Stop Playing the Victim with Your Time

by Elizabeth Grace Saunders

It’s just not fair. There’s always too much to do. Everyone just keeps piling more work on me. I feel so helpless.

Sound familiar? If so, you’re not alone. Many people feel like they have a crushing number of requests coming at them from every side that make them a victim to their circumstances. They see forces outside themselves as the reason that they don’t have time to exercise, can’t leave work at a reasonable time, or just generally struggle to get everything done. Although there are occasionally situations that are outside of your control — that recent bout with the flu, for example — most aren’t. And even though it can feel gratifying in the short term to blame others for your situation, this attitude toward your time investment will leave you truly powerless in the long run. Continue reading

How to Lead With Authenticity

by Lee Colan

Winner leaders are accessible and authentic. That formula for leadership success has not changed in 25 years. Here are some current examples and steps you can take to step up your leadership game.

For 25 years, I asked lots of clients and colleagues questions about their experiences with strategy execution (what I call adherence), including this one: What is the most critical action a senior leader can take to improve consistent adherence to a plan?

I repeatedly received the same answer: Be accessible and be yourself. Continue reading

The Capabilities Your Organization Needs to Sustain Innovation

By Linda Hill, Greg Brandeau, Emily Truelove, Kent Lineback

Why are some organizations able to innovate again and again while others hardly innovate at all?  How can hundreds of people at a company like Pixar Animation Studios, for example, work together to produce blockbuster after blockbuster over nearly two decades – a record no other filmmaker has ever come close to matching? What’s different about Pixar that enables it not only to achieve, but also to sustain innovation?

It’s a crucial question. In recent years, many people have sought to understand how organizational innovation works, hoping to shed light on the broader and deeper dynamics and principles at play. They have debunked the myth of the lone genius, discrediting the idea that innovation is purely a solitary act or flash of insight in the mind of one creative individual. Continue reading

3 Simple, Yet Critical Musts for Onboarding Success

Marty FukudaBy Marty Fukuda

Organizations spend a great deal of resources, including time and money, selecting the perfect hires. Many businesses have developed training programs to teach new recruits the ins and outs of technical procedures as well as details about their products, services and software.
Yet often some essentials are neglected. During the first few days of an associate’s career, amid those nervous, impressionable moments, a company should lay the groundwork for a lasting powerful relationship with the person involved. Continue reading

Why Innovative Leaders Aren’t The Same As Great Leaders

By Jane Porter

Just because you’re full of new ideas doesn’t mean you’re prepared to lead others. An innovative leader’s role is to build a community.

Innovation is elusive and full of contradictions. It’s about breaking from convention and going in a new unprecedented direction, but also requires incredible teamwork.

That’s why heading up innovative companies requires a set of skills unlike those required of the leaders of traditional companies, argues Linda Hill, professor of business administration at Harvard University. Continue reading