Category: Recommended Reading | Page 3

July 28, 2017 / Articles We Like / Stress / Work-Life Integration

On “How to Deal with a Boss Who Stresses You Out”

We’ve all had issues with a toxic boss at one point or another, but consistently dealing with a bad leader can make going to work each morning a stressful task.

In his recent Harvard Business Review article, “How to Deal with a Boss Who Stresses You Out,” Dr. Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic shares some practical coping strategies for managing your boss’s dark side. Ultimately, even Dr. Chamorro agrees that the only sure way to stay on the good side of a volatile boss is by being an indispensable and valuable resource.

What do you think of his recommendations?

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July 28th, 2017|Categories: Articles We Like, Stress / Work-Life Integration|Tags: bad leaders, executive coaching, Harvard Business Review, stress, toxic boss|

On “Are People More Creative Alone or Together? Trick Question”

Do you think people are more creative alone or together? It’s an interesting question and one worth thinking about. It turns out that your brain doesn’t care because both are equally important.

In a recent Fast Company article, “Are People More Creative Alone or Together? Trick Question,” authors Judah Pollack and Olivia Fox Cabane look at the research and say the way to maximize creative potential is to flow between being alone and being in a group – in that order.

What are your thoughts on collaboration and brainstorming?

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June 30th, 2017|Categories: Articles We Like, Design Thinking / Creativity / Innovation|Tags: brainstorming, creativity, Fast Company|

April 11, 2017 / Articles We Like / Stress / Work-Life Integration

On “Balancing Parenting and Work Stress: A Guide”

Being a working parent is tough. The stress of trying to achieve a balance between career and children can really take a toll on your personal and professional life. If you could ask hundreds of high-performing working parents for advice, what do you think they would say?

In her recent Harvard Business Review article, “Balancing Parenting and Work Stress: A Guide,” author Daisy Wademan Dowling gathered this advice to address some of the biggest working-parent problems. In her article, Wademan Dowling has come up with a list of specific actions that she believes “will work for you, your people, and your organization.”

What do you think of Daisy’s advice?

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April 11th, 2017|Categories: Articles We Like, Stress / Work-Life Integration|Tags: Daisy Wademan Dowling, HBR, parenting, stress, work-life balance|

January 30, 2017 / Articles We Like / Stress / Work-Life Integration

On “You Can Improve Your Default Response to Stress”

We often find ourselves in situations that can be quite stressful and as a result, we develop a range of coping techniques to deal with these situations. But it’s important to remember that why we stress is not the problem; it’s our response to stimuli in the environment that matters.

In a recent study with Plasticity Labs, Michelle Gielan, a UPenn positive psychology researcher, concludes that 91% of us can deal with stress better. Her recent HBR article, “You Can Improve Your Default Response to Stress,” highlights three dimensions that can train your brain to positively respond to stress.

Let me know your thoughts.

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January 30th, 2017|Categories: Articles We Like, Stress / Work-Life Integration|

December 15, 2016 / Articles We Like / Leadership / Strategy

On “What Great Managers Do Daily”

We’ve all read the numerous articles highlighting the must-have qualities of an effective manager. Beyond the personal traits – what is it exactly that makes a manager great on a day-to-day basis?

Inspired by a Gallup study that found that about 70% of people in management roles are not well equipped for the job, Ryan Fuller and Nina Shikaloff’s recent Harvard Business Review article “What Great Managers Do Daily,” highlights employee engagement results from two Fortune 500 companies. Their conclusion is that most companies understand the importance of having highly effective managers, but few understand how to make them more effective. This article provides five key findings about what makes great managers different than the rest.

What do you think about their results and recommendations?

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December 15th, 2016|Categories: Articles We Like, Leadership, Strategy|Tags: effective leadership, effective management, great leaders, Harvard Business Review|

September 29, 2016 / Articles We Like / Strategy

On Inspire Change: A Step-by-Step Guide to Disrupting an Industry

Disruption involves taking big risks to solve big problems that have never been solved before. If you are looking to know when and how to disrupt a market, take a look at Kevin Rands recent Business article Inspire Change: A Step-by-Step Guide to Disrupting an Industry.

Kevin thinks you need to start by listening to consumers and checking the pulse of your industry. Are there pain points and frequent complaints in social media? Does the industry lack creativity and innovation? Is there a lack of customer loyalty among the market leaders? Is it a fragmented market? If there are market issues, you just might be in the right position to change, redefine, or take the lead.

What do think about Kevin’s five recommendations?

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September 29th, 2016|Categories: Articles We Like, Strategy|Tags: business strategy, disruption, innovation|

July 29, 2016 / Articles We Like / Strategy

On “Embracing Change Means Disrupting Your Day”

Can positive change be achieved without disruption? Is your mindset about accepting change and seeing it as a wonderful opportunity or does the “newness” of change seem like a disruption to the comfortable and familiar that you’ve created at home and at work?

In this recent HBR article Embracing Change Means Disrupting Your Day, authors Kate Sweetman and Shane Cragun explore the idea of “growth mindset” and why it is needed to achieve success in today’s environment.

Are you embracing change in this tumultuous and global environment?

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July 29th, 2016|Categories: Articles We Like, Strategy|Tags: change leadership, disruption, growth mindset, HBR, leading change, personal disruption|

June 30, 2016 / Articles We Like / Strategy

On “3 Stages of Successful Change Management”

Whether you are in a disruptive market environment or not, real change doesn’t happen without the support and buy-in from those you lead. As a leader you need to take the time to share your vision and prepare your culture for change.

In his most recent Forbes article, Mark Murphy, outlines his 3 Stages of Successful Change Management. It’s a quick read with some valuable and practical insights for getting the support you need to go through with a change effort.

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June 30th, 2016|Categories: Articles We Like, Strategy|

May 31, 2016 / Articles We Like / Strategy

On “3 Stages of Successful Change Management”

Whether you are in a disruptive market environment or not, real change doesn’t happen without the support and buy-in from those you lead. As a leader you need to take the time to share your vision and prepare your culture for change.

In his most recent Forbes article, Mark Murphy, outlines his 3 Stages of Successful Change Management. It’s a quick read with some valuable and practical insights for getting the support you need to go through with a change effort.

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May 31st, 2016|Categories: Articles We Like, Strategy|

February 2, 2016 / Articles We Like / Leadership / Strategy

On "The Wild West of Measuring Corporate Sustainability"

Many companies have made sustainability measures part of their corporate goals. The impetus to do so might be driven by cost reduction measures, the need to ensure a future supply of materials, or a desire to make a positive impact on the communities they serve. Reporting on progress of sustainable development is a fairly recent business trend, and as such, varying degrees of standards exist, with varying degrees of transparency. At the same time, investors are becoming more savvy about the information they want from their portfolio companies.

In this Stanford Social Innovation Review article, The Wild West of Measuring Corporate Sustainability, author Eric Nitzberg builds a case for why executives ought to stay ahead of sustainability reporting trends to meet the expectations of modern investors. He also cites key sustainability reporting resources leaders can leverage to inform their sustainability strategies moving forward.

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February 2nd, 2016|Categories: Articles We Like, Leadership, Strategy|Tags: corporate sustainability, Eric Nitzberg, innovation, stanford social innovation, sustainable strategies|