Management Archives

How to Build a Successful Team: Focus on Strengths

Do you want to know how to build a successful team for your business? Why should you focus on developing your employees’ strengths rather than fixing their weaknesses? In their book Nine Lies About Work, Marcus Buckingham and Ashley Goodall say that the key to building a successful team is encouraging your subordinates to develop their unique strengths rather than fix their weaknesses. To do this, you must determine what outcomes you want from your team and then figure out how each member can help you achieve those outcomes given their individual strengths. Here’s why leaders should shift their focus

5 Myths About Leadership and People Management

What are some of the most common leadership myths modern leaders have been led to believe? How does buying into these myths hurt your leadership? When it comes to leadership and people management, there’s no manual to follow. According to Buckingham and Goodall, the authors of Nine Lies About Work, many modern leaders still harbor dangerous misconceptions that hurt their employees, and ultimately, their organizations’ bottom line. Here are five myths that still permeate modern leadership thinking.

Organizational Planning: Why Strategic Plans Fail

Do you use organizational planning for your business? Why will it ultimately fail your business in the long run? In a typical company, senior leadership comes up with a strategic plan for success and then communicates it to their direct reports. The message is then passed down until it reaches the execution team, which makes its own plans based on the directives from the higher-ups. The problem with this dynamics is that plans made by higher-ups tend to disregard the daily struggles of their employees who make the magic happen. Here’s why strategic plans often fail.

How to Encourage Team Members to Perform Better

Is your team falling behind at work? What can you, as a leader, do to get your team to perform at their best? Your team reflects how good of a leader you are. If your team is lacking in performance or isn’t showing improvement, you need to give them better feedback. According to Buckingham and Goodall, the authors of Nine Lies About Work, most leaders give exclusively corrective feedback, which puts people on the defensive. Instead, leaders should focus on highlighting what people are doing well rather than what they should improve. Here’s how to encourage team members to perform

What Qualities Make a Good Leader?

Do you want your team to follow and respect you? What qualities make a good leader? In their book Nine Lies About Work, Marcus Buckingham and Ashley Goodall explain the traits that leaders should exhibit if they want to build a thriving organization. We’ve combined these traits into three core qualities that embody the freethinking leader, a person who values individuality and questions traditional systems. Keep reading to learn about the key qualities that make a good leader, according to Marcus Buckingham and Ashley Goodall.

Best Practices for Meetings Every Leader Should Follow

Do you often walk away from a meeting feeling like you’ve wasted precious time? Does your agenda often get hijacked by people rambling or going off-topic? Have you ever left a 2-hour meeting feeling like you could have gotten just as much done in 30 minutes? If any of this sounds relatable, you need to understand the best practices for meetings. This guide will explore why meetings are so dreaded and, more importantly, what you can do about it. Keep reading for a guide to the best practices for meetings that every leader should follow.

The Best Books on Leadership and Management

Do you want to level up your leadership game? What are the best books on leadership and management? With so many “best” books on leadership and management out there, it can be difficult to pick out the gems. The best books are the ones with authoritative resources written by successful leaders who don’t just preach theory but also offer actionable strategies to help you become a better leader. That’s why we’ve rounded up the following list of the absolute best books on leadership and management—written by leadership experts with decades of experience, featured on well-known bestsellers’ lists, and positively rated

Leaders Eat Last: Quotes by Simon Sinek

Are you looking for Leaders Eat Last quotes by Simon Sinek? What are some of the most noteworthy passages worth revisiting? In Leaders Eat Last, Simon Sinek teaches leaders how to unite their teams through empathy. He argues that empathy is the reason why “some teams pull together and others don’t.” Leading with empathy by prioritizing the needs of your subordinates over the company’s profits. Below are a couple of quotes from Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek.

The Importance of Empathy in the Workplace

Why is it important to foster empathy in the workplace? What are the consequences of a lack of empathy in an organization? According to management theorist Simon Sinek, empathy in the workplace fosters a supportive environment by combating abstraction through the release of oxytocin. When empathy is absent, people see each other as abstract concepts rather than people. As a result, they focus on their own benefits, rather than the common goal. Read about the importance of empathy in the workplace, according to Sinek.

Why You Should Prioritize Long-Term Business Goals

Why is it important to set long-term goals for your organization? How does focusing on short-term goals stifle your progress? Many leaders don’t even think about their long-term business goals, focusing on short-term profits instead. According to management theorist Simon Sinek, short-term focus impedes progress because it stifles oxytocin and empathy. Instead of focusing on your company’s profits for this year, plan how you’ll impact the market for the next five. This puts your decisions in the context of causing lasting positive change, rather than immediate, temporary success. Here’s how short-term focus stifles progress and why you should prioritize long-term