Leading Edge Associates presents Edgeline

Tools and tips for managers
June 10, 2008 Volume 2 Issue 7

Coaching Teams Buoys Overall Productivity

By Larry Olmstead

Most organizations try to fix dysfunctional teams by looking for improved performance from individual team members. It is better to think of a team as a "living system" that requires systemic coaching efforts. Like a hand with a sprained finger, good coaching tries to find a way to fix the finger while acknowledging and addressing the discomfort of the hand at large. Read more

WHAT'S NEW: LEA SEMINAR

Innovation and Diversity
September 9, 2008
9 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.

Network Meeting Center at Techmart
Santa Clara, CA
Tuition: $175
Best-practice organizations are increasingly seeing a link between strong diversity practices and maintaining a culture where innovation and creativity flourish. Participants will gain practical insight into how diversity of background and thought can be leveraged to fuel innovation, and how to tap into new resources - internally and externally - to spark new ideas. LEA Facilitators: Rafael Gonzalez and Larry Olmstead.

What "Best in Diversity" Companies Do

By Jacqui Love Marshall

Each year, DiversityInc compares and ranks companies that apply for recognition as one of the top companies for diversity. According to DiversityInc, "Companies that earn spots on The DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity list demonstrate consistent strength in the four areas the survey measures: CEO commitment, human capital, corporate and organizational communications, and supplier diversity." Read more

Ask The Expert

Q: How can managers stay cool during the hot summer months and still dress the part at work?

Trisha Okubo, founder of Omiru.com, an award-winning fashion Web-site featured in the Wall Street Journal and Lucky Magazine, provides an answer. Read more

We want to hear your questions on management, finance and workplace issues! Click here to contact us.

Top Picks: Megatrends 2010: The Rise of Conscious Capitalism; Seven New Trends That Will Transform How You Work, Live, and Invest

By Patricia Aburdene, Hampton Roads Publishing Company, 2005

With co-author John Naisbitt, Aburdene predicted the shift from an industrial to an information economy in their defining books, Megatrends and Megatrends 2000. With this book, Aburdene makes the compelling argument that the U.S. economy is in the process of shifting from one that emphasized hierarchical leadership models and profit at any cost to a more conscious, spiritually guided paradigm. This emerging paradigm has consumers driven toward more conscientious consumption and investors more greatly rewarding flatter leadership models that focus on "values-driven" and "socially responsible" production. She produces convincing evidence to support her thesis - CEOs who build meditation into the workday, the current trend of "leading from the middle," the rise of socially responsible index funds, and the move toward "buying green." But she does so in a somewhat disjointed and repetitive manner.

- Analisa Nazareno

Helpful Links

DiversityInc – Featured in Jacqui Love Marshall's story about "Best in Diversity" companies, DiversityInc Magazine offers a multitude of stories advising readers on how to make the most of their diversity efforts. The magazine is geared toward managers, executives and professionals. It offers stories about networking and climbing the executive ladder, as well as the effects of language in the workplace and how to approach co-workers, customers and employees of different backgrounds.
Idealist – A Project of Actions Without Borders, Idealist is a worldwide network of nonprofit managers, workers and supporters to exchange ideas, post job and volunteer openings, find resources and learn about events and activities. The site lists more than 10,000 nonprofit job opportunities and 13,000 volunteer openings worldwide. It is a good place to find passionate, mission-driven workers.
Fundraising tips from GuideStar – Whether you're a corporate manager charged with the annual charitable drive or a nonprofit director constantly in search of funds, GuideStar offers advice on helping employees or board members get over their fundraising anxieties. GuideStar is the online site for Philanthropic Research, Inc., whose mission is to provide information that helps foundations and individuals make informed decisions about charitable giving.

UPCOMING LEA EVENTS

Speaking Engagement

Survivor's Guide to Newsroom Politics
Panel at the UNITY: Journalists of Color convention, moderated by Larry Olmstead
McCormick Place West, W193
Chicago
July 25, 2008, 11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Convention registration required

Speaking Engagement

The Path to the Publishers' Office
Panel at the UNITY: Journalists of Color convention, moderated by Larry Olmstead
McCormick Place West, W179
Chicago
July 25, 2008, 1:30 - 3 p.m.
Convention registration required

Seminar

Innovation and Diversity
Network Meeting Center, Techmart, Santa Clara, CA
Sept. 9, 2008 9 a.m. – 3:30 p.m
Tuition: $175

Edgeline is published the second Tuesday of each month by Leading Edge Associates, a consulting firm engaged in management training, organizational change, succession planning, executive coaching, diversity and media. Analisa Nazareno, managing editor of Edgeline, can be reached at abnazareno@sbcglobal.net.