The Traits of Leaders Who Do Things Fast and Well

110-jack_zengerJack Zenger is the CEO of Zenger/Folkman, a leadership development consultancy. He is a coauthor of the October 2011 HBR article “Making Yourself Indispensable” and the book Speed: How Leaders Accelerate Successful Execution (McGraw Hill, 2016). Connect with Jack at twitter.com/jhzenger.

An exceptional leader we know would occasionally get a question from his direct reports in a variety of forms but with the common message, “Do you want this done fast or right?” His answer was always the same: “Yes!” He chose not to compromise on either dimension. For this leader and for most highly effective leaders we know, making mistakes is not an option. But neither is slowing down.  Continue reading

When Mentorship Crosses Cultures, Both Sides Learn


Jelena Zikic is an Associate Professor at York University. In her research and practice, she explores a combination of career and life transitions of diverse populations.

Everyone knows that mentoring relationships are one important avenue for professional learning. Young people are taught to seek out senior executives in their organization, function, industry, or geographical location who can help them learn the ropes, share knowledge, teach new skills, broaden their network and, in some cases, fast track their careers. Less talked about, but just as important, are the benefits and learning that mentors can derive from mentees. Continue reading