Gene Morton

Will Happy Leaders Excite Chipotle's Success? https://goo.gl/AZxWna

Gene Morton

Note: The intention of this article is to provoke thoughtful conversation about how leaders can better lead together. Although originally written in August 2016, the release of this article was postponed as Chipotle worked through some complex top management choices. With the appointment of, Steve Ells, as the single CEO, and the involvement of activist shareholder, Bill Ackman, the…

Organize Your Leader Development: Capture Your Strategic Talent

If you want some serious insights into leader development, this article is for you.

Authorities Beverly A. Dugan and Patrick Gavan O’Shea, both of Human Resources Research Organization (HumRRO), explain:

The connection between development design and a company mission and strategy.

How this link can clarify goals and competencies.

Enhancing leader learning with special assignments, projects and…

VA Headlines Show First Step to Cure Leadership Problems

VA Secretary Sloan Gibson

The VA leadership structure needs a redesign starting right at the top. Then they can roll out the new leadership structure design process to leaders of the other divisions and major locations around the United States.

What is a leadership structure? It is defining the critical outcomes, granting the accountability, and integrating the roles needed to support a new…

3 Bold Steps to Meet Veterans Immediate Care Needs Today

RE: (Olinger, D. and Migoya, D. in VA officials were warned about Aurora project before work began, The Denver Post, posted on May 7, 2015)

According to news accounts, the new VA hospital construction in Aurora, Colorado, has turned into a disaster of over budget designs, threats to close the project midstream for a second time, and disputes among many of the involved parties.

VA Leadership…

Leadership Wizardry Begins with Structure

Too often leaders want sustained growth, as well as performance improvement, but do not realize the best starting point is to (re)design their structure of leadership. Leadership structure refers to those organizational arrangements which can unify or defeat how leaders perform, alone and together.

Leadership Structure Goes Beyond Charts: Vroom and Yetton Leader Styles

Bolman and Deal[1], two…

What if 100000 Dedicated Readers Saw Your Book’s Message?

Is it possible book summaries offer a new channel for laying out your book’s content for your audience? I found EBSCO and it opened up an entirely new channel to get my content in front of leaders and librarians worldwide.

EBSCO Readers are worldwide

What is EBSCO Business Book Summaries (BBS)?

At a recent drop-in meeting for professional organization development consultants, my friend Judy Cole…

Shutdown or Reset: What Will Inoculate the VA Hospital Project Against Scope Creep?

About a week ago, I began this case study on scope creep. But the developments in this case are moving faster than I expected. On December 9, 2914, much to my surprise, news reports announced a third-party U.S. Civilian Board of Contract Appeals decided the Department of Veterans Affairs breached its contract for the Aurora VA hospital. On Wednesday morning, December 10, 2014, the Denver Post…

Rein in Scope Creep and Create a Successful Project

Lava Flow Wikimedia commons

Scope creep: when leaders allow uncontrolled changes, add-ons, and embellishments in a project’s goals, deliverables, features, and/or requirements.

When did I first learn the dangers of scope creep?

It was in a project where scope creep was all but eliminated—in advance.

A life insurance company was embarking on a system-wide computer software conversion. It was one…

Leaders First – Now A Goodreads Giveaway

Twenty copies of Leaders First, an award-winning guide to leader development, are available as giveaways in the USA. Sign in now. Only three weeks are left to win your AUTOGRAPHED COPY. To sign up, click on the book link widget on the right hand column of this page.

Never signed up for a Goodreads Giveaway?

As a student of leadership, organization development, and as a reader, you will love…

Inbound vs. Exiting Women CEO’s

Are there enough inbound women leaders to replace those who are leaving? Where do most of them come from, inside or outside their organizations?

This great infographic is a must see for board  members interested in leader development and setting up the best top leadership succession for today’s companies.

It’s a great summary of what the data show about elevating insiders compared to hiring in…

“If you were blind, you would have no [error]; but since you say, ‘We see,’ your [error] remains.”  John 9:41, New American Standard

 When do leaders cause the most damage to their organizations and to those who trust them? 

When these leaders ignore the feedback of others and try to go it alone; when they do not listen to understand the concerns of their colleagues and followers. For example,…

‘Potential’ Knowledge Cloud by Anthony Beck

Leaders make many complex decisions. They okay construction plans, structure mergers, and reorganize their operations. They introduce new products, convert to new technology, and choose when to expand into new territories.

These choices often call for knowledge beyond what any human has. Still many leaders do not know to design a testing ground into…