One + March/April 2011 - (Page 19)

Measuring Charismatic Leaders “We found that if you want people to perceive you as charismatic, you need to display attributes such as empathy, good listening skills, eye contact, enthusiasm, self-conﬁdence and skillful speaking.” –University of Tennessee, Knoxville, communications studies professor Kenneth Levine Train the Whole Team, Not Just the Managers Think about it—a company is more than one person leading it or a group of managers steering it. It’s a team effort. And training courses for a select group of high-level employees may be a waste of money, according to Johan Bertlett, who recently defended a Ph.D. thesis in psychology at Lund University in Sweden. A good working climate is not only a requirement for job satisfaction—it is also an important success factor for a profit-driven company. Almost 200 employees at Arlanda Airport in Stockholm were included in Bertlett’s study, which shows that the manager is only able to influence the working climate to a limited extent. Instead, it is the interaction between the manager and the staff that is crucial. “Of course you need a good manager if the interaction between the manager and the staff is to work,” Bertlett said. “But it is important to understand that the manager’s situation is also influenced by the staff. Simply focusing on the manager means turning a blind eye to the contributions of the staff, and in doing so, you exclude a lot of the potential that exists within the company.” The best working climate is found at companies where the manager and the staff interact and where the manager creates good conditions for the staff to manage themselves and each other. “A good manager should train his or her staff and encourage informal leadership by delegating to those who are willing to take greater responsibility,” Bertlett said. —JASON HENSEL Come Here Often? “More and more people are now traveling by air, so it’s no surprise that ﬂights have become a place to ﬂirt. After all, you are sitting next to someone for an hour or more, and the fact that you’re both travelling to the same place means you already have something in common. Add this to the heightened effect that alcohol can have at altitude and the more relaxed ‘holiday mood’ that many travelers feel, and it tends to give people the courage to ﬂirt with a fellow passenger or even take things further.” –Karin Noble, a former cabin crew member and Skyscanner employee, on a report that 45 percent of passengers admit to ﬂirting while ﬂying Simply focusing on the manager means turning a blind eye to the contributions of the staff. A Clean Gift “Focus on getting soap. Lots of soap. It’s a gamble, cause you might get a few bars, or you might get a bunch. Let’s put it this way: I haven’t had to buy soap in a long time. And every time I reach for a new bar, I think: ‘Aaah, this smells like WIN!’” –Ask MetaFilter commentor herrdoktor answering what one should bring back as a Las Vegas souvenir Read more stories at www.mpiweb.org/Magazine/pluspoint mpiweb.org 19 http://www.mpiweb.org/Magazine/pluspoint http://www.mpiweb.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of One + March/April 2011

One + March/april 2011
Contents
Energy of Many
Impressions
Ultimate Fail
Overheard
Agenda
Ask the Experts
Thoughts+Leaders
Wonders, Man
Business Is Back
Top Spots
Connections
Irrelevant
Fail vs. Fail
Long Distance Sportsmanship
The Conference Is Not About You
Eat, Play, Love
Fantastic Fit
Where Tomorrow Happens
Middle Kingdom Come
All Together Now
Economic Impact Study
The Truth of Tech
The Social Networker
Applified
Super Wi-Fi Is Coming
The Kitchen Sink
@ Your Service
Your Community
Making a Difference
Until We Meet Again
MPI's 2011 Meeting Guide to Colorado

One + March/April 2011