The recently launched Executive Forum Blog continues to deliver relevant, useful information in a fast-read format. Written by popular talent management and HR strategist, Breanne Harris, our blog is getting rave reviews.
Leadership Lessons from the Shark Tank
Whether you’re an aspiring entrepreneur or just an avid reality TV fan, I would argue there’s no better show on TV for “edutainment” value than the Shark Tank. Each week, entrepreneurs enter the tank in hopes of securing an investment from one or more of the Sharks (Mark Cuban, Daymond John, Barbara Corcoran, Kevin O’Leary, Lori Greiner, and Robert Herjavec). The entrepreneurs start with their well-rehearsed (and often entertaining) pitch and then quickly launch into answering rapid fire questions from the investors. Whether you’re an aspiring entrepreneur or a leader in the corporate world, there is so much to learn … Read More
The Secret Benefits of Being a Mentor
Being a mentor to an emerging potential leader is truly an honor. By virtue of being asked to mentor someone, it means you have achieved recognizable success and have gained experience worthy of being passed on to a mentee. However, many people shy away from the responsibility of being a mentor because they assume the time and energy required for the role will be a drain. What those individuals fail to realize is that while mentoring naturally requires you to give your time, energy, and advice, you also get many benefits in return.
Resilience: The 21st Century Workplace Skill
Many of us grew up learning the 3 R’s throughout our education (reading, writing, and arithmetic). However, as technology changed and the needs of the workforce became more complex, educators realized the true skills necessary for success had changed as well. For the past decade, educators have been focused on teaching the four C’s that have been deemed 21st Century Workforce Skills. The 4 C’s necessary for workforce readiness are critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity. Many organizations report that, despite higher education’s focus on the 4C’s, new graduates still lack basic proficiency in these areas.
The Right Way to Reward Employees
We all know that employee recognition is important. Not only do we naturally want to acknowledge the high-functioning teams we lead for their hard work, but we want to be recognized for our own contributions to the organization’s success. Recently, IBM’s Smarter Workforce Institute published a white paper with great data on the importance of rewarding employees. Here are a few key findings from their survey of 19,000 workers: Employees who receive recognition are more likely to be engaged at work. The engagement level of employs who receive recognition is almost three times higher than the engagement level of those … Read More
The Power of an Introverted Leader
In last week’s post, we talked about how to unleash optimal performance from your introverted team members. This week, let’s talk about how to unleash your own potential as an introverted leader. While it is true that extroverts are over-represented in leadership roles, that doesn’t mean there isn’t a place for introverts in the C-suite. In fact, many admired leaders such as Bill Gates, Gandhi, Abraham Lincoln, and Larry Page have proven that introversion isn’t a quality that hinders success. There are several aspects of introversion that are strengths in a leadership role. Here are a few examples: