take 5

AmericanHort

Entrepreneur
I was recently in a client’s office, and they had an interesting collage of words and images hung on their wall, trying to summarize the culture they wanted to create for their employees. One section stood out to me. It said "Narrow your say-do gap" next to the word "Commitment." I thought it was a great way for the client to manage their team’s expectations.

Visit https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/286076 to view the full article online.

 
Switch and Shift
You and your longtime employees have gone through a lot together. You’ve developed a special bond as the company evolved, and you might even hang out together on the weekends. What if one of these individuals began underperforming or acting dishonestly? Would you feel uncomfortable confronting him or her about it? 

As evidenced by Wells Fargo’s recent scandal, company leaders of all types struggle to address this scenario. In fact, more than one-third of managers admit to shrinking away from giving direct feedback to employees when they anticipate a negative reaction.

Visit http://switchandshift.com/prepare-conversations-longtime-employees to view the full article online.

 
Longwood Gardens
Seapoint Center
Goal setting is powerful. No doubt about it. Research shows you are likely to perform at a higher level if you set SMART goals. But how do you know what are the right goals to set?

Goals are milestones that mark the way on your journey. If you set the wrong goals, you will get sidetracked.

Visit http://seapointcenter.com/set-the-right-goals/ to view the full article online.

 
Innovation Excellence
It’s one thing to say you want a culture of innovation. It’s another to actually get everyone truly innovating. We hear it all the time from the executive suite – take more risks, embrace uncertainty, learn from failure.

The problem is that these mandates don’t necessarily move the needle. In fact, if they become seen as leadership lip service, they can actually lower morale and stifle the very innovation you want most. So how do you really get everyone innovating in a way that drives real business growth?

Visit http://innovationexcellence.com/blog/2017/01/09/6-innovation-tool-kits-to-drive-business-growth/ to view the full article online.

 
H & H Farm Machine Co.
SmartBrief
How big an ego does a leader need? And what’s the price of overconfidence?

According to authors Scott and Ken Blanchard, an overinflated ego creates a distorted sense of importance, which decreases leadership effectiveness. In this Fast Company article, they write that leaders with outsized egos "begin to put their own agenda, safety, status, and gratification ahead of those affected by their thoughts and actions." This overconfidence erodes a leader’s ability to effectively collaborate.

Visit http://smartbrief.com/original/2017/01/4-ways-let-air-out-your-leadership-ego?utm_source=brief to view the full article online.

 
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