Instant gratification is part of who we are sometimes. We want to see the results of our labor immediately.  We have been programmed to believe in "instant" as a way of life even as a way of looking at business and the decision making process.

 As business leaders and CIOs we strive for quick and instant results. The stress we realize as CIOs comes from being responsible for activities that are outside our direct control. We must relegate and trust our department heads to be on top of all aspects of the information flow and systems within our organization. How can we minimize our stress levels and motivate our direct reports to achieve the results mandated by the C-Suite?

Going through my daily routine of reading the news, I stumbled upon an interesting article written by Anthony Balderman for CareerBuilder.com. It's not the typical place I look for news, but the headline caught my eye, What Does the Boss Need to Hear?

 

In a previous article I noted that one of the possible career paths in an IT career could lead to management. To be a good manager, a person needs to be a good leader. However, leaders don’t become leaders overnight, they have to grow into leadership positions.

 

We've all heard the saying "power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely."  Well, a new study from Dr. Connson Locke, at the London School of Economics and Cameron Anderson from the University of California has found another downside to power: strong leaders may be poor managers because the impression of power they give off stifles the opinions of others. At a time when specialist knowledge is so valuable to the decision-making process, anything that discourages dialogue and encourages silence among team members can be damaging, the authors concluded.

 

We've all heard the saying "power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely."  Well, a new study from Dr. Connson Locke at the London School of Economics and Cameron Anderson from the University of California has found another downside to power: strong leaders may be poor managers because the impression of power they give off stifles the opinions of others. At a time when specialist knowledge is so valuable to the decision-making process, anything that discourages dialogue and encourages silence among team members can be damaging, the authors concluded.

 

In the summer edition of Booz & Co.'s journal, strategy+business, authors Joe Saddi, Karim Sabbagh, and Richard Shediac bring us a perspective on measuring leadership in budding executives that's informed by the culture of the Gulf states. In "Measures of Leaders" the Booz consultants share their takeaways from conversations with nine leaders and top decision makers from various industries from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC, which comprises Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates).