• "From the Laboratory to Leadership" in Seattle kicks off on March 28th!
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  • "From the Laboratory to Leadership' Fall session in Seattle begins September 26th!

Read our favorites to gain the edge

Your New Job Security Starts Here by Virginia Sole-Smith (October 2011)
A stable work future isn't about finding a lifelong employer. It's about being able to land the next professional opportunity - which means mastering the digital job hunt.
 
Docent Of Distraction (September 2011)
Peter Bregman, Harvard Business Review columnist and author, paves the path to productivity.
 
What Does The C Suite Want From HR (September 2011)
Company CEOs want HR leaders to acquire business knowledge and to advocate change, Ryan Estis writes. "Speak the language. Do the requisite homework. Become an expert in the business you support and serve." Estis writes.
 
Clash Course (August 2011)
Lisa Earle McLeod, business consultant and author, has spent some 10,000 hours coaching executives, with the goal of helping them strengthen relationships, eliminate turf wars, and increase employee engagement. Here, her top tips for turning discouraging disagreements into exceptional ideas.
 
Luring Talent With Perks (August 2011)
Companies in less-popular cities cite other benefits in recruiting workers. Many established companies are finding it tough to attract talent. High salaries and increased bonuses aren't enough. The pressure is on to compete on fringe benefits.
 
Harness Your Brilliance (July 2011)
Todd Henry, idea monger and author, shares his strategies for maximizing imaginative processes.
 
3 Ways To  Fight The Burnout Risk (July 2011)
Human resources pros need to help structure reward-and-recognition programs, provide more training for career development and hire more staff if they want to fight the growing burnout reported among employees, Tim Gould writes. "Companies can't run on skeletion staffs forever--as the burnout trend ominously indicates", Gould writes.
 
10 Tip On Hiriing For Creativity ( July 2011)
Innovative business strategies come from innovative people, but where do innovative people come from? This article lays out 10 tips for hiring creatives, including the recommendation that employers give candidates a task to work on.
 
Are your meetings train wrecks? (March 2011)
We're tired of them, frustrated that our time is being whittled away. Despite years of practical advice books and earnest consultants, workplace meeting are still often times a cliché for mismanagement and disaster. Given the wealth of adivce for running a successful meeting, why do they still go off the rails on a weekly basis?
 
Have you got the leadership gene (September 2010)
Biologists are looking to win a spot in America's business schools by studying the genetics and biochemistry of management. Researchers have already found that genetic variations can explain a leader's successes and failures, and that variations in sex hormones play a role in sales. "Management science looks set for a thorough, biology-inspired overhaul," according to The Economist. "Expect plenty more lab coats in business-school corridors".
 
The art and science of giving good feedback (September 2010)
Giving feedback to both successful and failing employees is part and parcel of being a leader -- but many people give feedback in ways that are deeply counterproductive. Try to avoid praising people for either raw ability or effort; instead, focus on pointing out specific things that people got right or wrong, to enable them to reproduce their successes and avoid repeating their failures.
 
How To Win An Argument Without Words (July 2010)
Many arguments are won or lost before you even open your mouth, writes communications coach Nick Morgan. Using body-language tricks such as mirroring and alignment, it's possible to defuse tension, cut off hecklers and ensure your ideas get a positive reception. "Try the nonverbal argument right from the start. It may save you a lot of time and trouble," Morgan advises.
 
How to Become an Effective Delegator (July 2010)
The best leaders don't need to get their hands dirty, writes Blinds.com founder and CEO Jay Steinfeld. It's tempting to try to do everything and make every decision yourself, he writes, but leaders who don't learn to let go eventually become a constraint on their company's growth. Relax and learn to delegate and you'll be able to focus on the big picture -- and that, Steinfeld argues, is what a leader's job is really all about.
 
How to Learn to Love Performance Reviews (May 2010)
Managers can make the performance reviews an affirming experience and not an excruciating experience of judgment and copping failure.
 
Making Ideas Happen: Overcoming the Obstacles Between Vision and Reality by Scott Belsky (April 2010)
Belsky has spent six years studiying the habits of especially productive people and teams--the ones who make their ideas happen time and again. Here, the author presents their most powerful and sometimes counterintuitive practices. Ideas for new businesses, solutions to the world's problems, and artistic breakthroughs are common, but great execution is rare.  According to Scott Belsky, the capacity to make ideas happen can be developed by anyone willing to develop their organizational habits and leadership capability.
 
The Leadership of John Wooden (June 2010)
Ronald E. Riggio, Ph.D. from Kravis Leadership Institute writes his take on lessons learned from John Wooden.
 
Open Leadership: How Social Technology Can Transform the Way You Lead by Charlene Li (May 2010)
An essential guide for leaders who want to use social media to be "open" while maintaining control.  Be open, transparent, and authentic, are the current leadership mantras, but companies often push back.  This resource will help the modern leader understand how to lead in the new open world; where blogging, Twittering, Facebooking, and Digging are becoming the norm.
 
Discovering Your Authentic Leadership (February 2007)
The ongoing problems in business leadership over the past five years have underscored the need for a new kind of leader in the 21st century.
 
How to Grow Great Leaders (December 2004)
The biggest test that rising leaders face is aggressively championing a business unit while looking out for the enterprise as a whole. Helping them meet that challenge demands a new approach to leadership development
 
Extreme_Ways_to_Shorten_and_Reduce_Meetings
More extreme techniques for keeping meetings on track.
 
840 Million Reasons to Celebrate
Amazon's $840 million acquisition of Zappos.com
 
Maximize Productivity Without Burning Out
Workaholic tendencies that are starting to induce productivity-draining burnout.
 
Business Founders Likely to Emerge From Meltdown
Crushing setbacks are a critical element of success.
 
Incremental Changes Bring Lasting Rewards
Where you can make incremental changes.
 
Building The Emotional Intelligence of Groups
Models for change.
 
Flame First, Think Later: New Clues to Email Misbehavior
Flaming has a technical name, the “online disinhibition effect,” which psychologists apply to the many ways people behave with less restraint in cyberspace.
 
The Business Impact Of Effective Employee Management
The impact of employee management establishing an ongoing steam of information, data and recommendations focused on effective people.
 
In Praise of the Incomplete Leader
No leader is perfect. The best ones don't try to be-they concentrate on honing their strangths and find others who can make up for their limitations.
 
Leading At The Edge
How to unlock extraordinary performance.
 
Teachable Points Of View For Leadership
If your not teaching, you're not leading. Teachable point of view about ideas, values, emotional energy and edge.
 
What Your Leader Expects
Team success is based on the realationship between a boss and his or her direct reports.
 
Sticking To The Standards
Reward and Recognize those Employees who exceed expectaion.
 
Get Rid Of The Performance Review
Alternative to performance reviews.
 
Initiative Moves Women Up Corporate Ladder
A roadmap for boosting the presence of women in management.
 
Challenges Strategies Matrix Orginization
Provide managers with the best practices that will improve their matrix organization.
 
But We've Got A Mission Statement
Cartoon