Tag Archives: business

The Business Impact of Authentic Leadership

Posted on

Anka WittenbergBy: Anka Wittenberg

Workplace diversity is a top goal for companies of all sizes today. Research shows that enterprises which include people of both genders and of multiple generations, cultures and physical abilities increase their productivity, improve the effectiveness of their employee teams and better their bottom line. A more diverse workforce clearly equals rewards.

At the level of the individual, however, less is more. Rather than trying to be “all things” to their employers, people perform better and are more engaged when they focus on being their singular, authentic selves.

When companies also encourage and reward this kind of authenticity and genuineness among their leaders, these leaders, in turn, are more likely to create real value for the organization. Continue reading →

The Importance of Seeing the World in Shades of Grey

Posted on

Manfred.jpg by Manfred Kets de Vries

Executives who see the world in stark contrasts miss the nuances of situations and are less able to compromise to meet common interests.

Joan, a senior executive, wasn’t the easiest person to deal with. Although she had many excellent qualities – she was creative, had a great capacity for work and was extremely knowledgeable about the industry – she also had the tendency to engage in drama and in doing so rapidly got on people’s nerves. Joan was rigid in her outlook, had angry outbursts, was manipulative and constantly criticized everything. She seemed to always be involved in some kind of vendetta, forcing people to choose sides. In Joan’s world there was no such thing as a middle ground, her thinking was exclusively black and white. Continue reading →

Appointed CEO? Great. Start planning for your exit

Posted on

Doce Tomic is president and CEO of Credential Financial, a national wealth management firm owned by Provincial Credit Union Centrals and The CUMIS Group.By Doce Tomic

A common misconception around succession planning is that it signifies the end of a CEO’s tenure. Just as you don’t wait until death is knocking at the door to buy life insurance, you also shouldn’t wait to start planning for your inevitable exit.

Companies are no different than individuals in that they should always be prepared for the unexpected, such as the loss of a key individual – especially the CEO or a member of the executive team. Continue reading →

Can Leadership Urgency Be Taught?

Posted on

by Cindy Wahler

Academic training provides abundant business case examples that allow students to see how and why organizations succeed or fail during turbulent times.  We do know that companies with the best strategy can engender great success.  The strategy, if implemented appropriately, can help turn the organization around by increasing market share and profitable growth.

The one caveat to brilliant strategy is talent.  With the war on talent being ever so true there are many highly educated candidates in the marketplace.  Those candidates who could not secure employment after completing an undergraduate degree went back to school.  They chose further education in the form of postgraduate degrees and specialty certificate training programs.  The intent is to enhance resumes, add additional qualifications and create greater marketability. The net result is that our potential employee population has never been brighter, smarter and steeped in theoretical business acumen.  Those students who had an opportunity to participate in a co-op or internship placement do have an edge.  This was a savvy choice on their part to seek out academic programs with a practical component.  Employers will always hire a known quantity, and if fortunate, many of these students are indeed hired back upon graduation as full time employees. Continue reading →

Good Leaders Aren’t Afraid to Be Nice

Posted on

   by Joe Panepinto

It only took me about three seconds to decide what to wear on the first day in my new gig as strategy director at Genuine Interactive, a digital marketing agency (jeans and a wrinkled linen shirt, duh). Deciding what books to take was a bit trickier.

In the end, I decided to bring only one: The Power of Nice: How to Conquer the Business World with Kindness by Linda Kaplan Thaler and Robin Koval. Sure, the niceness principles in Chapter 1 are great, but what’s most intriguing about the book — especially for a strategy leader — is Chapter 8: Shut Up and Listen. Continue reading →