Leadership
The Impact of Recession on Culture: And What it Means for Organizations and Leaders
We do not know yet, if there are long-term consequences for our culture coming out of the recent recession. We can, however, compare these two major global events to extract important lessons for organizations and individuals who are driving change or being driven by changes in their business culture. Plus, personal strategies outlined may help those in a rapidly changing work environment adapt more easily. Continue reading
When and when not to cohere: A group experience in Singapore
What gets in the way of a cross-cultural group from becoming cohesive? It’s not easy, after all, to bring a group of distributed, culturally diverse people together, especially those who work in different functions. But there are many procedural, structural and behavioral considerations that shed light on the answers. Continue reading
Are you colluding? Reducing the gender gap in the next 50 years
The context: The U.S.-Mexico border. A manufacturing plant. Steel. A decidedly “masculine” environment. A bit more context: I was working with a leadership team during a period of 10 months, with the objective to helping its leaders and the team become a more … Continue reading
A busman’s holiday: Balanced Scorecards at the neighborhood cook-out
"What’s the latest thinking on balanced scorecard?" my neighbor asked me in front of a group at a casual cook-out, having just found out I am a consultant on topics including leadership development and talent management. Oh boy, I thought, … Continue reading
Group Harmony vs. Speaking Up – China/Colombia/US
I asked the team I was working with in China to identify their strengths. The words “good communication between us” made it on the flip chart page immediately….only to add to it later a few [???} question marks. The team … Continue reading
Leaders: Who do you withhold your feedback from?
Many leaders pride themselves on being impartial and fair. They perceive themselves to have the same expectations for all and hold others to a relatively similar standard. This is more true, of course, in certain cultures than in others. Specifically, … Continue reading
Peter Block’s Latest Musings – Part 2
Following the last post on Monday, here are a few more nuggets from Peter Block. “Analysis” is a defense mechanism against the future. Hospitality is central to community. We must do better at meeting strangers. The notion of “deficiencies” in … Continue reading
Peter Block’s Latest Musings…
In October I went to the Organizational Development Network annual conference. This year it was held in Seattle, a gloriously frisky place with many great restaurants, including one I highly recommend introduced to me by colleague, David White, not far … Continue reading
BP’s MacLeod: Change-management programs are doomed to fail
This came to my inbox*: “BP executive Fiona MacLeod says corporate culture is “addicted” to change-management programs that fail because companies cannot sustain them. New leaders usually are more interested in making a “splash” than following through with measures that … Continue reading
Inspiring Trust and Leadership: Strategic vs. Intimate Communication
I recently observed an email string in my inbox whereby all copied were vying to position themselves as an expert at this or that…each person basically one-upping each other. It reminds me of a concept that I learned and sometimes … Continue reading
