John Manning's Blog, page 11

������Problem Solving and Other Lessons From the Stuck Ship in the Suez Canal

External and internal challenges are almost impossible to completely prevent. As a leader in your organization, you can take steps to manage it all better. Here are four tips to become more adept at this essential operations and management skill.

Keep Your Focus, Stay the Course���

You���ve likely charted the course to achieve your goals, created sub-plans with strategies that builds alignment between your people and your company���s objectives. Here���s how you can make sure you stay on course.

Answer these Questions to Better Your Leadership Today���

The better you know yourself as a leader and create discipline around your own growth and goals, the more effective you���ll be at leading your teams and the organization at large.

MAP Client Spotlight – 2020 Presidential Award Winner Reveel

Josh Dunham and Chad Beville met at their post-college jobs selling DHL. Both were baffled by the discrepancies in rates and discounts offered to their customers, and soon came to understand that there was really no rhyme or reason as to what was being charged. This led them to take the entrepreneurial path and co-found Reveel – a shipping intelligence platform that levels the playing field for shippers and brings transparency to the shipping industry.

In a conversation w...

Biz Accountability Slumping? Take Charge to Bring It Back on Track.

We’re a bit more than halfway through the year. Life is rolling forward and your business gears are in motion. But how’s your accountability with your leadership, your team and your organization at large? Are you on track?

It’s pretty easy to tell. Here’s how: Take a few minutes to think about what kind of culture exists within your business. To some degree or another, it will fall into one of three categories:

1: A “jail-like” setting: includes lots of mic...

Be Smart About Your Next Career Move

Searching for the “next big thing” in your career can be extremely stressful. But alongside that stress is excitement of the unknown, and the knowledge that you, and you alone, are in the pilot’s seat as you navigate the process and final decision. To land with your wheels on the ground, it pays to spend time on career planning. Disciplining yourself to research the options, weigh the pros and cons, and see how any different or developing directions align with your goals should always c...

Why CEO Professional Growth Is Often Overlooked

It’s no secret that a key to business success is investing in your employees. It’s important to support your direct reports with coaching, training and ongoing education… whatever it takes to enable and inspire them. But how often do you take the time to improve your professional acumen?

Just as with your employees, the more you put in to develop yourself, the more return you’ll get from your investment. Take responsibility for your professional growth and pledge to focus...

Getting to Growth: How to Embrace Barriers and Jumpstart Professional Development

When it comes to developing as a leader or addressing barriers around your business, there’s a really important question to right out of the gate.

The question may seem obvious. But here it is: Do you really WANT to grow?

It’s not a consideration to take lightly. Ever since we started delivering professional development solutions to our clients—as far back as 1960—we’ve lifted up leaders who really wanted to grow. And we’ve worked with those who thought they wanted to grow but, because ...

You Might Think You’re Effectively Delegating… But Are You?

At MAP, we frequently tell our clients “delegate, delegate, delegate”! And for good reason. When leaders learn to delegate to their team members or direct reports, it frees them up to do more of what’s vital to their leadership role and responsibilities. Delegation also enables leaders to empower and develop their people’s skills, abilities and, ultimately, passion for their jobs. But it’s easier said than done.

Delegation can be challenging, particularly if you’re a lead...

Does Your Leadership Have What It Takes?

When it comes to leadership, there are a lot of myths. One such myth is that effective leadership is prescriptive. So, for example, if you have a mix of certain leadership qualities of certain strengths, you’re guaranteed to be great.

But that’s not the case. Why? Because leadership is a journey, a very unpredictable one at that. And so as you move along in that unpredictable journey, you’re going to need a whole spectrum of leadership characteristics, or superpowers. And...