[September 22, 2013] The Right Honorable Baroness Margaret Hilda Thatcher, a British politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990. A Soviet journalist once called her the “Iron Lady”, a nickname that became associated with her leadership style. When she became leader of the Conservative Party in 1975, Britain was on the… Read More »
[September 21, 2013] While myths about senior executive leaders have been published, they are not widely known. The fundamental reason to list these reasons here is twofold. First, it makes the senior leader more aware of perceptions that may impede organizational success. Second, junior leaders, by learning about them, might not be held back by their own misconceptions. … Read More »
[September 20, 2013] Taking care of employees can mean many things but what it should mean is that employee opportunities to succeed are in place. The work environment and organization culture must be one that maximizes individual employee success. People do work for money but there are other important reasons. Research has shown that many times pay is… Read More »
[September 19, 2013] Major General Joe Robies, Jr., the president and CEO of USAA, wrote about “getting on plan” in the Fall 2013 USAA insurance magazine. He was giving good advice to USAA members to establish a financial retirement plan and get on it. Of course, we all will agree with MG Robies. We can carry his idea… Read More »
[September 19, 2013] Senior executive leaders recognize that values1 held by people will be one of the factors that determine the success or failure of that employee and of that organization. In today’s work environment, it is no longer politically correct to enquire about personal values. This is unfortunate because there are values that directly contribute to a… Read More »
[September 18, 2013] He who defends everywhere, defends nowhere. – Sun Tzu The senior executive leader is personally responsible to ensure that an effective strategy1 is developed and that their organization is properly guided along a path to achieve its objectives and goals. Without a strategy, there is no map for this journey. What does strategy allow us… Read More »
[September 17, 2013] One of the key attributes of senior executive leaders is their ability to select the right people for the right job. Unfortunately, sometimes people are chosen even to be senior leaders who turn out to be stunning failures. Choosing leaders is not just a difficult task, but new senior executive leaders should quickly establish their… Read More »
[September 16, 2013] Honesty and integrity are absolutely essential for success in life – all areas of life. The really good news is that anyone can develop both honesty and integrity. – Zig Ziglar, author, motivational speaker, salesman. There is a short-list of values that are essential to all leaders. One of the most important among them is… Read More »
[September 15, 2013] As part of this blog’s profiles in senior executive leadership, the first great leader will be an obvious choice: General Douglas MacArthur. William Manchester writes of General MacArthur that: He was a great thundering paradox of a man, noble, and ignoble, inspiring and outrageous, arrogant and shy, the best of men and the worst of… Read More »
[September 14, 2013] If there had to be one common characteristic of all leaders, basic to senior executive, honesty would be it. “The buck stops here” is a phrase that was popularized by President Harry Truman, who kept a sign with that phrase on his desk at the White House. The phrase refers to the fact that the… Read More »