Should you control your subordinate’s every move? (courtesy of River Empowerment)
There are two major schools of thought in leadership and management.
The first approach is the older “Command and Control” style. Here, an authoritative leader uses a clearly domineering way of getting things done. Charging ahead like a bull, he/she will steamroll over anything – or anybody – who gets in his or her way. Instructions given are clear, specific and often unidirectional. Its “my way or the highway”.
Don’t merely listen to the experts even if they look as good as this (courtesy of Strategy of Wealth)
In today’s social-technology-enabled world, customers and citizens alike wield considerable influence over the decisions of corporate and political captains alike. In such an environment, we can ill afford to adopt a “I know best” attitude in dealing with our stakeholders (unless of course we are Steve Jobs and Apple).
While there is a rise in the cult of the amateur, as claimed by Andrew Keen, there is still a time and place for the professionals. I’m sure nobody in their right minds would want to be operated on by a surgeon who is fresh out of med school, or to be rescued by novice firefighters.
There are two modes of cognitive reasoning that are universally defined: convergent and divergent thinking.
Convergent thinking is the one that is more frequently employed at work, in schools, and often at home. It is a form of thinking employing deductive reasoning, which looks at bringing together information that is focussed on solving a problem. Often, convergent thinking is useful for situations where a single correct solution exists. Such modes of thinking are commonly employed in scientific, engineering, financial and other analytical fields (like much of Police work).
MC Escher’s “Relativity” (source of image)
Does success always mean moving up the corporate ladder? What if you can consciously choose to go sideways instead?
Traditionally, organisational progress meant getting promoted and scaling up the rungs of management. However, things are certainly changing in this day and age.
Courtesy of Fortune
The situation was tense. Time was truly of the essence.
A Nordstrom housekeeping staff at Connecticut found a customer bag together with her receipt and flight itinerary in the parking lot…
