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The Self Tending Mushroom Award is given to individuals, companies, entities and even countries who choose the dark over the truth. I was surprised when I stumbled upon this month’s STeMie recipient who displays a subtle but deadly mindset that may spell the end of this internet giant. This month’s STeMie is awarded to Yahoo for perpetuating a decade-old business style that goes from product development to leadership strategy...not an ill-conceived style, but one that has not evolved with the times and is the root of Yahoo being slowly but surely left in the dust of their competitors. Yahoo emerged successful because of their unique product that catered to what people wanted at the time. Leadership was novel as well. Leaders sought to listen, so navigate the information age, and to develop products that helped their customers navigate the information as well. Times change, however, and Yahoo has not changed. Yahoo has, however, with the installation of a new and pedigreed CEO, Carol Bartz, embarked on a new brand campaign. A bright shiny wrapper on what is otherwise the same organization same unimaginative products and last-decade leadership. In a press release for the campaign, Ms. Bartz notes that, “Today the Web and your world are inseparable...Hundreds of millions of people use Yahoo! (R) to get the information they need.” I suspect real authenticity and innovation are hiding within the brilliant minds working at Yahoo, but the old leadership style is so information focused that operating at the pace of the social media age is just not in the cards. In the Economist’s World in 2010, Ms. Bartz puts forth her management philosophy as, “Information will be the greatest opportunity for business leaders in the coming years—and perhaps our biggest headache.” She suggests a solution for handling the situation: “... listening... [and] identify and mentor thought leaders.“ Again, it is not wrong...it is just a decade out of date and in Yahoo’s world, good but old adds up to failure as your world leaves you behind. So join me in awarding this STeMie to Yahoo for staying safely in place with what worked in the 90s while their entire business environment passed them by. Lessons within this STeMie are many. You need not operate at the speed of light, but stay ahead of the pace of your business environment. Assess your business. Update yearly (or quarterly if your industry dictates). Lastly, when introducing new leadership, ensure modern styles are coming on board. Consider it well and the advantage will be yours.

Link: http://www.events.dramyvanderbilt.com

In the social media age, we live in a global society, where communications, and moreover, necessity have produced a convention of vast, physically extended yet tightly connected networks of people. Managers and leaders must accept that control is a delusion, but leadership and agility are real and required. I am not advocating that well studied management methods such as situational leadership and others be abandoned. I AM advocating that it is time to apply them in a new way. This new age has fostered the need for a new model of leadership: Command Without Control™.

Control used to be an option. There was a time when the leader really was the only source of information for his or her team; when it was possible to posit an alternate reality and proliferate it through the team via propaganda in many forms (even before the advent of PowerPoint).

What changed? COMMUNICATIONS! Specifically the internet and the proliferation of inexpensive communications capabilities (email, messaging, cell phones, etc.) and social media. There are two particular outcomes of increased communications capability that are at work here: easy availability of information and accelerated response time.

To turn this trend into your advantage you need only to update your current management methods. Depending on where your management and leadership style is now, that may mean a large change, or a small one. Most likely it is somewhere between. Your leadership cycle may be in need of update as well. Consider your current management styles and methods for each stage of a more modern Command Without Control leadership cycle. Refine where needed and free yourself from the control mentality…for your bottom line, for your employees and for the future of your organization.

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Link: http://www.events.dramyvanderbilt.com

In the age of social media, parents must come to terms with one very important fact: control is a fallacy, but leadership is real and required.

In this highly interactive session, Dr. Amy Vanderbilt will detail how the communications age, and subsequently the social media age, has changed the way parents must lead and manage their families and the consequences of being a Self Tending Mushroom. Using case studies and best practices from the military, industry and everyday life; Dr. Vanderbilt will walk you through each step of the family leadership cycle.

Presentation will include handouts and worksheets as we work through real life examples and techniques that participants can implement immediately. Special cases and real-life scenarios from participants will feed a portion of the presentation on handling difficult and unique situations with new methods and an enlightened point of view.

Learner Outcomes

• Build And Maintain Highly Effective Communications Within Your Family
• Manage And Lead Your Children Openly To Build Trust And Cohesion
• Develop Your Children Into Great Leaders And Transition Leadership To Them At The Right Time

Link: http://www.events.dramyvanderbilt.com

The social media age has spawned fantastic advancements in technology and communications. It has also spawned one of the greatest battles for talent that our society has ever known. It seems to be getting harder and harder to find, grow and keep great talent. Add to that the complexity of searching, recruiting and working with three full generations (the boomers, Gen X and Gen Y).

In this highly interactive session, Dr. Amy Vanderbilt will show you the role of social media and the internet in creating this talent war and how to turn it into your secret weapon. Participants will learn key insights into how our own behaviors led to the creation of social media, the disposable worker mentality, and the need for a different kind of management.

Dr. Vanderbilt will walk participants through case studies and real life examples of how to use social media and the internet to find, cultivate and most importantly, keep multi-generational talent.

Worksheets will be provided to help participants plan and tailor these techniques for their own organizations and create an action plan that can be implemented immediately.

Special cases and scenarios from participants will feed a portion of the presentation on handling difficult and unique situations with new methods and an enlightened point of view.

Learner Outcomes

• Social Media And Internet-driven Techniques That You Can Implement In Your Organization
• Details On Behaviors Holding Back Your Own Organization From Keeping Multi-generational Talent
• An Action Plan That Can Be Implemented Immediately For Transforming Your Organization’s Use Of Social Media To Find, Cultivate And Keep Multi-generational Talent

Link: http://www.events.dramyvanderbilt.com

In the age of social media, managers and leaders must come to terms with one very important fact: control is a fallacy, but leadership is real and required.

In this highly interactive session, Dr. Amy Vanderbilt will detail how the communications age, and subsequently the social media age, has changed the way managers must lead multi-generational teams; the consequences of being a Self Tending Mushroom, and the disposable worker mentality. Using case studies and best practices from the military, industry and everyday life; Dr. Vanderbilt will walk you through each step of the leadership cycle.

Presentation will include handouts and worksheets as we work through real life examples and techniques that participants can implement immediately.

Special cases and real-life scenarios from participants will feed a portion of the presentation on handling difficult and unique situations with new methods and an enlightened point of view.

Learner Outcomes

• Build And Maintain Highly Effective Teams With Multiple Generations And Skill Levels
• Manage And Lead Openly To Build Trust And Cohesion
• Develop Great Leaders From Within Your Ranks And Transition Leadership To Them At The Right Time