Sampras: a champion's set of truisms
Luckily for Pete Sampras, he realized early in his tennis career that his opponent wasn’t beating him. Sampras was beating himself. It wasn’t just that he’d played badly, Sampras says now. “I also played without heart, which is a greater sin.” Later in his career, Sampras, while always cool-headed, saw reality with rare objectivity. He lists five truisms as mostly fair and all realistic, starting with "You're only as good as your last win..." Read More.
LEADERSHIP TIP
Don’t be afraid to hire the ‘over-qualified’ applicant. Adman David Ogilvy gave this advice, "If you always hire people who are smaller than you are, we shall become a company of dwarfs. If, on the other hand, you always hire people who are bigger than you are, we shall become a company of giants."
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Scott Eblin
The Next Level
3 bad habits of fake leaders -- and how to avoid them
As we enter the height of the political season in the U.S. candidate debates and speeches seem to offer a symposium in how to fake being real. Here are three ways to avoid showing up as a leader who’s only pretending to be real:
Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School
Negotiation Coach
Confronting your critics
Q. A group of nonprofit organizations and community activists has organized a campaign against our company. They’ve made all kinds of outrageous claims about the safety of our products ... I’ve been asked to meet with the group directly. Is this a good idea?
Marie McIntyre, Ph.D.
Ask the Coach
Do 2 'mismatched' jobs in 1 year label me a job hopper?
Question: “I recently lost a job after six months because management said I was a ‘mismatch.’ Although I found another job immediately, it is not something I want to do long-term. I like my supervisor and co-workers, but I don’t enjoy the work...
Gen. Marshall's two words of advice
As World War II came to an end, Secretary of State George Marshall told the State Department’s director of policy planning, George Kennan, to get his team together and come up with an economic relief plan for Europe. Marshall didn’t become bogged down in telling Kennan how to do his job. But he did offer “two deeply serious and unforgettable words,” says Kennan. “Avoid trivia.”
A Renaissance tale of hiring right
In the early years of the Medici banking empire, which established commerce throughout Europe and later funded the greatest art of the Italian Renaissance, its founders had to set some ground rules. Still, it became clear immediately that however terrific the rules, staffing is always most important. Then as now, you need honest and astute managers.
Her truth keeps marching on
With a legacy as author of “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” and as a thought leader, Julia Ward Howe influenced the course of the Civil War.
Align their goals with yours
Your essential job as a leader is to help your people reach their own goals in service of the organization’s goals. That’s why you need to set goals collaboratively. Three reasons:
