The Leaderboard

Why too much of a good thing is bad for leadership
Even positive traits such as confidence can become problematic if they become excessive, writes Samuel Bacharach, director of Cornell University's Institute of Workplace Studies. "[W]hen a leader has an excess of confidence, it generally means he or she also has a surfeit of ego," he writes. Similarly, a determined leader may run into trouble if he or she refuses to make adjustments. Inc. online (free registration)/Pragmatic Leadership blog (2/11)
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Sales Strategies

How sales is like a basketball game
Sales organizations, like basketball teams, need to have specifically defined roles and processes, and they also need to adapt as situations change, writes David Brock. "Our old and rigid models of marketing and sales paralyze us. ... They reduce our ability to align with the customer and win," he writes. Partners in Excellence Blog (2/8)
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How to get your sales organization back on track
When everything is going wrong at your sales organization, it's hard to know which problems to fix first, writes Dan Perry. You can form a plan, however, by identifying the root causes of your team's struggles and making priorities of the most important issues. Sales Benchmark Index/Sales & Marketing Effectiveness Blog (2/10)
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Daily Data Points

China passes U.S. to become world's largest trader
Chinese and U.S. statistics agree that China traded more goods than the U.S. did last year. The increase occurred despite China's economy being half of the size of the U.S. economy. "It is remarkable that an economy that is only a fraction of the size of the U.S. economy has a larger trading volume," said Nicholas Lardy of the Peterson Institute for International Economics. Bloomberg (2/10)
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On the Road

The "maverick" airline hits turbulence
Southwest Airlines styles itself as the maverick of the aviation industry, offering cheap, no-frills flights and refusing to charge extra for basic services in the manner of its larger rivals. Recently, Southwest has upset some fans by shrinking legroom, making its frequent-flier program less generous and implementing an early-boarding charge. "I'm not surprised by this," said Standard & Poor's analyst Betsy Snyder. "They want to increase their profits and this is the way to do it. ... Do other airlines offer anything better?" Los Angeles Times (tiered subscription model) (2/9)
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App Update

Controversial cybersecurity bill will be revived in House
Two House lawmakers reportedly will re-introduce the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act and will hold a hearing on how security information is shared between private companies and the government. "The Internet activists who vociferously opposed CISPA last year are certainly primed to oppose the same bill again this year," said Greg Nojeim of the Center for Democracy and Technology. The Hill/Hillicon Valley blog (2/10)
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Making Small Talk

Don't hire a radiologist to catch a gorilla
More than four in five radiologists in a study failed to spot an image of a gorilla inserted into a lung scan that they scrutinized for signs of cancer. The finding highlights people's tendency to ignore unexpected data when focusing their attention on tough challenges, researchers say. National Public Radio/Shots blog (2/11)
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SmartQuote

The very traits that make a strong leader, if taken to their extreme, can set a leader up for failure." -- Samuel Bacharach, director of Cornell University's Institute of Workplace Studies, writing at Inc. online Share: