The conventional wisdom about Millennials declares that they all want to rise rapidly to leadership positions but without working too hard or paying their dues. They also, again according to the conventional wisdom, care more about work/life balance than the usual spoils of success: money and status. A new world-wide study of Millennials conducted in […]
Subject: Leadership
Ensure the CEO Gets the Right Information at the Right Time
CEOs are responsible for knowing what is going on in their companies. No matter how large, complex or global the organization, CEOs do not have the luxury of pleading ignorance; it is their job to keep abreast of all the important facts and developments: what their employees and competitors are doing, what big new ideas […]
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How Leadership Humility Is Defined in the East and in the West
In recent years, humility has become increasingly accepted as a central feature of great leadership. Bestselling business books such as Good to Great, which considered humility as one of the two core attributes of great ‘level-five’ leaders, speeches and memoirs by business and non-business leaders, and numerous academic papers all highlight the importance of humility […]
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Who We Call and Why in Uncertain Situations
Uncertainty — such as a coming organizational restructuring, a new CEO brought in to turn around the company, a competitor’s new product or new technology that could derail the company’s market position, an impending sale or merger — can represent a threat or an opportunity. The immediate response to uncertainty usually involves 1) finding more […]
Candid Feedback Keeps Power-holders Accountable
Every organization has finite resources, starting with compensation, budgets and expense accounts, as well as high quality assignments, accounts or customers and even office space. The people who control the allocation of these resources have a great deal of power — and research shows that they use this power to make decisions that are in […]
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A Symphony of Agency and Stewardship Values Ensures Family Business Success
Both agency theory and stewardship theory help explain organizational dynamics, although starting from very different assumptions. Agency theory describes the relationship between the shareholders (called ‘principals’) and the company’s managers and executives (called ‘agents’) as a collaboration between parties with different interests: principals are focused on the success of the company while agents are focused […]
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Millennials 2: Concerned about Opportunities for Growth and Quality of Life
Growing up in an era of stagnating wages and increasing youth unemployment, one could forgive Millennials for being a bit pessimistic. This is not the case, however, according to a global study of Millennials conducted in 2014 and co-sponsored by the INSEAD Emerging Markets Institute, the HEAD Foundation and Universum. The study, which surveyed Millennials […]
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Millennials 1: A Diverse Generation Often Misunderstood
Assumptions about Millennials are rampant — for example, that they don’t want to work hard or pay their dues, or that work/life balance is more important than money or career. A new, exhaustive study, co-sponsored by the INSEAD Emerging Markets Institute, the HEAD Foundation and Universum and covering Millennials from around the world, reveal a […]
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A Lesson from China: Growth Is Not Eternal So Be Prepared
Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries (ZPMC), a company that specialized in the large-scale cranes used to load containers onto ships, burst on the heavy machinery landscape in 1992. At that time, the global market for large-scale container cranes was growing fast as ports were having to handle more and more super-sized container vessels. The industry was […]
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Beware of Hubris Syndrome! A Leadership Personality Disorder
Most leaders possess typical leadership qualities such as the ability to inspire and persuade, a grand vision, and a controlled fearlessness when taking risks. There is, however, a darker side to many leaders, manifested in character traits such as extreme pride and overconfidence, coupled with a complete contempt for others. These character traits, which can […]
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