by Jake van den Berg | Oct 31, 2017 | Leadership
One of the top skills that executives want to develop is their ability to think strategically. The world we live in has become so fast-paced that there is a lot of pressure on leaders to think more holistically about how they can streamline processes and leverage opportunities in order to be the very best in their sector.
Where I find people struggle with strategy is mostly on two fronts. First, the term “strategic thinking” has become a business buzz phrase, so it can mean different things to different people. The concept of strategy is vague. The second challenge around being strategic is that once you really understand what it means, it can be difficult to understand how to apply it practically to what you do in your job.
So let’s start with defining it and talk about bringing a greater level of strategic thinking into the work you do as an executive. (more…)
by Jake van den Berg | Sep 12, 2017 | Leadership
How well do you ask questions? From my experience, most executives don’t think about this issue. After all, you don’t usually find “the ability to ask questions” on any list of managerial competencies; nor is it an explicit part of the curriculum of business schools or executive education programs. But asking questions effectively is a major underlying part of an executive’s job — which suggests that it might be worth giving this skill a little more focus. (more…)
by Jake van den Berg | Aug 15, 2017 | Leadership
How is your company’s communication? Is it tight and efficient and aimed at driving results or increasing connection? Or do team members talk a lot without saying anything meaningful? Of the hundreds of companies I’ve worked with over the past 30 years, I repeatedly see only five types of communication: (more…)
by Jake van den Berg | Jul 21, 2017 | Leadership
There is this thing called feedback that we learn as managers and employees. It is meant to get business results. Forests are destroyed from the print of millions of pages written about how to give feedback. And still, to this day, most people in business absolutely shudder at the thought of giving or receiving feedback. It isn’t as complicated as we make it out to be – here are some guidelines: (more…)
by Jake van den Berg | Jun 23, 2017 | Leadership
Have you had that boss that you would fear to offer ideas to? A leader that sucked all the energy out of the room, and always seemed to engage in a battle of the wits? There are several ways bosses, and even ourselves, can engage in behaviour that leaves their team feeling diminished. But there are ways around it. (more…)
by Jake van den Berg | Jun 6, 2017 | Leadership
Many people think that executive coaching is for people who have problems. I often handle requests from CEOs and Senior Leaders who want to “fix” a manager or employee who is struggling. While there’s a lot of useful things that can be done to help, I find that the most exponential success usually comes when I am coaching people who are already doing great and want to be even better. Here are seven steps to maximize your success as a leader: (more…)
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