leadership Archive

Flat Army? What the heck is a Flat Army? Work environments need not feel like a military camp or a ruthless command-and-control operation. The process of work should be fun, innovative, creative and very engaging. I believe that the best way to create a connected and engaged organization is by invoking a “Flat Army” mindset. Why? Let’s unpack that analogy: To be flat is to be on a level surface, not in a hierarchy. To be in an army (from armata, the Latin term referenced in 1533, meaning a flotilla of vessels) is to be part of a large group of people who are committed to similar aims or beliefs. An organization with a Flat Army ethos benefits from an unobstructed flow of coordinated, constructive,

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Calestous Juma is Professor of the Practice of International Development and Director of the Science, Technology, and Globalization Project at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard University. Harvard University of course is in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Professor Juma tweeted the following on Saturday, which I thought was both poignant and appropriate for the purpose of my pending prose: Meghan Biro and Kevin Grossman – as they previously state: “were comparing notes about the many forces reshaping today’s workplace. They wondered aloud about how talent-minded professionals could connect and support one another through chaotic and exciting shifts in business, technology and workforce dynamics.” Thankfully, in Cambridge, they started up the TalentCulture “world of work” community that includes the highly popular weekly #TChat Twitter chat and #TChat Radio show.  With Meghan based in Cambridge

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During the week of June 3, I wrote five posts in five days centered on “The Leadership Tonic Scale”. I defined five types of leadership styles found in organizations today: The Moronic Leader The Ironic Leader The Platonic Leader The Iconic Leader The Harmonic Leader You can download the entire series as a singular PDF document. Download PDF Version of The Leadership Tonic Scale Thanks for visiting, downloading and/or reading. cheers dp The Leadership Tonic Scale by Dan Pontefract 1,256 total views, 17 views today

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The Leadership Tonic Scale identifies and defines five types of leadership styles found in today’s organization. This is the fifth of those five types.  The Harmonic Leader In my book Flat Army: Creating a Connected and Engaged Organization I highlight a scenario I call “Crossing the Leadership Chasm” where a leader must successfully open herself up to the team/organization and the team/organization has to open themselves up to the leader. If this occurs — where both sides are operating in an open and thus harmonious manner — we can define her as a Harmonic Leader. That is, there is harmony between all players. In the Spring of 2013 something very interesting occurred. After a four-year absence (and retirement) A.G. Lafley returned to the post of

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