A post on BNET by Jo Owens, July 26 lays out the 7 qualities you don’t learn from the leadership gurus. At and near the top of the list are sleeping on planes, working in vehicles, dieting, and working the politics. Yet there are other things that are far more important to success. Let me propose an alternative list, starting with being creative.

1.  Teach yourself to be creative. Perhaps creativity is in a person’s DNA, but I truly believe this is something that is learned and nurtured.  Ask questions: What if we did it this way? Have we gotten to the root cause of a problem? Is our product working? What would happen if we took a different approach or direction? Seek out news and solutions from other industries and markets. Creativity is important in all industries, even financial services. I’m looking for the next wave of new financial products and structural changes that will generate better returns in a “new” economy with much tighter regulations.

2.  Learn how to curate the best ideas, remix and make it your own.  Continue reading…

Reinventing Leadership and Management is a paper in the Ivey Journal that caught my eye. Author Mitch McCrimmon argues that “leadership hogs the lion’s share of the responsibility and credit for driving organizational success,” leaving management with little to do. [Really?]

McCrimmon says that leadership is different from management: leadership promotes new directions – management executes existing directions. He then asserts that leadership is a function which shifts from one person to another. Everyone engages in some management and leadership, regardless of role. ”Companies need to slim leadership down, management must be given more to do. This calls for a major upgrade, making management a more proactive, positive force in organizations.” 

I see that happening now. In truth, it takes more than a bit of leadership to excel in any job. Continue reading…