Readers of The New Leader’s Playbook in 2012 were most interested in 1) getting a job, 2) onboarding into a new job, and 3) BRAVE leadership in the job. Accepting that this is a hugely biased sample given the title and focus of this column, let’s dig into what’s behind those three areas of interest.
Getting a Job
Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com
The most popular article (in terms of reader views) this year in The New Leader’s Playbook was – by far – “Top Executive Recruiters Agree There Are Only Three Key Job Interview Questions.” As people are looking for jobs it’s important to keep these three questions in mind: Can you do the job (strengths)? Will you love the job (motivation)? Can We Tolerate Working With You (Fit)?
In line with this, “For a Successful Job Search, Solve Someone’s Problem.” If what you’re currently doing to find a job isn’t yielding the results you want, take “A BRAVE New Approach To Finding A Job.”
Those looking to join the consulting field need to keep in mind “The Three Requirements For Consulting Success Per Deloitte Consulting CEO Jim Moffatt.” No matter what, all job seekers need to move “Beyond 10,000 Hours: The Constant Pursuit of Mastery” by embracing their own unique talents and developing them into strengths.
Onboarding into a New Job
The second most popular article in 2012 was “Executive Onboarding, The Key To Accelerating Success and Reducing Risk in a New Job.” Leaders must read and heed these general prescriptions to: 1) Get a head start; 2) Manage the message; and 3) Build the team.
If you’re bringing people into an organization to work for you, we strongly suggest you “Manage Executive Onboarding as the Crucible of Leadership It Is.” If you’re going into a new job yourself, remember that, like Best Buy’s new CEO, you must “Earn the Right to Lead Before You Start to Lead.” Also keep in mind “The Cure for Incompetent Onboarding” and take advantage of “New Ideas in Onboarding Thought Leadership” from authors Ed Betof, Michael Watkins, Mark Stein and Lilith Christiansen.
BRAVE Leadership in the Job
The third most popular article was “Corporate Culture: The Only Truly Sustainable Competitive Advantage.” Thus, culture weaves its way through “The Five Most Important Questions For BRAVE Leaders” and explains the popularity of the article “Steelcase CEO On How Office Layout Impacts Corporate Culture.”
Keep in mind the value of intentional leadership and if you “Want To Change World, Define Your Organization’s Attitude.” Start there and then work through the “Three Steps To A Compelling Message” by: 1) depicting the platform for change; 2) creating a vision of a brighter future for your audience; and 3) laying out a call to action.
BRAVE Leadership in Innovation
Innovating and creating customers are the lifeblood of any growing organization. The question to ask is “Evolutionary, Revolutionary, or Blended Innovation – Which is Right for your Organization?” Innovation is happening in the world of education. For example “MOOC Provider Edx Partners with Community Colleges to Improve Workforce Readiness.” And the ever-innovative Sergio Zyman told us about “How To Take Advantage of Coming Changes in Consumer Behavior Through Nexting.”
BRAVE Leadership Day to Day
Who would have thunk that an article on “Five Steps to Turn Wasteful Meetings into Drivers of Success” would have been one of the top 10 most read New Leader’s Playbook articles of 2012? One can only conclude that too many of us are wasting too much time in too many meetings. Need a New Year’s Resolution? Fix this.
Other important ideas are the art of delegating, “Managing Through Complexity as Producer, Director and Stage Manager,” “The Three Essential Questions of Big Data: What? So What? Now What?” and winning at office politics.
We’re all new leaders all the time. So remember all the time that leadership is about inspiring and enabling others to do their absolute best together to realize a meaningful and rewarding shared purpose. With that in mind, BRAVE leaders pay attention to their Behaviors, Relationships, Attitude, Values, and Environment – all the time.
