It’s something many female leaders don’t want to confront in their personal lives, so it stands to reason they would never consider it a positive trait in the workplace. Furthermore, the media often portrays it as a weakness, or it’s used for comic relief. What is it? It’s vulnerability.
The great leaders of our time have had the ability to get a populace enthused about the future, but our great leaders have rarely come from the corporate world. It’s because emphasis hasn’t been placed on the development of strategic narratives until recently. On the flip side, statistics show those companies with strong narratives – Starbucks, Alcoa, Walmart – have the most engaged employees. The difference between a merely satisfied and a fully engaged employee? As it turns out, 100%. You can’t do much better than that.
Most of my clients pay much attention to developing hard skills in hopes of fast-tracking promotions.
Hard skills are essential of course, but if you want to venture into a leadership role you must develop your softer skills. I’ve found that a growing number of organizations prefer leaders who possess sharp emotional intelligence, personal awareness and a sense of service. In my most recent article for Forbes, I share more about the search for leaders with soft skills.
The great leaders of our time have had the ability to get a populace enthused about the future, but our great leaders have rarely come from the corporate world. It’s because emphasis hasn’t been placed on the development of strategic narratives until recently. On the flip side, statistics show those companies with strong narratives – Starbucks, Alcoa, Walmart – have the most engaged employees. The difference between a merely satisfied and a fully engaged employee? As it turns out, 100%. You can’t do much better than that.
How do you know when a negotiation has been successful?
Most people that I’ve advised respond “when you walk away with a win-win scenario.” Each side gives a little, but everyone walks away happy. Some of my clients will also say it’s “when you walk away, having understood that it was no longer a good deal for you.”