In a recent Harvard Business blog post, author William (Bill) Taylor, describes the experiment executed by two top CEOs on Fortune Magazine’s Best Companies to Work For list.  Maxine Clark, founder and CEO of Build-a-Bear Workshop, and Kip Tindell, co-founder and CEO of the Container Store switched places for the day and were able to gain much insight into how they can better run their own companies.

Taylor describes how many business leaders look outside their industries for the newest ideas and processes that easily transfer into revolutionary concepts that can challenge current misconceptions or assumptions.  “Strategies and practices that are routine in one market segment can be revolutionary when they migrate to another, especially when those ideas challenge the prevailing assumptions that have come to define so many market segments,” Taylor writes.

Read the full article here.

As leaders, we have to continually scan the horizons for new ideas, new forms of communication, new techniques, and creative ways to work with our people, our companies, and our goals.  This example is a great way to give/receive an outside perspective for your company.  If you need help, ask for it.  Talk with other CEOs and maybe trade places with them!  That’s how good leaders become great leaders and how we can all reach our full human potential!

During my internship at a large, prestigious training hospital, I had a patient whose surgery left her worse off than had she never had the surgery. Because the mishap landed her on a respirator for six months flat on her back, the mistake in her family’s eyes was indeed life-threatening.  I overheard them talking one day, saying, “If we don’t soon get an explanation and apology, we’ll sue!” A week later, the family spoke openly about how much they appreciated the sincere apology and honest admission of a misplaced incision. “It was a human mistake,” they conceded.  Still, I imagine there are times when apologies and explanations are given to harsh, unforgiving ears. Humanistic leadership is a two-way street.

Once we hear CEO Toyoda speak before a Congressional hearing, how will we respond? I have a notion that we’ll see a more timely response to future accident reports, assuming Toyoda offers a transparent account of where he and his team failed the public and how the enactment of new policies will preclude a similar future public outrage.  This may be exactly the crisis Toyoda himself needs to start him on a path of more enlightened leadership.

William George, Harvard Business professor wrote his take on the crisis Toyota is currently experiencing in a recent blog post this week.  To read the full story, click here.  George details Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda’s actions of hiding and avoiding the true problems have created a leadership crisis for his company.  It’s too soon to tell how long a recovery make take or how successful that recovery will be for Toyota.  To help Akio Toyoda, George offers his advice, based on his recent book, 7 Lessons for Leading in Crisis.

How do you feel Akio Toyoda handled himself and the media during this challenging time?  What did he do that was good; what should he have done differently?

CBS has created a new reality show, Undercover Boss,  in which the CEOs of large companies, go undercover as an entry level new employee to learn how the front line employees experience work.

Not a fan of reality TV?  BNET author, Steve Tobak, isn’t either, but he watched anyway and learned a great deal.  Tobak writes, “Now, my initial impression of the concept was “nice idea on paper, train wreck in practice.” I’ve seen CEOs in the trenches; it’s not a pretty sight. Trained in problem-solving, they tend to hone in on what’s wrong: incompetent employees, their “good intentions” botched by middle management, their grandiose plans failing in practice.

The show begins with Larry O’Donnell (pictured), president and COO of Waste Management — a $13 billion company — telling his senior leadership team that he’s going undercover to find out what effect their aggressive cost-cutting and restructuring is actually having in the field.”

Miss the episode?  Watch the full show here.

Tobak goes on to write about the experience O’Donnell had while undercover and the update since he taped the show one year ago.  Check out the follow up interview here.

Would you be interested in going undercover at your company?  What information would you learn?  As leaders, we need to know how the decisions made at the very top effect the front line employees.  We can’t lose sight of the daily operations for our team, or we will wander off course. Contact Us and we’ll be happy to discuss how we can help you go undercover and collect valuable information for your company that will help you as the leader!

The Leadership Trust® is a behavioral science firm specializing in both leadership and organizational development as well as all aspects of performance management, placing special emphasis on emotional intelligence and self-awareness. We personalize all workshops according to the wellness needs of our participants and those whom they impact, and we customize all consulting services to meet organizational goals based upon comprehensive assessments as needed. Our ultimate mission is to contribute towards a kinder, gentler world through the growth of the human spirit.

Picture courtesy of BNET.

Olympic coaches and successful leaders are both familiar with performance management.  As a leader, that is our job.  We are responsible for getting all the pieces of our organization to fit together cohesively for the success of everyone.  We are tasked with developing our resources-  our human capital- to the best of their ability, so they can compete in the marketplace for us.  Much like the Olympic athletes have undergone many years of training, we too, should put in the time for our employees to develop and to grow in their skills so they are at their best.

So let’s all watch the 2010 Olympic games with a new appreciation for what it takes to be a good leader!  To learn more about the 2010 Olympic games, visit the official website.

She describes The Levity Project as “a social movement to foster buoyancy, laughter, play, and freedom as the new paradigm in social design.  We engage in public acts of levity in which people gather in a flash setting to en-lighten the energy of a public place and those within it.  They are designed to foster a sense of lightness and connection to all who are present.

The goal is to bring people together who see themselves as agents of change toward creating a an upward spiral of positivity in our world.  We want to  create a deeper understanding that joy, play, laughter, and freedom are integral to individual and collective success.”

We visited The Levity Project website and loved the videos of the project in action!  Check out the website to learn more.

You can also read Lance’s Blog where he interviews Katie about her passion for laughter and choosing to be positive.

How do we bring this into the workplace?  Mike Shoemaker, author on Social Earth blog has a great perspective of who builds the fun company culture in the corporate world- the leaders.  In his recent post “What Could Corporate America Possibly Teach the Social Sector about Organizational Culture?” Mike tells how he was pleasantly surprised to learn that corporate America doesn’t always mean drones and robots, but can also mean a sense of community and openness.  Mike says, “Most of all, always remember that senior leadership drives org culture.  Lead by example. Do good work, but don’t forget to have fun.”

Sudden Hearing Loss Results in Career Nightmare AND Big Walk4Hearing™ Results

“Eighteen years ago I fell asleep with normal hearing and woke up with a severe hearing loss in both ears. I listened intently as the doctor told me I had Meniere’s disease, non-dizzy type, severe loss category. I was immediately fitted with hearing aids and exposed to a world of warped sounds and multiple requests for people to repeat what they were saying…”

Read the full article here.

Grinstead’s hypnosis helps people with sales skills (including selling yourself), career goals, motivation, confidence, public speaking, weight control, and smoking, among many others.  See the full list of services on David’s website.

Grinstead joined The Leadership Trust® as an adjunct faculty member in September 2009.  He sees clients in Burlington and Durham.  Of his joining the TLT team, Doc Holly says, “We’re excited to offer David’s hypnosis services as part of our expanding programs.  We aim to help people in not only leadership, but in their daily lives as well.  Hypnosis fits naturally into our expansion plans.”

Blog author Terry Starbucker writes his top 10 list of how to start a great year on this blog.  Click the link above to read the full list.

The Leadership Trust has been in the throes of kicking off a great 2010 with full expectation of creating greater fun and profit for not only our clients but ourselves as well.  We are more focused than ever and have “hope with a backbone” that 2010 will catapult 2009 into total oblivion.  Dr. Kathy Sturgis created an amazing team building/strategic planning session designed to stretch our potential to compelling performance.  We are no different from any organization – we want the freshness of ideas coming from within and beyond our own walls.  If you’re looking for a jump start, call us, 1-888-313-2570.

by where you start as by whether you start.”

-John C. Maxwell in “Talent is Never Enough”

It’s the new year, and it’s time to start something new.  Start making strides towards those goals you have set for yourself, for your family, for your business.  How did you get started on a task that seemed overwhelming? 

The Conference Board suggests that potential reasons for the dissatisfaction are:

• Fewer workers consider their jobs to be interesting.
• Incomes have not kept up with inflation.
• The soaring cost of health insurance has eaten into workers’ take-home pay.

Doc Holly says, “Downsizing and restructuring have been prolific corporate events long before the economy went south, and the resulting stress of fewer people doing more seems to be at the crux of this mounting workforce disengagement, a major threaten to the necessary team play that underscores which company cultures can best manage competition in the marketplace. The Leadership Trust® has noticed more recently the surge in requests for leadership/emotional intelligence training to address morale issues related to people reacting in fear toward a stressed and/or intimidating manager.”

Want to weigh in on your opinion?  Cast your vote on MSNBC’s poll, “Are You Satisfied with Your Job?”

What does your company do to help ensure your employees are engaged and satisfied?