I was at an association meeting a few days ago where the topic was about Gen Y and how wonderful they are at connecting through social media.  Like 24/7.  Cool!  I'm thinking that they are really avoiding conversations and texting snipets of thoughts that need to be dumbed down because there's no time to fully explain.  They're avoiding emotional and, at times, messy interactions with "friends."  Sure enough, today (4/22/12) in the New York Times there's a brilliant and thoughtful article that … [Read more...]

Political savvy is a vital competence for any executive, but it’s not taught in leadership or grad school courses. In fact, the term “office politics” has received a bad rap. (Words like “Machiavellian,” “manipulative” and “conspiratorial” come to mind.)  Tales of political sabotage, power plays and turf wars are part of any organization’s history. Nonetheless, political competence is the one skill everyone wishes to have more of—but no one talks about it. When you ask people how they achieve … [Read more...]