Incivility Can Have Costs Beyond Hurt Feelings; New York Times, 11/20/10

Alina Tugend, New York Times; Incivility Can Have Costs Beyond Hurt Feelings:

"...fundamental notion of all ethical principles — actions have consequences for others. Good manners are the training wheels of altruism.”...

There are solutions, although they are not easy. “First, leaders can put something into their orientation code or credo that they expect employees to be treated with respect,” Professor Pearson said. ”It’s amazing how many expect their employees to treat customers with respect and how few worry about how their colleagues treat each other.”

Most important, she said, people at the top have to be willing to model civility, discipline those who act badly and be consistent — that is, not let someone considered a superstar get away with rudeness."

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/20/your-money/20shortcuts.html?pagewanted=2&ref=business&src=me

Corner Office [[Interview with Bob Brennan, President and C.E.O. of Iron Mountain]; New York Times, 11/28/10

Adam Bryant, Corner Office, New York Times; [Interview with Bob Brennan, President and C.E.O. of Iron Mountain] Defensive? It Leads to Destructive:

"Q. Talk more about the kind of culture you try to create.

A. We have a set of core values that are important to us, and they’re mostly around candor -- really to generate speed, action orientation and a sense of security. We’ve got 21,000 people, so we have a lot of people who are managing others. What are the traits we want in leaders? How do we help them understand in very descriptive terms what we expect on a day-to-day basis? That’s different from driving clarity around outcomes, or how they link to broader strategy.

We want managers to display confidence and optimism, and to give constructive feedback, never destructive. And managers need to seek constructive feedback themselves."

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/28/business/28corner.html

Leadership Begins at Home; Harvard Business Review, 11/23/10

Tony Schwartz, Harvard Business Review; Leadership Begins at Home:

"One of the greatest gifts you can give your kids is help in foregoing immediate gratification, by setting boundaries for them and by modeling the behavior yourself.

That's also one of the greatest gifts you can give to those you lead or manage."

http://blogs.hbr.org/schwartz/2010/11/one-of-the-greatest-gifts.html

Libraries strive to keep quality despite cuts; Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 11/18/10

Candy Woodall, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; Libraries strive to keep quality despite cuts:

"Their budgets may be getting smaller, but that has only inspired directors of some of the South Hills' biggest libraries to get more creative."

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10322/1104123-55.stm

[Podcast] Can Introverts Lead?; Harvard Business Review, 11/12/10

[Podcast] Francesca Gino, Harvard Business Review; Can Introverts Lead?:

"Francesca Gino, associate professor at Harvard Business School, explains how quiet bosses with proactive teams can be highly successful. She is the coauthor of the upcoming HBR article "The Hidden Advantages of Quiet Bosses."

http://blogs.hbr.org/video/2010/11/can-introverts-lead.html

[Podcast] Putting Performance Reviews On Probation; NPR's Talk of the Nation, 11/9/10

[Podcast] NPR's Talk of the Nation; Putting Performance Reviews On Probation:

"Performance reviews are a predictable part of office life. Whether the employees write their own, or sit before a panel of bosses, it can be a grueling process. Often, managers only conduct them because they're told to, and workers embellish and obscure their accomplishments and failures. Some business leaders argue the reviews are all but worthless."

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=131191535

When Are Facebook Updates a Firing Offense?; Harvard Business Review, 11/10/10

Brian Elzweig and Donna K. Peeples; Harvard Business Review; When Are Facebook Updates a Firing Offense?:

"Privacy in social media is another tricky issue in the law that has not been thoroughly addressed."

http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2010/11/when_are_facebook_updates_a_fi.html

How to Interject in a Meeting; Harvard Business Review, 11/3/10

Jodi Glickman, Harvard Business Review; How to Interject in a Meeting:

"Speaking up in meetings — to interject, correct someone else, or ask for clarification — can be extremely intimidating. Having a few useful phrases at hand can go a long way towards giving you the confidence and tools you need to be able to interject your thoughts and opinions effectively in group situations and meetings."

http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2010/11/how_to_interject_in_a_meeting.html

The Eight-Word Mission Statement; Harvard Business Review, 10/22/10

Eric Hellweg, Harvard Business Review; The Eight-Word Mission Statement:

"...Starr insists that companies he funds can express their mission statement in under eight words. They also must follow this format: "Verb, target, outcome." Some examples: "Save endangered species from extinction" and "Improve African children's health.""

http://blogs.hbr.org/hbr/hbreditors/2010/10/the_eight-word_mission_stateme.html

Defend Your Research: People Often Trust Eloquence More Than Honesty; Harvard Business Review, November 2010

Todd Rogers and Michael I. Norton, Harvard Business Review; Defend Your Research: People Often Trust Eloquence More Than Honesty:

"The study: Todd Rogers and Michael Norton showed subjects different videos of a political debate. In the first, one of the candidates answered the question asked. In the second, he dodged it by answering a similar question. In the third, he dodged it by answering a completely different one. When the candidate answered a similar question, subjects failed to notice the switch. They also liked him better if he answered a similar question well than if he answered the actual one less eloquently."

http://hbr.org/2010/11/defend-your-research-people-often-trust-eloquence-more-than-honesty/ar/1

[Free Online Conference] December 1 - 2, 2010, free online conference sponsored by WebJunction: Serving the 21st Century Patron

December 1 - 2, 2010, free online conference sponsored by WebJunction: Serving the 21st Century Patron:

[Sample Session] "21 Ideas for 21st-Century Libraries
Discover best practices for 21st-century public libraries with 21+ examples of practical ideas and tips from both libraries and other organizations. Topics will include space planning, marketing, staffing, community collaborations, customer service, and technology. With over 40 years of library and industry experience between them, Kim Bolan Cullin and Rob Cullin know how to manage – in good times and in bad – while still innovating and excelling at every turn."

http://www.webjunction.org/conferences/-/articles/content/106453434

Bouncing Back from a Negative 360-Degree Review; Harvard Business Review, 7/29/10

Amy Gallo, Harvard Business Review; Bouncing Back from a Negative 360-Degree Review:

"Unlike traditional reviews and other types of feedback, 360-degree reviews include input from a comprehensive set of people: peers, managers, direct reports, and sometimes customers. One of the most valuable aspects of this tool is that the opinions are voiced anonymously, which encourages a higher level of honesty than you might normally get. However, the truth is not always pretty, and receiving a negative 360-degree review can be upsetting, especially when the opinions are echoed at many levels. But with the right attitude, you can still create a positive experience. How you handle a bad 360-degree review is far more important than the content of the review itself."

http://blogs.hbr.org/hmu/2010/07/bouncing-back-from-a-negative.html

What "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Really Costs; Harvard Business Review, 10/8/10

Sylvia Ann Hewlett, Karen Sumberg, and Lauren Leader-Chivee, Harvard Business Review; What "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Really Costs:

"Smart companies recognize that an inclusive workplace is good for business. Deloitte's GLOBE (Gay, Lesbian, or Bisexual Employees) Business Resource Group, for example, provides a forum for networking, professional development, recruiting and building relationships with local communities. Ernst & Young's Inclusive Leadership Program pairs high-potential performers with executive board members for formal mentoring and career development. It originally targeted women and minorities, but last year the program was expanded to include LGBT partners and principals. Cisco Systems covers the tax on imputed income that LGBT employees pay when they extend their health insurance to cover their partners. Pharmaceutical giant Boehringer Ingelheim lobbies Congress in support of anti-discrimination acts.

Such policies do more than foster engagement and boost productivity. They are also strong recruitment tools. "In today's marketplace, Gen X and especially Gen Y, irrespective of their sexual orientation, are looking for companies that are progressive," says Nancy DiDia, Chief Diversity Officer of Boehringer Ingelheim. "Whenever we go to career fairs or do recruiting events on college campuses, the two areas we get questioned on are: How socially responsible is your company? What's your position on LGBT policies?""

http://blogs.hbr.org/hbr/hewlett/2010/10/what_dont_ask_dont_tell_really.html

The Gap Logo Debacle: A Half-Brained Mistake; Harvard Business Review, 10/8/10

Umair Haque, Harvard Business Review; The Gap Logo Debacle: A Half-Brained Mistake:

"So argue with me if you like, bring the full arsenal of overquantified pseudomathetical Wall Street analyses to the table if you want — but I'd gently suggest: most companies don't take design seriously, but they damn well should. What standing in their way? Yesterday's tired, increasingly stale assumptions that what really matters in hard-nosed, tough-as-nails business is the left-brained stuff: negotiation, calculation, and, to it bluntly, intimidation. Hence, cutting-edge design as a nice-to-have, not a can't-live-without."

http://blogs.hbr.org/haque/2010/10/the_gaps_logo_debacle_a.html

Management Tip of the Day: 3 questions before seeking a new job; Harvard Business Review via Reuters, 10/8/10

John Baldoni, Harvard Business Review via Reuters; Management Tip of the Day: 3 questions before seeking a new job:

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE66T18I20101008?type=smallBusinessNews

Corner Office, Interview with Howard Schultz, chairman, president and C.E.O. of Starbucks; New York Times, 10/10/10

Adam Bryant, Corner Office, New York Times; Interview with Howard Schultz, chairman, president and C.E.O. of Starbucks: Good C.E.O.’s Are Insecure (and Know It):

"Q. How do you hire? What are you looking for in, say, somebody who would be a direct report?

A. I want big thinkers. I want people who are going to be entrepreneurial. I want people who are going to have important things to say and the courage to say them. I want people to challenge the status quo, but I also say something to everyone I hire, and that is: “You don’t have to come in here and try to hit a home run, and let me tell you why. You’re coming in here because I and many others believe very strongly in who you are and what you can bring to the company. So you don’t have to come in here and prove something right away.”

People who succeed at Starbucks are going to demonstrate a healthy level of respect and understanding of the culture of the company and the people who have come before them. There have been great people who have come into the company who haven’t succeeded because they have not embraced the culture and values of the company, so you need to do that.

I think the first 30, 60 days after a new person arrives at Starbucks is the most critical stage. So I will spend more time with that individual on the front end than I probably will that whole year, ensuring that they understand the deep level of sensitivity around the heritage and tradition of the company.

Q. A lot of the qualities you’ve mentioned are intangibles. How do you find out if a job candidate has them?

A. I think one of my strengths is that I have a very good antenna about people. I’ll ask a few things that are probably different from a traditional interview. First off, I want to know what you’re reading and then I’ll ask you why. Tell me what work-life balance means to you. I would want to know specifically their level of understanding about our company and Starbucks culture, and I’ll see early on who’s faking it and who’s not."

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/10/business/10corner.html?scp=2&sq=corner%20office&st=cse

How to Identify Your Disruptive Skills; Harvard Business Review, 10/4/10

Whitney Johnson, Harvard Business Review; How to Identify Your Disruptive Skills:

"In my previous post, I talked about the importance of re-evaluating your portfolio of skills and leading with those that are unique — your disruptive skills. These may be capacities that are so innate you may not even consciously recognize them, or skills you have honed over years of practice. These are the skills that can help you carve out a disruptive niche — consequently upping your value in the marketplace."

http://blogs.hbr.org/johnson/2010/10/how-to-identify-your-disruptiv.html

Five Ways to Sharpen Your Communication Skills; Harvard Business Review, 4/30/09

John Baldoni, Harvard Business Review; Five Ways to Sharpen Your Communication Skills:

""Communication and interpersonal skills remain at the top of the list of what matters most to recruiters." That's according to the most recent Harris Interactive/Wall Street Journal business school survey published in September 2007.

So why do we ignore the relevance of communication until it becomes an issue? One reason may be because we don't take the time to quantify what we mean by it."

http://blogs.hbr.org/baldoni/2009/04/five_things_leaders_can_do_to.html

Effective Communication Begins with a First Impression; Harvard Business Review, 8/17/10

JD Schramm, Harvard Business Review; Effective Communication Begins with a First Impression:

"In this era of double-digit unemployment, many of us are either job-hunting or helping friends and colleagues who are searching for employment. After crafting a cover letter, set it aside, do something else as a distraction, and then return to it with fresh eyes. Imagine you are the hiring manager and this has landed on your desk or in your in-box. Does the letter capture your attention from the very first moment?...

While we may only see scores of business letters in a year, we see thousands of emails. There, the first impression is obvious: the subject line...

The key to writing a powerful subject line is to do it last, right before you hit send, not before you've written the email."

http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2010/08/effective_communciation_begins.html

New BP CEO's Tough Communication Tasks Ahead; Harvard Business Review, 9/30/10

Stefan Stern, Harvard Business Review; New BP CEO's Tough Communication Tasks Ahead:

"Nearly six months on from the explosion which led to disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, what can we say for certain about Tony Hayward's (and BP's) mistakes?

One over-used word sums up their problems: communication."

http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2010/09/new_bp_ceos_tough_communicatio.html

How to Overcome Communication Fears; Harvard Business Review, 9/30/10

JD Schramm, Harvard Business Review; How to Overcome Communication Fears:

"Fear can be a good thing, if it doesn't paralyze us completely from taking action. Fear reminds us of our humanity, keeps us from stepping in front of moving cars, and can activate "fight or flight" reactions so we are not trapped in threatening situations. As communicators, however, we have to become aware of fears that may prevent us from even trying to connect with others in speech or writing."

http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2010/09/how_to_overcome_communication.html

Corner Office, Interview with Paul Maritz, president and C.E.O. of the software firm VMware; New York Times, 10/3/10

Adam Bryant, Corner Office, New York Times; Interview with Paul Maritz, president and C.E.O. of the software firm VMware: Does Your Team Have the Four Essential Types?:

"Q. What are some other leadership lessons?

A. One of the things I’ve learned over the years is that there is no such thing as a perfect leader. If you look at successful groups, inevitably there’s an amalgam of personalities that really enable the group to function at a high level.

Q. And what are they?

A. At the risk of oversimplifying, I think that in any great leadership team, you find at least four personalities, and you never find all four of those personalities in a single person.

You need to have somebody who is a strategist or visionary, who sets the goals for where the organization needs to go.

You need to have somebody who is the classic manager — somebody who takes care of the organization, in terms of making sure that everybody knows what they need to do and making sure that tasks are broken up into manageable actions and how they’re going to be measured.

You need a champion for the customer, because you are trying to translate your product into something that customers are going to pay for. So it’s important to have somebody who empathizes and understands how customers will see it. I’ve seen many endeavors fail because people weren’t able to connect the strategy to the way the customers would see the issue.

Then, lastly, you need the enforcer. You need somebody who says: “We’ve stared at this issue long enough. We’re not going to stare at it anymore. We’re going to do something about it. We’re going to make a decision. We’re going to deal with whatever conflict we have.”

You very rarely find more than two of those personalities in one person. I’ve never seen it. And really great teams are where you have a group of people who provide those functions and who respect each other and, equally importantly, both know who they are and who they are not. Often, I’ve seen people get into trouble when they think they’re the strategist and they’re not, or they think they’re the decision maker and they’re not."

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/03/business/03corner.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=corner%20office&st=cse

Corner Office, Interview with Abbe Raven, president and C.E.O. of A&E Television Networks; New York Times, 9/26/10

Adam Bryant, Corner Office, New York Times; Interview with Abbe Raven, president and C.E.O. of A&E Television Networks: Want to Lead? Steer Clear of Rarefied Air:

"Q. Let’s talk about hiring. How do you do it?

A. No. 1, for me, is instinct, and I have a pretty good track record. And it’s a gut reaction when I first meet somebody, and I very often go with my instinct. To me, it’s all about who they are as a person, their chemistry, their charisma and their gravitas. Usually, they have the experience or, at least on paper, look like they do, but it’s really about who they are. Are they right for the chemistry of our team? Do they have qualities that someone else doesn’t have? Are they going to mesh well in our corporate culture?

I ask traditional questions, but also a lot about how they were brought up, their family life, where they went to high school. I try to understand their family, try to understand what they’re passionate about. Very often, it’s not necessarily about work. It’s about something else that gives me enormous insight into who they are and whether they are going to be successful here.

I insist on breaking bread with anyone I’m going to hire who’s going to work with me. I really feel that by having a couple of meals with someone, you get a sense of who they are. How do they walk into a restaurant, how do they deal with a waitress, how respectful are they to people around them?"

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/26/business/26corner.html?_r=1

Know Your Enemy: The People Who Block Buy-In; Harvard Business Review, 9/28/10

John Kotter, Harvard Business Review; Know Your Enemy: The People Who Block Buy-In:

"In our story, "you" receive some helpful advice in preparation for the meeting, identifying the different kinds of potential attacks and specific responses to each. With the support of others on your team, you're able to deflect the rocks and achieve a successful outcome. After the story, we discuss each of the attacks, what the underlying intent may be (for example, to kill your idea through endless delays, or with unfounded fear that it's too risky), and how best to deflect that particular kind of attack."

http://blogs.hbr.org/kotter/2010/09/know-your-enemy-the-people-who.html

Practical Diversity; Chronicle of Higher Education, 9/24/10

David Evans, Chronicle of Higher Education; Practical Diversity:

"In the past two years, we have asked them to help us define, for our particular circumstances and context, what skills and competencies our students most need to enhance their professional and personal prospects. In both of these sessions, the advisory council's clearest consensus developed around students' need to develop skills in working with people of differing backgrounds and cultures. What is often called intercultural competence, in other words, is for the members of the advisory council on a par with communication skills, critical thinking, work ethic, and integrity as a desired goal for prospective employees."

http://chronicle.com/blogPost/Practical-Diversity/27178/