NEWS: Mike Levy talks with Dr. Henry Mintzberg

"When someone tells you that his method will save a huge amount of your training budget you may be forgiven for being sceptical. But when that person is Professor Henry Mintzberg, you are apt to listen."

NEW MANAGEMENT TOPIC: Appreciative Inquiry

Written by David Cooperrider and Brenda Zimmerman, the Appreciative Inquiry (AI) topic is about focusing on what is working within an organization, in order to build from strengths that already exist.

Interesting Read: How to Cultivate a Peer Coaching Network

This post from the Harvard Business Review provides insight on why as a business professional you can, and should, involve yourself in a peer group coaching session regularly.

ARTICLE: by Phil LeNir - Social Learning and Management Development

By Phil LeNir, 2009, All rights reserved

Social Learning and Management Development
Did you ever wonder how you learned to be a manager? Ever think about the process through which you, and the other managers in your organization, are improving as managers and leaders? It likely doesn’t have much to do with classrooms, lectures or e-learning programs.

NEWS: Creelman Research Thought Leaders - Interview with Phil LeNir on Social Learning

Following is Phil LeNir, Executive Director of CoachingOurselves, in an interview for Creelman Research 'Thought Leaders' on Social Learning.

Creelman Research 2009. vol. 2. 10
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Phil LeNir pioneered the use of social learning when he was an engineering manager not because he was some kind of visionary, but because he desperately needed a better solution to management development than he could find in the marketplace.
Born of necessity Phil has become an expert in the practical application of social learning among managers. In this interview he shares his ideas about the topic.

NEW MANAGEMENT TOPIC: The Power of Social Learning

Our world is evolving at a rapid pace, and organizations must face the pressure of remaining globally competitive. Becoming increasingly important is the need to support continuous learning and the ongoing creation of new ideas and skills. Social learning, especially in small groups, provides a powerful tool to nurture innovation and productivity. As the flow of ideas and knowledge increases within your unit and organization, so does the reliability of the information from which you make your strategic decisions.

NEW MANAGEMENT TOPIC: A Leader's Health Action Plan

Managing is hard work, both physically and emotionally. It demands long hours that often result in less time for exercise, missed meals and unhealthy compensatory eating. This topic examines the commonly unhealthy lifestyle of an overworked manager, and presents simple tools that can be incorporated into the workday to help maintain a healthy lifestyle. Busy lives make being health conscious seem difficult and time consuming; this session shows you that healthy living can be much easier than you thought.

NEW MANAGEMENT TOPIC: Brand Building for Every Manager

A brand is more than its product; it is the representation of the values and promises made to your customers. Branding is traditionally thought to be the territory of marketers, but in fact it is the performance rather than the promotion that builds and sustains a brand. This session explores branding in the hands of the manager, emphasizing how you as an individual impact your organization’s brand. This session enables you to appreciate the concept of brand and become exposed to a holistic approach to branding, so you can better understand and develop your effect on brand building.

NEWS: Dr. Henry Mintzberg makes a bold statement in his Wall Street Journal article - No More Executive Bonuses!

Dr. Henry Mintzberg is known to be a straight shooter with his words, and yesterday’s Wall Street Journal article – No More Executive Bonuses! – is the latest.
In a time of endless discussion about how executive compensation should be restructured, Mintzberg puts forth his own suggestion – “Scrap the whole thing.” His article critiques not just the method through which bonuses are awarded on the executive level, but the assumptions made about the system in general that make the notion of executive compensation constructive at all. These assumptions, according to Mintzberg, include:

ARTICLE: by Jonathan Gosling - From Educational ATMs to Wiki-Schools: Developing Leaders for the Knowledge Economy

The following is a recent article by Jonathan Gosling; it was the subject of a talk at the International Leadership Association's annual conference in Prague, 2009.