Leadership and managing people

Focus on these five areas.

Using the results of a survey of 380 companies in 34 industries, this author examines three basic types of compensation plans: salary, commission, and combination (salary plus commission). Most companies in the study favored a combination plan, but such plans have some disadvantages to offset their obvious attractiveness. The author sets out the possible reasons […]

Many managers of service businesses are aware that the strategic management (by which I mean the total process of selecting and implementing a corporate strategy) of service businesses is different from that of manufacturing businesses. This article discusses how pure service businesses are different from product-oriented businesses and why they require different strategic thinking. A […]

Ron Howard achieved early fame as a child actor on The Andy Griffith Show. Then came a long stint as Richie Cunningham on Happy Days. But from an early...

He or she can create an innovative environment using these five principles.

A look inside the ongoing barriers women face in law, health care, faith-based nonprofits, and higher education.

Denial dogged my travels around the world these past weeks. At a World Economic Forum gathering in Dubai just before Dubai World’s debt problems made headlines, the head Sheikh touted Dubai’s superiority over the West for problems that Dubai had seemingly avoided. But the idle cranes and empty buildings I saw were monuments to denial […]

Recently, I posted a list of 12 Things Good Bosses Believe. Now I’m following up by delving into each one of them. This post is about the eighth belief: “One of the best tests of my leadership — and my organization — is “what happens after people make a mistake?” I have authored or co-authored […]

Interviews with workers from around the world shed light on their hopes and concerns.

“It’s okay if other people think you’re God, but you’re in trouble if you start believing it.” David Cornwell, a sports attorney, recalled that quote as one uttered by his father, a surgeon. While Cornwell was speaking on Larry King Live about Tiger Woods’ foibles, the quote has relevance to anyone in a leadership position, […]

Extreme uncertainty can tempt an organization to abandon budgeting. Consider your options instead.

We are all familiar with and horrified by the stories that came out of Guyana about the Reverend Jim Jones and the mass suicide that occurred at Jonestown. After the dust had settled, everyone wanted to know how so many people could have believed in one person so completely that they would commit suicide to […]

Ten questions to help you help them - without micromanaging.

We often assume things are more evenly distributed than they actually are - and this influences how we make decisions and manage risk.

On this blog, I’ve speculated on the factors that lead to highly talented women dropping out of their once-chosen careers and thus not being available to take the next step, leading to one consequence that these folks are not available in the pool of candidates for top jobs. With this as backdrop, it was fascinating […]

They’re a reminder that mastery, membership, and meaning are the best motivators.

How leaders can enhance integrity, innovation, and inclusion.

Powerful leaders exude confidence and control. You can convey these same qualities-by strategically directing your body language.

When high-tech businesses lose a valued inventor, they often gain access to her new employer's intellectual capital. To take full advantage of the networking...

The interview question of the future.