Leadership

It’s easy to get swallowed up in the day-to-day business of managing your team.

Dealing with the daily crises alone can fill the day.

But ResourcefulManagers are the kind of people who take time to consider new ideas and expand their thinking.

TED Talks are great for reminding you  there’s a bigger world out there.

I set aside some time every month to click  through the latest ones.

Here are five TED Talks that might just change the way you think about work. And make your workplace a lot better, too.

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Accomplished salespeople are some of the most highly sought-after (and sometimes misunderstood) creatures on the business planet.

And, coincidentally, the same is true for great leaders.

When it comes to leadership, it’s clear there is much that can be “borrowed” from the world of business-to-business sales.

Here are 13 ideas to grow your leadership skills, borrowed directly from well-established and proven tactics from the B-to-B sales bible.

In each, we simply substituted “leader” for “salesperson” or “employee” for “customer”, etc.

And they made total sense!

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Most people know Tina Fey as a comedian, actress, writer and producer. Best known for her roles on “Saturday Night Live” and “30 Rock,” she has made us laugh till we cry.

But she’s also a role model for business leaders.

This once self-proclaimed “supernerd” turned sexy Weekend Update anchor has many practical lessons to impart for managers, supervisors and leaders.

These words of wisdom come from having an unrivaled sense of humor about everyday life and being the first female head writer in SNL’s history!

Here are a few practical lessons from Ms. “Bossypants” to mull over:

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Just two years into the job, Pope Francis has electrified an audience far bigger than the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics.

And he’s done it by invoking a special trinity all his own: Style. Message. Mission.

When he touches down on U.S. soil next week, the Pontiff’s eloquent and earthly leadership style will be on full display. It’s one that has served him well throughout his career.

So, what can business leaders and managers learn from one of the most charismatic Popes of the past 100 years?

Especially one who recently warned we all should stop being “slaves to work.”

Savvy management. Consensus building. Keen focus on lofty goals.

Here are seven Pope Francis leadership lessons that prove it’s not easy being the Supreme Pontiff:

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There’s nothing worse than a bad boss!

You’ve heard the old saying: “People don’t leave jobs, they leave managers.”

Well, guess what? It’s true! And I lived it!

At some point, you’ve probably lived it too. And we’re not alone.

A 2015 report from the market research firm Gallup found that out of 7,200 adults who were surveyed, about 50% left their job “to get away from their manager.”

In my case, my direct supervisor was a … OK let’s keep this clean. He was a major, No. 1 jerk with a Napoleon complex!

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Being a manager is a lot like being head coach. Your job is to put your players in the best position to succeed.

Some managers are like Jill Ellis, head coach of the U.S. women’s national soccer team which just won the World Cup. Or 11-time NBA champion Phil Jackson. Others? Eh, not so much.

So what truly makes a good manager? The ability to engage and motivate people.

Not everyone is cut out for it. At least that’s what Gallup pollsters found in their studies of employee engagement.

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What makes a great leader? Just stop and let’s think,
Is it the way that you look or the fact you don’t stink?
I guess it could be, but that’s said with a wink,
It’s probably because you’re totally in sync!

OK, so Dr. Seuss I’m not, but there’s a lot to be learned from this wise man who rhymed almost everything he wrote. And his lessons aren’t just for children either.

Anyone who manages/supervises people, places or things,
could learn a thing or two from the rhyming book king!

Ooops, sorry, there I go again.

Leadership lessons, life lessons, business lessons, pearls of wisdom, call them what you want, Dr. Seuss books are loaded with them.

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The workplace is changing as rapidly the technology that drives it.

Yet there are still a surprising number of stubborn beliefs about management that just won’t change, and frankly, just aren’t very true.

One reason these myths persist is people don’t understand what managers do (and, unfortunately, that includes a lot of managers.)

Here are seven management myths that you might want to reconsider:

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The higher you go in an organization, the harder it is to see what life is like way down there on the front lines.

And heaven help you if you ask someone, because you never know who’s going to tell you the truth.

The longer you are at the top, the more likely you forgot what life is like lower down, if you ever really knew.

It’s a very different existence, even for the frontline folks who love their jobs.

You don’t think so?

Here are 8 reasons you might want to think again.

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