of the later the lack of a feedback mechanism would lead to death!  Now look at your organization and ask yourself -

• How effective are we at giving each other constructive feedback?
• If and when we do – what impact does it have on our performance and profitability?
• What, if anything, keeps us from having a more feedback rich culture (e.g. we are too polite to each other, we live in silos, etc.)?

Here are some common challenges that hinder an organization’s ability to improve performance through feedback: (more…)

Every savvy business person understands that a key to growing your business involves expanding and deepening relationships.  The next series of blog entries will focus on the essential business practice of networking.  Today, more than ever, your ability to create and sustain a rich, deep and lasting network is central to your long term success.  Yet, before I start discussing the what and how of networking – I want to step back and talk about why networking is so powerful.  Because highlighting this foundation will allow you to be far better prepared to take full advantage of your network.

First attending networking events and being able to clearly articulate what you have to offer is not the foundation of networking.  Certainly attending networking events as well as being able to clearly articulate your value is important but these are tactical areas that support something more important.  Networking is founded on the following principles: (more…)

Maybe Corporate America is Starting to Get It?

I have been fortunate to work with hundreds of talented senior executives over the past fourteen plus years. Yet, over the past few years I have been quite fortunate to work with an especially talented group of women leaders.  And to be honest, through this experience I have found that women executives seem more naturally wired for the style of leadership demanded in today’s business environment.  This is not a judgment of my own gender – it just has been my experience.  Women tend to be more powerful in situations that call for:

• Collaboration and inclusion
• Teamwork
• More authenticity and transparency
• Building a culture the fosters creativity and innovation
• Coaching and mentoring high potentials
• Showing concern for how the organization impacts the community surrounding it

(more…)

A New and Upgraded Edition  of the Online Test from Gallup’s “Now Discover Your Strengths”

By Tom Rath

DO YOU HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO WHAT YOU DO BEST EVERY DAY? Chances are, you don’t. All too often, our natural talents go untapped. From the cradle to the cubicle, we devote more time to fixing our shortcomings than to developing our strengths.

“Most people think they know what they are good at. They are usually wrong… And yet, a person can perform only from their strength”

Peter Drucker

To help people uncover their talents, Gallup introduced the first version of its online assessment, StrengthsFinder, in the 2001 management book Now, Discover Your Strengths. The book spent more than five years on the bestseller lists and ignited a global conversation, while StrengthsFinder helped millions to discover their top five talents. And with your purchase you will be provided with a code that allows you to “Discover Your Strengths” by taking the assessment yourself.

In its latest national bestseller, StrengthsFinder 2.0, Gallup unveils the new and improved version of its popular assessment, language of 34 themes, and much more (see below for details). While you can read this book in one sitting, you’ll use it as a reference for decades. Loaded with hundreds of strategies for applying your strengths, this new book and accompanying website will change the way you look at yourself — and the world around you — forever.

Follow This link to Order or Click the Image Above