Blogs

"The triumphs and foibles of Alexander the Great"

11 Leadership Lessons from Alexander the Great

This blog entry explores how Alexander the Great shows us some timeless leadership lessons but also some glaring failures.

INSEAD Knowledge, Nov 2014

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"What's your readiness to work & lead overseas?"

Are you Ready to Lead Overseas?

This blog addresses readiness to work and lead overseas, and whether you are ready to make this change.

INSEAD Knowledge, Nov 2014

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Take a look at your strengths and development areas through the eyes of others.

Take a look at yourself in the leadership mirror

Many of today’s leaders lack self-knowledge. They are not very reflective of their actions; they may even suffer from hubris, lacking a sense of humility that allows them to clearly see where their weaknesses lie. Asking others what they think of our actions is not the best way of finding out. People are not always straight-forward and executives may be reluctant to be seen “seeking approval”. The INSEAD Global Leadership Centre has taken the findings of its leadership development work (gleaned over 10 years of leadership coaching), to develop the Global Executive Leadership Mirror (“The Global Mirror”), providing a lens through which executives can take a closer, 360 degree look at their own personal leadership behavior.

INSEAD Knowledge, Oct 2014

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"How to deal with paradoxes"

Listening to inner anxiety caused by hidden paradoxes—how to improve your mental performance

This blog entry deals with the dilemma of living in a world of inevitable anxiety which does not always makes sense and how to listen to that reflexive inner voice.

Simon Sijbrands, Oct 2014

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"Motivating teams with a psycho-dynamic approach"

Chief executives on the couch: Even successful leaders have hang-ups

This blog, published in the Financial Times, reports on a working paper by Manfred Kets de Vries on the Psychodynamic Approach to leadership studies.

FInancial Times, Aug 2014

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"Self awareness and team effectiveness"

First Know Yourself, Then Your Team

This blog explores how, in order to be truly effective, leaders must first understand the unconscious motivations in themselves, followed by those of the people around them.

INSEAD Knowledge, Aug 2014

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"In search of introspection and reflection"

The Importance of Doing Nothing

This blog entry explores how slacking off and setting aside regular periods of ‘doing nothing’ may be the best thing we can do to induce states of mind that nurture our imagination and improve our mental health.

INSEAD Knowledge, Jun 2014

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"Group coaching for meaningful change"

Group Coaching: Tipping Points for Change

This blog entry explores how group coaching can serve as tipping points for real and meaningful change.

INSEAD Knowledge, May 2014

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"Dreams as entry points to executive subconscious"

Dream Journeys: Insights into the Executive Subconscious

This blog entry explores how dreams can be an entry point into an executive's subconscious, revealing his or her fears, wishes and aspirations.

INSEAD Knowledge, May 2014

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"Peer coaching and strategy alignment"

Sometimes Colleagues Are the Best Coaches

This blog entry with the Harvard Business Review discusses how peer coaching interventions can make a huge difference to the implementation of a strategy or change initiative of an organisation.

Harvard Business Review, May 2014

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"The inner compass of leaders"

When the inner compass of the leader falters

This blog entry addresses what can be done when the inner compass of a leader stops pointing to the pure North.

Simon Sijbrands, Apr 2014

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"Four pathologies that can cripple leaders"

Coaching the Toxic Leader

This blog entry with the Harvard Business Review explores four pathologies that can cripple an executive and bring misery to the workplace, and what to do about them.

Harvard Business Review, Apr 2014

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"Death anxiety and executive mortality"

Executives Must Face Their Own Mortality

This blog entry with the Harvard Business Review explores the death anxiety and what happens when we repress our fear of death and refuse to confront it.

Harvard Business Review, Mar 2014

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"The importance of top team alignment"

How to precisely align your top team

This blog entry addresses the importance of top team alignment programmes.

Simon Sijbrands, Mar 2014

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Helping a Bipolar Leader

Helping a Bipolar Leader

This blog entry with the Harvard Business Review explore the manic-depressive leaders, who are great in a crisis, but overestimating their capabilities can try to do more than they can handle.

Harvard Business Review, Mar 2014

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"Succession & when it's time to let go"

When it's Time for the CEO to Go

This blog entry with the Harvard Business Review discusses the three phases of a CEO's lifespan and what happens when leaders outstay their time and performance starts to decline.

Harvard Business Review, Mar 2014

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"Complexity of the mental models of the leaders"

Why teams and individuals get stuck in their development

This blog entry discusses the underlying cause of the gap between the complexity of the mental model of the leader and the complexity of the world surrounding him/her.

Simon Sijbrands, Mar 2014

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"High-flyers and the fear of success"

Are You Too Afraid to Succeed?

This blog entry with the Harvard Business Review address the fear of success and its consequences.

Harvard Business Review, Mar 2014

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"The destabilizing effect of CEO retirement"

The Dark Side of Retirement

This blog entry with the Harvard Business Review he discusses the darker side of retirement.

Harvard Business Review, Feb 2014

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"Managing the passive- aggressive leader"

Helping the Passive-Aggressive Executive

This blog entry with the Harvard Business Review discusses challenge of managing passive-aggressives.

Harvard Business Review, Feb 2014

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"Corporate genius and psychopaths"

Is Your Boss a Psychopath?

This blog entry with the Harvard Business Review. discusses the thin line between corporate genius and psychopaths.

Harvard Business Review, Jan 2014

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"Eight roles for leadership effectiveness"

The Eight Archetypes of Leadership

This blog entry with the Harvard Business Review addresses a number of recurring patterns of behavior or "archetypes" that influence an individual’s effectiveness within an organisation.

Harvard Business Review, Dec 2013

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"Do less instead of doing too much"

The Case for Slacking Off

This blog entry with the Harvard Business Review argues that the biggest problem we have in contemporary society is not that we do too little but that we try to do too much.

Harvard Business Review, Dec 2013

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"Forgiveness as a business tool"

Leaders Who Can't Forgive

This blog entry with the Harvard Business Review explores how costly it is to hold on to grudges and how an unforgiving attitude keeps people from moving forward.

Harvard Business Review, Dec 2013

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"Falling into the rescuer trap"

The Dangers of Codependent Mentoring

This blog entry with the Harvard Business Reviewe highlights a trap coaches and mentors can fall into—from being a 'helper' to a 'rescuer'.

Harvard Business Review, Dec 2013

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