In the wake of the financial sector’s fundamental restructuring, the labor market for everyone in this field (from new entrants to near retirees) is turning inside out and upside down, causing all kinds of unexpected, stomach-churning jolts to the lives of thousands. What, you might ask, are business school students thinking? Here’s a small sampling, Read More
One of the most compelling findings Jeff Greenhaus and I reported in our research (described in our book, Work and Family–Allies or Enemies?) on the lives and careers of over 800 business professionals was this: The more time that working mothers spent taking care of themselves, the better were the emotional and physical health of Read More
I spent a good chunk of my summer travelling the country, speaking about work and how to make it fit with the rest of life in ways that are good both for companies and the people employed by them. I talked to thousands of people. I listened closely to the pulse of American business. There’s Read More
The knee-jerk response to cost-reduction pressures in an economic downturn is turn up the heat to wring greater productivity out of your work force. This is not your best option, and will hurt more than help. A smarter approach is to get more out of your people by tapping into what people really care about, Read More
Tom has graciously given his time to visit my Wharton classes for many years. Students absolutely rave about his sessions, many asserting that it’s the very best class in the entire first year MBA program. I like to think of him as the Bono of Leadership. He is one of the most thoughtful and inspiring speakers on the subject of leadership that I have ever heard, and I’ve never seen him hit a bad note. Read More
Joel DeLuca, the noted author and lecturer on leadership and organizational behavior, passed away a couple of weeks ago, at 60. I am grateful for the chance to offer a few observations about the impact that he had on the world, and on me. I had the great fortune of meeting Joel, in the early Read More
For the past couple of years, I’ve had the good fortune of speaking at the Broad Advantage conference in New York. Part of Janet Hanson’s amazing organization, 85 Broads, this weeklong program offers an array of speakers and experiences for about 100 college women who are interested in business careers. A few days ago I Read More
I spoke about my book, Total Leadership, a couple of days ago at Silberline, a global supplier of effect pigments located near Allentown, PA. The top team, about forty in all, was present for a brief workshop on the main ideas and tools. In our session I had participants do a simple exercise from the Read More
With my sons and wife, I was among the teeming masses at the movies last night to view the most awaited film of the year, The Dark Knight. I promise not to give away the story here. I’ll just raise a few questions that might help us learn something about leadership and life from this Read More
Since the publication of my book a month ago, I’ve been speaking at companies and communities nationwide. There’s one refrain I hear over and over: “I can’t escape. Performance demands engulf continually. I feel like I’m permanently at work!” In my talks, I like to propose a small experiment that helps both to elucidate this Read More