Paid to Think: A Leader's Toolkit for Redefining Your Future

Have you ever thought about the fact that a craftsman has more and better tools to solve challenges on the job than the leader of a business or organization does? Leadership “tools” are usually defined as computers, spreadsheets, data, and even experience, but in reality, leaders need thinking tools that are hard to come by, so they find themselves hunting and pecking for answers in books, at seminars, through on-the-job training programs, from mentors, and at business schools, and still, they’re left with gaps. Surely, most leaders are good at what they do, but the daily challenges of their jobs, like accelerating growth, increasing productivity, driving innovation, doing more with less, and balancing work with life don’t come with some sort of leadership toolkit...until now.

In Paid to Think, international consultant David Goldsmith presents his groundbreaking approach to leadership and management based on research revealing the twelve specific activities that all leaders perform on a daily basis, and he provides you with each activity’s accompanying tools and instructions proven to boost your performance and that of your entire organization.

Take the uncertainty out of everyday leading, convert ideas to realities, and maximize your intellectual value. Learn how decision makers at some of the world’s most successful organizations have already used Paid to Think’s universal and easily transferable tools—regardless of their industries, sectors, geographic locations, or management levels—as their greatest advantages in achieving more, earning more, and living more.

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Paid to Think: A Leader's Toolkit for Redefining Your Future

Have you ever thought about the fact that a craftsman has more and better tools to solve challenges on the job than the leader of a business or organization does? Leadership “tools” are usually defined as computers, spreadsheets, data, and even experience, but in reality, leaders need thinking tools that are hard to come by, so they find themselves hunting and pecking for answers in books, at seminars, through on-the-job training programs, from mentors, and at business schools, and still, they’re left with gaps. Surely, most leaders are good at what they do, but the daily challenges of their jobs, like accelerating growth, increasing productivity, driving innovation, doing more with less, and balancing work with life don’t come with some sort of leadership toolkit...until now.

In Paid to Think, international consultant David Goldsmith presents his groundbreaking approach to leadership and management based on research revealing the twelve specific activities that all leaders perform on a daily basis, and he provides you with each activity’s accompanying tools and instructions proven to boost your performance and that of your entire organization.

Take the uncertainty out of everyday leading, convert ideas to realities, and maximize your intellectual value. Learn how decision makers at some of the world’s most successful organizations have already used Paid to Think’s universal and easily transferable tools—regardless of their industries, sectors, geographic locations, or management levels—as their greatest advantages in achieving more, earning more, and living more.

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Paid to Think: A Leader's Toolkit for Redefining Your Future

Paid to Think: A Leader's Toolkit for Redefining Your Future

by David Goldsmith
Paid to Think: A Leader's Toolkit for Redefining Your Future

Paid to Think: A Leader's Toolkit for Redefining Your Future

by David Goldsmith

Hardcover(Academic Edition)

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Overview


Have you ever thought about the fact that a craftsman has more and better tools to solve challenges on the job than the leader of a business or organization does? Leadership “tools” are usually defined as computers, spreadsheets, data, and even experience, but in reality, leaders need thinking tools that are hard to come by, so they find themselves hunting and pecking for answers in books, at seminars, through on-the-job training programs, from mentors, and at business schools, and still, they’re left with gaps. Surely, most leaders are good at what they do, but the daily challenges of their jobs, like accelerating growth, increasing productivity, driving innovation, doing more with less, and balancing work with life don’t come with some sort of leadership toolkit...until now.

In Paid to Think, international consultant David Goldsmith presents his groundbreaking approach to leadership and management based on research revealing the twelve specific activities that all leaders perform on a daily basis, and he provides you with each activity’s accompanying tools and instructions proven to boost your performance and that of your entire organization.

Take the uncertainty out of everyday leading, convert ideas to realities, and maximize your intellectual value. Learn how decision makers at some of the world’s most successful organizations have already used Paid to Think’s universal and easily transferable tools—regardless of their industries, sectors, geographic locations, or management levels—as their greatest advantages in achieving more, earning more, and living more.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781936661701
Publisher: BenBella Books, Inc.
Publication date: 10/23/2012
Edition description: Academic Edition
Pages: 544
Product dimensions: 7.40(w) x 9.90(h) x 1.60(d)

About the Author

David Goldsmith is a consultant, advisor, NYU professor, speaker, telecast host, and author. He is the president of MetaMatrix Consulting Group and holds an MBA from Syracuse University. Through his work with leaders from around the globe, Goldsmith is the developer of the Enterprise Thinking model, a holistic approach to leadership and management based on the activities and tools that all decision-makers need to solve challenges and create opportunities.

His expertise and advice is sought by leaders and managers worldwide, in businesses of all sizes, nonprofits and associations, and organizations including the military, government, and education.

Goldsmith was named by Successful Meetings magazine as one of the Top 26 Hottest Speakers in the speaking industry. He received NYU’s Outstanding Professor of the Year Award for developing and teaching two core courses, and his history of business success earned him The Citizens Foundation of Central New York’s Entrepreneur of the Year Award and the Central New York 40 under 40 Leadership Award.

He serves on the national board of directors of the Institute of Management Consultants and hosts the organization’s telecast series, Consultapalooza. Goldsmith is also the founder and telecast host of the New York State Chapter of the National Speakers’ Association. In addition to authoring more than 500 published articles, he is a regular columnist for several organizations and publications.

He resides in Manlius, NY, with his wife and two sons.

Table of Contents

Foreword xv

Introduction You're Paid to Think 1

The Value of Thinking 4

Chapter 1 Enterprise Thinking 7

Your Challenges Are Universal 8

What Enterprise Thinking Means to You and Your Organization 9

An Overview of the Enterprise Thinking Categories and Corresponding Activities 10

The Universality of Enterprise Thinking 13

The 50,000-Foot Perspective 15

An Underlying Precept That Improves Decision Making 16

The Benefits of Interplaying Concepts and Tools 19

What's Ahead 20

Chapter 2 Rethinking 22

Challenging Your Current Viewpoints 23

Untying the Knot 43

Category 1 Strategizing 45

Chapter 3 Developing Plans 47

Part I Creating Strategy 50

The Process of Strategic Thinking 51

From Thought to Reality: How Do You Create a Successful Strategy? 53

Using the CST Model to Develop Plans 55

Solving the Right Challenges by Asking the Right Questions: Redefining 67

The Critical Path Method (CPM) Chart: A Tool for Building Superior Tactical Plans 80

Part II Transforming With Projects 86

How Projects Fit into the CST Model 88

The Tools Leaders Use to Fulfill Their Project-Related Roles 88

Doing Projects Right: Directing Everyone toward Desired Outcomes 95

Two Fatal Mistakes 115

Part III Managing Your Priorities 118

Managing Time 120

Managing Priorities 122

From Conversion to Proficiency: Becoming a Priority Manager 123

The Link between Priority Management and Thinking 136

Chapter 4 Creating New Products and Services 138

The Benefits of Expanding Your Perspective 140

Improving Your New Product Development Process 143

The ET Development Funnel 147

Pre-Work to the Process 150

The Benefits of Building the Infrastructure First 157

Chapter 5 Establishing Alliances 177

False Partners 178

Name Your Allies 179

Expanding Opportunities with a Variety of Alliances 181

Why Build Alliances? 182

Six Forms of Alliances 186

Two Tools for Building Alliances 192

The Pre-Development Funnel 1 202

Alliance Killers 203

Chapter 6 Leveraging Technology 211

What Technology Means to Your Organization 212

Advancing Your Organization by Leveraging Technology 212

The Leverager's Dilemma: Addressing the Downside of Technological Change 218

Leveraging Technology Levels the Playing Field 221

An ET Tool for Selecting and Implementing Technology 222

Implementing Technology Successfully 228

Leveraging Technology in Different Ways to Advance Your Organization 238

Category 2 Learning 245

Chapter 7 Acquiring New Knowledge 249

Different Levels of Learning 249

The Five Enterprise Thinking Learning Triangles 251

ET's 5 Learning Triangles 253

Gaining a 360° Awareness of Your Organization 260

What You Can Do Starting Now 262

Looking Within: How Do You Prefer to Learn? 270

Ways to Become More Aware and More Knowledgeable 273

Chapter 8 Enhancing Global Awareness 276

What Does It Mean to Be "Globally Aware"? 277

The Connection between Global Awareness and Career Growth 278

Global Awareness Improves Decision Making 280

How Global Awareness Turbocharges the Enterprise Thinker 283

The Approach to Becoming Globally Aware 285

Sources of Global Information 295

Putting Global Awareness to Practical Use 298

Chapter 9 Watching Competition 314

The Typical Approach to Competitive Intelligence 315

How Well Do You Really Know Your Competition? 317

Where to Look: Your Competition Is Not Always Your Competition 318

The ET Competitive Intelligence Process 324

How Well Does Your Competition Know You? 337

Category 3 Performing 339

Chapter 10 Leading the Charge 342

The Building Blocks of Leadership: Activities versus Attributes 344

An Improved Perspective about Leadership: The White Horse Leader 345

The ET Leading Process-Leading the Charge 348

Five Ways to Boost Your Effectiveness as a Leader 360

The Unspoken Realities of Leading 367

Chapter 11 Empowering Others 382

Empowering Others at 50,000 Feet 383

The Enterprise Thinking (ET) Empowering Process 385

The Misnomers of Motivation and Morale 399

The Transparent Career Ladder 400

Techniques and Concepts for Empowering Others 405

Chapter 12 Innovating Everywhere 416

Encouraging Creativity 417

What Does "Innovating" Mean to You? 418

Concepts and Rationale Behind Innovation 419

Decision-Making Factors 432

Developing the Mindset of an Innovator 435

Creating a Culture of Innovation 439

Chapter 13 Selling Continuously 464

The Role That Selling Plays in Great Leadership 465

The ET Leadership Sales Approach 467

Pathways for Selling Continuously to Other People 473

Building the Type of Organization that Sells Itself 477

Overcoming the Challenges of Leadership Sales 480

Knowing Your Role in Regard to Traditional Sales 492

Cornerstones for Engaging Others 494

Category 4 Forecasting 523

Chapter 14 Forecasting the Future 525

The Art and Science of Forecasting 527

Living Mentally in the Future 528

Forecasting Tools 532

The Pentality of Forecasting 557

Ways to Improve Your Forecasting 562

Avoiding the Eleven Mistakes of F-O-R-E-C-A-S-T-I-N-G 575

Forecasting and the Other Categories of ET 578

Next Steps 581

Chapter 15 Conclusion 583

What You Can Expect Moving Forward 585

Five Stages of Becoming an Enterprise Thinker 590

Notes 601

Glossary 611

Index 627

About The Authors 647

More Resources 649

Acknowledgments 653

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