Orchestra conductors must exercise a unique style of leadership. They must listen intently, and without saying a word, draw out strong performances from their orchestras. This requires that they learn to be the ultimate collaborators, understand the unique capabilities of each musician and decide how best to blend them into a coherent whole. In this … More Lead Like a Great Conductor
How to love. How to live. How to fix anything. How to lose weight. How to stop worrying. How to find your passion. How to train your dog, bird, cat or dragon. How to make money. How to get into college. How to stay in college. How to interview. How to get a job. How … More Beyond How To’s
In my personal life, I am an optimist. I believe fully in the power of positive thinking and the value of spreading good cheer wherever I go, if only because it makes life more fun and enjoyable. But when it comes to managing change, I believe in realism. A key component of the Architecture of … More Despots, Group Think and the Ugly Side of Institutional Optimism
The economic crisis has called into question the pay practices of some of the nation’s largest financial services companies. In particular, the Federal Reserve and other regulatory organizations have found that many of the bonus and incentive programs led executives to make decisions that not only contributed to the worst financial crisis since the Great … More Motivation Is Not About the Money
Robert Sutton, Professor of Management Science and Engineering at Stanford University, has been researching great bosses for many years. His last book was the New York Times bestseller The No Asshole Rule: Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn’t. His work suggests a number of techniques and behaviors that research has shown good bosses … More The Mindset of a Great Boss
Why don’t we get the best out of people? It’s simple, really. Most “modern” corporations kill human capability the way we strip-mine and deplete the earth of natural resources. Think about it. We hire bright, ambitious, enthusiastic young people fresh out of the hope and idealism of school. We stick them in cubicles under fluorescent … More Getting the Best Out of People
Viktor Frankl addressing the Toronto Youth Corps in May 1972 Business has become incredibly sophisticated. We have phenomenal technology and analytical tools as well as proven frameworks and methodology. Our ability to use science and reason has taken a significant amount of guesswork out of decision-making. In addition, the number of college graduates in the … More I Want to Take You Higher
The other day I was explaining the results of a change readiness assessment to an executive and shared a piece of news he found disturbing. He believed that everyone wanted the change that he was leading because when he spoke with others in the organization about it, they all told him it was a great … More Making Change Fun
“It’s all about talent,” declared the SVP of Human Resources as she announced the purchase of a new talent management technology that included selection, performance management and succession planning modules. “This integrated talent management solution ushers in a new era for our company that’s about improving how we think about and manage talent. These new … More You’re Not a Leader Until They Perform
Sorry I’ve been away from blogging for a few weeks. It has been a busy time and writing, unfortunately, has taken a back seat. The upside to my absence is that the work I have been doing has provided an abundance of ideas and material to share, particularly with regard to innovation. It continues to … More The Call for Innovation . . . Part 2
Erik Van Slyke 