The recession, the erosion of trust in institutions, and other factors are making leadership especially challenging, and the authors of various articles in the April 2009 edition of the Harvard Business Review offer strategies leaders can follow to weather the current crisis.

Presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin suggests that leaders should hire the best possible people and surround themselves with a team of people who can challenge leaders' thinking and whose strengths can compensate for leaders' shortcomings. Sharing credit with the closest colleagues ensures their full commitment to the leader's vision, while regular communication with the broader public is essential.

Leaders should engage with people who resist change so that they can gain knowledge and change course if they suggest smart adjustments to their initiatives. Dealing with the challenge of retaining and better serving customers during the recession is the focus of several articles, including one recommending that managers resegment their customers based on the observation that some consumers stop spending while others hardly change their behavior unless they become unemployed.

From my perspective, learn as much as you can from others which means surrounding yourself by smarter, more dynamic, diverse, and unique persons. It will raise both yours and their potential and output.  Anissa

I saw an interesting billboard on the way home from work today. It said "his global compass is equality" -- Desmond Tutu. 

What is your global compass? If someone asked you, would you be able to answer immediately or would you need to think about it?  Would you be able to describe it one word or would it be a phrase or a full conversation? Would you feel the need to qualify it?  Would it apply to your life, or just parts of it (i.e. personal vs. professional)?

My global compass is positivity. It is the word that describes my global compass perfectly and has done so for many years now. I can only say I wish I had learned it sooner but since I am the architect of my life, it came along when it was time.

What is your global compass? I would love to know! Anissa

In honor of Pam's new book release, Escape from Cubicle Nation, I wanted to share one of the posts that Guy Kawasaki plugged that is well written. She reprints it in the book, but wanted to share nonetheless. It is an organizational manifesto if you well.

The post hooked me and once she shared that she was writing a book, I was first in line (figuratively) to get a copy of which she signed as well.  The book is just as fantastic as her blog. Check either them out if you get a chance.  Anissa

Please check out my blog for the original post! 

For work, it really wasn't Anissa