Bestselling Author, Speaker, and Thought Leader. World renowned expert in #leadership development. CEO Zenger Folkman.
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Articles by Jack Zenger
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組織図を下に進むにつれて、リーダーシップの有効性が予測可能な形で低下していくとしたら、どうだろうか。これは厳しい現実だが、組織全体を変革する鍵を握っている。 データが語る説得力のあるストーリー ゼンガー・フォークマンによる、幅広い組織にわたる5万9520人のリーダーを対象とした包括的な調査により、明確で一貫したパターンが明らかになった。下位レベルのリーダーは、上位のリーダーよりも有効性が低い傾向にある。これをより詳しく調査するため、我々は組織の上位3階層におけるリーダーシップの有効性を、「エクストラオーディナリー・リーダー360度評価」を用いて評価した。この評価は、優れたリーダーを平均的なリーダーや劣ったリーダーから区別する、研究に基づく19のコンピテンシーにおけるパフォーマンスを測定するものだ。 結果は顕著だった。トップのリーダーは、直属の部下よりも一貫して高い有効性評価を受けており、その直属の部下は、さらにその下の部下を上回っている。この連鎖効果が、組織階層間の「リーダーシップ・ギャップ」を生み出している。 これが想像以上に重要な理由...
The Leadership Cascade: Why Every Leader In Your Organization Matters Original
Single person away from the crowd standing out with dark shadows 3d render getty What if I told you that the effectiveness of leadership diminishes predictably as you move down an organizational chart? It's a sobering reality, but one that holds the key to transforming your entire organization.
Quantity Vs. Quality Is A False Choice-Here’s The Data That Proves It
Balancing business quality versus quantity balance conceptual graphic for business and marketing ... More concept 3D illustration. getty Quantity vs. quality? That trade-off is wildly overstated. For people whose work revolves around creating, analyzing, advising, coding, designing, writing, or leading—what we broadly call knowledge work—the highest performers don’t pick sides. They produce a lot and they produce it well. Yet many organizations still behave as if speed and excellence are in tension.
Discretionary Effort: Seven Leadership Levers That Drive Performance
What motivates employees to go above and beyond their basic job requirements? In today's competitive business environment, the difference between adequate and exceptional organizational performance often lies in discretionary effort—that extra energy, creativity, and commitment employees voluntarily contribute when genuinely engaged.
Discretionary Effort: 7 Leadership Levers That Drive Performance
What motivates employees to go above and beyond their basic job requirements? In today's competitive business environment, the difference between adequate and exceptional organizational performance often lies in discretionary effort—that extra energy, creativity, and commitment employees voluntarily contribute when genuinely engaged.
Prescription To Practice: How Clear Guidance Enhances Leadership
Imagine receiving a prescription from your pharmacy, complete with clear, precise instructions on how to use it.
The Surest Path To Better Leadership In 2024
Beyond the conventional role of providing guidance and ideas, exceptional leaders distinguish themselves by doing something less common but profoundly impactful — they ask their colleagues for honest feedback about their own leadership style. This reversal of roles isn't just a mere gesture; it's a strategic move that sets transformative leaders apart. But what is it about this approach that resonates so deeply within the professional community?
When Leaders Forget: Uncovering The Failures In Development
A colleague who previously held a leadership development role in a major financial institution shared a recurring tale. She would gather groups who had previously undergone a 360-degree feedback assessment aimed at pinpointing strengths and weaknesses. Following this, each participant would leave with a clearly outlined Individual Development Plan targeting one specific objective.
The New Leadership Frontier: Coachability
A good deal of pressure is currently placed on leaders to be better coaches. However, in following that path, leaders are taught to give feedback but seldom how to receive it. A simple Google trends search shows that the search term “How to Give Feedback” outranks “How to Receive Feedback” by 10 to 1. All the focus on the recipient's success is placed on the shoulders of the coach. Why are we so blatantly ignoring the other half of the coaching equation?
7 Ways to Make Employees Feel Respected, According to Research
There is one behavior that underlies all good leadership: treating everyone with respect. It’s the fundamental foundation of any relationship, and yet many managers struggle to express it. Data we collected in 2022 from 4,849 employees indicated that only 4% felt disrespected, whereas 86% felt respected. At first blush, this sounds encouraging. Those may seem like good numbers. But, in our view, 4% is far too high.
Transforming Leadership Development: Are We Missing The Main Thing?
Leadership and successful business ideas concept 3d rendering of crowd 3d low polygon people arrow ... [+] shape form walk together on white floor color tone image getty “The main thing is to make the main thing the main thing.” -Steven Covey Sounds simple enough, but when it comes to something complex like leadership development, what exactly is the main thing? Is it excelling at selecting the right people? Is it a well-funded corporate learning center with renowned faculty?
Retain Talent And Avoid Quiet Quitting In 2023
In 2022 many leaders faced the “Great Resignation,” losing some of their most valued employees only to be followed by a second negative trend called “Quite Quitting.” The Quite Quitters did not quit in the traditional way but rather decided to avoid giving any extra effort. Having a Different Conversation about Work Managers have frequent conversations with direct reports about their individual work.
The Antidotes For Arrogance And Complacency
Most leaders we know have the assumption that their career will be akin to a musical crescendo. It may start off quietly and slowly, but they believe that as they age, more responsibility will come. Also, because of their years of experience, they will get even better at making decisions and inspiring those they work with. And yes, most also assume that their value to an organization will steadily increase so that their final years of work will be the highest paying.
Challenges For STEMM Leaders Across The World
STEMM is a label describing science and engineering occupations (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Medicine). Much has been written about the lack of gender and racial diversity of employees who make up the STEMM workforce. A powerful example is that between 2004 and 2014, more women earned bachelor’s degrees in science and engineering than men. But this appears to be another vivid case of disappearing women.
Do You Tell Your Employees You Appreciate Them? Original
Recognizing employees for the good work they do is a critical leadership skill – and has an impact on morale, productivity, performance, retention, and even customer satisfaction. Yet, there are a frightening number of leaders who fail to do it frequently or skillfully. Based on an analysis of thousands of 360-degree leadership assessments, the authors show there is a strong connection between employee recognition and engagement.
Viewpoint: Quiet Quitting Is About Bad Bosses, Not Bad Employees
By Jack Zenger and Joseph Folkman September 2, 2022 LIKE SAVE PRINT EMAIL Members may download one copy of our sample forms and templates for your personal use within your organization. Please note that all such forms and policies should be reviewed by your legal counsel for compliance with applicable law, and should be modified to suit your organization’s culture, industry, and practices.
Quiet Quitting Is About Bad Bosses, Not Bad Employees
Every employee, every workday, makes a decision: Are they only willing to do the minimum work necessary to keep their job? Or are they willing to put more of their energy and effort into their work? In the last few weeks, many of those who choose the former have self-identified as “quiet quitters.” They reject the idea that work should be a central focus of their life. They resist the expectation of giving their all or putting in extra hours.
Don't Care About Your Employees? They May Be Quiet Quitting
Radical Candor is based on two dimensions — the ability to care about your employees and the people who work with you while also being willing to challenge them. While some managers use fear to get results, a recent survey from Gallup of 10,000 people in non-leadership roles found that what employees most want in a leader is trust, compassion, stability and hope.
Six Surprising Insights About Leaders And Feedback
It is gratifying to witness practical new research on a topic that has been around for centuries. Feedback is a topic one can constantly research, analyze, and implement new practices. Some of these new insights on feedback run contrary to prevailing beliefs. Others challenge bedrock assumptions that have grown up with the modern conceptions of organizations. Here are six surprising insights about leaders and feedback: 1. Feedback is not governed by gravity.
The Unforeseen Rewards Of Good Listening
Millennial black businesswoman listening to colleagues at a corporate business meeting, close up getty "I have a difficult question we need to discuss," a client emailed my colleague and I requesting an immediate phone call. Once on the call, the client asked the question, and one of us jumped in quickly to answer.
Can Leadership Development Temper The “Big Quit”
Woman fingers with pen writing reminder Quit Job in calendar. Close-up. getty Over 33 million Americans quit their job in 2021. There is currently a worldwide pattern of people voluntarily leaving their employment. This has led to a rash of articles about “The Big Quit,” many of them promising to give the reason why this is happening.
Connecting The Dots That Expand Access To Coaching
Tree Growth Three Steps In nature And beautiful morning lighting getty Demand for coaching within organizations is exploding. Yet certain barriers seem to be blocking the way for coaching to reach its full potential. There is one solution for making a significant leap forward. It involves connecting several dots that have begun to emerge more clearly. I’ve listed eight dots that I believe, if connected, will help your organization realize the big picture benefits of coaching. 1.
Maximizing Productivity With A Hybrid Work Schedule
Handsome businessman having Video Conference at home getty Welcome to phase two of the pandemic work cycle, where people and organizations are contemplating how work will be patterned in the future. The consensus appears to be that there will be about a fifth of the population who will strongly prefer to work entirely from home, another fifth who will prefer to return to the office, and three-fifths who prefer some hybrid schedule combining work from home and work in the office.
Maximizing Productivity With A Hybrid Work Schedule
Welcome to phase two of the pandemic work cycle, where people and organizations are contemplating how work will be patterned in the future. The consensus appears to be that there will be about a fifth of the population who will strongly prefer to work entirely from home, another fifth who will prefer to return to the office, and three-fifths who prefer some hybrid schedule combining work from home and work in the office. The success of working from home has been a surprise to most executives.
The Extremely Curious Case Of Women’s Strategic Thinking
Successful Female Motivational Speaker on Stage, Talking about Happiness, Diversity, Empowerment, ... [+] Success, Leadership, STEM and How to Be Productive. Woman Presenter Leads Tech Business Conference getty I have a very curious case that my colleague Joe Folkman and I found in our data, a case we need some help settling. We invite all readers to adopt a Sherlock Holmes mentality to see if we might collectively find more answers.
Frauen in Führungspositionen: Mangelndes Selbstvertrauen?
Kamala Harris (r.) mit Joe Biden am Ende des Parteitags der Demokratischen Partei in Houston. Foto: MIKE BLAKE / REUTERS Zum ersten Mal in der Geschichte verfügte eine große politische Partei in den USA gleich über mehrere Frauen, die sich um die Präsidentschaftskandidatur bewarben.
5 Ways To Maximize Online Work Interactions
Afro-caribbean woman on video call from home. getty Office culture has changed more in one year than in the last few decades. A few years ago, I shared some research on maximizing brief interactions between managers and team members. Today, my emphasis is much different because the challenges managers face in a virtual environment are much different. Back then, I was searching for ways to make interactions more efficient—and brief.
Are You Guilty of Leadership's Fatal Flaw?
The fatal flaw of leadership can be remedied with an approachable attitude and making leadership a... [+] team effort. Average CEO tenure has plummeted from an average of 10 years in 2000 to 5-8 years today. We recently analyzed data on more 35,000 corporate leaders who received 360-degree feedback from approximately 500,000 respondents and discovered a few reasons why these leaders may be tiring sooner.
Les 6 niveaux d'écoute essentiels pour devenir une oreille attentive
Il y a fort à parier que vous pensez savoir être à l’écoute des autres. En réalité, l’auto-évaluation des capacités d’écoute des individus ressemble beaucoup à celle de leur conduite, dans le sens où la majorité des adultes estiment conduire mieux que la moyenne.
What makes a 360-degree review successful?
By Jack Zenger & Joseph Folkman Too many companies don’t take the 360-degree feedback process seriously enough. Often it goes like this: After shopping around and deciding on a 360-degree feedback instrument, talent professionals administer it to the colleagues of the leader who is being evaluated. After aggregating the data, those same professionals send a summary report to the leader, who reads through it with some interest and puts it away. Sometimes, the review is never discussed again.
Work Futures Update | What We Pretend To Be
Be careful Photo by Josh Frenette on Unsplash 2021–01–05 Beacon NY It’s interesting to be posting daily again. We’ll see if it lasts. ::: Quote of the Day We are what we pretend to be, and so we must be careful what we pretend to be. | Kurt Vonnegut, Mother Night ::: Research: Women Are Better Leaders During a Crisis | Jack Zenger and Joseph Folkman post new research: There has been a lot said about how women have done a better job leading during the Covid-19 crisis than men.
Why Are You Still Working? Finding The Passion And Purpose That Fuels Your Career
Smiling senior employee discussing email with african colleague at workplace, happy older worker ... [+] talking to black coworker joking about online computer work, aged and young managers laugh in office getty This has been an extremely challenging year. My colleagues and I have spoken with many who feel disconnected and discouraged. They lament that their current work has begun to feel stale. Yes, social isolation has compounded that.
Research: Women Are Better Leaders During a Crisis
When discussing the careers of women leaders, there’s a phenomenon referred to as the “glass cliff.” It’s an obvious relative to the term glass ceiling, which describes the invisible barrier to advancement that women often face when they are up for promotion to the highest levels of an organization. The “glass cliff” describes the idea that when a company is in trouble, a female leader is put in charge to save it.
What Makes a 360-Degree Review Successful?
Companies have continued to use the 360-degree process throughout the years because it works. But for it to be worthwhile, the process has to be implemented in a way that engages leaders so they are compelled and motivated to become better at their job.
Six Down-To-Earth Lessons Learned From The Most Effective Coaches
Business multiethnic colleagues having meeting in modern office. Smart business partners planning ... [+] work together. Young businessman with boss working together on laptop. getty It is becoming apparent that the best leaders are good coaches. Assuming that most of us would like to become better leaders, what lessons can we learn from those seen by their colleagues as outstanding coaches?
How to change to become a great leader w/Jack Zenger
We have all experienced a poor leader and a great leader. Maybe even at first hand. We have, therefore witnessed the difference. The difference it makes on the individual employee, the team, the customer experience, and the business outcomes. It never ceases to amaze me how big the difference is between poor leaders and great leaders. But if you are a leader, what does it take to change to become a great leader?
How To Save Your Job: Discovering The Leader's PPE
Focused two young multiracial business women in medical facial protective masks standing near table, ... [+] looking at laptop screen, discussing project details, preventing spreading corona virus in office. getty Having the right equipment is key to success in virtually every occupation or endeavor.
Discovering The Leader’s PPE
Focused two young multiracial business women in medical facial protective masks standing near table, ... [+] looking at laptop screen, discussing project details, preventing spreading corona virus in office. getty Having the right equipment is key to success in virtually every occupation or endeavor.
What To Do When the Boss Gives You Baseless Feedback
Suppose you’re a customer service manager and you’re getting chewed out by your boss, the head of customer service. He’s heard from a key customer who’s unhappy about answers he’s received to a request for product modifications. Naturally, he’s not pleased to be on that end of the call. He probably hasn’t made any inquiries into what might have gone wrong.
Why Does Changing Behavior Take So Long? 3 Solutions To Speed Up The Process
get things done or start doing things now anti procrastination concept on blackboard Getty Years ago, I was sitting in a meeting of leadership development professionals from Fortune 50 companies. One person remarked, “We won’t know for 25 years whether our work will produce any positive results." Many nodded their agreement. Two alternative reactions went through my brain. One was, "How do you get a job where there is no accountability for a quarter of a century?
We Like Leaders Who Underrate Themselves
The Stanford Graduate School of Business asked the members of its Advisory Council which skills were most important for their MBA students to learn. The most frequent answer was self-awareness — possessing an accurate view of your skills, abilities, and shortcomings, as well as understanding how other people perceive your behavior. Much of the research literature on emotional intelligence published in the last two decades reinforces the importance of self-awareness.
The Mirrors Of Leadership That Lead To Change
Diverse colleagues analyzing diagrams together, using laptop, looking at screen, working on project, ... [+] Getty The mirrors in most bedrooms and bathrooms reflect physical reality. I’ll label them as mirrors 1.0, because they are passive, offering no useful information other than the mere reflection of what is in front of them. They provide no helpful independent evaluation or interpretation of what they see. During a typical day, I encounter many mirrors.
The Personal Benefits Of COVID-19: A Crisis Is A Terrible Thing To Waste
Reduce the spread of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the office. Getty The Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Romer observed that "a crisis is a terrible thing to waste." COVID-19 could be remembered as months of painful inconveniences, not being able to leave your home except for a necessary run to a grocery store or pharmacy, and being sequestered with immediate family members for seemingly endless days.
The Traits of Leaders Who Do Things Fast and Well
An exceptional leader we know would occasionally get a question from his direct reports in a variety of forms but with the common message, “Do you want this done fast or right?” His answer was always the same: “Yes!” He chose not to compromise on either dimension. For this leader and for most highly effective leaders we know, making mistakes is not an option. But neither is slowing down.
9 Habits That Lead to Terrible Decisions
Jack Zenger, Joseph Folkman, 12 Dec 04 mins read Several years ago we came up with a great idea for a new leadership-development offering we thought would be valuable to everyone. We had research demonstrating that when people embarked on a self-development program, their success increased dramatically when they received follow-up encouragement. We developed a software application to offer that sort of encouragement.
3 Steps To Making Your Job More Meaningful And Indispensable
“There is nothing so practical as a good theory.” So wrote Kurt Lewin, a highly respected social psychologist, decades ago. A good theory is a place to start. For example, when leaders have received multi-rater feedback from their colleagues, they begin to ponder where their self-development plan should begin. Where should they start? Consider this simple Venn diagram that my colleague Joe Folkman and I refer to as the CPO model.
What Makes Leaders Extraordinary, and How Do We Make More?
Extraordinary leaders aren’t always charismatic. Rather, they produce outstanding results, ranging from greater profitability to better customer experiences and higher levels of employee commitment. On every important business metric, they have the knack of producing better numbers. The most powerful surrogate measure for leaders who produce good results is a 360-degree assessment, which collects data from subordinates, peers and boss.
The Virtues Of Early And Powerful Leadership Development
Senior businesswoman addressing colleagues in a meeting Getty There are several proverbial sayings whose message remains as valid today as they were 100 years ago. “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” “A stitch in time saves nine.” “The early bird catches the worm.” As a consultancy that provides leadership development for public and private organizations, we are dismayed about two things we observe. 1. Organizations are waiting too long to begin leadership development. 2.
A Surefire Way To Improve Your Leadership (But Only A Few Will Do It)
Boss and employee discussing an issue. Getty I will tell you about a new behavior you could engage that will significantly elevate the way your direct reports perceive you. You will be seen as being more effective, trusted, and respected. It is not time-consuming, it does not require learning anything complex, and it doesn't cost money. If done with sincerity, you are virtually guaranteed positive results.
The Power of Teams: A Lesson In Leadership From A Siberian Husky
As we reflect on 2012 at Zenger Folkman, we think of the opportunities we’ve had to observe the way many organizations are able to operate as teams. Invariably, the companies that focus on teamwork and collaboration are the companies who maximize the strengths of individuals as well. Why? Because being a part of an effective team can bring forth wonderful increases in the work ethic and strength attributes of the individuals as well.
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