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Cultivating The Essential Ingredient In Leadership: Energy

There is a very simple measure of the health and culture of any team or organization:  its energy level . Among high-energy groups, we witness motivation by inspiration. There is a buzz in the air. Individuals and teams are innovating, displaying enthusiasm and optimism about their work. In lower-energy organizations, we see motivation by tasks and timelines. There is a sense of busy-ness, but little excitement about the business of the group. In this article, we will examine the role of energy in leadership, including the novel perspectives of a military Special Operations leader who has lived leadership on the battlefield and in the boardroom. Leadership As Focused, Directed Energy When we examine the writings of those who have worked extensively with leaders and organizations, the energy factor pops up repeatedly. Tom Peters, in his book  The Little Big Things , explains that “the ‘business’ of leaders at all levels is to help those in their charge develop  beyond their dr

10 Traits of Innovative Leaders

Many organizations would like their leaders to create more innovative teams. But how exactly should they do this? If you ask highly innovative leaders what makes them effective you are apt to hear, “Well, I don’t know. I haven’t thought about it.” Or they will make something up that sounds compelling. But the fact of the matter is that people who excel at something aren’t usually very good at pinpointing exactly what accounts for their skill. So to find out more, we conducted our own study. We began by collaborating with a respected organization in the telecommunications industry whose leaders scored well above average on most managerial competencies. We identified 33 individuals who scored at or above the 99 th  percentile on innovation, as measured by their peers, subordinates, and bosses in a comprehensive 360-degree feedback survey.  We believed these closest colleagues would have the most accurate view of what made this group of leaders stand out from the pack in this large

5 Things Amazon Isn't Telling You About Selling On Their Site

For many retailers, the thought of going up against Amazon is daunting. One strategy is to embrace the “If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em” mentality — and build a brand as an Amazon seller. But using Amazon as a commerce platform is not as straightforward as one might think, according to James Thomson. Thomson is a Partner at  Buy Box Experts  and co-author of  The Amazon Marketplace Dilemma . He believes that a company looking to win on Amazon must understand 5 specific concepts if they want to succeed: Amazon is not your partner – start behaving accordingly. “Too many brands appear to believe that when Amazon Retail reaches out to buy product, somehow a partnership is being formed between your brand and Amazon. It is critical to realize that in fact, Amazon’s incentives rarely align with the incentives of your brand.” Amazon is committed to building a marketplace with the largest selection at the lowest prices. “While a brand may be attracted to the customer base of

6 Questions All New Entrepreneurs Should Ask Themselves When Starting a Business

Asking yourself the right questions early on can lead to greater profits and productivity down the line. Congratulations! You’ve decided to start a business and  become an entrepreneur . You’ve made your mind up, which is good. But, now you’ve probably got a million questions. That’s a good thing. At this stage in the game, it’s all about asking yourself the right questions. Asking yourself which color your business card should be is not a good question. Instead, you want to ask yourself questions that will provide clarity of purpose on a day-to-day basis, because a day of uncertainty is a day wasted. Another major benefit of asking yourself the right questions is that the answers will lead you to greater productivity and quicker cash flow. These are the same questions I asked myself back in late 2013 when I first started selling grillz,  men's gold chains  and other hip-hop jewelry. And remember, without cash flow, you don’t have a business. You have a hobby. The

The 4 Personality Types of Successful Entrepreneurs

Princeton University lecturers John Danner and Chris Kuenne explain what it takes to be an entrepreneur. Every wonder if there was one type of entrepreneur who is the most successful? I have. So when two Princeton University lecturers came to the Greatness Studio to talk about their new book (about personality types of entrepreneurs), I had to ask. And they told me no, there’s not one. In fact, they’ve identified four successful entrepreneur types, and according to their research, each is equally effective -- but for different reasons. Of course I had to know more, and both John Danner and Chris Kuenne fascinated me with their explanations of these personality types. They identified which one I am right away and gave me great coaching on how I can improve my business strategy. They pointed out that it’s not enough to know your strengths in business -- you need to act on that knowledge, hire people who compliment you in those areas and build your team wisely. We talked

25 Habits of Successful and Extremely Happy People

Quality sleep, big dreams and meaningful conversations are all part of the mix for those lucky enough to call themselves "happy." What's the secret to happiness? That can differ according to the person involved. But we do know that happy people have different habits and think differently than those who are miserable. So, the good news is, if you're trying to be one of those happy people, recognize that that desired emotion comes from within and that you have the power to literally turn that frown upside down by mastering some simple habits. Here's what happy people do and don't do . . . 1. They savor the moment. Do old cliches like "stopping to smell the roses" and "it's the little things in life" really lead to happiness? Yep. Researchers  call this "savoring," which is all about paying attention to the moment. Instead of multitasking and being focused on the past and future and on the present ne

10 Things You Must Do Before Quitting Your Job to Start Your Company

You have a dream but you need a checklist to achieve it. So you've decided you're ready to take the plunge, quit your job, and get your own company up and running. You have an amazing  ">businessidea  you are ready to launch. You're probably excited and nervous at the same time, which is perfectly understandable. If this is the case, you need to take a step back and remember that you simply can't walk into work tomorrow with your resignation letter. Being impulsive could be a huge mistake so you need to create a list of the advantages and disadvantages you will face when quitting your job. If you decide it's still what you want to do, there are a few things you must put in place before you quit.  To help you get ready before your big day of freedom, I've highlighted 10 things you should do before quitting your job and starting your own company. 1. Do research. Quitting your current job before getting your company off the ground may se