Coping with a Personal Leadership Confidence Deficit

“You can’t do this job without cultivating the confidence to deal effectively with people. Fortunately, most of the fears are over-blown and with deliberate actions everyday to show concern, provide help and ensure fairness and accountability, you’ll begin to recognize that the fear was worse than the reality.”

The preceding quote is from the latest “DFS Learning e-Blast” article, “Coping with a Personal Leadership Confidence Deficit”, by Art Petty.

In this June 4, 2012 post in Art Petty’s Management Excellence blog, the author provides 6 realities of leading others and 3 key points to put your leadership challenges in perspective.

This is a great article for new managers going through the challenges of leading people, and a good reminder for seasoned leaders as well!

More from the article:

“Not everyone should lead and if you’re not willing to work on the challenging parts, go back to your individual contributor role. If you are willing to put yourself out there in a zone that is clearly uncomfortable, the returns are truly rewarding.”

Read the short article to learn more!

Mike Osorio, your Dare to be Contagious™ strategist

www.OsorioGroup.com

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Strategy or Execution: Which is More Important?

“…any seasoned strategist knows that strategy is not just sloganeering. It is the series of choices you make on where to play and how to win to maximize long-term value. Execution is producing results in the context of those choices. Therefore, you cannot have good execution without having good strategy.”

The preceding quote is from the latest “DFS Learning e-Blast” article, “Strategy or Execution:  Which is More Important?” by Ken Favaro, with Evan Hirsh and Kasturi Rangan.

In this June 1, 2012 article in Strategy+Business online magazine, the authors argue that both good strategy and good execution are required for sustainable success.

More from the article:

“You need a good strategy to have good execution. Yes, having a good strategy alone isn’t enough to win, but your ability to execute well depends on how good your strategy is and how well it’s understood by everyone who makes major decisions for your business.”

Read the short article to learn more!

Mike Osorio, your Dare to be Contagious™ strategist

www.OsorioGroup.com

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The Ordinary Heroes of the Taj

“One of the world’s top hotels, the Taj Mumbai is ranked number 20 by Condé Nast Traveler in the overseas business hotel category. The hotel is known for the highest levels of quality, its ability to go many extra miles to delight customers, and its staff of highly trained employees, some of whom have worked there for decades. It is a well-oiled machine, where every employee knows his or her job, has encyclopedic knowledge about regular guests, and is comfortable taking orders.

Even so, the Taj Mumbai’s employees gave customer service a whole new meaning during the terrorist strike. What created that extreme customer-centric culture of employee after employee staying back to rescue guests when they could have saved themselves? What can other organizations do to emulate that level of service, both in times of crisis and in periods of normalcy? Can companies scale up and perpetuate extreme customer centricity?”

The preceding quote is from the latest “DFS Learning e-Blast” article, “The Ordinary Heroes of the Taj” by Rohit Deshpande and Anjali Raina.

In this December 2011 article in Harvard Business Review magazine, the authors tell the amazing and true stories of the terrifying events of November 26, 2008 and the remarkable reaction of the Taj employees and managers.  They explore the culture of the Taj and explain how we can think about strengthening our own customer centricity to help our teams be ready for any customer need – large and small.  It is all about the power of staff attitude in a service organization.

More from the article:

“We believe that the unusual hiring, training, and incentive systems of the Taj Group—which operates 108 hotels in 12 countries—have combined to create an organizational culture in which employees are willing to do almost anything for guests. This extraordinary customer centricity helped, in a moment of crisis, to turn its employees into a band of ordinary heroes. To be sure, no single factor can explain the employees’ valor. Designing an organization for extreme customer centricity requires several dimensions, the most critical of which we describe in this article.”

Read the short article to learn more!

Mike Osorio, your Dare to be Contagious™ strategist

www.OsorioGroup.com

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6 Types of Motivation Explained

“What makes people do what they do? Why do some people succeed while others fail? The answer just might be motivation. We know that from an early age motivation prompts us to want to learn and exhibit different types of behavior and stimulates us to accomplish new feats of success. As we grow and mature through the different stages of our lives, we hopefully learn what motivates us and what does not.”

The preceding quote is from the latest “DFS Global Learning & Development e-Blast” article, “6 Types of Motivation Explained” by Royale Scuderi.

In this May 11, 2012 posting on the Lifehack website, the author offers a simple explanation of the 6 types of motivation.  Understanding how you and those around you are motivated, often differently, can make you a more effective leader.

More from the article:

“The real importance of understanding the different types of motivation is in our ability to determine which form of motivation is the most effective for inspiring the desired behavior in either others or ourselves. None of these styles of motivation is inherently good or bad, the positive or negative outcome is truly determined by the way they are used.”

Read the short article to learn more!

Mike Osorio, your Dare to be Contagious™ strategist

www.OsorioGroup.com

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It’s Not What You Sell, It’s What You Believe

“If there is one principle that explains why some organizations — Apple, Southwest Airlines, USAA, Cirque du Soleil, the Marine Corps, Pixar — consistently and dramatically outperform their rivals, it is that every person in the organization, regardless of job title or function, understands what makes the organization tick and why what the organization does matters.”

The preceding quote is from the latest “DFS Learning e-Blast” article, “It’s Not What You Sell, It’s What You Believe”, by Bill Taylor.

In this April 4, 2012 article on the HBR Blog Network , the author provides a quick look at the difference between understanding what it takes to be successful, and truly believing.  Christina, who shared this article with me, had this to say:  “We are getting our organizational to feel.  Sustainable culture isn’t when we can get everyone to say the right words of our vision or mission statement; it’s when we can get them to BELIEVE it.”

More from the article:

“What do you promise that nobody else in your industry can promise?  What do you deliver that nobody else can deliver?  What do you believe that only you believe?

The organizations that can answer those questions crisply, clearly, and compellingly are the ones that win big and create the most value.”

Read the short article to learn more!

Mike Osorio, your Dare to be Contagious™ strategist

www.OsorioGroup.com

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As Technology Becomes More Complex, Design Becomes More Important

 

“Business is supposed to be all about applying hard, that is, quantitative, analytical approaches to management. What then do we mean by bringing seemingly soft topics like design and creativity to business and why is it so important in today’s world?”

The preceding quote is from the latest “DFS Learning e-Blast” article, “As Technology Becomes More Complex, Design Becomes More Important”, by Irving Wladawsky-Berger.

In this April 16, 2012 article on the CIO Journal area of the WSJ website, the author discusses the increasingly important role design, vs. just technology, plays in dealing with an ever more complex, volatile and uncertain world, by utilizing human, holistic methods.

More from the article:

“Advances in technology–faster, more powerful, less expensive–are concrete and visible. Design is subtle, more subjective, more open to human interpretation. But, as our increasingly advanced technologies enable us to build larger, more capable, more complex systems, the role of design becomes ever more important. It is the only way to ensure that our technologies will help us deal with our increasingly hectic lives.”

Read the short article to learn more!

Mike Osorio, your Dare to be Contagious™ strategist

www.OsorioGroup.com

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8 Core Beliefs of Extraordinary Bosses

“The best managers have a fundamentally different understanding of workplace, company, and team dynamics. See what they get right.”

The preceding quote is from the latest “DFS Learning e-Blast” article, “8 Core Beliefs of Extraordinary Bosses”, by Geoffrey James.

In this April 23, 2012 article on the Inc.com website, the author explains eight clear ideas that separate average bosses from their extraordinary counterparts.

More from the article:

“Extraordinary bosses see work as something that should be inherently enjoyable–and believe therefore that the most important job of manager is, as far as possible, to put people in jobs that can and will make them truly happy.”

Read the short article to learn more!

Mike Osorio, your Dare to be Contagious™ strategist

www.OsorioGroup.com

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Three Ways to Ingite ‘A Player’ Engagement

“There was once a time when “because I said so” would have sufficed.  Those times are gone – especially if you’re committed to drawing from the best talent that this world has to offer you.  These are the people with the confidence, creativity and innovative spirits to speak up and maybe even offer alternative approaches and solutions.”

 

The preceding quote is from the latest “DFS Learning e-Blast” article, “Three Ways to Ignite ‘A Player’ Engagement”, by Martha Finney.

 

In this April 2, 2012 article on the HR Career Success website, the author helps managers understand how to effectively lead top talent.  As DFS continues to attract and develop top talent the author’s advice becomes critical.

 

Whether a first time manager or a senior executive, or any level between, you are likely leading a group of talented individuals looking to you for inspiring leadership.  If you follow the author’s three tips, you will find you are along the path to success.

 

More from the article:

 

“As a leader of A Players, you have to be an A Player yourself.  You must bring the same passion for innovation, exploration and personal challenge to your job that you expect your people to bring to theirs.”

 

Read the short article to learn more! 

Mike Osorio, your Dare to be Contagious™ strategist

www.OsorioGroup.com

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The Most Important Question a Manager Can Ask

 

“What can I do to help you be more effective?

What question could be more central to being a good boss? If you want to manage and lead successfully, you’ve got to know what the people doing the work need. So why not ask them? But the truth is, this question is not asked by bosses nearly enough.”

The preceding quote is from the latest “DFS Learning e-Blast” article, “The Most Important Question a Manager Can Ask”, by Linda Hill & Kent Lineback.

In this April 18, 2011 post on the HBR Blog Network, the authors posit a simple but elusive point:  By asking your team what you can do to help them be more effective, you can gain their trust and unleash their potential.

More from the article:

“Once you start these discussions, you’ll find they don’t take much time, except when they deserve more time. And they pay dividends. They build trust, they help people work together better and do better work, they identify and remove obstacles.”

Read the short article to learn more!

Mike Osorio, your Dare to be Contagious™ strategist

www.OsorioGroup.com

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Meet the Chinese Consumer of 2020

 

“Most large consumer-facing companies realize that they will need China to power their growth in the next decade. But to keep pace, these companies will also need to understand the economic, societal, and demographic changes shaping the profiles of consumers and the way they spend. This is no easy task not only because of the fast pace of growth and subsequent changes in the Chinese way of life but also because of the vast economic and demographic differences across the country.”

The preceding quote is from the latest “DFS Learning e-Blast” article, “Meet the Chinese Consumer of 2020”, by Yuval Atsmon and Max Magni.

In this March 2012 McKinsey Quarterly article, the authors discuss changing demographics, new spending patterns, and the implications on companies.  This is one of a series of articles we’re sharing on our growing PRC consumer.  It is important for us to understand the context of this critical consumer’s evolving needs, desires, and behaviors as we seek to effectively meet their shopping needs in the markets where we serve them.

More from the article:

“Many of the changes taking place in China are common features of rapid industrialization:  rising incomes, urban living, better education, postponed life stages, and greater mobility.  Japan saw similar changes in the 1950s and 1960s, as did South Korea and Taiwan in the 1980s. 

But some unique factors are also at work, such as the government’s one-child policy and the marked economic imbalances among regions. Our analysis reveals important insights into the likely demographic and socio-demographic profiles of Chinese consumers at the end of this decade.”

Read the short article to learn more!

Mike Osorio, your Dare to be Contagious™ strategist

www.OsorioGroup.com

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