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Courtesy of: ej4 Do you agree? What is your top employee complaint?

Sheryl Sandberg is COO of Facebook and has just written a book, Lean In . She says that women lose out in the workplace because they don't negotiate for themselves. She says , "Since women are expected to be concerned with others, when they advocate for themselves or point to their own value, both men and women react unfavorably." Why don't women advocate for their own interests?

Most managers want to be charismatic leaders. In her book, The Charisma Myth , Olivia Fox Cabane states, "If you're a leader, or aspire to be one, charisma matters. It gives you a competitive advantage in attracting and retaining the very best talent. It makes people want to work with you, your team, and your company. Research shows that those following charismatic leaders perform better, experience their work as more meaningful, and have more trust in their leaders than those following effective but noncharismatic leaders. Four types of communicative influence are profiled in her book, The Charisma Myth. Authoritative Charisma intimidates or impresses listeners by projecting high status and confidence. Visionary Charisma inspires the audience by projecting absolute conviction in a cause. Examples are Steve Jobs and Martin Luther King, Jr. Focus Charisma conveys attention and presence in the moment so listeners feel understood. It's perfect for consultants, attorneys, and financial advisors. Kindness Charisma projects warmth, so others feel accepted and cherished. Examples are the Dalai Lama and Princess Diana. Cabane says, "Charisma is a skill that you can learn and practice." Her research found that charisma is the result of specific nonverbal behaviors, and its presence depends on whether or not someone is exhibiting these behaviors. Although charisma comes across through demeanor, gestures, voice, and other signals, it actually stems from what someone thinks, feels, and believes. "Get the internal state right, and the right charismatic behaviors and body language pour forth automatically," she says. Her charisma exercises are attached. They are quick summaries which bring together key exercises detailed throughout the book. You have been charismatic if you've ever had "the experience of feeling totally confident, master of a situation. A moment when people seemed impressed by you- even just one moment of the people around you going, Wow !" Share that situation with us.

D. Michael Abrashoff turned one of the worst ships in the Navy into the top performing ship in the fleet by deploying "grass-roots leadership" techniques. His rallying cry was, "It's your ship." Sailors made most of the decisions and if they made the wrong decision, it became a learning experience shared with all. The captain and his officers listened and paid attention. Performance improved, and costs decreased more than 25 percent. It took less than a year to turn the USS Benfold around. Captain Abrashoff shares those leadership techniques in his book, It's Your Ship: Management Techniques from the Best Damn Ship in the Navy. Lead by example Listen aggressively Communicate purpose and meaning Create a climate of trust Look for results, not salutes Take calculated risks Go beyond standard procedure Build up your people's confidence Generate unity How can you focus on the things that you can do?

Richard St. John conducted ten years of research and 500 face-to-face-interviews to collect eight common traits in successful leaders around the world. He shares his research in his book, The 8 Traits Successful People Have In Common - 8 To Be Great . Complete the exercise below. How do you score on the 8 traits? Are you down around number one where you slack off a lot, or are you closer to seven where you work really hard? Where you think you score now? Where you want to be?

In a recent article in The Chronicle of Higher Education Marybeth Gasman cited important leadership lessons learned from the scandals of sexual abuse at Penn State and the hazing at Florida A&M University (FAMU). In both scandals, leaders were more concerned about protecting the reputation of the institution than the welfare of children and college students. Leadership Lessons Leaders have an obligation to protect those who cannot protect themselves. Leaders need to tell the truth. Leaders need to be brave and look perpetuators of violence in the eye. Leaders need to remember that the institutional 'brand' is not more important than the lives of young people and children. How can leaders choose the collective interest over personal interests? How can leaders know when the "greater good" supersedes the "bottom line"?

Below are four tips for delivering growth from David Novak's book, Taking People with You: The Only Way to Make BIG Things Happen . He is Chairman and CEO of Yum! Brands. BE HUMBLE. "Recognize that nothing gets done by you alone," Novak states. "So you need to know who's on your team the same way a marketer knows its target audience. Know your people cold. What's in their heads? What are they thinking? And then you've got to say, 'Okay, to take them with me to achieve this strategy, what perceptions or beliefs do I have to build, change or reinforce to get them to come along?' " GROW YOURSELF. "Never stop learning," urges Novak, as he cites John Wooden, legendary UCLA basketball coach as an example. "When he was winning national championships, he met with and studied extra-tall people and coaches of extra-tall people. He was still focusing on growing himself. I think when you do that, you'll end up growing your business because you'll be sharpening your skills and be able to apply that personal growth to growing your business." WIPE OUT "NOT INVENTED HERE" SYNDROME. "Often when you have success, you get so insular that you don't go outside and look to see what other people are doing," Novak says. "I tell people one of the ways you get promoted in our company is to be a know-how builder, to get knowledge from other people and make yourself (and the company) smarter." MAKE YOUR CULTURE A HERO. "When we started our company, I had a chance to do a gigantic do-over, because we had been part of PepsiCo," he explains. "So we looked at some of the best companies in the world at that time - Walmart, Home Depot, Target and Southwest Airlines. Every one of them said the key to their success was their culture. You want to make it clear what you value in your company and then recognize the people role-modeling that behavior. Then, make culture the hero of all the good things that happen in your company. As a CEO, you have to be the culture champion." How can you use these four tips from a successful CEO? In the video, Chris Brogan interviews David Novak explains, "To find out more about who people are and what they think, one of my favorite questions to ask is, "What would you do if you had my job?" What do you think of that question?

Many people play computer or video games at home. But, most people think that playing video games at work could get them fired. Now, managers are using video games to train employees and increase productivity. Gamification makes work more engaging by letting employees do things that reward them. In return, rewards help employees commit deeper to the company and make them feel happy to be involved. RedCritter is a software developer applying gaming technology to business processes, such as increasing productivity, engagement, performance, and staff retention. "RedCritter Tracker is project management software that uses game techniques, such as badges and points, to reward users for completing project tasks" (Sheryl Jean, "RedCritter raises $750,000," The Dallas Morning News , May 2, 2012, 3D). Important management skills include leading, working in a team, and developing strategy. How do you think games at work could develop these skills?