In our quest to leverage the Business Alignment process to business leaders across key organizational situations, we are proud to announce the upcoming availability of “The Missing Piece for Corporate Leaders: Achieving Sustainable Value through Business Alignment”. As its predecessors did for Entrepreneurs/Small Businesses and Non-Profit Leaders, this third installment helps Corporate Leaders understand the importance of aligning their people, processes and tools to bridge the gap between the Vision and Strategy and the execution of the Strategy through aligned Goals and Metrics to achieve Desired Results. Corporate leaders have a unique challenge in they achieve success through many layers in the organization. The more layers, the more opportunities for the Vision and Strategy to get sanitized and diluted by the time it reaches the part of the organization that needs to execute the Goals aligned to the Strategy. Complexity can beget confusion and the most effective leaders understand that simplicity...

Several months ago, I was asked to read a book that was recommended to me through a source that I did not know well, something that I do not normally do.  However, after several inquiries and because the title and subject intrigued me, I agreed to read the book and provide my thoughts.  I am so very glad I did!  “The Courage of the Samurai – Seven Sword-Sharp Principles of Success.” by Lori Tsugawa Whaley is an easy to read history of the Samurai combined with how the philosophy can be applied in today’s context.  The author brings in examples from business, the military and her own personal examples to highlight lessons learned from this philosophy rich in tradition. My favorite chapters covered the principles of Integrity (Gi) in Chapter 2 and Loyalty (Chuugi) in Chapter 7.  The other five principles covered include Courage, Benevolence, Respect, Honesty and Honor.  These two...

As we find ourselves in ever more challenging leadership situations across business, politics, religion and sports, I find myself looking more deeply into what effective 21st leadership really is and why it seems to so difficult to achieve.  As if he was reading my mind, John Blumberg comes along with his new book, “ROI ~ Return on Integrity, The New Definition of ROI and Why Leaders Need to Know It”.  It is unlike many leadership books in that it’s not a book of answers as much as it is a book of questions to help leaders get better answers to help them lead with integrity. My favorite chapters are Chapter 2, Discovering the Drift and Chapter 12, The Call of Every Leader.  In Chapter 2 he speaks of the drift that I have heard John speak of many times before in his speeches and keynotes.  It is a direct reminder that...

Given our recent focus on the multi-generational workforce, this edition of What to Read helps us understand generational diversity more effectively.  I recently had the opportunity to listen to Haydn Shaw speak at a local chamber event.  His combination of candor and experience got me interested in his book, “Sticking Points”.  Haydn’s take on generational diversity and the most common challenges (12 by his count) are all good reasons to read this book. My favorite parts of the book are Chapter 3 where he introduces a five-step approach to dealing with  misunderstandings and misperceptions in a multi-generational workplace.  As effective communications are a large part of my coaching practice, I also enjoyed his take on the communications issues between the generations outlined in Chapter 8.  As we focus on perception, this is a great way to not only know why the generational misperceptions occur, but also how to work through them!...

...How to Become a Servant LeaderA client recently gave me a copy of this month’s book based on our multiple discussions of leadership, specifically servant leadership.  While it had been awhile since I last read this book, this was a great opportunity to re-read it in the context of leadership and business twelve years removed from its first printing.  I was not disappointed as I read “The World’s Most Powerful Leadership Principle: How to Become a Servant Leader” by James Hunter.  It provides a great foundation for thinking what it takes to be a successful 21st Century Leader.My favorite chapter in the book is titled, “On Character and Human Change” and speaks very directly to what character is and how it is a habit that can be built and developed over time.  The author speaks directly to how people can change highlighting the four stages of learning in the process.  These...