Art’s Updates and Coming Attractions
Note from Art: this is a Saturday update on new programs, blog features and some of my latest offerings. Thanks for letting me share!
This has been a productive period for my development of new programs and information offerings. While we all write and talk about the impact of great people on our organizations, it is truly palpable when you are on the receiving end of that help. Thanks to two outstanding young professionals, Eric and Amber, that are busy helping and holding me accountable to getting my work done, we’re adding new programs, tuning up prior offerings and extending our line-up of information products.
Just a few highlights:
The Management Excellence Book Series:
On Tuesday, I will launch the Management Excellence Book Series, where I will regularly connect with leading, new and experienced authors and share their insights and perspectives. I couldn’t be more thrilled to have Bob Sutton as the lead-off interview, where we focus on his forthcoming book, Good Boss, Bad Boss. Next up, I’ll share some insights from Jim Murphy on his book, Inner Excellence, and the September and October schedules are building with:
- The authors of Strategic Speed
- Gary Harpst on his book, Execution Revolution
- Scott Eblin on his upcoming new release
The format will emphasize sharing and gaining insights from the authors. I’m less interested in reviewing the book, and instead, I’m focused on gaining and sharing insights that can help all of us. While I suspect that my audio interviewing skills need a lot of development, I plan on having fun with this exciting new program. I hope that you’ll join us.
And yes, if you’re an author that would like to get involved, drop me a note.
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The August Management Excellence e-Newsletter
This is the 3rd issue of this new offering, featuring subscriber-only content. The August issue offers up a bevy of suggested management resources, including:
- A feature article on honing your leadership skills to cope with a very new and different emerging business world
- A nod to the late management thinker, C.K. Prahalad in my article, “Overcoming the Dominant Logic of Teams and Executives.”
- Comments on must read books and links to some great blogging resources
- Access to the archived issues of the e-Newsletter
- And a few promotional opportunities from me. (Remember, we’re all in business!)
To sign up for the Management Excellence e-Newsletter, you can subscribe at either the Management Excellence or Building Better Leaders sites (right column, e-newsletter subscribe field).
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Updates and New Building Better Leaders Programs:
I love the feedback that I’m receiving on my on-line leadership and management offerings, and our growing team is both tuning up existing programs based on client feedback, and adding new items. These programs are ideal for individuals or groups and depending upon your selection, they include mentoring and non-mentoring options.
In the spirit of Back to School, there are some new pricing options, and look for the early September release of the program, “How to Deliver Feedback.”
“How to Deliver Feedback,” will include 5 on-line lessons (and one bonus lesson on positive feedback), plus developmental assignments that you and your team members can complete on your own time and at your own pace. This self-guided (un-mentored) tutorial on how to improve at this critical leadership power-tool will be available for early enrollees for just $55. Contact me to pre-enroll or discuss group options.
Look for additional program announcements during September.
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Thanks for letting me share and thanks for your input into my programs and involvement here on the site. Back Monday with the latest Leadership Caffeine post!
An Irreverent but Pointed Look at Feedback & An Update on the Newsletter Promotion
Thanks to everyone that joined the Management Excellence Newsletter list during the past view days!
We succeeded in growing the already substantial list by a whopping 25% and I’m honored that so many of you joined. Now of course the burden is on me to live up to my commitment of fresh, compelling and useful content in the spirit of the blog. I welcome the opportunity and challenge!
I will be recruiting one of my sons to help me with the name drawing for the free books (Practical Lessons in Leadership) and will reach out to the winners via e-mail over the next day or so for shipping information.
Thanks again for your enthusiastic response! For those that missed joining, but don’t want to miss out, the sign up is found in the right column on both the Management Excellence and Building Better Leaders sites.
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Today’s post is at my Building Better Leaders site/blog and features a slightly irreverent look at the value and need for feedback. It is entirely possible that in the course of making a point on why feedback is such a critical skill to master, I compared it to Viagra, dissed the Chicago Bears QB Jay Cutler and encouraged incompetent leaders to volunteer to stand next to a wall with a blindfold on and smoke a cigarette. And yes, there is a message and at least a few ideas for you once you get beyond my slightly off-center suggestions. Since the post is R-rated, if you are easily upset by references to performance enhancement and firing squads, you may want to skip the post.
If you are courageous, here’s the link to:“Feedback-Performance Enhancement for Leaders Without the Pill”
Links to Entertain, Inform and Inspire-And Time for Shopping
If holiday shopping and end of year activities have you a bit beaten down, here are a few reads to inspire and energize and at least one shameless plug for my forthcoming e-newsletter.
For those of you wondering whether “Art has finally run out of ideas for new content,” I have at least three good excuses for sharing some other sites with you:
1. My post today is at my Building Better Leaders site. And yes, it is original content!
2. I love Susan’s post below and I am interested to read the new e-book from Seth Godin. Both of these are worth sharing.
3. And did I mention that half of my family has a birthday during the week surrounding Christmas. I’m heading out in a few to do my part to support the economy. And I’m keeping my shopping close to home this week to support our local merchants.
-Today at Building Better Leaders: “New-Leader? Six Suggestions for Closing the Context Gap.” Whether you are new to leading or simply new to your current team, it’s imperative that you work hard to quickly gain insight into your team’s culture and dynamics not to mention its role in executing your firm’s strategies. I offer Six Suggestions to help you with this important task.
-At Random Acts of Leadership: 5 Ways to Lead the Way to Holiday Miracles. If Susan Mazza doesn’t inspire you during this season, then you might be a good candidate for a Scrooge award.
-From Seth Godin and 70 other “Big Thinkers”, a free e-book entitled “What Matters Now.” I’ve just downloaded my copy, and I’m excited to mine the many ideas for some personal and professional gold.
-And for a fun time-out, check out the chart at Baldrige.com to determine if you or someone on your shopping list is a True Geek. It is disturbing to discover that I fit in several geek categories!
Oh, and I almost forgot…there’s still time to opt-in to the new Management Excellence/Building Better Leaders Newsletter and possibly win a book. The promotion ends at midnight on December 16th. See my post for the promotion rules. I’m looking forward to offering fresh, original content and featuring some great guest contributors as we move into the new year!
Building Better Leaders: What’s in a Name?
When developing the Building Better Leaders concept, a number of advisors suggested that given my vision and target audiences, the name was too limiting.
My response…balderdash! (I’ve always wanted to use that word in a post!)
My vision is to help individuals in a wide variety of professions develop as leaders AND as senior contributors. The planned program for Marketing and Event Managers on High Performance Event Marketing practices has little to do with core leadership practices and everything to do with developing and employing tools of senior contributors. The same goes for future course on business planning, small business marketing and strategy.
On the other hand, as readers of the Management Excellence blog know, I put a great deal of emphasis on the development of leadership skills whether you lead formally or not. Frankly, the same skills and thought-processes and approaches that we associate with effective leaders are powerful tools for individual contributors and informal leaders.
And of course, core leadership training for those considering this formal role…those in it for the first time or those looking to develop as senior leaders, are important components of the current and planned future program development.
At the end of the day, my goal is to provide professional audiences with a development experience that exceeds that of traditional training…and to do it in a way that provides you complete flexibility and at a price that is never a stopping point.
The name has “leaders” in it, and I’ll certainly infuse all of the programs with leadership practices and effective leadership thinking, but at the end of the day, this is all about Building Better Professionals…one at a time. I’m looking forward to serving and to helping you build your career!
-Art
Welcome to the Building Better Leaders Blog!
I questioned my own sanity for a few minutes after I had decided to take on another writing commitment beyond my main blog site: Management Excellence.
After a few minutes of thinking about it, I recognized that a dedicated blog was in keeping with my intent here at Building Better Leaders and decided to move beyond my apprehensions.
First, Some Context for Building Better Leaders:
After spending several years of my life dedicated to helping motivated professionals in a variety of fields (product managers, project managers, technical professionals, non-profit professionals, marketers, first-time leaders) discover and develop as leaders and senior contributors, I recognized that I needed to find a platform that enabled me to reach more people faster and more efficiently and affordably than the horribly inefficient and expensive traditional training model.
And I did not want to sacrifice the personal contact. Thus, the idea for Building Better Leaders was born.
The approach that I’ve established allows me to:
- Deliver practical, actionable content via audio, video, visuals & documents.
- Provide developmental assignments that reinforce core concepts and provide practice with the approaches and tools.
- Develop and maintain personal contact with clients and to sustain a mentoring experience over a sustained period.
Frankly, this concept rocks. No more 2-day training sessions that yield a binder and a big price tag and little else. Instead, I offer you real-world approaches and tools, workplace-based assignments and coaching, mentoring and feedback.
Over time, I plan on adding group discussion functions, social networking capabilities and of course, a lot of additional programs for very specific audiences. The type of action-oriented, professional development programs that you cannot replicate in a training course.
The Role of the Building Better Leaders Blog:
The posts here at Building Better Leaders will be 100% focused on helping you get things done.
This blog is for professionals looking to develop and advance…and searching for ideas and solutions that they can use ten minutes after reading the post. Expect ideas, tips, tricks, how to’s, lists and plenty of challenges for you to make it happen and to drive results for you, your team and your organization.
And while Management Excellence offers a broader editorial range for my business writing, I will from time to time cross-reference and cross-pollinate both venues with the same relevant posts. Those will be the exception however, not the rule. The Building Better Leaders content will remain on balance, original.
My Target Audience Here:
Anyone professional, young or experienced, that is motivated to improve their personal, team and organizational performance and is not afraid to be challenged.
Of course, turn-about is fair play, and I look forward to being professionally challenged by you to keep providing materials and programs that make a difference.
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Welcome to Building Better Leaders. Let the work of becoming great begin! One person, one post and one program at a time.
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