Cutting-Edge Leadership

The best in current leadership research and theory, from cultivating charisma to transforming your organization

by Ronald E. Riggio, Ph.D.

Drill, Baby, Drill: The Problem with Short-Term Thinking

When it comes to oil and energy, short-term thinking is going to kill us. Come to think of it, short-term thinking negatively affects our economy, our businesses, and our personal lives. Read More

Communication 101: 5 Rules for Success at Work (And Everywhere Else)

In the last couple of days I have received cryptic memos at work, undecipherable emails, incomplete invitations, and a handful of odd looks, expressions, and a bizarre, possibly obscene, gesture (from another motorist). I thought it was time to review some of the rules for effective communication, particularly important for the workplace, and crucial for workplace leaders and managers. Read More

Bullying in Schools: Everybody Loses

President and First Lady Obama recently hosted a White House conference on bullying prevention in schools, and a number of noted psychologists presented research. Bullying is widespread in schools, and the data shows that both victims and bullies experience problems later in life. Read More

Why Is Money So Sexy?

A survey reports that wealthy people have more exciting and daring sex lives. Why is money an aphrodisiac? Read More

5 Key Questions For Success at Work

Father of Modern Management, Peter Drucker, suggested that there were 5 key questions that businesses should ask themselves to get them on the path to success. These questions can also be used to guide departments, and individuals, to success. Here they are: Read More

When Leaders Fake Democracy: The Illusion of Shared Leadership

As Americans we highly value the principal of democracy - the idea that when it comes to choosing our leaders, each and every one of us has a vote. But sometimes leaders like to give the illusion of shared leadership and democracy, but in reality they hold tight to the reins of power and control. Read More

Failure: Necessity of Invention & Essential for Success

A post by guest blogger, Tim Eyre, on learning from failure. Read More

5 Ways Higher Education Transforms Lives

Most people are motivated to get a college degree for economic reasons - to get a better job and make more money, but here are some other ways that higher education leads to a better future for all. Read More

Why Politicians Lie, and How They Get Away With It

The Daily Show's Jon Stewart (see video clip) recently featured a huge lie from Arizona Senator, Jon Kyl, when he claimed that over 90% of Planned Parenthood funding goes to pay for abortions (the actual figure is 3%). Why did he do that? Read More

Wedding Crashing for Fun and Profit

Forget love -- a wedding reception is a networking opportunity. A panel of successful alumni offered tips for our college graduates’ futures. Here is some of the career (and life) advice our experts gave. Read More

Can Your Job Kill You? Career Success and Longevity

Which personal and career factors are related to a long and healthy life? A recent book suggests that those who live longest have important and meaningful careers and are especially productive. Read More

Why the World Tolerates Corrupt and Dangerous Leaders

Muammar Qaddafi, Hosni Mubarek, and even Saddam Hussein, didn't even make the list of the world's most corrupt leaders. Why so many horrible and corrupt leaders? Unfortunately, we have only ourselves (and our evolutionary history) to blame. Read More

At What Age Should You Retire?

Let's explore the psychology behind your choice to retire (or not), and the impact it can have on your health and well-being. The key questions here are: Will you be happier retired or working? Will you be psychologically and physically healthier retired or working? Are you psychologically prepared to retire? Read More

Leading From the Ground Up: How To Transform U.S. Education

There is a belief that significant change has to begin at the top, but leadership is not top-down. It is a shared endeavor and happens from the bottom up. This is the message of the 2011 Kravis Prize recipient, Vicky Colbert, founder of Escuela Nueva Foundation, which has vastly improved the quality of education in low-income schools around the world. Read More

Graduate Student Guide to Successful Dissertations

In the past several months I have given a number of talks to graduate students across the U.S. on the topic of successfully completing a dissertation. Here are some of the tips that I have shared with graduate students. Read More

Productivity Is Up, Wages Are Down: What’s Up With That?

Do you feel like you work harder and produce more, but you still can't make ends meet financially? That's because it's true! According to a recent study, worker productivity has been on a steady increase, rising 62.5% from 1989 to 2010, but wages during that time are only up 12%. Where's the money going??? Read More

Success and Leadership Are Not the Same Thing

Successful heads of businesses, government, or social movements are often hailed as great leaders. We assume that an organization that is successful, particularly one with a highly visible leader, achieves its success largely due to the leader's efforts. An organization's success, however, can be completely unrelated to the company's leader, or can occur in spite of a bad leader. Read More

Should Workplace Bullying Be Illegal?

Workplace bullying constitutes a form of harassment, but bullying itself is not illegal. The problem is that bullying behavior often "flies under the radar screen" and often does not get defined as "harassment." Here are some differences between harassment and bullying. Read More

Measuring Personal Charisma, Emotional Intelligence and Savoir-Faire

Most people believe that charisma is something mystical or magical -- you are either born with it, or not. But our research suggests otherwise. What is charisma? Do you have it? Can you get it? Read More

Narcissism and Leadership

Why are so many leaders narcissistic? Do narcissists make effective leaders? What differentiates a productive narcissistic leader from an evil one? Read More

Can You Guess the Greatest (and Worst) U.S. Presidents?

A study of presidential scholars conducted asked these experts to rank presidents from best to worst. Because political orientation might affect the rankings, they were divided into liberal and conservative scholars. The interesting results showed that liberal and conservative scholars had almost identical rankings of the top-10 U.S. Presidents. Who did they choose? Read More

The Four Types of Bosses We Hate

Psychologist Robert Hogan estimates that there are more bad leaders than good ones. Bad bosses range from the merely incompetent to the destructive and toxic ones. Think of the worst boss you ever worked for. He or she probably falls into one of the following categories: Read More

Four Qualities Leaders Need for Success

It's hard to imagine, but the four qualities that leaders need in order to be successful were first discussed more than 2,000 years ago. Aristotle wrote of the four cardinal virtues: Prudence, Fortitude, Temperance, and Justice. Develop these, and you will be a good and successful leader. Read More

Avoiding the Groundhog Day Syndrome

In the movie, Groundhog Day, Bill Murray's character keeps reliving the same day over and over. Do you ever have that feeling? Each day is the same. Learn how to get out of that rut! Read More

Bullies and the Eddie Haskell Effect

One reason why workplace bullies may not be discovered is because they suck up to the authorities while bullying subordinates and peers behind their backs. Just like Eddie Haskell from the old "Leave it to Beaver" show (who ingratiated himself to the parents while tormenting the Beaver), the bully pretends to be a model employee - but only when the boss is around. Read More

Why Workplace Bullies Thrive: The Bystander Effect

Workplace bullying has reached epidemic proportions, but often workers don't "see" it. Why not? Here are some reasons and some solutions to stop bullying at work. Read More

When Is It Time to Quit Your Job?

Too many people stay in dead-end jobs, jobs they hate, or positions that offer no possibility of advancement simply because they believe there are no alternatives, or because of a need for security. When should you seriously consider leaving your job? Read More

Flying the Grouchy Skies: Deteriorating Organizational Culture of US Airlines

Recently, Alec Baldwin had a much-publicized encounter with a flight attendant. Baldwin, like other air travelers complains about delayed flights, inaccurate flight information screens, rude and impatient (and overstressed) airlines personnel, and brusque and authoritarian TSA officers. What can be done about it?

So how do successful organizations go about looking for and identifying leaders when they do their hiring? Although there is no magic formula, here are a few insights on techniques that can help an organization gain a reliable prognosis of leadership potential in prospective hires. Read More

Leadership Lessons From Tucson: Obama’s Challenge to America

As a leadership scholar I was intensely interested in the leadership lessons I might learn from President Barack Obama's eulogy of the victims of the Tucson tragedy. So, what leadership lessons, and lessons about life, did I learn? Read More

Ronald E. Riggio, Ph.D., is the Henry R. Kravis Professor of Leadership and Organizational Psychology at Claremont McKenna College.

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About Cutting-Edge Leadership

Discusses the latest research from leadership scholars and organizational psychologists, presenting the information in a useful, "how to" format. If you want the latest leadership and work-related knowledge, find it here.