Good Leadership [Dec 6, 2024]
This week's highlights: how power creates distance, why in-person meetings need to be designed, and 50 years of research showing women are better leaders.
Hello Everyone, 👋
You’re reading the weekly rundown of what I found fresh, interesting and useful in leadership and leadership development related news, articles, and publications.
What you won’t find here is the LinkedIn echo-chamber of “here’s how to unlock the potential of” corporate BS and other fluffy buzzwords.
This week, I read 78 pieces so you don’t have to - here are my top picks.
If you read one thing, read this
Why gaining power makes us out of touch with the people we lead
Fast Company816 words | ~3.5 minutes to read
↓ why I think it’s worth your time ↓
The distance created by power is rarely felt by those who hold it. If you have an “open door policy” and no one is walking through, do you assume that your team has nothing to say - or do you ever consider that your door might only look open to you? Click for what you can do to close the gap.
If you’re up for more
How Can Leaders Spot And Deal With Toxic Behaviors In Teams?
Forbes868 words | ~3.5 minutes to read
↓ why I think it’s worth your time ↓
The topic might not seem new, but I very much liked the approach taken by this article: starting with 1) how you, as a leader, might be contributing to toxic behaviors, and 2) questioning whether what you see as toxic truly is. Addressing disruptive behaviors and channeling them constructively is certainly not easy, but this approach might help a bit.
Study reveals women excel in effective aspects of leadership
Phys Org403 words | ~1.5 minutes to read
↓ why I think it’s worth your time ↓
A meta-analysis of 50 years worth of research is - again - revealing that women leaders are rated higher not only in communal leadership aspects but also in effective assertive behaviors, such as providing contingent rewards and maintaining clear organizational structure. The findings make it clear: getting into leadership roles and excelling in leadership are not the same thing.
Hybrid Work: Four Key Times to Meet In Person
MIT Sloan Management Review~4.5 minutes to watch
↓ why I think it’s worth your time ↓
In the past few weeks we’ve seen plenty of research on return-to-office mandates and how they’re not only unnecessary but are down right damaging - both to employees’ well-being and the companies’ bottom line. Yes, there are certainly times when in-person meetings are warranted, but - as this video argues - leadership needs to put some effort behind them.
If you’re into AI
I believe that the collection of tools we currently call AI will have a fundamental impact on what good leadership looks like → so I’ll always try to include a few extra bits to cover this topic.
Your AI Strategy Will Fail Without a Culture That Supports It
Gallup1,161 words | ~4.5 minutes to read
↓ why I think it’s worth your time ↓
“Culture eats strategy for breakfast,” as Peter Drucker famously said - and Gallup agrees that this applies to AI adoption. Recently, the gap between business expectations for AI and employee perceptions of its potential has only grown. Here’s the key takeaway: companies don’t change; people do. It’s up to leadership to figure out how to help people through this change.
Thanks!
I really appreciate your time and attention.
See you next week,
M:)
PS: Full disclosure - here’s what I read during the week.