Tapping into the power of Humble Narcissism

Sounds like an Oxymoron.....doesn't it.  Can a CEO or Leader be at the same time Humble and show Narcissism?  Some experts think this is actually a very strong combination.

It was widely known that some years ago, Steve Jobs was fired from Apple.  Then years later he was hired back.  He stated that "I'm pretty sure none of this (Iphones, Ipad, etc)  would have happened if I hadn't been fired.  It was awful tasting medicine but I guess the patient needed it." 

Few people would describe Jobs as humble and many feel he was a narcissist.  Perhaps he was a good combination of both traits. 

Read more about the results from a Wharton Professor at :   humble-narcissism

Hope you find it valuable.

     Steve Brody 

How to spot a really good leader

There are 7 things that a really good leader does on a daily basis.  An article from Inc magazine explains these items.  They include:

 1. Never stop giving feedback

 2. Have regularly scheduled planning sessions

 3. Conduct stay interviews

 4. Recognize your employees

 5. Give employees freedom to make decisions

 6. Expose employees to new responsibilities

 7. Have an open door policy

     Read here    for more information

Hope you find this valuable.

    Steve Brody 

8 Steps to a Succession Plan

Many small to mid-size businesses find themselves dealing with the priority of short term urgencies on a daily basis.  It is easy to put off some of the long term needs and say....we will get to it later. 
One of those needs is the creation of a valuable Succession Plan. 

Here are the steps:

1.  Set long term goals for ownership

2.  Establish a set of managerial competencies

3.  Evaluate the Management team

4.  Debrief the assessment

5.  Seek quality legal, tax advise

6.  Create a robust performance management system

7.  Identify Successors

8.  Handcuff your best people 

You can read more about this in the Vistage Research Center  here 

Hope you find it helpful

     Steve Brody

How to be a CEO

Very interesting article from the New York Times where the author interviewed a large number of CEOs over an extended time period.  He found certain consistencies in high performing CEOs.....these include:

  1.  A shared habit of applied curiosity.  They tend to question everything.  They want to know how things work, and how to make them better.

  2.  They loved a challenge.....actually feeling a sense of discomfort is their comfort. 

  3.  How they managed their career.  There was a focus on doing the current job well......not putting too much focus on where they were headed next.

Do these characteristics resonate with you?   Are they helpful? 

Read the full article  here          

Hope you find it valuable.

       Steve Brody 


      Author Adam Bryant,  Oct 2017 

10 Problems only smart people have

Have you ever found yourself talking about or listening to another leader explain about all the really smart people they have? 

While being smarter sounds appealing, actually living everyday life as an extremely intelligent person can throw up some very real but  rarely acknowledged, challenges. 

Author Peter Drucker has said that......Intelligence has no correlation to success.   Rather Emotional Intelligence is a far more important element that helps drive success.  What happens with super smart people? 

  They overinellectualize things

  They are perfectionists

  They are afraid of looking stupid

  They forget what its like to be a beginner

  They want to skip the basics 

Can you relate to the above thoughts.  Read more about this from an Inc Magazine article  here     

Hope you find it valuable

      Steve Brody

7 Signs You're Exuding Confidence

Have you ever met a very confident leader? A person who exudes self-esteem and somehow commands respect.

This person isn’t really different from anyone else, they just seem different because they consistently demonstrate a high level of confidence in themselves, their actions, and their decisions. This person has a presence that most people don’t have. For those in leadership and potential leadership positions, you likely want to be one of these people. Just how do you go about that? 

Here are 7 key attributes from well known Executive Coach,  Marshall Goldsmith. 

  -  Being well prepared
  -  Having effective use of language
  -  Showing Brevity
  -  Having a strong sense of humor
  -  Being generous
  -  Having a sense of proportion
  -  Enter a room with grace 

Read the full explanation  Here 

Hope you find it valuable.

   Steve Brody

The Secret behind Amazon's Stunning Success

...And it's a combination of Innovation & Accountability.  Just how does the Internet giant continue to Innovate.

This is an interesting description from a prior Amazon employee.  It includes these concepts:

  - Focus on customer experiences & convenience

  - Good intentions are not enough

  - Fear of being ordinary

  - Deliver Goals & Innovation

  - No awards for employee tenure


Read more  here 

Hope you find it helpful

     Steve Brody


   Source:   Andrea Leigh     Aug 2017