What Is a Business Operating System? A Company’s Outline

Several workers sitting at a table for a meeting on the business' operating system.

What is a business operating system? How does accountability improve a company? Claire Hughes Johnson notes that your operating system—the set of underlying norms that outline how your company functions—allows your company to function effectively. She discusses three subsystems that are essential to your operating system: constructing strategy, ensuring accountability, and fostering communication. Here’s more on the three subsystems of a business operating system.

How to Mentor Employees: 2 Approaches for Great Advisors

A man who knows how to mentor people, sitting in front of there people at a table.

Do you know how to mentor employees? What is inquisitive coaching? Claire Hughes Johnson recognizes that management’s work doesn’t end with the formation of a thriving team. On the contrary, she holds that managers should continue to develop the skills of their employees through active instruction. Let’s discuss Hughes Johnson’s informal approach to mentoring employees.

Leadershift: John Maxwell on Changes You Must Embrace

A curious middle-aged man reading a book in an office.

What’s a leadershift? What changes must you make if you want to keep growing as a leader? In his book Leadershift, John Maxwell argues that today’s leaders must abandon traditional management practices and make “leadershifts.” This is the word he uses to describe changes in how people think, communicate, and act as leaders. Continue reading for an overview of Leadershift.

Selflessness in Leadership: 3 Ways to Put Your Team First

A leader patting someone on the back during a business meeting.

Do you need other people? Are you a giver or a taker? Do you tend to run ahead of others and leave them behind? Many leaders think in terms of what’s best for themselves and base their decisions on their personal goals and opinions. John C. Maxwell writes that, to be an effective leader, you must prioritize your team’s needs over your personal ambitions. Keep reading for Maxwell’s advice on how to practice selflessness in leadership.

Moral Authority: 3 Ways Leaders Can Earn It (John C. Maxwell)

A business leader with a team of professional looking people behind him.

Do you have positional authority? Do you have moral authority? Which is more powerful? As a leader, you must develop your influence over others. To do so, you must gain moral authority—respect and recognition for exemplary personal qualities, values, and actions. Having positional authority may force people to follow you, but earning moral authority makes people want to follow you. Read more to learn how to earn moral authority as a leader.

The Candor/Care Approach to Leadership (John C. Maxwell)

A woman showing care for a man at work in front of a window.

Do people pleasers make good leaders? How can you appropriately balance candor and care with those you lead? A common misconception is that, to be a good leader, you must please everyone and get them on board with your plans and ideas. John C. Maxwell says that you should focus on what makes people better, not what makes them happy. This means balancing candor and care. Continue reading to learn about this candor/care approach to leadership.

Leading With a Growth Mindset: Expert Advice From John Maxwell

An arrow pointing upward.

What’s wrong with focusing on goals? Are you comfortable with established ways of doing things? John C. Maxwell argues that leaders must make an active effort to grow and improve instead of just treating growth as a natural result of their experiences. You can do this by pursuing growth instead of achievement and by innovating instead of sticking to tradition. Keep reading for Maxwell’s advice on leading with a growth mindset.

How to Develop Leaders: Expert Advice From John C. Maxwell

A happy, professional man in an meeting or interview.

What makes someone a good mentor? Why shouldn’t you focus on making others happy? How can you build a strong legacy as a leader? John C. Maxwell writes that the hallmark of effective leadership in the modern era is not a leader’s personal achievements. Instead, it’s their ability to inspire others to grow and become leaders in their own right. Continue reading to learn how to develop leaders for a new generation.

Rory Sutherland’s Alchemy: The Dark Art and Curious Science

A professional woman reading a book in an office

How effectively does science predict human behavior? Does reason or irrationality account for the decisions people make? What’s the true secret of persuasion? Rory Sutherland’s Alchemy: The Dark Art and Curious Science of Creating Magic in Brands, Business, and Life argues that contemporary economic and political theories are flawed. They hinge on reason as a predictor of human behavior, so any attempts to persuade people using reason are doomed to fail. Continue reading for an overview of this thought-provoking book that could cause you to change the way you and your business operate.