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Drowning in leadership advice? Here’s a lifeline
Summary
This article discusses the problem of the plethora of leadership advice, and how humans have a very short attention span. It proposes a solution: focusing on one leadership insight a day, and reducing it to a simple mantra-like phrase to use as a compass. The article then goes on to list five insights, such as 'Soul Matters Most' and 'Know Your Power Source', which have been found to be most important in successful organizations. It encourages readers to take advantage of SmartBrief's free newsletters to learn more about leadership and business transformation.
Q&As
What is the average attention span of humans and goldfish compared to 2000?
The average attention span of humans is eight seconds, while the average attention span of goldfish is nine seconds. In 2000, the average attention span of humans was 12 seconds.
What is the concept Larry Robertson suggests to help digest leadership advice?
Larry Robertson suggests focusing on a single insight per day and reducing it to a simple mantra-like phrase to use as a compass.
What are the three parts of soul that matter most according to Robertson?
The three parts of soul that matter most according to Robertson are: 1) having a sense of who you are, 2) in the context of what you do, and 3) how what you do impacts and connects to others.
What is the single question Peter Drucker suggested to uncover an organization's true power source?
Peter Drucker suggested asking the single question "What business are we in?" five times to uncover an organization's true power source.
What is the idea of "tomorrow in today" regarding leadership?
The idea of "tomorrow in today" regarding leadership is to consider what is happening today that directly reflects tomorrow, or what could, and to empower people to make both real.
AI Comments
👍 This article provides valuable insight on leadership development, offering five mantras to help leaders become more effective.
👎 This article doesn't provide concrete solutions for how to apply the mantras to become an effective leader.
AI Discussion
Me: It's about leadership advice and how to make it work. It talks about how people have a short attention span and how to get around that to make the most of leadership advice. It also lists five mantras that it suggests using to help with improving leadership effectiveness.
Friend: Interesting. So what are the implications of this article?
Me: Well, the main implication is that it's important to focus on a single insight a day. This will help us to absorb and use leadership advice more effectively, as our attention spans are limited and it can be overwhelming to try to take in too much information at once. It also suggests that focusing on mantras can be a great way to stay focused and use leadership advice to best effect. Finally, it stresses the importance of having a clear idea of what your company's culture is and how it impacts your work.
Action items
- Choose one insight from the article each day and reduce it to a simple mantra-like phrase to use as a compass.
- Research Melissa Thomas-Hunt's definition of culture and consider how it applies to your organization.
- Ask yourself Peter Drucker's question "What business are we in?" five times to uncover the true power source of your organization.
Technical terms
- Excess of information
- An abundance of data or knowledge available.
- Attention span
- The amount of time a person can focus on a task or activity.
- Goldfish
- A type of freshwater fish.
- Novelty
- Something new or unusual.
- Mantra
- A phrase or statement that is repeated often, used to focus the mind.
- Compass
- A navigational instrument used to determine direction.
- Litmus test
- A test used to determine the acidity or alkalinity of a solution.
- Fulbright Scholar
- A program of the U.S. government that provides grants for international educational exchange.
- SmartBrief
- A digital media company that provides industry-focused newsletters.