What Can We Learn from Nelson Mandela?

Nelson Mandela's death might be a fitting moment in time to step back and reflect on his leadership, and on ours. What can you and I learn from Madiba? And what kind of leader do you and I want to be? Three principles jump out that turned Mandela into the transcendent leader he eventually became.

Do You Need to Be a Jerk to Win?

In the new movie "Jobs" based on Walter Isaacson's biography, Steve Jobs comes across as an "enlightened being with an evil streak," as a former girlfriend put it. (He had got her pregnant, only to throw her out of his house saying "I have no time for this, I'm building Apple"; it would take him 17 years to recognize their daughter as his.) Jobs's life and supreme success as a technology innovator, and his repeated cheating of colleagues without whom he could not have done it, face us again with the age-old Machiavellian question: Do nice people finish last? Do you have to walk all over people to get ahead?

A Little Chekhov for Better Leadership?

Researchers at the New School for Social Research in New York City found that if you read literary fiction for a few minutes, you will be better prepared for difficult negotiations, blind dates or interviews. Does literature build social skills, empathy and emotional intelligence? Is it time to add a little high-brow literature to the daily leadership regimen?

"Dump Stoli" Boycott: Do the Homework

The Americans who called for a boycott of Stolichnaya vodka meant well: They protested Vladimir Putin's new law banning  "homosexual propaganda" and what they saw as a rising tide of state-sponsored homophobia in Russia. The only problem: Stoli is not made in Russia but in Latvia. The lesson: Before you target a transnational campaign, do your homework. 

"Culture Clash 2" on VoiceAmerica Radio : How to Avoid Cross-Cultural Fiascos

Recently we covered the culture clash between Oprah Winfrey and a Swiss salesperson. They are not alone: what is more challenging for any global executive than managing across cultures and value systems? The inability to see the world from a counterpart's point of view and decode their mind-set has derailed many a promising cross-border venture. Join Thomas D. Zweifel, author of "Culture Clash 2," in a series of VoiceAmerica radio interviews that could change the way you think and manage as a global executive.

The Latest Culture Clash: Oprah vs. Switzerland

It has not been a good week for Switzerland's international image, said the Financial Times on Sunday. That turned out to be a typical British understatement. Newspapers and networks around the world branded Switzerland a haven of xenophobes and racists. What actually happened in the Zurich shop when Oprah asked for that $35,000 handbag? It's yet another culture clash.

Strategy-In-Action

How do you do strategy in a complex, global and uncertain environment? Ed Borey, serial CEO and turnaround guru, and I are pleased to announce the publication (finally, after seven years) of our new book Strategy-In-Action: Marrying Planning, People and Performance. As one CEO puts it, the book "is highly systematic, but still manages to keep the human element at the core of strategy." A free excerpt is at Amazon.com.

Get Ready for Italy! The Hands Speak Volumes

Welcome to your summer (or winter, if you're down under) seminar on hand language, a most underrated competence in most cultures. Your hands can convey feelings that words just can't express, from simple to ambivalent. Take a cue from our Italian friends who command a vast repertoire of gestures for almost any situation in life. 

Thomas D. Zweifel On VoiceAmerica Today: 10 Commandments for Successful and Principled Leaders

How do we breed effective and principled leaders in the 21st century? From business to government to religion, self-serving leaders have lost their compass in the rough seas of a borderless economy, bringing about (among other things) the 2008 global financial meltdown, pay without performance, gridlock and decaying infrastructure. In short, leadership is in crisis.
So how do we turn the tide? Join VoiceAmerica's radio program "Global Reach" today 2pm EDT / 8pm CET to find out.

OMG! How to Communicate in the Digital Age?

Most of us know that the art of communication in a digital world is different from what it used to be in an offline environment. We are less aware that even the rules of email from a few years ago no longer apply. What is the right communication etiquette in the age of mobile?

How Much Work Is Right?

Erin Callan, the then-Chief Financial Officer of now-defunct Lehman Brothers, learned it the hard way: You are not your job. Recent findings show that the optimal way to get things done may be to spend more time doing less. Downtime allows for the unexpected connections and inspiration that let real work get done. The only question is, How much is right?

The Joke About Two Cows: A Crash Course in Culture Clash

Here is a mini-workshop in cross-cultural management: The joke about two cows. You may have heard some of this before, but not in the context of Culture Clash. I may be forgiven for any insults that any reader might perceive; but then again the joke pokes fun both at the Swiss and the Americans too (I am a dual citizen). Enjoy!

The New Pope: What Leader?

Ever since Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio became Pope Francis, people the world over have been asking: What leader is he? An arch-conservative with a gentler veneer? A Machiavellian accomplice of the Argentine junta who betrayed fellow Catholics for torture and killing? Or a humble servant who refuses most perks of the papacy and will focus the church on renewal and justice?

From Breakdown to Breakthrough

Perhaps the key difference that separates powerful leaders from the rest is how they deal with breakdowns. Most of us respond to failure in one of four ways: we see failure as bad; we hide it; we hope that someone else will fix it; we cast blame (on ourselves, others, the equipment, the market or the weather); or, worst, we reduce our commitment to avoid failing next time. All of which are entirely understandable, and entirely counter-productive. Here are some stories of breakdowns turned into breakthroughs.