A Requirement for High Performance and a Time Management Trap
Leadership
The prediction that artificial intelligence will radically alter the way work gets done is the latest in the decades-spanning conversation of computers reducing workloads. However, the research so far shows technological advances have not resulted in fewer work hours. Instead, increased accessibility to information and the opportunity to be connected to colleagues and clients 24/7 have raised expectations of productivity and availability. The reason workloads remain high may have other causes than just technology.
Peter Drucker, often called the father of management, started writing about management in the 1930s and continued until his death…
Read more.I Would Love to Hear Your Story
Leadership
In almost every workshop on effective presentations, participants are encouraged to tell more stories. Of course, the stories need to be engaging; if possible both humorous and emotionally touching, and make a relevant point to the speaker’s topic. We all know that after hearing a presentation, we are likely to forget or misremember most of the stated facts but that well-told story remains. After we hear it, we find ourselves retelling the story and giving it additional life.
Less commonly do we talk about the importance of helping other people tell their own stories….
Read more.A Formula for Success and a Recipe for Disaster
Leadership
Elon Musk’s current net worth is estimated to be over 200 billion dollars. He has been the owner, or part-owner of PayPal, SpaceX, Tesla, Neuralink, and Twitter (X) . Yet, in Walter Isaacson’s biography of the controversial figure, he seems to display several qualities that would prevent him from being a successful leader. In fact, some of the reasons he has had so much success in business are also what have brought him so much infamy.
He has a bold, clear vision and he takes risks. He develops business models that create demand and…
Read more.When All the Options Are Bad
Strategy
Reaching a good decision when facing a complex and uncertain situation is one of the fundamental roles of a leader. Typically, this requires a series of well-run meetings that progress the discussion until a workable solution is identified and embraced. However, despite this being a common process in organizational life, most people would say it seldom operates smoothly and frequently leads to less optimal solutions and lukewarm implementation.
Bob Woodward has made a career of writing about the inner workings of the White House. His reporting is so in-depth, you wonder how he manages…
Read more.Traveling Far to Understand What is Near
Leadership
Traveling ranks high among the best learning opportunities available. Crossing borders, oceans, and cultures naturally broadens our horizons as we are forcibly pushed out of our comfort zones. There is an excitement that stimulates our learning when confronted by new sights, sounds, and smells. For the traveler on vacation, the goal is often to fill the schedule to experience as many once in a lifetime moments as possible.
However, that is not necessarily the approach of the most seasoned of travelers, the travel writer. They do not book their journey just looking for the…
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