A lot of interesting stuff has been going on over the past few weeks. A good bit of it touches on themes we’ll likely be visiting, here, soon, so let’s take a closer look at some of it:
Daily reading. Almost every source cited here, today, is on my daily reading list, and if you are a serious-minded practicing manager, then surely Michael Wade’s Execupundit should be on yours. See what he has to say about getting to the heart of the matter, and about how to approach the question of why you are in charge.
National moods. Please see this WSJ piece reviewing two books, one of which applies classically infantile arguments to malign the American habit of optimism as, itself, infantile, and the other which appreciates optimism, but is pessimistic about its survival in modern American society. Then, for some more realistic perspective, move on to view this article, from BusinessWeek, about India’s prospects.
Manipulative myths. The always worthwhile and thought-provoking PsyBlog offers, here, an item explaining how and why the ham-handed administration of incentive programs is bound to backfire. And please be sure to see this piece, by John Phillips, approaching the question of sanctioning employees from the opposite direction – John always talks straight, something we, perhaps, don’t see enough of in our particular corner of the blogosphere, and surely something you should value in an employment-law lawyer.
Managing management consultants. Here are two outstanding articles from two outstanding authors: Dan McCarthy gives us the straight-from-the-shoulder truth about what HR wants from executive coaches, and Mary Jo Asmus provides some absolute must-read advice about what serious executive coaches want from HR.
Ignoble Nobel. Hard to pass this one up. Steve Tobak, who writes The Corner Office column for BNET, has some strong words on the topic, fueled not by the surprise of the event, but by the chord it struck in a long-considered train of thought about leadership. Then please see this must-read WSJ piece about one rich and important peace prize that went un-awarded this year. And, as long as we’re on the topic, you will surely want to see this take on the matter from the blog written by no less an insider than TOTUS – the Teleprompter Of The United States.
Master trainer. It seems pointless, really, to single out particular posts by Steve Roesler. We should all read them all. But here are a few that you should read again: This and this (read them both!), on what your employees want to know – all managers should memorize these; Sandhill cranes – all self-mesmerized leaders should tape this one to their mirrors, or someone should tape it on their backsides; and please do see the sorts of ideas that just pop in to Steve’s mind when the topic of learning comes up.
There is more, from more must-read sources and authors, but we’ll pick that up on Monday. Have a great weekend!
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