Archive for September, 2008

I’ll Have the Gain, Please – Hold the Pain

Posted by Nina on September 25th, 2008 under Crisis Management, Innovation, Leadership, Nina Simosko  •  7 Comments

The global economy continues to experience extreme volatility as we digest and react to what is arguably the most severe financial environment many of us have ever witnessed. The latest development, involving the proposed colossal intervention -– a.k.a. “bailout” – by the US government to ease an ever-expanding crisis, has not yet alleviated the markets’ [...]

Small Presentations Make a Big Difference

Posted by Nina on September 24th, 2008 under Communication, Meetings, Nina Simosko  •  No Comments

Issue 50 of ChangeThis was recently released. It is a real milestone in the world of ideas and publishing. If you don’t know, ChangeThis provides a unique way of disseminating ideas — with authors submitting a concept for a ChangeThis manifesto, and the web public voting for those they would like to see published. This [...]

Leadership Is About Skills Not Gender

Posted by Nina on September 22nd, 2008 under Corporate Performance, Knowledge, Leadership, Nina Simosko, Women  •  5 Comments

The current political scene has brought an important issue to the forefront.  Specifically, how, if at all, are leadership and gender intertwined?  While in the past I have written about leadership and women, what the current situation clarifies for me is that it’s not really about gender at all; but rather, it is about skills [...]

Sink or Swim

Posted by Nina on September 19th, 2008 under Communication, Crisis Management, Leadership, Nina Simosko  •  4 Comments

The last couple of weeks has seen some very important decisions being made by the U.S. Federal Reserve. Lehman Bros has been allowed to fail, filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy while Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and now insurance giant AIG have been bailed out. Some of our largest financial giants have sunk, some have been [...]

We Did This Ourselves

Posted by Nina on September 16th, 2008 under Change Management, Leadership, Nina Simosko  •  No Comments

There are some great books on leadership and, increasingly, some great blogs; and there has certainly been fascination with the subject of management and leadership over the last 20 years. Indeed, most generations seek to redefine “leadership” according to their own times. And while each new generation adds to the body of knowledge, sometimes it [...]

More Work Ahead for Women

Posted by Nina on September 11th, 2008 under Glass Ceiling, Leadership, Nina Simosko, Women  •  No Comments

For those of you who are regular readers, you will know that I am a strong proponent of women in leadership roles. I was lucky to be born into a time where it is acceptable for women to take on and excel in leadership positions — women like Indra Nooyi, Lynn Elsenhans, Anne Mulcahy and [...]

Five Tips for When the Going Gets Tough

Posted by Nina on September 9th, 2008 under Communication, Corporate Performance, Crisis Management, Leadership, Nina Simosko  •  No Comments

Tackling issues requires different — and often multiple — leadership approaches. The complexity of the situation will dictate the response. While routine problems are generally solved through experience and expertise, complex issues tend to be tackled more effectively with innovative solutions.
Ronald Heifetz, Harvard professor and co-founder of its Center for Public Leadership, encourages leaders to:

Openly [...]

A Different Kind of Mirror

Posted by Nina on September 5th, 2008 under Communication, Corporate Performance, Innovation, Leadership, Mentoring  •  4 Comments

When you take a look in the mirror, what do you see? Is it the confident, articulate leader that others see? Is it the approachable, open, yet decisive leader that you believe yourself to be? Or could there be another kind of leader lurking in the shadows?
Marshall Goldsmith tells an interesting story about the behaviors [...]

Tell it Like it Is

Posted by Nina on September 3rd, 2008 under Communication, Corporate Performance, Leadership, Mentoring, Nina Simosko  •  3 Comments

One of the critical things that a leader must possess is honesty. Not only in the sense that they ought to be honest in their behavior, but also in that they must call things as they see them [see If You Can Only Focus on One Thing...]. Without doubt, leaders will come upon [...]

Celebrate Leadership

Posted by Nina on September 2nd, 2008 under Blogging, Corporate Performance, Leadership, Nina Simosko  •  No Comments

The first Monday of September is Labor Day in the United States, a day recognized around the world — albeit on different days and terms (International Workers’ Day or May Day in other countries) -– to celebrate social and economic achievement. It is a time to recharge and refuel, and constitutes a yearly national tribute [...]