Tag Archives: innovation

Authenticity Is The Secret Sauce

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Image result for Scot HeathmanBy Scot Heathman

Nothing develops trust more than vulnerability…great leaders, authentic vulnerable leaders, require the ability to develop deep human connection
Dov Baron,
Author of ‘Fiercely Loyal‘

 

Just be yourself. How many times have you heard this statement in development sessions or during leadership training? I like this statement but it’s hollow. It’s missing something. Employees and subordinates are demanding leaders to become more authentic instead of just being themselves. Most subordinates know if you try being someone you’re not, especially in a key leadership position, it’s only a matter of time before you’re found out as an imposter. We see this all the time online. People try to be someone else with their online persona versus who they are in real life. It doesn’t work over the long run and you’re setting yourself up for personal disaster. The key is being authentic with your yourself and your organization. Be authentic with your subordinates. It is Authenticity that is the secret sauce in a recipe on developing deep human connections. Continue reading →

3 Questions to Get the Most Out of Your Company’s Data

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by James Allworth, Maxwell Wessel, Aaron Levie

Our world is sentient. Websites watch where we look. Mobile applications keep track of our response times. Companies learn which buttons we like to press and which we don’t.  With cameras, microphones, and thermometers, the human race is giving inanimate objects everywhere eyes, ears, and skin. And with all this observation, we’ve created a massive new layer of information.

Jonah Peretti, the CEO of Buzzfeed, knows that this layer of information can be used to test, learn, and iterate in rapid cycles. In this world, you can know, with some level of certainty, the way to craft the exact right title for an article — whether it’s investigative journalism or a cat video. “This isn’t possible in print, broadcast, or traditional films, which may be why the media industry is such a dysfunctional place,” Peretti has said. “Executives make huge bets based on gut, it’s hugely expensive to take risks, and most projects fail.” Continue reading →

Stop Playing the Victim with Your Time

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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 →

The Introvert’s Guide to Great Presenting

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knight.jpg  by Steve Knight

It is not about becoming someone you’re not, it’s about allowing yourself to become who you are truly capable of being.

Chief Financial Officers (CFOs) are often among the most boring members of organisational leadership teams when it comes to communication. Stepping up on stage to deliver the numbers after the CEO has given a back-slapping, rousing speech about progress and the next year’s strategic priorities, the crowd returns to silence as they sleepily settle down for the CFOs part about how much money is being made or spent. Continue reading →

What social-sector leaders need to succeed

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By Laura Callanan, Nora Gardner, Lenny Mendonca, and Doug Scott

Chronic underinvestment is placing increasing demands on social-sector leaders. New research suggests ways they can meet the leadership challenge.

It’s no secret that high-performing leadership is synonymous with private-sector success. Nor is there any shortage of research into the leadership qualities that matter most, their potential impact on financial performance, and the importance of investments in leadership development. But what about leadership quality and development in the fast-growing social sector? Continue reading →