There's a well-known quote by E.M. Kelly that says, "Remember the difference between a boss and a leader. A boss says 'Go!' A leader says 'Let's go!'" In reality, this is a differentiation between two distinct leadership styles. The first is a commanding leader; the second is probably a servant leader or a transformational leader. […]
Creativity, Decision Making, Leadership, Learning Skills, Stress, Team Management, Uncategorized
Guest blogger Bob Little explores the truth of two contrasting mindsets. You might think that your current level of success is based on your innate abilities. Or that it reflects your determination to work hard and keep learning. According to Carol S. Dweck, the Lewis and Virginia Eaton Professor of Psychology at Stanford University, you […]
All Posts, Career Skills, Creativity, Learning Skills, Stress
I recently completed a self-assessment questionnaire, to discover what kind of learning best suited me. The assessment was based on a model created by Alan Mumford and Peter Honey, and it divides learners into one of four categories: activists, reflectors, theorists, and pragmatists. A good many of my Mind Tools colleagues took the same test, and the […]
All Posts, Creativity, Decision Making, Learning Skills, Problem Solving
Until I recently stumbled upon an unfamiliar term – intrapreneur – I considered myself a typical Mind Tools’ blogger who keeps up with the business world’s latest trends and lingo. Imagine my shock when I then learned that it was coined 30 years ago by Gifford Pinchot (Gifford, P. (1985). “Who is the Intrapreneur?” Intrapreneuring: […]
All Posts, Career Skills, Creativity, Strategy, Uncategorized
One of the cruel, undeniable facts about time is that it crawls along painfully slowly when you are engaged in an uninspiring task, but absolutely whizzes past the second you leave the office for your vacation! You can spend the long winter months dreaming of a sizzling summer break, imagining you're holding an ice-cold mojito […]
Some people are remarkably practical and "hands on." They see a problem and, after a little bit of thought, ably set about solving it. Probably with a hammer, a spirit level and a justified sense of confidence in their manual prowess. Other people are more creative or unconventional in their thinking. They don't focus on […]
What has Leonardo da Vinci got to do with creating an engaging marketing campaign or reducing your company's carbon footprint? Quite a lot, if you ask Rowan Gibson, author of a new book called "The 4 Lenses of Innovation: A Power Tool for Creative Thinking." Leonardo da Vinci epitomizes the idea of the Renaissance man. […]
All Posts, Creativity, Decision Making, Problem Solving, Team Management
Stop and think about some of the incredible innovations we rely on today. Most of these products were invented decades ago and are now such a part of our society that we don't even think about the innovation behind them. But we'd find it hard to function without them. For instance, consider electronic communication. Before […]
You know that feeling... You’re in a post-lunch meeting and your eyelids feel heavy. It’s hard to concentrate. Your attention starts to drift and your mind wanders to other tasks you’d rather be getting on with. Maybe you’re planning what to have for supper later. Or worse, you start to nod off... then your boss […]
Since leaving my job as a news reporter for Thomson Reuters and going freelance some years ago, I've had to come to terms with failure like never before. Pitching articles to magazines and newspapers can be tough. Sometimes I get a great response but, other times, my emails are met with radio silence or a […]
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