Are There Hidden Gorillas in Your Markets?
We think we see a lot more of the world around us than we actually do. That’s just one of six illusions that profoundly influence our ability to lead organizations.
Holly Green
leaders
Need Some New Ideas? Consult your SWAMI!
The wise leader knows that creativity and innovation requires both inspiration and perspiration. To increase the flow of new ideas in your organization, try these five tips.
How to Develop 5 Critical Thinking Types
Great leaders think strategically. They can understand and appreciate the current state as well as see possibilities. When dealing with today’s issues, they operate from a broad, long-term perspective rather than focusing only on short-term implications. And they can gather information and make decisions in a timely manner. Most of all, strategic leaders know how…
Are You Wearing Rose-Colored Glasses?
Business leaders often see their organizations through rose-colored glasses. Find out how to get in touch with what’s really going on in your organization.
Phases of Innovation
When I ask business leaders to identify which part of the innovation process their organizations struggle with the most, I typically get one of three answers: We have a lot of ideas but most of them get judged as impossible or too hard to implement based on changing the way things currently are We have…
Putting On A New Pair of Goggles
A few weeks ago I wrote about a stodgy safety products manufacturer that dramatically increased sales of its goggles by studying fashion trends. I’m not suggesting we all start subscribing to Vogue, Glamour or Elle (although maybe that is not a bad idea). What we do need to do is start looking beyond the walls…
Are You Making the Right Connections?
Our ability to see patterns and make connections is one of our mightiest creative assets. Which explains why innovative products sometimes come from the strangest places.
Bursting My Own Thought Bubbles
I just returned from one of my longer road trips of the year, and it’s great to be home! Believe it or not, I used to enjoy business travel. But now, with all the airport security, flight delays, baggage fees, and surly attitudes of airline employees, it has become the least favorite part of what…
Avoiding the Dreaded Decision Fatigue
Have you ever made an important business decision late in the day, only to look back on it a day or two later and wonder, “What was I thinking?” It turns out the problem may not have been so much what you were thinking as when. A recent New York Times article, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/21/magazine/do-you-suffer-from-decision-fatigue.html?_r=2&scp=1&sq=willpower&st=cse, relates the…
Leadership: Then and Now
Think your job has changed significantly over the past decade or two? Compound that with the complexity of leading an entire organization! Previous generations of leaders could at least count on a reasonably stable world, where change unfolded at a much slower pace. These days, the past is increasingly less predictive, the future is almost…
It’s Time For Our Leaders to Start Acting Like Leaders, Part II
I rarely stray into the realm of politics in this blog, but I am really ticked off! I’m angry with political leaders who continue to put their own interests ahead of those of our nation. And I’m angry with politicians and the media for getting trapped in their own thought bubbles and constantly making stuff…
Our Leaders Need to Start Acting Like Leaders!
The ability to inspire trust is an essential leadership trait. According to a recent survey conducted by the marketing research firm, Maritz Research, our current crop of leaders has a lot of work to do in this area. Conducted in March of this year, the survey reported that: 25 percent of U.S. employees have less…
