Michael Lee Stallard's Blog (6)

Why "Up In the Air" is a "Must See" Movie

The issue of human connection at work and in life takes center stage in the hit movie "Up In the Air." The plot follows a business executive played by George Clooney who is continuously traveling to fire people. He views meaningful relationships as excess baggage and his primary aspiration is to become a 10 million mile traveler on American Airlines. A new, hot shot, young, female co-worker proposes virtual firing rather than in-person. Ironically, this same woman confronts Cl… Continue

Added by Michael Lee Stallard on December 27, 2009 at 8:37am — 1 Comment

Leading with the Power of Community

Do you ever wonder how past leaders could have missed what seems so obvious in hindsight? Sadly, most leaders live in an environment that makes them vulnerable to managerial failure. The problem lies in a little-recognized reality of leadership: isolation. Leading can be lonely. Typically leaders have few, if any, high-trust relationships at work. Because leaders have the power to make or break the careers of those around them, people are afraid to be honest with them and challenge their thinki… Continue

Added by Michael Lee Stallard on December 14, 2009 at 8:12pm — No Comments

The Blind Side

I highly recommend seeing The Blind Side, a movie about Baltimore Ravens’ offensive tackle, Michael Oher. It’s worth the price of the ticket alone to see Sandra Bullock’s tour-de-force performance as Michael’s adoptive mom, Leanne Tuohy. What I especially like about the movie is that it shows how the right social environment helps people thrive in life. I don’t want to give away the story so let me just say in a nutshell that it was Leanne Tuohy who reached out to Mi… Continue

Added by Michael Lee Stallard on November 28, 2009 at 11:29am — No Comments

Peter Drucker's Kind of Leader

I don't normally post on Sundays, but today I'm making an exception. Today is Frances Hesselbein's birthday and in her honor I'm posting a chapter I wrote about her from my book Fired Up or Burned Out. Mrs. Hesselbein is the chairman of the Leader to Leader Institute. Recently, she was appointed a Chair for the Study of Leadership at West Point. Mrs. Hesselbein, tha… Continue

Added by Michael Lee Stallard on November 1, 2009 at 2:22pm — No Comments

Value and Visibility of Connection/Networking Leaders to Rise

Michael Maccoby has written about the necessity of leadership systems where leaders with different but complementary strengths work together. The connecting/networking leader is one of the leaders Michael identifies. I just hosted a webcast interview with Polly Pearson, Vice President of Employee Brand and Strategy Engagement at EMC. She is a connecting/networking leader, the hub in a huge social network at EMC that helps people connect, increases employee engagement, energy and cooperation. Pol… Continue

Added by Michael Lee Stallard on April 2, 2009 at 9:45am — No Comments

Servant Leaders, Lonely Leaders and Employee Engagement

In my experience as a leader, a board member and an advisor to leaders, I've learned that all great leaders are "servant leaders," a term first used by Robert Greenleaf in his influential essay "The Servant as Leader." Recently, I hosted several leadership and employee engagement webcasts that have a link to the servant leadership theme.

Howard Behar, the inspiring and wise former president of Starbucks International, spoke wit

… Continue

Added by Michael Lee Stallard on March 30, 2009 at 11:21am — 2 Comments

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Saurabh Gahrotra replied to David Zinger's discussion 'Our Next Free E-Book: Write One Sentence of Employee Engagement Advice for Managers or Supervisors'

A manager should always remember he/she is "on stage"- and his/her subordinates notice every little trait so always exhibit the behavior you would want them to emulate.

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Judy McLeish replied to David Zinger's discussion 'Our Next Free E-Book: Write One Sentence of Employee Engagement Advice for Managers or Supervisors'

As a Leader it is your job to facilitate progress, be the agent of change not the barrier to it.

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Monkey See, Monkey Do: Why Many Organizations are Dysfunctional

From Jim's Blog: Changing Winds I love Leo Babauta’s Zen Habits, in which he writes on simple productivity and life issues. His recent book The Power of Less is a compact and practical guide to reclaiming your life from busyness and inefficiency. I…

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Mike Klein--The Intersection replied to Mike Klein--The Intersection's discussion 'Questioning "Engagement"--Things To Think About'

Hi Ben... Thanks for the reply! Question--what have you seen as a "clear, coherent script" that assures success? And do you think such scripts need updating to address the shifts we've seen in organizations and the marketplace? All the best from…

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Ben Simonton replied to Mike Klein--The Intersection's discussion 'Questioning "Engagement"--Things To Think About'

In my experience, achieving engagement creates huge increases in productivity per person, morale, retention, profits, sales, and every other "devoutly to be wished" result. So it is always worth the effort. But the company person, CEO or executive…

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Latest EE news is now posted for Friday.

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Jeremiah Soucie replied to David Zinger's discussion 'Our Next Free E-Book: Write One Sentence of Employee Engagement Advice for Managers or Supervisors'

Do two things: trust your employees unconditionally and give them more responsibility than they would ever expect; they will rise to the occasion and surpass all expectations.

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Mike Klein--The Intersection added a discussion

Questioning "Engagement"--Things To Think About

In the wake of "The Great Recession" and in appreciation of the changes in the economy and in the nature of employee-employer relationships, the idea of “employee engagement” (“Engagement”) presents an intriguing dilemma. While some say a focus on…

2 hours ago

Doug Shaw replied to Faye Schmidt's discussion 'How often should engagement be measured?'

Interesting question. I'm drawn to less is more, and even that may be too much :) My experience has shown me that the more fearful the organisation is, the more often it seeks to measure as a means to try and stave off the fear. It then often ends u…

3 hours ago

Ben Simonton replied to Faye Schmidt's discussion 'How often should engagement be measured?'

I would contend never is too soon. If you understand what engagement is and how to achieve it, then you know what an engaged employee sounds like and acts like as compared to one who is somewhat engaged or disengaged. Surveys turn people off while…

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Diana Russo replied to David Zinger's discussion 'Our Next Free E-Book: Write One Sentence of Employee Engagement Advice for Managers or Supervisors'

Look beyond generic engagement tools: focus on personal drivers from employees, group them accordingly and align engagement tools.

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Lorenzo Andolfi replied to David Zinger's discussion 'Our Next Free E-Book: Write One Sentence of Employee Engagement Advice for Managers or Supervisors'

The real challenge to engage employees is to gain trust by giving them autonomy to shape their own jobs to their own wishes, interests and strengths but always aligned with an open and transparant organisational vision and strategy.

5 hours ago

Saurabh Gahrotra replied to David Zinger's discussion 'Our Next Free E-Book: Write One Sentence of Employee Engagement Advice for Managers or Supervisors'

Before you start engaging an employee, know him and respect him as an individual first and engagement will follow.

8 hours ago