Every manager has one goal: to foster a healthy, prospering work environment that brings employees together to get work done. Unfortunately, so many managers who have just been promoted or are looking to impress fall short. Why? Because they fall for the many damaging management myths.
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5 leadership lessons from the captains of Star Trek
Few science fiction franchises can claim to be as inspirational as the philosophical heavyweight that is Star Trek. Far from being a quaint canon of quirky aliens, Gene Roddenberry’s Star Trek has been an unending source of inspiration and leadership lessons. In this article, Grace O’Brien pulls out some of the best insights.
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John Boyd: Patterns of Conflict presentation and biography
I had heard about John Boyd’s legendary Patterns of Conflict before I read his biography. But I had never seen it so I went on a quest to find it!
Regular readers will know that I have an interest in military history. (See How to improve morale and confidence and Interview with Stephen Bungay.) I’m reading an excellent biography of John Boyd (Boyd: The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War) at the moment and this has really got me thinking.
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Employee engagement: 11 quick wins you can do today
Employee engagement matters. Yet, only 15 percent of employees are actually engaged in the workplace, according to Gallup.
A demotivated, disengaged team member is less creative and less productive. Worse, cynicism and disillusionment are contagious, leading to higher staff turnover and dysfunctional teams.
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Yes, this is rocket science: leadership lessons from NASA
I was in Florida to complete my private pilot’s licence but also to get some NASA leadership lessons and management insights.
My first visit to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center began, appropriately enough in the air.
A voice crackled over the radio: “Orlando Approach, 120 Foxtrot Tango, you are cleared for the space coast tour, contact NASA Tower on 126.2.”
At 1,500 feet at the controls of a Piper Warrior, I flew North past the launch pads, the vast vehicle assembly building and then down the almost endless Shuttle landing runway .
There wasn’t a cloud in the sky and the sunlight sparkled on the water on both sides of the cape. It was an impressive, even awesome, sight.
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Effective managers say the same thing twice
Effective managers combine different types of communication, such as email, IM and phone calls, to repeat and reinforce key messages.
Listen very carefully, I shall say this only twice…
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