SELF IMPROVEMENT AND MOTIVATION

How do you make “innovation” more than a buzzword? If you’re like most executives, managers, and HR professionals, you’ve been talking about how to instill a culture of innovative thinking in your organization — but unsure of how to approach the challenge. A recent CCL survey of 500 senior leaders found that innovation is a key driver of success for 94% of organizations, and 77% of them tried to promote innovation is some way. Even so, just 14% said they were confident about their organization’s ability to drive innovation effectively. We expect this gap exists because too many companies invest in structures, programs, and efforts to fuel innovative thinking without also investing in innovation leadership. We suggest focusing on the leadership capabilities that drive innovation. Here are 3 practices: Define a Key Innovation Challenge It’s typically hard to justify innovation efforts when there isn’t a discernible purpose. Innovation works best when it a...

Great leaders are often seen as outward facing — communicating and influencing others as they drive an organization to success. While communication and influence are two of  the “Fundamental 4” core leadership skills  identified in our research, the other two — learning agility and self-awareness — are more inward-focused. Self-awareness can be the most challenging of the 4 to develop, but it can also serve as a foundation for strengthening all your other leadership skills. Leader effectiveness is constrained or amplified based on how well leaders understand themselves, their awareness of how others view them, and how they navigate the resulting interactions. Self-awareness has 4 facets that are most critical for leaders: Leadership Wisdom.  These are insights from your experience that you can apply to the challenges you face. Leadership Identity.  This is who you are in your current professional and personal context. Leadership Reputation.  This i...

Remember that goal you set at the beginning of the year? The feedback you were given? The plan for where you want to be in 2 years? How’s it going? Making a lot of progress? The truth is, most of us don’t get too far in our goals to improve as managers and leaders. We have the best intentions. We want to learn new skills, change behaviors, or accomplish good things. So, what gets in the way? “One answer is that change seems too complicated,” says  CCL’s Cynthia McCauley . “Too much information, too many moving parts, too many distractions.” McCauley — along with CCL’s Peter Scisco, Jean Leslie, and Rob Elsey — set out to solve that problem. The result is  Change Now!  — part workbook, part self-help guide, part inspiration, and 100% a hands-on, doodle-worthy, shareable way to make changes that matter most to you. “ Change Now!  distills the theory and tactics that we know work and puts them into one unintimidating,...

The Skills Managers Need to Be Successful Do you feel pressure from above and blame from below? The constant tug you feel when leading from the middle of an organization can seem relentless. How do you cope with feeling pulled in every direction? Do you have the skills, competencies, and perspectives needed to lead effectively and advance your career? Our decades of research have found that to unlock your leadership potential and make the most of the opportunities you encounter, you’ll need to excel in 3 important arenas: leading yourself, leading others, and leading within a system This white paper describes these 3 critical skills in more detail, plus the 6 essential competencies that mid- to senior-level managers need to succeed. These skills will enable you to manage organizational complexity, lead successfully from the middle, and advance your career. Download the white paper here: (click the link below) https://www.ccl.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/3_Steps_to_...