KACHARAGADLA

In business,  leaders  often throw around terms like “transparency” and “clarity” casually and without consequence, as though the mere process of paying lip service to such concepts is sufficient to convince customers and employees alike. In reality, very few leaders practice true transparency within their organizations, and even less do it with their customers. Clear and transparent communication are not simple skills that can be adopted and then dropped at the first sign of trouble, but rather must be practiced in thought, word, and deed. Without a culture of transparency, organizations quickly come unglued and little bumps—like an angry client or misinformed employee—turn into mountains. But with busy schedules, seemingly endless task-lists and diverse clients and personnel, creating a smooth flow of communication can be a challenge. No one is perfect when it comes to transparent leadership, and I’ve had my share of shortcomings in my role as CEO of  BodeTree . The key

The visionary Apple co-founder was also a master storyteller who used narratives to motivate his team. Steve Jobs knew the power of storytelling better than almost any entrepreneur. In the new book  Illuminate: Ignite Change Through Speeches, Stories, Ceremonies, and Symbols ,  co-authors Nancy Duarte, CEO of Silicon Valley design firm Duarte, and communications expert Patti Sanchez share how leaders like Jobs have used creative communication methods to bring about change. Here are four innovative ways Jobs inspired Apple's employees with compelling stories, as cited in the book. 1. The ceremony. Jobs was known for using symbolic gestures at Apple, like having the signatures of every member of the original Macintosh team engraved on the inside of every Mac (the way artists sign their work), but he also used ceremonies to help forward his agenda. For example, when he wanted the company to forget about Mac OS 9 and move on to Mac OS X, he held a mock funeral for Mac O

A recent international study surveyed more than 500 business leaders and asked them what sets great employees apart. The researchers wanted to know why some people are more successful than others at work, and the answers were surprising; leaders chose “personality” as the leading reason. Notably, 78% of leaders said personality sets great employees apart, more than cultural fit (53%) and even an employee’s skills (39%). “We should take care not to make the intellect our God; it has, of course, powerful muscles, but no personality.” –Albert Einstein The problem is, when leaders say ‘personality’ they don’t understand what they’re referring to. Personality consists of a stable set of preferences and tendencies through which we approach the world. Being introverted or extroverted is an example of an important personality trait. Personality traits form at an early age and are fixed by early adulthood. Many important things about you change over the course of your lifetime,

With the passing of my dear friend  Stephen R. Covey , I have been taking some time to consider many of the greatest business leaders who are wielding strong influence on the business world we live in today. I’d like to present my personal top 10 list of the people I consider most influential in terms of innovative thinking, focus on customers, and their desire to serve the less-fortunate, which is a strong and continual interest of mine. Without further ado and in no particular order, I present to you my personal Top 10: 1.  Jeff Bezos ,  Amazon –  Jeff Bezos  is a pioneer in world of internet commerce, and was instrumental in defining this space that is now defining many aspects of the internet world. It is Jeff Bezos who innovated the concept of “predictive analytics”–recommending products to customers based on search history and buying habits. Whether you like the concept or you hate it, the idea has made online commerce more profit rich and efficient, and is making

Great minds give you the benefit of their experience. It happens to even the most seasoned of entrepreneurs. You’ve built momentum for your latest project, you’re excited to embrace new challenges and you’ve visualized success at the end of the road. But all of a sudden an unexpected problem stops you dead in your tracks -- and this one seems impossible to solve. Yes, major hurdles are disheartening, and they’re often unavoidable. But the way you engage with and think about problems directly influences your ability to solve them. Here’s how some of the world’s smartest people think about problems and how you can learn to overcome them. “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.” – Albert Einstein “Problems are not stop signs, they are guidelines.” – Robert H. Shuller “All problems become smaller when you confront them instead of dodging them.” – William F. Halsey  “Not everything that is faced can be changed. But nothin