May
2007
As businesses compete in an increasingly globalized economy, their operations are expanding to the farthest reaches of the planet. Employees hail from numerous countries and bring to work the mores and values of vastly different cultures. How can an executive make sure everyone is figuratively "speaking the same language"? Creating a common vocabulary about employee talents and strengths is a vital first step.
Many companies, including those in the Fortune 500, are investing heavily in innovation but getting frustrated with their returns. They may want to stop and take notice of this small manufacturing company that has proven to be wildly successful in innovation. You may not have heard of Fabcon, but this business' approach is sure to influence yours.
One-time Medtronic CEO Bill George, author of Authentic Leadership and True North, reveals the importance of self-awareness for leaders. In a wide-ranging interview, he also warns of the danger of equating power with leadership; tells how to deal with sharks; and reveals some things about coping with leadership that they don't teach you in business school -- but should.
A Cargill manager's employees rate him exceptionally high on a crucial aspect of great management: developing his team. His leadership practices, which he says he learned as a teen, offer lessons to managers across all industries, according to the authors of the New York Times bestseller 12: The Elements of Great Managing.
Do teams perform better for managers who apply positive leadership practices? Are they more engaged than those led by less-positive supervisors? Two researchers set out to tackle these questions. Here's what they discovered.