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- Why bosses should listen to more jazz
CEOs should try listening to some jazz to gain insights on leadership, writes Frank J. Barrett in this book excerpt. Most bosses prefer to lead from the front, but the best jazz musicians understand that supporting roles are vital and honorable things, and that even the greatest leaders need to work to support those around them. "Jazz shows us that followership can be not just satisfactory work but a noble calling," he writes. CNNMoney/Fortune
(9/10)      
- How to lead like a pool shark
The best pool players plan their shots according to where they want the cue ball to be half a dozen shots later, writes Priceline.com co-founder Jeff Hoffman. Good companies do the same, constantly monitoring their customers and business partners with an eye on the future. "Look one, two, even six shots ahead to make sure your business will wind up where you think it needs to be down the road," Hoffman advises. Inc. online (free registration)
(9/10)
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 | Revolutionize your approach to workplace performance.
Navy Ace pilot and TOPGUN instructor Bill Driscoll demonstrates how a fighter pilot's fierce mentality can help guide corporate decisions and help you cope with fluctuating business conditions. Get 15% off the book with code SAVE15, and use the Google preview feature to read a free chapter.
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- Funeral directors get rich by burying Fido
Some people seek to bury their grandparents on the cheap, but when it comes to burying pets, they spare no expense, animal-cemetery operators say. There are now at least 700 funeral parlors for animals in the U.S., offering basic burials or fancy embalming services and thousand-dollar caskets. "If you're in this business right now, you're just sailing with the wind right at your back," pet-funeral director Tom Flynn says. Bloomberg Businessweek
(9/7)
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 | Cultivate a work environment where employees thrive.
In Shifting the Monkey, Todd Whitaker explains how to nurture a workplace culture that affirms responsible employees while holding weaker ones accountable. Discover why focusing on the best employees first is integral to any organization's efficiency and success. Read an excerpt from chapter one. |
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| Innovation and Creativity |
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- Looking back at how Apple invented the iPhone
Apple's legal battle with Samsung gave industry-watchers an unprecedented glimpse into the company's design process. Inventing and refining the iPhone was the work of a "pretty maniacal group of people" who would gather to review dozens of iterations of features, said veteran designer Christopher Stringer. "Our role is to imagine products that don't exist and guide them to life," he said. Slate
(9/10)
- The science of sugar-free soda
Flavor chemist David Thomas, the mastermind behind Dr Pepper's 10-calorie diet soda, says rebuilding a soda without sugar is a complex task. His team had hundreds of people in tasting sessions and created dozens of prototypes -- all part of turning soda creation into a science. "Generally, I never dismiss anything. The data speaks for itself," Thomas says. Fast Company online
(9/10)
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Would you rather have a team member:
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Make decisions and make mistakes |
96.27%
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Make no decisions and leave that up to you |
3.73%
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Please make a mistake: It's pretty clear we want our team members to take the initiative, take action and move things forward, even if they make mistakes. It is incumbent upon us as leaders to ensure that, when they do make mistakes, we realize we gave them the latitude to take action -- handling the mistakes in that context accordingly. While we need to hold them accountable for the mistake, we also need to ensure they learn from it and do so in a way that we don't make them afraid to make more mistakes in the future. -- Mike Figliuolo is managing director of ThoughtLeaders and author of “One Piece of Paper: The Simple Approach to Powerful, Personal Leadership.”
Discuss the results.
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When I make a decision that results in a mistake, my leaders:
 | Accept the mistake, coach me and encourage me to make future decisions |
| Punish me for the mistake and discourage me from making future decisions |
- What lies ahead for Deutsche Bank?
Deutsche Bank's co-CEOs, Anshu Jain and Jürgen Fitschen, lead a bank that is under-capitalized and with an investment-banking business that is no longer a cash cow. All this suggests that big ideas are needed. "It's difficult to be very concrete, but you have to have principles -- and you certainly have to have new business models," says Hans-Martin Buhlmann, CEO of the Association of Institutional Shareholders in Germany. The Wall Street Journal
(9/9)
- Ketchum's CEO on how India Inc. went social
India is undergoing a social-media revolution at breakneck speed, and that's creating opportunities for Western brands and marketing groups, says Rob Flaherty, global CEO of Ketchum. India's social-media practitioners are "compressing into a couple of years what has happened in other geographies over five to 10 years," and that trend is likely to continue, Flaherty says. Campaign India (India)
(9/10)
| Engage. Innovate. Discuss. |
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- How to lead like an entrepreneur
The best entrepreneurs have a powerful and authentic sense of ownership in their ideas and businesses, and that's communicated in their leadership style, Dana Theus writes. It's possible for nonentrepreneurs to harness a similar forcefulness in their management style, Theus writes. "When leaders truly own accountability ... and own their decisions for how company resources are used to deliver them, then they tap into the power of entrepreneurial leadership." SmartBrief/SmartBlog on Leadership
(9/10)
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- Weather forecasters are lying to you
Larry David once joked that meteorologists predict rain to drive people away from their favorite golf courses -- and he might be on to something, writes Nate Silver. Meteorological forecasting has improved in recent years, but forecasters do tend to skew their predictions in favor of bad weather, since people are more annoyed by unexpected rainstorms than by surprisingly sunny weather. The New York Times (tiered subscription model)
(9/7)
 | Being generous is not the same as simply being uncritical."
--Frank J. Barrett, author, writing in Fortune
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Recent SmartBrief on Leadership Issues:
- Monday, September 10, 2012
- Friday, September 07, 2012
- Thursday, September 06, 2012
- Wednesday, September 05, 2012
- Tuesday, September 04, 2012
| | | Lead Editor: James daSilva
Contributing Editor: Ben Whitford
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