How do you build trust?

By Sean P. Murray

June 16, 2009

3 Min read

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The following is the fourth in a series of five questions and corresponding answers on leadership. See questions:  How to motivate and inspire others? What is the biggest challenge for leaders? What steps or strategies do you use to develop others? 4. How do you build trust with your team and peers? There are a few things I try to keep in mind.  First, I always try to keep the interest of others above my own.   People will trust you if they believe you have their best interest at heart.  A good...

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Developing Talent

By Sean P. Murray

June 2, 2009

2 Min read

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The following is the third in a series of five questions and corresponding answers on leadership. (See questions #1 How to Motivate and Inspire Others? &  #2 What is the biggest Challenge for Leaders?). 3. What steps or strategies do you use to develop others? The first step is to understand what people want for themselves.  I always ask my direct reports, where do you want to be in 5 years?  It’s surprising how many leaders simply assume they know where people want to go.   I want to know...

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What is the Biggest Challenge for Leaders?

By Sean P. Murray

May 15, 2009

2 Min read

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 The following is the second in a series of five questions and corresponding answers on leadership.  (See question #1: How to Motivate and Inspire Others? ) 2. What is the biggest challenge in leading an organization? Communication is the most important and most challenging task when leading an organization.    Leaders must communicate organizational goals and strategies, especially during difficult times,  but there is also the need to communicate at a personal level with everyone in the...

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WolframAlpha: The Answer Engine

By Sean P. Murray

May 12, 2009

3 Min read

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When I was studying mathematics at the University of Puget Sound in the early 1990s my professors were extremely excited about a newly purchased, and quite expensive software program called Mathematica.  There were only a few copies available to our department, but when I got my hands on one I immediately recognized the power of Mathematica as a teaching tool.  You could type in a complex function, press a button and voila, there was a graphic representation in two or three dimensions.  Then...

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Inspiring and Motivating Others

By Sean P. Murray

May 11, 2009

3 Min read

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I was recently involved in a research project asking me to submit my views on leadership development.   The following is the first in a series of five questions and corresponding answers.  I found the exercise to be extremely useful and encourage you to come up with your own answers to these questions.  It will help you clarify your personal approach to leadership. 1. How do you inspire and motivate others when you lead? In a nutshell: communicate the mission and vision of the organization and...

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Now is the Time to Innovate

By Sean P. Murray

April 30, 2009

3 Min read

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A survey conducted in March 2009 by Innovation Tools found that the climate and funding for innovation is holding up during these difficult economic times.  Instead of cutting back on R&D, as might be expected during a downturn, 37% of respondents reported “no change” in the level of funding for innovation, while another 28% reported an increase.  The climate for innovation is also healthy with 27% reporting “improved slightly” and 20% reporting “improved significantly.” Chuck Frey and...

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Deliberate Practice

By Sean P. Murray

April 20, 2009

6 Min read

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The common attribute of high performers in sports, music and chess is not talent, as is so often assumed, but 10,000 hours of deliberate practice.  This begs the question, what is deliberate practice and can it be applied to individuals and organizations to improve the quality of business leadership?  The following is an adaptation of a set of principles defined by Geoff Colvin in the book, “Talent is Overrated.”  By studying the principles of deliberate practice and how successful business...

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Is Talent Overrated?

By Sean P. Murray

April 8, 2009

3 Min read

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Well, Geoff Colvin certainly thinks so and I agree with him. But first, let me explain what I mean by “talent.”  This is a word that gets thrown around a lot, especially in our field.  When I say “talent is overrated” I’m referring to “talent” as the innate (some would say God-given) ability, granted to us at birth, that confers an advantage over others lacking such ability.  We often hear the word “talent” used in this way when describing musicians, athletes or chess players who achieve what...

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How Wikis Transform Learning

By Sean P. Murray

March 18, 2009

3 Min read

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A wiki is an open-source application that allows any user to submit and edit content.  The most popular and famous wiki to date is Wikipedia, an open-source web-based encyclopedia written entirely by volunteer contributors.  Wikipedia has grown rapidly to become the largest reference work ever published in the history of mankind. The popularity of wikis has not gone unnoticed by the business community.  Companies are beginning to recognize the transformative nature of wikis and are using them...

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Management Challenges for the 21st Century

By Sean P. Murray

March 12, 2009

2 Min read

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In February 2008, the National Academy of Engineering proposed 14 grand engineering challenges that represent the biggest opportunity for human improvement in the next 100 years. Well, if the engineers can do it, why can’t we in management and leadership determine the greatest opportunities for human advancement through the profession of management? In May of 2008, a group of business leaders and academics met in Half Moon Bay, CA to do just that — identify the biggest challenges facing the...

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