Eric Jacobson

DECEMBER 6, 2011

Eighteen months ago, I posted the question “ What’s The First Leadership Book You Would Give To a New Manager ?” within the discussion forum for the LinkedIn group Linked 2 Leadership. That question generated 603 comments and 690 recommendations. Some people suggested more than one book. Some during the course of the 18 months made the same book recommendations a couple times.

Covey 92

Covey Blanchard Books Collins 92

Eric Jacobson

DECEMBER 10, 2011

There is an important difference between giving your employees positive feedback and giving them praise. Positive feedback focuses on the specifics of job performance. Praise, often one-or two-sentence statements, such as “Keep up the good work,” without positive feedback leaves employees with empty feelings. Worse yet, without positive feedback, employees feel no sense that they are appreciated as individual talents with specific desires to learn and grow on the job and in their careers, report

Mentor 84

Mentor Report Positioning Skills 84

Eric Jacobson

DECEMBER 17, 2011

Last year, Lynn Flinn of EWF International in Tulsa, OK wrote the following in her business' newsletter. It's so powerful I wanted to bring it back again this year as 2011 comes to a close. So, here goes.Lynn's year-end advice for leaders: • Do something that you are afraid to do. Run through the fear rather than running away from it. • Take a personal risk.

Advice 78

Advice Self-aware Newsletter Follow-up 78

Eric Jacobson

DECEMBER 13, 2011

When you meet with your employee during her annual performance appraisal take time to determine what motivates her when it comes to her career development. Motivation changes over time and changes depending on where the individual is in her career. So, to determine what motives her, author Paul Falcone recommends you ask her to rank-order her priorities in terms of the following six guidelines : If you had to chose two categories from the following six, which would you say hold the most signific

Motivation 72

Motivation Guidelines How To Career 72

Eric Jacobson

DECEMBER 11, 2011

Be decisive A manager who can't make a decision or who can't make a timely decision will frustrate his/her employees. Equally bad, a lack of decision will impede the progress of the manager's team. Some managers make endless requests for data as a way to postpone their having to make a decision. Employees end up spinning in circles, slicing and dicing the information far beyond what is truly needed for the manager to make a decision.

Skills 72

Skills Leadership Follow-up Management 72

Eric Jacobson

DECEMBER 18, 2011

Author Kristi Hedges , in her new book, The Power of Presence , provides these explanations of the roles of a coach and of a mentor and how they differ from each other: The Coach shows empathy through a mixture of tough love and strong support. The coach is not afraid to push you because she sees the best in you. This leader has a good sense of what's going on in the rest of your life and isn't afraid to mention it as it relates to your performance and potential.

Mentor 70

Mentor Hedge Operations Career 70

Eric Jacobson

DECEMBER 28, 2011

Southwest Airlines celebrated its 40th this year and was kind enough to share in its in-flight magazine 40 lessons it learned since 1971. The lessons provide good tips for business leaders. If you missed the full list, here are some of the highlights: Invent your own culture and put a top person in charge of it. A crisis can contain the germ of a big idea.

Airlines 70

Airlines Travel Magazine Crisis 70