Tag Archives: Leadership

Tactics are superficial, strategy is deep

Here’s the question posed on yesterday’s #bizforum chat.

Apple is OFTEN used as a case study for how biz can & should grow, yet it’s always a one-off. Few compare. Why?#bizforum

— Sam Fiorella (@samfiorella) October 11, 2012

My answer: Because, as always, everyone copies tactics. Not strategy.

Apple’s strategy is unique to them. Their reason for existing is theirs alone. And their tactics are aligned with that strategy. More importantly, their type of leadership, based on principles of excellence and artistic perfection; is laser focused on executing their strategy.

Who else thinks and acts that way? Not many.…

Innovation: You have to own it before you can do it

Jorge in Innovation, Leadership

If I were to tell you that you can’t innovate, would you try to prove me wrong? If your customers were to tell you that they will leave you because you can’t exceed their expectations, would you commit to exceeding them?

What if your customers suddenly became immune to your marketing speak? What if they suddenly stopped moving toward your preferred outcome every time you nudge them?

What if your customers offered to help you exceed expectations? Would you take their offer?…

10 TED Talks That Will Help You Become an Innovative Leader

Jorge in Innovation, Leadership

I don’t remember ever doing a post like this. But, I’ve recently been thinking about and discussing with a client the topic of innovative leadership. As in what makes an innovative leader. And if you aren’t one, what do you need to do to become one.

With that said, here are a few TED talks that I think will helps us become the leaders of the future. Let me know what you think in the comments!

Shawn Achor: The Happy Secret to Better Work

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Innovation must reads of the week: How innovative leaders maintain their edge

Jorge in Must reads of the week

If you like these links, check out all the previous “Innovation Must Reads of the Week“. And don’t forget to Follow @jorgebarba

3 Questions to help you take charge of change

Jorge in Leadership

This is a guest post from John Baldoni. John is an internationally recognized leadership consultant, coach, author and speaker. This excerpt is adapted from his newest book, The Leader’s Pocket Guide.

One reason we fear change is because we feel a loss of control. And while you cannot control the change process, you can control how you and your team react to it.

Assert your ownership. Doing so shifts the emphasis from something being done to you to something over which you have control. Consider these three questions to help you take charge:

What do we do now? Understand that you have a choice; you can opt out and not accept the change. Of course you may feel that for financial reasons you cannot do this, but understand that, unless you have been sentenced to jail, you are free to decide what to do. Making decisions to stay for whatever reason means that you have made a decision. Likewise, if you decide to leave, that is your decision.
What do we do next? Make your teammates aware of what you have decided to do. If you are staying in, you want to make certain your boss knows that you are still part of the team. If your disappointment is evident, as it might be with a loss of promotion, acknowledge it but do not dwell on the negativity. Reassure the boss that you are still in the game and want to be considered as a contributor. Such behavior will mark you as one who has a strong sense of self and can deal with disappointment.
How can we make this work for us? Consider how you can turn the situation to your advantage. Look for ways to turn the change into new opportunities. Find ways to assert your can-do spirit. Be proactive. Look for ways to make a positive difference.

Owning the change process and making it work for you is critical to demonstrating resilience as well as an ability to move forward. It is very definitely a mark of leadership.

P.S. I highly recommend my readers to get Mr. Baldoni’s Leadership pocket book guide because it is full of useful to the point advice like this on a variety of leadership and management topics.

The 6 most important questions every strategist must own

Jorge in Leadership, Strategy

Last week I discussed the importance of leading through questions. Since that post got some good traction, I decided to put together these six questions that I found scattered throughout the book “The Strategist: Be the Leader Your Business Needs“. If you haven’t read it, read it!

In my opinion, every business leader and strategist must own these six questions below:…

Creative awareness: Hidden innovation obstacle for organizations

Jorge in Creativity, Innovation

This is a guest post by Chris Grivas, principal of Chris Grivas Consulting (www.chrisgrivas.com) an organizational and leadership development consultancy focused on increasing the creative capacity of individuals, teams, and organizations. He is co-author of THE INNOVATIVE TEAM: Unleashing Creative Potential For Breakthrough Results.

A recent IBM study of more than 1500 executives around the world showed that an overwhelming majority of these seasoned leaders were not fully confident that they were prepared to respond effectively to rapid change and dealing with change was one of their biggest challenges. Their number one suggestion? Adopt creativity as a core leadership skill. As Lee Iacocca, former CEO of Chrysler observed, “Leadership is all about managing change – whether you are leading a company or a country. Things change, and you get creative.”

The faster things change, many experts say, the stronger your creative thinking and problem solving skills need to be. To successfully compete in the 21st Century, leaders are calling for increased training in creative thinking everywhere from boardrooms to elementary classrooms.…