THE QUESTION
Leading into 2010?
This has been a tough year for many organizations, wtih fewer employees required to do more with less. 2010 looks to be more of the same. How can leaders iof such organizations motivate their people as they head into 2010?
Posted by Steve Pearlstein and Raju Narisetti on January 4, 2010 1:16 PM
FROM THE PANEL
Doing smarter with less
Fewer resources make all of the basics even more important: focusing on strategy, nurturing talent, insisting on accountability.
Posted by Bill Shore, on January 8, 2010 4:45 PM
Five 'musts' for leaders
You are not alone. Abandon the dangerous delusion that you alone can solve the problem with one wave of the wand.
Posted by Warren Bennis, on January 8, 2010 6:52 AM
Grown-up rewards
If all else fails in motivating your people, follow my wife's advice and give them chocolate!
Posted by Ed O'Malley, on January 7, 2010 10:49 AM
The engaged leader
It is direct engagement - not memos, emails and videos - that spawns empowerment and innovation.
Posted by Bill George, on January 7, 2010 10:47 AM
'Get'er done'
Highly successful leaders are those with the ability to build teams that can meet and conquer challenges.
Posted by Col. Charles D. Allen, on January 6, 2010 3:09 PM
Start with gratitude
Employers should not only express their appreciation and debt to employees but also make good on that debt when business improves.
Posted by Joanne B. Ciulla, on January 6, 2010 1:46 PM
Distributed leadership
Leaders need to be visible, tell the truth, say what they know, and what they don't know, and say it over and over again.
Posted by Deborah Ancona, on January 6, 2010 5:47 AM
Setting the example
Harry Truman got right to the point when he said, "A leader is someone who can get other people to do what they don't want to do and like it."
Posted by Patricia McGinnis, on January 6, 2010 5:42 AM
Fewer followers, better results
Managers vastly overestimate the incremental value of additional hires and underestimate the cost.
Posted by Roger Martin, on January 6, 2010 5:32 AM
Why do we work?
Assembly-line workers during World War II were highly motivated because they were helping to win the war. The same work in peace time would be boring.
Posted by Michael Maccoby, on January 6, 2010 5:21 AM
Don't forget hope
People need to feel that the corner will be turned and that conditions won't always be so difficult.
Posted by Yash Gupta, on January 5, 2010 9:06 AM
The Kindergarten lesson
In a time when external rewards, like bonuses, may be in short supply, internal motivation will be key.
Posted by Coro Fellows, on January 5, 2010 6:20 AM
Winning over the troops
At Agincourt, Shakespeare's King Henry V motivated his 6,000 exhausted, starving men by binding them together as a group and hitching their efforts to a higher cause.
Posted by Ken Adelman, on January 5, 2010 6:08 AM
The scientific method
Execute, learn, modify, improve, and accelerate.
Posted by John H. Cochran, MD, on January 5, 2010 6:04 AM
Well-managed chaos
If cost cutting wrapped up the last decade, this decade should be launched by innovation, stimulated by the friction of diversity.
Posted by Beth A. Brooke, on January 5, 2010 5:59 AM
Motivation from within
Leaders, recognize that the ultimate motivation for your employees and followers comes from inside them - not inside you.
Posted by Marshall Goldsmith, on January 5, 2010 5:53 AM
Alternative rewards
With increased work and no additional pay, leaders must be creative in finding other ways to reward good employees.
Posted by Bob Schoultz, on January 5, 2010 5:45 AM
No ostriches, no elephants
Leadership begins with honestly understanding employees' feelings and honoring those concerns with consistent, direct communications.
Posted by Barry Salzberg, on January 5, 2010 5:37 AM
Got your game on?
Even the finest Kentucky Derby winner needs food, water, rest and encouragement.
Posted by Alaina Love, on January 5, 2010 5:30 AM
Coaching your team
Small to medium-size businesses are carrying the brunt of the recession, and 2010 will continue to be a challenge for most of us.
Posted by Gen. John Batiste (Ret.), on January 4, 2010 2:36 PM
The magic of fellowship
Soldiers do not fight and die for abstract concepts, but will go to extraordinary lengths for their buddies.
Posted by George Reed, on January 4, 2010 2:29 PM
Mission and metrics
Hopefully you right-sized your organization last year. Now's the time to focus followers on your common mission.
Posted by Andy Stern, on January 4, 2010 2:14 PM
Lean thinking
If all you want to do is cut costs, then you don't need a leader; you need an accountant.
Posted by Robert Bruner, on January 4, 2010 1:13 PM
Invest in development
At GE we invested more money and time in leadership development as we laid people off.
Posted by Noel M. Tichy, on January 4, 2010 1:05 PM
What's that light?
Employees need to see there is light at the end of the tunnel and that it's not a train.
Posted by David Walker, on January 4, 2010 1:03 PM
