This article was previously published in Harvard Business Review on April 12, 2016. It was co-authored by Ron Ashkenas, Partner Emeritus at Schaffer Consulting. Leadership development represents a huge and growing investment for most organizations. Industry research, for example, shows…
If you are a North American, you may be unfamiliar with the term parapet. The expression ‘put your head over the parapet’ is used to describe being brave enough to state an opinion that might upset someone. I learned a…
Leadership and communication are so intertwined that they could be thought of as synonymous. It is important to remember that in this case, the term communication is shaped more by what employees feel, hear and perceive, rather than what the leader says.…
Perhaps you have heard the expression: “I can’t hear what you're saying because who you are being speaks so loudly”. This implies that the 'being' of a leader is a stronger force than any words the leader uses. Consider that for…
There is a common misconception that effective communication is a formal activity, such as a manager conducting a town hall meeting. Further, communication is thought to be what a specific functional group does. That is, communication is what our 'communications…
2009: “The Economy Falling Off a Cliff...' A Latin American country manager was facing a huge challenge. Through the first 7 months of the year, current expectations for profit ranged from £2million to £35million, on a business plan of £95million,…
The American filmmaker Ken Burns received the Peabody Award in 2013 for his powerful documentary Central Park Five. The film tells a story of a horrible crime committed in 1989. A New York Times critic described the film as follows: “A…
Perhaps you have heard the expression “A fish rots from the head down”. It is an old proverb of uncertain origin that exists in many different languages. While this proverb is not anatomically correct, it is a powerful metaphor for…
While at our cottage in Ontario, Canada this summer, my wife and I had the pleasure of watching hummingbirds zooming around our property. They fly so fast they can be hard to see. We wanted to see them up close.…
While waiting for a flight, have you ever just sat there and listened to all the announcements? Recently, I was heading off for a short holiday and so was not as focused on work for a change. Just for fun…