Entries from September 1, 2009 - October 1, 2009
EMERGENCY ALERT: Many Executive Careers Will Be Coming to An Abrupt End
Don Straits , Thursday, October 1, 2009 at 3:55PM WOW, sounds like a hurricane warning. Maybe a Fox News Alert announcing impending doom. But trust me, this is real. I have been in the leadership development arena for 18 years, and I have never seen anything like what is currently going on in the marketplace.
Regardless of your corporate position, whether you are currently a CEO or an emerging executive, you could find yourself without a career if you fail to heed my warning. I realize I have been hammering this in my blog over the past couple of weeks—but it is of such paramount importance I cannot emphasize it enough. I’ll warn you in advance, this is going to be a long post, but it just might save your career from certain peril….now and in the future.
Executives Should Think Like Teenagers to Drive their Careers or Lead Organizations
Don Straits , Friday, September 25, 2009 at 10:35PM When I was a college professor, I used to conduct creativity exercises with students, focus groups, and corporate leadership teams. The exercise was simple. I held up a paper click to the group. I asked the participants to write down as many uses for the paperclip that they could possibly think of in a period of two minutes. Two rules: 1. quantity was more important then quality and 2. don’t judge the merit of your idea.
Paralysis by Analysis: The Challenge of Going from Being an Analytical to a Visionary Leader
Don Straits , Wednesday, September 16, 2009 at 9:15PM Analytical thinkers represent a resource and value that is truly extraordinary to our society. They encompass a wide variety of careers from accountants to auditors to actuaries to programmers to market research statisticians to research scientists and many others. Their contributions to our society are priceless from sophisticated software programs to wonder drugs. Every day we enjoy the benefits they have created without ever realizing where they came from.
As a career strategist, I never cease to admire their intelligence and focus. When an analytical wants me to help guide their career into a leadership role, I face an enormous challenge. Sometimes their greatest strengths become a liability in their attempt to transition to a leadership role.