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- Company values should lead the way, Bulbrite president says
Cathy Choi, president of Bulbrite, talks about how learning about her team's values helped her adjust to her leadership role. By expressing what was important to them, employees were able to define the company's culture as well as their expectations for each other. "When we hire people, we look for people who are aligned with that value system," Choi says. "People who didn't align with us ended up not being able to stay." The New York Times (tiered subscription model)
(7/14)      
- Create a friendly workplace by offering more than respect
A friendly workplace relies first on leaders creating an atmosphere of civility among employees, S. Chris Edmonds writes. Once workers know they'll be treated with respect, leaders can foster an active gratitude for the work being done. The friendliest workplaces, though, are where workers are validated, trusted with more responsibility and thus able to thrive, Edmonds writes. Driving Results Through Culture blog
(7/16)
- Advice for how not to run an organization well
Gary Cokins uses satire to illustrate a management mindset sure to doom an organization to failure. What do managers do to hold their teams back? They make sure key players are oblivious to the company's strategy. They discourage innovation and risk-taking. And they insist on using archaic management and accounting systems that guarantee that people are never on the same page, Cokins writes. Business Finance/Big Fat Finance Blog
(7/16)
| Innovation and Creativity |
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- Controlling innovation was key to LEGO's recovery
LEGO let innovation and product development go wild in 2000 in an effort to boost sales, but the company nearly went bankrupt until it reigned in its innovators. The company enacted rules to ensure that each new idea was tested and proven before moving forward. LEGO's profits and sales have benefited during the past three years. Knowledge@Wharton
(7/18)
- Innovation needs obstacles to foster creativity
The best innovation is created in the face of challenges, writes Ralph Coker. Obstacles force us to focus on the larger picture and make connections between seemingly unrelated things. "The brain wants to be lazy and sacrifice creativity for efficiency, so it tends to shortcut to one choice. Obstacles won't allow it to do that," Coker writes. Corpus Christi Caller-Times (Texas)
(7/17)
- The B-school comes to Africa
The reputation of the MBA has suffered domestically in recent years, but companies and analysts say Africa needs a dose of management training to complement the continent's other assets. "When you talk to entrepreneurs, they say there's a lack of capital. But when you talk to investors, they have plenty of capital. The problem is finding well managed companies," says Rebecca Harrison of the South Africa-based African Management Initiative. FastCoExist
(7/19)
| Engage. Innovate. Discuss. |
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- What does educational technology have to do with leadership?
Educational technology is a rapidly changing field where new products and devices gain acclaim for being new rather than for their efficacy. Like any leaders, Nicholas Provenzano writes, educators must separate the wheat from the chaff. "Ed-tech leaders examine how technology would affect students and address curricular needs. They understand that there needs to be sound pedagogy for using a tool, not only that it looks cool," he writes. SmartBrief/SmartBlog on Education
(7/17)
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- Judge a book by its cover? Even a 6-year-old can do that
If you want to judge a book by its cover, ask a 6-year-old. This blogger asked her young daughter to tell her what classic books are about just by looking at the cover. "The Color Purple" is "a baby book" about a lazy purple blob. The Ayn Rand classic "Atlas Shrugged" is obviously about the Greek god Daedalus. "He is crying because he doesn't like himself at all, because he hates himself. It looks like a saddy, saddy, saddy bookie," she concludes. Babble/Strollerderby blog
(7/12)
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SmartBrief exclusive from Guy Kawasaki
SmartBrief on Leadership is proud to share an exclusive chapter from best-selling author Guy Kawasaki’s new book, "What the Plus! Google+ for the rest of us." In return for updating your SmartBrief profile, we will give you Chapter 2 of Kawasaki’s book on Google+ -- "How To Get Started" -- absolutely free. Learn more.
 | The culture thing takes on a life of its own when it starts from the ground up, as opposed to the leadership team going to an off-site retreat and returning with a credo that says, 'This is what we’re doing now.' "
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Recent SmartBrief on Leadership Issues:
- Wednesday, July 18, 2012
- Tuesday, July 17, 2012
- Monday, July 16, 2012
- Friday, July 13, 2012
- Thursday, July 12, 2012
| | | Lead Editor: James daSilva
Contributing Editor: Ben Whitford
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