Recent Articles From EvanCarmichael.com http://www.evancarmichael.com/ http://www.evancarmichael.com/Leadership/4095/Light-Employees-Passion-for-Jobs.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Leadership/4095/Light-Employees-Passion-for-Jobs.html The door to positive and permanent change opens from the inside rather than being absorbed from the outside. Each of us has a purpose and a challenge, but we must uncover it to bring passion to the surface. Managers who ask workers what they “want” to do instead of what they “can” do are better equipped to put people in the right positions. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Leadership/4095/Anatomy-of-a-Vision-Statement.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Leadership/4095/Anatomy-of-a-Vision-Statement.html We can do many things well, but we can't do all things well. A carefully considered and articulated vision helps us know who we are and who we aren't, what we do successfully and what we don't, what we should take on and what we should gladly drop. The alternative - mindless meandering - is a sorry fate. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Leadership/4095/Passion-Trumps-EngagementAnd-Annihilates-Satisfaction.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Leadership/4095/Passion-Trumps-EngagementAnd-Annihilates-Satisfaction.html Employee satisfaction may not be a bad thing, but it could be a huge distraction from giving people what they really need at the core - to make a difference, to do valuable work, to count. And it could be a bad thing if it shrinks people's souls and the organization's performance. With regard to people, passion does indeed trump engagement. And it annihilates satisfaction. And really, everything else. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Leadership/4095/Powersharing-Trumps-Empowerment.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Leadership/4095/Powersharing-Trumps-Empowerment.html We want to win the hearts and minds of our people, but we don't want to stop there. We want them to do something with their hearts and minds, to use them to open new doors, to put them into action to help their Brothers and others who cross their paths. Powersharing. We can do it with our direct reports, our team members, and our organizations. Instead of doing something to them (empowerment) we can do something with them (powersharing). http://www.evancarmichael.com/Leadership/4095/To-Real-Leadership-Alignment-is-Everything.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Leadership/4095/To-Real-Leadership-Alignment-is-Everything.html It's easy to talk about change, because this makes us feel good. But it's hard to actually change, because changing is difficult and can make us feel bad. Great leadership finds a way to pull people together around a few great, unifying ideas that will allow them to go beyond surviving change, and creates an environment where change can be welcomed and exploited for the common good. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Leadership/4095/Competing-with-Bigger-Business.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Leadership/4095/Competing-with-Bigger-Business.html How do we compete with big business? Given the size advantage, how can we win? The first key is being the right size—right for your customers, right for your market positioning, right for accomplishing your vision, mission and strategy. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Leadership/4095/Managing-Through-the-Power-of-Paradox.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Leadership/4095/Managing-Through-the-Power-of-Paradox.html We thought things were better than they were. We were sure things would be better than they are. But here we are—in meltdown. We need to use the leadership paradoxes to win. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Leadership/4095/WholeLife-Symmetry-When-WorkLife-Balance-Doesnt-Work.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Leadership/4095/WholeLife-Symmetry-When-WorkLife-Balance-Doesnt-Work.html We can try to be balanced—spending equal, predetermined amounts of time in each area of life—but still burn out if we have missed doing the right kinds of things at the right times. We don’t need balance; we need symmetry. In a symmetrical life, no component is more or less important than it should be, there is a correct proportion of the moving parts, and there is harmony. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Leadership/4095/THE-TABLE-STAKES-FOR-GREAT-LEADERSHIP.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Leadership/4095/THE-TABLE-STAKES-FOR-GREAT-LEADERSHIP.html Learn the characteristics of truly great leaders. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Leadership/4095/DONT-BECOME-AN-ENRON-Make-Truth-and-Ethics-Your-Road-to-Success.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Leadership/4095/DONT-BECOME-AN-ENRON-Make-Truth-and-Ethics-Your-Road-to-Success.html So much has been written about Enron since the company imploded, and that will probably be so for years to come. But this essay isn’t about Enron. Rather, this essay is about your organization. Because the simple truth is, you too could grow up to be like Enron. The seeds might already be planted to make it so. Learn how to recognize and avoid Enronism and make truth and ethics your road to success.