Pitfalls to Avoid When You Inherit a Team

by Liane Davey

Taking over as the leader of an existing team can be daunting. The team’s response to your new processes or style can make you feel a little like the evil stepmother who’s stepped into their formerly happy lives. Your team was once someone else’s team. They’ve developed habits in response to the preferences of the previous leader. Adjusting those habits is going to be challenging, but there are things you can do to make the transition easier on all of you.

In spite of (or perhaps because of) your efforts to get off to a good start, you risk making a few common mistakes. Here are three that I see frequently: Continue reading

Why Good Leaders Have Followers And Great Leaders Make More Leaders

Image result for Jeff MaskBy Jeff Mask

Leadership is more than being in charge and managing people. Leadership that separates good leaders from great leaders, is leadership that builds other leaders.

Good leaders, excel at motivating other people to do what they are asked. Good leaders, lead followers. If you want to build a company that is enduring, having good leaders is not enough. You must build a culture of leadership throughout your organization that cultivates great leaders. Continue reading

Resolving the Conflict Between “Woman” and “Leader”

Natalia Karelaiaby Natalia Karelaia

Women may face more barriers to leadership if there is a perceived conflict between their professional role and their gender. Organisations must detect any gender bias and promote a positive view of women leaders.

Two generally agreed-upon facts characterise the state of gender equality in today’s workplace. The first is that despite increased attention paid to gender disparities, society’s archetypal business leader is still a man. The second is that, thanks to enormous, painstaking efforts by women and their advocates, this situation is changing, but very slowly. Continue reading

Why Some of Us Dread Going on Vacation

Image result for Art Markmanby Art Markman

There is a paradox around vacations. We all know that it is important to get away from the office periodically. Time away from work gives you a chance to relax, to reduce stress, renew your ties with your family, and to get away from problems you have struggled with so that you can think about them differently on your return to the office.

However, as a vacation approaches, we generally look at it with dread. There is too much work to be done! There are new projects starting and others that need to be completed. How could we possibly have selected this particular week to go away? It can get so bad that you might think twice before planning another trip. Continue reading

Why CEOs Don’t Get Fired as Often as They Used To

Per-Ola Karlssonby Per-Ola Karlsson

The number of chief executive officers who were dismissed from their jobs at large global companies fell to a record low last year. At first glance that might suggest complacency on the part of boards of directors, but it’s actually good news about corporate governance in general and CEO succession planning in particular. It means that boards are doing a better job of choosing top leaders — far better than they were doing a decade ago. Data for the world’s largest 2,500 companies also suggests that better CEO succession practices are converging around the world, as regional differences in CEO succession rates have narrowed sharply in recent years. Continue reading