Michael Lee Stallard

On November 17th I will be at AthenaOnline’s studios in Emeryville, California to tape some new video SmartBytes™ on employee engagement. AthenaOnline.com is is a premier publisher of multimedia training, education and career development products. Athena was founded as a sister company to the Institute for Management Studies (IMS), with a mission to leverage technology to deliver business knowledge when and where individuals need it. Athena has consistently delivered award-winning programs over the Internet, internal networks and on CD-Rom.

Following the taping sessions at Athena, I’ll be going down the street (literally) to meet with John Walker at Pixar Animation studios. John was the producer of “The Incredibles,”(one of my favorite movies). I’m looking forward to seeing John and learning more about how Pixar creates a community that seemingly has achieved task and relationship excellence. If you have any questions you would like me to ask John, please post them below or email me at mstallard@epluribuspartners.com.

On November 5th I’ll be doing a webcast for the American Management Association entitled “Fired Up Leadership: How to Make Your Team Thrive.”  The webcast is already oversubscribed but the AMA will be making it available to the public at no charge beginning on or around November 10.  To receive an email notifcation from the AMA when the webcast becomes available, click here.

Warren Buffett is in the news these days after publicly expressing his confidence in the future of American corporations and recently investing $8 Billion Dollars to purchase interests in GE and Goldman Sachs. With the recent stock market turmoil, many look to the world’s wealthiest man for guidance, and rightly so. Buffett is widely recognized as an exceptional judge of corporate value. “The Oracle of Omaha,” as he is known, is arguably the most successful investor in history. Corporate leaders regularly make the trek to Omaha, Nebraska, seeking his wisdom. With so much attention on Buffett’s investment acumen, it’s easy to overlook another talent: motivating people. It’s one of a host of reasons his investments tend to outperform the market. Read more »

Kevin Eikenberry is the author of an excellent book entitled Remarkable Leadership. He recently invited people to vote on the presidential candidates based on how they stack up in relation to the attributes of a Remarkable Leader. Check out the results by clicking on employee engagement.

Join me this Thursday at 11:00 AM Eastern when I will host a presentation by Marc Effron, Vice President of Talent Management at Avon and head of The New Talent Management Network. Marc is a thought and practice leader in talent management who is challenging industry practices when it comes to developing talent. Tune in to learn more about how Marc and his team have transformed Avon into one of the leading talent engines worldwide. You can sign up to attend the free webcast by clicking on employee engagement.

The Economic Times in India just published an article I wrote about the six universal needs to thrive. With the recent economic and financial market uncertainty, employee engagement has suffered.  Staying focused on activities that meet the universal needs to thrive helps us cope with times like this.  You can read the article by clicking here.

On Thursday John McCain demonstrated the character strength of valor which is defined as speaking up for what is right. As stated in an article that appeared in this morning’sThe New York Times:

When a man told [McCain] he was “scared” of an Obama presidency, Mr. McCain replied, “I want to be president of the United States and obviously I do not want Senator Obama to be, but I have to tell you — I have to tell you — he is a decent person and a person that you do not have to be scared” of “as president of the United States.” The crowd booed loudly at Mr. McCain’s response. Read more »

Yesterday, Jason Pankau and I had the honor of conducting a Connection Culture Leadership Training Workshop for General Dynamics’ Electric Boat Division.  This group builds nuclear submarines for the U.S. Navy. It was evident that the group of leaders we met felt a great deal of pride in their work. They should. Read more »

On November 5th from 12:00 P.M. until 1:00 P.M. Eastern, I’m presenting on a webcast for the American Management Association. The webcast is about Connection Cultures, leadership, teams and employee engagement. It will include Q&A with AMA program manager Susan Zeidman as well as from listeners. There is no charge for the webcast. You can register to attend by clicking on employee engagement.

Recently I spoke with Pat Farnack, the daytime host of New York City’s WCBS News Radio 880, about the need to pause and reflect on one’s life after experiencing traumas such as September 11, job loss or significant financial loss. You can hear the interview by clicking here.