The Secrets of Effective Leadership

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When most people hear the word “leadership,” they probably don’t think of the World’s Most Dangerous Bull. In the 1990s, “Bodacious” was the most feared animal on the national rodeo circuit. He was a take-no-prisoners, World Champion bucking bull.

So when I created a series of talks designed to motivate leaders in the toughest of corporate jobs, I knew exactly who the mascot should be. “Bodacious Leadership” was born.

What does it mean to be a “Bodacious Leader?”

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About the Author

Steven D. Wood is the hallmark for performance, integrity, leadership and volunteerism in corporate America. For more than 30 years, he has worked for an internationally known manufacturer of heating and air conditioning where he currently serves as a member of senior leadership. An avid community leader, Wood was recognized as the recipient of the Governors Certificate of Volunteer Service from the State of Texas for work in his community. He is dedicated to his Christian faith and has more than 20 years of speaking experience to audiences on leadership and faith-based topics. In his free time, he enjoys sailing and has captained sailboats throughout the Caribbean and sailed extensively in the Virgin Islands, Leeward and Windward Island chains. He and his wife of 35 years have two adult children and reside in the Dallas/Fort Worth area of Texas.

StrategyDriven Podcast Special Edition 30a – An Interview with Lynne Lancaster and David Stillman, authors of The M-Factor, part 1 of 2

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StrategyDriven Podcasts focus on the tools and techniques executives and managers can use to improve their organization’s alignment and accountability to ultimately achieve superior results. These podcasts elaborate on the best practice and warning flag articles on the StrategyDriven website.

Special Edition 30a – An Interview with Lynne Lancaster and David Stillman, authors of The M-Factor, part 1 of 2 examines how to successfully integrate Millennials into the workforce from the perspectives of the Traditionalists, Boomers, and Gen Xers already there and the incoming Millennials themselves. During our discussion, Lynne Lancaster and David Stillman, authors of The M-Factor: How the Millennial Generation Is Rocking the Workplace and co-Founders and Partners of BridgeWorks, shares with us their insights and illustrative examples regarding:

  • who Millennials are and their shared characteristics and traits
  • significant environmental factors, world events, and technologies that shape Millennial values, behaviors, and beliefs
  • seven trends associated with Millennials and the impact of each on the business environment

Additional Information

In addition to the incredible insights Lynne and David share in The M-Factor and this special edition podcast are the resources accessible from their website, www.Generations.com.   Their book, The M-Factor, can be purchased by clicking here.

Final Request…

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About the Author

Lynne Lancaster is one of today’s foremost cultural translators. An expert on the generations, she is co-founder of BridgeWorks, a company that advises leaders, managers, and employees on how to conduct business more successfully by bridging generation gaps at work and in the marketplace. Her keynote speeches and workshops have enlightened and entertained high level audiences from many of America’s best companies, including 3M, American Express, Best Buy, Citigroup, Coca-Cola, Lockheed Martin, and Wells Fargo, as well as from numerous public sector and nonprofit organizations. To read Lynne’s full biography, click here.

David Stillman is co-founder of BridgeWorks and one of the youngest keynote speakers to hit the national circuit. He co-authored the best selling business book, When Generations Collide, with Lynne in 2002. David has appeared nationally on CNN, CNBC, and the Today show and has been featured in such prestigious publications as TIME magazine, Entrepreneur, The New York Times, and USA Today. To read David’s full biography, click here.

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StrategyDriven Podcast Episode 30 – The Cost of Not Engaging Employees

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StrategyDriven Podcasts focus on the tools and techniques executives and managers can use to improve their organization’s alignment and accountability to ultimately achieve superior results. These podcasts elaborate on the best practice and warning flag articles on the StrategyDriven website.

Episode 30 – The Cost of Not Engaging Employees explores the cost of not engaging employees; revealing why this business imperative can have as significant a return on investment as most other strategic initiatives. During our discussion, Michael Lee Stallard, author of Fired Up or Burned Out: How to Reignite Your Team’s Passion, Creativity, and Productivity and co-Founder and President of E Pluribus Partners, shares with us his insights and illustrative examples regarding:

  • the definition of employee engagement and what truly engaged employees ‘look like’
  • quantitative level of employee engagement at the average organization
  • why so many employees are not engaged or not aligned with their organization’s strategy
  • activities and costs to develop and maintain an engaged workforce
  • other qualitative improvements higher employee engagement yields and the typical impact these improvements have on organizational performance

Additional Information

In addition to the incredible insights Michael shares in Fired Up or Burned Out and this edition of the StrategyDriven Podcast are the resources accessible from his website, www.FiredUpOrBurnedOut.com.   Michael’s Connection Culture Manifesto can be downloaded for free by clicking here. His book, Fired Up or Burned Out, can be purchased by clicking here.

A special gift for StrategyDriven readers…

We are pleased to announce that Michael has made the electronic version of his book, Fired Up or Burned Out: How to Reignite Your Team’s Passion, Creativity, and Productivity, available for download at no cost to our readers. Simply click on the link above to download your copy of this remarkable book on how to better engage employees; igniting their creativity, imagination, and spirits to the success of the organization.

Final Request…

The strength of our community grows with the additional insights brought by our expanding member base. Please consider rating us on iTunes by clicking here. Rating the StrategyDriven Podcast and providing your comments online improves our ranking and helps us attract new listeners which, in turn, helps us grow our community.

Thank you again for listening to the StrategyDriven Podcast!

About the Author

Michael Lee Stallard, author of Fired Up or Burned Out, is co-Founder and President of E Pluribus Partners, a consulting firm specializing in helping leaders create ‘Connection Cultures’ to form strong bonds among the management, employees, and customers of an organization. Michael’s work has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Leader to Leader, Human Resource Executive, and Fox Business Now. He has spoken at conferences organized by The Conference Board, GE, Google, NASA, Johnson & Johnson and Yale-New Haven Hospital. To read Michael’s full biography, click here.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 39:03 — 53.7MB)

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Rocking the Workplace: How the Millennial Generation is Shaking Up the Way You Do Business

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Recruiters at Fortune 500 C.H. Robinson recently found themselves scratching their heads. They’d weathered stormy recruiting seas when sought-after Generation Xers showed up demanding everything from work/life balance to “bring your pet to work day” to casual dress. How hard could it be to adapt to a new generation of recruits – the Millennials? After all, in a soft economy employers should have the hiring advantage. Right?

Sure. Except for a few hiccups. Millennials (born 1982-2000) aren’t behaving the same ways Generation Xers did. They have a whole new set of attitudes and expectations when it comes to the workplace, and managers and recruiters are once again being called upon to see the world through a new set of eyes to get the most out of this challenging and influential generation. Take parental involvement. Instead of bringing their pets to work, Millennials seemed to be bringing Mom and Dad. Carmen Baas, a Recruiter at C. H. Robinson, commented: “We recently had the father of a candidate call one of our sales reps to talk about his son’s job offer so he could make a decision on whether or not his son should come work for us. I’ve also had parents attend career fairs in lieu of their children who had prior engagements.”

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About the Authors

Lynne C. Lancaster and David Stillman are nationally-known generational speakers, consultants, researchers, and the authors of the best-seller When Generations Collide (HarperCollins), and The M-Factor: How the Millennial Generation Is Rocking the Workplace (HarperBusiness/2010). Through their firm BridgeWorks, Lancaster and Stillman provide organizations with keynotes, training, corporate entertainment, and trainer certification. They have appeared on CNBC, CNN, and the Today Show. Learn more at www.generations.com.

In Tough Times Passion Keeps Businesses Afloat

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In our book, Liberating Passion, Paul B. Brown and I contend that businesses seek passionate people. This matters in tough economic times more than ever. Why? Because passionate commitment converts potential talent into the actual performance that struggling businesses need to survive. Moreover, the opposites – apathy and disengagement – are poor ways to get a return-on-talent (or a return on the ability/energy, for that matter, of our human assets).

Yet seeking to infuse passion in people is misguided. Passion is natural. Capable people abound with passion, at least in the areas in which they are talented. In fact, we see people passionate about so many aspects of life. If work isn’t one of those, it’s because companies institutionalize “passion killers.” Through mediocre leadership practices, dysfunctional teams, poor communication and dispiriting work cultures, companies become passion castrators.

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About the Author

Omar Khan is founder and senior partner of Sensei International, a global leadership development firm. The above article is adapted from his book Liberating Passion: How the World’s Best Global Leaders Produce Winning Results (Wiley & Sons).