Barry Rosen and I led an engaging and practical 90-minute web event, for which you can get the slides, below..

Virtual teams often face difficulties solving problems, making decisions, generating innovative ideas, and reconciling differences. When team members don't meet with each other face-to-face, it can be harder to build rapport, develop trust, and establish meaningful collegiality. Team members multi-task, leaders fall back to presenting endlessly, and the work goes sideways.

LeaderLens guest host Demetra Anagnostopoulos will join Mike Woodard to discuss the topic, "Insights to Action: Leaders Thinking Strategically."

Mike Woodard has an insider's knowledge of the Consumer Package Goods (CPG) industry, where he worked for many years. Mike will share a way to analyze and leverage vast amounts of data to think differently --- and make better decisions about products, marketing, spending, and more. Don't miss this dynamic presentation about leaders changing the game in the CPG industry!

Do employees at your company speak up and regularly engage in dialog that helps to shape strong results? And when they do, does the dialog go beyond merely ratifying what you as the leader have shared?

If the answers are no, you might be experiencing employee silence -- where employees withhold information because they perceive a threat. In driving greater employee involvement and shared responsibility for business results, leaders need to be on the lookout for when and why employees stay silent.

Increased business acumen is an important component of any strategic initiative for developing leaders — i.e., the specific literacy around business fundamentals and the key functions of an organization that drive business results. Lately, I've been thinking that there's a parallel to business acumen that's equally important for achieving strong results. Let’s call that "collaborative acumen."

As a firm dedicated to whole-person leadership as personified in our trademark methods for developing Facilitative Leaders, Interaction Associates is pleased to join the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans in honoring Ebby Halliday, the legendary Dallas real estate entrepreneur who is celebrating her 100th birthday.

I am on the train returning from the Dalai Lama Center's 2009 Peace Summit in Vancouver. What an extraordinary experience. Not only did I find myself in a myriad of "small miracle moments" over the course of the four days, but the experience of being there with colleagues in our field such as Meg Wheatley, Peter Senge, Peter Block, Dawna Markova, Wilford Welch, Juanita Brown — and our own Samantha Tan, who co-facilitated a World Cafe for a group of 120 business and social sector leaders — was inspiring.

What are some of the key takeaways from the recent Building Trust in Business best practices study?

We’re excited that Interaction Associates will be a sponsor for the The Give US Your Poor Concert for Boston's Homeless, Friday, November 16, 2007, at 8 p.m., at the Strand Theatre in Boston, MA. This concert, along with a CD featuring many of the same artists, is designed to benefit the Boston-based nonprofit policy research organization, Give US Your Poor, and a variety of advocacy and helping organizations. The endeavor is an extraordinary example of collaboration in action, in service of a noble aspiration.

Tightly Organized Agendas Lead To Fruitful Meetings
by Morey Stettner, Investors Business Daily.

A succinct, well-organized agenda raises the odds of a successful meeting. It saves time, sets expectations and helps attendees prepare.

To read more of this article from Investors Business Daily, please go here.