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Why leadership development committees trump nominating committees

William D. Pawlucy Association Management

An organization’s leadership is fundamental to its success. Great leadership leads to great governance, which in turn leads to successful planning and implementation of an organization’s strategic plan to achieve its mission. Many organizations are familiar with the idea of nominating committees, which is a popular fashion for identifying and promoting members of their organization and industry into leadership positions. However, many organizations would benefit from forgoing the traditional nominating committee and substituting it with a leadership development committee. Here's why.

Governance is a puzzle

Robert C. Harris Association Management

It is exhilarating to join a board of directors. It comes with a sense of self-worth and achievement. The organization has tapped you to advance its mission. There are so many pieces to governance that it seems like a puzzle. Volunteers must understand governing documents, relationships, resources, expectations, strategy, and more. They learn through orientation, on-the-job training, and access to documents. Knowledge is gained by studying the documents, systems, and processes.

4 ways to leverage emotional intelligence in workplace communications

Jessica Day Business Management, Services & Risk Management

Emotional intelligence has been shown to boost your chances of promotion and makes for a more effective management environment. It relies on our communication with those around us, whether that’s knowing when to be chirpy and positive or when to just sit back and listen. Emotional intelligence features an essential set of soft skills to have — so how can we leverage it to work for us in the workplace?

Balancing compassion and performance in a pandemic world

Courtney Lynch Business Management, Services & Risk Management

When I served in the Marines, we had a saying: Mission first, people always. Everything about leading Marines came down to achieving results in times of challenge, chaos, and uncertainty while taking care of your people. Now, as an executive coach, as I’ve helped my clients navigate pandemic times, often I’ve been guiding them in demonstrating service-based leadership. Leading with service is about acting selflessly on behalf of others to ensure their success. It’s about the simple actions you take to support others so they can thrive. The great news for leaders is that service can be demonstrated in the simplest ways.

Why you should lead your employees towards self-direction, not empowerment

Hank Boyer Business Management, Services & Risk Management

Remember when the latest buzzword was empowerment? The premise was that employees who were empowered would be more committed to successful outcomes because they had the ability to make decisions, commit resources, own the decision, etc. What's wrong with empowerment? Plenty! What if you empower someone who is not capable of handling the responsibility? In other words, empowerment potentially fails because of a lack of specific expectations for outcomes and the unintentional (or intentional) ineffective execution towards the objective. What’s needed instead of empowerment is a solid team of self-directed employees.

How to avoid analysis paralysis

Bob Harris and Quinn Green Business Management, Services & Risk Management

Have you sat in a meeting knowing a decision had to be made while you watched the clock tick? So many ideas and objections are presented that the likelihood of reaching consensus dwindles. The situation is described as "analysis paralysis." The phrase describes individuals or groups that overanalyze and overthink a situation. Decision-making becomes "paralyzed," with individuals unable to reach consensus or recommend a course of action. The syndrome causes frustration, failure to complete a task, misunderstanding, wasted time and resignation.

A little sacrifice leads to big payoffs

Chris Cicchinelli Business Management, Services & Risk Management

When you were in school or first starting out, you probably had a job that required you to work weekends or holidays. There’s nothing more frustrating than having to go into work on a Saturday afternoon when you knew your friends were going out Saturday night — and you’d see their pictures on social media. But you went to work anyway. You had college to pay for, or an apartment to rent, or you were saving for a reliable car. You made sacrifices to get to your goal. You gave up something to succeed. Let me be the first to tell you: you made the right choice.

Another day at the office? The meaning of work life after the death of…

Atholl Duncan Business Management, Services & Risk Management

One day last May, Mark Thompson, then the CEO and president of The New York Times, had just concluded his first quarterly earnings call. Three thousand people normally pack the famous skyscraper at 620 Eighth Avenue. Fewer than 20 were in that day. He imagined his teams comfortable at home, getting more work done and pondered the ways of corporate America. "I thought, there’s a big question mark over the office as an organizing principle of cities and I wondered whether it makes sense anymore. It made me wonder: should you sell your skyscraper?"

Understanding business agility as an entrepreneur

Indiana Lee Business Management, Services & Risk Management

Staying afloat in the face of any crisis can be difficult. But as the most recent economic downturn proved, the state of your business and industry can change at any second. Developing the ability to pivot and stay agile can be your biggest asset as an entrepreneur. When things go wrong, business plans and even crisis plans can only take you so far. Your business may be protected from the initial blow, but on the tough journey back to normal operations and growth, an agile mindset is invaluable. We’ll dive deeper into the benefits of business agility for entrepreneurs, then offer some tips on how to increase your agility over time.

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