Leadership

Happy New Year! How was your past year? Many clients told me that this year was a wild ride and that so much happened at an incredibly fast pace. It's been a rollercoaster for many with highs and lows.

Appreciation

I tend to focus on the highs and I have so many things that I appreciate! Active appreciation is a core skill when you're looking to develop a (more) positive live, a positive work experience, and when you want to contribute to a positive culture.

Picture a large municipality in the Netherlands with 7,000 staff. A department of about 500 people used the Organizational Culture Assessment Instrument (OCAI, © Kim Cameron) to assess their current and preferred culture. This social department is helping the unemployed citizens of this city find a job. They offer various training, upgrading of skills, and above all, a network of local employers that are trying to fulfill any vacancies.

It's great to read an adventure story, a detective, or a novel once it's summer. However, if you feel you'd like to catch up on culture, leadership, and change here's my list of favorite non-fiction books at this point.

On positive leadership, change, and culture

Arbinger Institute, Leadership and Self Deception - Getting out of the box (Berrett-Koehler Publishers; 2nd edition, 2015)

Kim Cameron, Positive Leadership - Strategies for extraordinary performance, (Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2008)

A corporate CEO invited some executives to a meeting from two different levels. He asked a question and then went around the table getting input. When he got to one of the lower level executives, he said: "Sorry, I just want to hear from (the higher level) folks" and moved on.There was an embarrassed silence, and then the meeting went on. The next higher-ranked executive answered the question, and the moment passed.