Image courtesy of sicoactiva

Have you ever noticed how discussions on improving business operations or possible solutions to today’s economic challenges rarely consider what the emotional impact will be on employees? In some ways, it’s not too surprising given how many of us have had leaders who taught us to not take things personally at work given that “it’s just business”. However, the findings from a recent report should get many of these leaders to reconsider the role human emotions play in how they lead their teams.

The UK business magazine “Management Today”, along with the Institute of Leadership and Management, carried out a survey of 2,405 managers and 2,595 non-managers to determine how much trust employees have in the CEOs who run their organizations. In what should certainly be an encouraging sign for both leaders and their organizations, 47% of those surveyed felt that leaders had done a good to very good job managing their companies through the current global recession. Where things get interesting, though, is when they compared the trust levels attained by male and female CEOs.

For the second year in a row, female CEOs rated higher trust levels than male CEOs. What’s more, in this year’s survey, they also found that male employees have a greater level of trust in female CEOs than those who work for male CEOs. In fact, the level of trust for female CEOs was especially high among men who work in non-managerial roles within their organization.

So what’s behind this growing divergence in trust levels employees have for female CEOs over male CEOs? After reviewing their data, the report’s authors found it comes down to one word. Click here to continue reading »”A Revealing Look at One of The Dirty Words in Business”

One of the lessons we were all taught by our parents was the importance of saying thank you to others. No matter how small or insignificant the interaction was, we were reminded that expressing gratitude to others was not only polite, but the right thing to do. Of course, as we got older, we also began to appreciate the impact we can create on others – and the impact others can have on us – because we take the time to share with them a word of thanks for their help or support.

While the value and benefit of saying thanks remains apparent and in use (most times) in social settings, there is still some doubt as to whether a similar value can be found in expressing gratitude in business interactions. In some cases, this is due to an organization’s culture or leadership, which may frown upon such gestures being brought into the workplace. For others, it might simply be a question of not having anything outside of anecdotal references that demonstrate the importance and value leaders would gain by expressing thanks to those they lead. In addressing this latter group, there may at last be some empirical evidence that explains how expressing words of gratitude can motivate and engage your team. Click here to continue reading »”How Two Simple Words Can Energize Your Team and Grow Your Business”

Over the weekend, I watched a fascinating documentary about the various pyramids built during the early dynasties of the Ancient Egyptian civilization, the most famous of these being the Giza pyramids found just outside of Cairo. Over the course of the documentary, Egyptologists shared new theories about how these magnificent structures were built based on the latest findings of the last decade or so. As the archaeologists explained their discoveries, I found myself thinking about the pyramid shape we use to define an organization’s leadership and how – much like the Egyptologists were doing – it might be time to revise our own assumptions over how this particular pyramid should be built.

When we map out a company’s organizational structure, it often resembles the form of a pyramid, where the leader resides at the top, the various section heads taking the next tier, and the general employee workforce occupying the bottom section of the triangular shape:

In describing the construction of the Great Pyramid at Giza, Egyptologists mentioned how it used to be crowned at the top with a gold-leaf capstone. In some ways, this mirrors how many view leadership – Click here to continue reading »”Taking Another Look at the Leadership Pyramid”

One trait all businesses share in common – whether they sell a product or service – is the drive for growth. The potential a business has to grow is not only tied to market demand, but also to how the company manages and develops the strengths of its employees, an issue I discussed in an earlier piece.

Of course, as a company grows, so does the need to assign greater responsibilities to their employees, including roles or functions associated with positions of leadership. However, what most companies overlook in this process is the need to offer guidance and support to their newly minted leaders on how to function successfully in their new roles within the organization.

With this in mind, here are some key points businesses need to encourage their new managers to adopt so that they can become the kind of leaders companies will need to ensure their continued growth and development:

1. Don’t micromanage your team
This is probably one of the most common complaints employees have about their manager – dealing with a boss who insists on overseeing every detail. While there’s the obvious problem of reduced productivity for both the new manager and those in their team, the bigger issue with this behaviour is Click here to continue reading »”Preparing For Tomorrow’s Leaders Today”