LOS ANGELES BUSINESS JOURNAL PUBLISHES MY ARTICLE "Going to Bat for Legend" ON DODGERS' ANNOUNCER VIN SCULLY

Thanks to Charlie Crumpley, editor at the LA Business Journal, my article on legendary Dodgers' play-by-play announcer Vin Scully ran this week.

Here is the link if you'd like to read the op-ed, courtesy of the Los Angeles Business Journal:http://www.labusinessjournal.com/news/2015/oct/12/going-bat-legend/

REAL LEADERS DON'T BOSS -- now only $5.99 on Kindle

My publisher, Career Press, has thoughtfully reduced the price of my first book, Real Leaders Don't Boss, to only $5.99 on Kindle!

I'm delighted because as you may know the proceeds go to not-for-profit organizations caring for our men and women in uniform who were wounded in Iraq or Afghanistan and now it is more affordable than ever.

Won't you please help me pass the word?  Thank you very much.

Ritch

ON LEADERSHIP

Thanks to Claire Mencke and IBD for interviewing me for her article.

Leaders & Success  

 

Go Round And Over Bars To Your Leadership Goals

BY CLAIRE MENCKE, FOR INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY

05/22/2015 01:47 PM ET

If you belong to a group that has not been part of the traditional business or organization hierarchy, you know how hard it can be to get the powers that be to take you and your hopes and dreams seriously. As you rise, you might see fewer people like yourself around.

Instead of that uniqueness making you and your accomplishments more noticeable, you may feel more invisible.

Here are ways to thwart all that.

• Show you're the best. "You should do this all the time because you never know who's watching," said Angie Morgan, co-author with Courtney Lynch of "Leading From the Front: No-Excuse Leadership Tactics for Women," and co-founder of the consultancy Lead Star.

Working on leadership skills, especially when you're not in charge, helps you build a "leading attitude and puts you in a position of excellence," Morgan told IBD.

• Make the case. Improving yourself so you'll be seen as a candidate for advancement is always crucial for your future.

But make sure you know what management's plans are for advancing candidates within your organization, says management consultant Ritch Eich.

• Care for your staff. If you are not part of the old boys' club, you must have supportive people in your corner, Eich said. That falls to executives, who "in top leadership roles have a major responsibility to mentor others."

Mentoring is a vital way for all leadership candidates to advance, and the give-and-take it provides can give mentors key data and insights as well as aiding proteges.

• Anticipate and take risks. Morgan and Lynch learned their leadership skills in the Marine Corps.

The Marines' constant drills and feedback build strong habits for dealing with danger in a peer environment, notes Morgan. This training institutionalizes discipline in work and decision-making and can benefit civilian employee teams.

"In a group like that, you can't pull rank," she said. "It creates a climate of accountability, with support."

Men don't have a monopoly on dealing with risk and stress, says Morgan. But they may get an earlier start on learning to cope with it.

"None of us are hard-wired to deal with stress effectively," she said. "Our physical response is normally flight. But we can all learn to be better than our instincts."

• Compete. All leadership candidates "must learn to stand on their own," said Eich. You must be "visible, aggressive and competitive in the workplace." Part of this process is "learning how to sell yourself vigorously enough."

• Lead as you are. Succeeding in an organization does not mean you have to change your identity or personality.

"To be effective, you need to work on enhancing your strengths and improving your weaknesses," said Morgan. "You may need to learn some new behaviors, like holding back tears, or cutting back on others, like placing blame elsewhere. But never try to be someone you're not."

http://news.investors.com/management-leaders-and-success/052215-753944-go-round-or-over-hurdles-to-your-goal.htm

The Boy's Club Needs to Include Girls

The Boy’s Club Needs to Include Girls

Whether it’s Hollywood movie studios and their paucity of female directors, the tech industry and their alarming exodus of frustrated women, or the stifling male fraternity culture that dominates Wall Street, women continue to be marginalized in the business world.

The vast majority of CEOs responding to a McKinsey survey noted that hiring females is essential to “getting the best brains.” Sounds pretty obvious, doesn’t it? Despite increasing awareness of this issue, meaningful change remains agonizingly slow—less than 20 of the Fortune 500 CEOs are women, and on average, women earn just 77 cents for every dollar earned by their male counterparts.

Having worked in a variety of industries, I’ve been enormously fortunate to work with many incredibly talented and accomplished women including:

·      Carol Tomlinson-Keasey, Ph.D., the first—and founding—chancellor of the University of California, Merced.

·      Ora Hirsch Pescovitz, M.D., senior vice president, Eli Lilly Company and former CEO, Riley Hospital for Children and former CEO, University of Michigan Health System.

·      Cleopatra Vaughns, civic leader, San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (MUNI) chair, the first female board member and the first female chair of San Francisco Visitors and Conference Bureau, Blue Shield of California community relations head, and president of the National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women’s Clubs.

·      Susan Hallat, the first female leader of golf marshals, Palmer Private course at Humana Challenge (and its forerunner, the Bob Hope Desert Classic).

·      Barbara Kiely, CPA, and captain, U.S. Naval Reserve and head of her own firm in Chicago.

·      Helen Mann, St. Joseph Mercy Hospital (Ann Arbor), head of special events and community engagement.

·      Barbara McElroy, R.N., Indiana University Hospitals physician relations head.

These women have been exemplary role models for all, but especially for women.  Their indefatigable drive, personality, intelligence and adaptability have inspired me and countless others.  All of these women welcomed tough assignments, and more importantly, delivered results—often in the face of adversity.

Real leaders commit all available resources to creating a positive organizational climate that has zero tolerance for any discriminatory behavior, whether against women or anyone else. Real leaders require their teams to establish systems and cultures that reward women and men equally, thereby encouraging women to focus on contributing, instead of fighting against out-of-date biases. Real leaders understand that expertise and contributions—not your sex—is what wins the race.

Here are five critical steps leaders need to take to increase the role—and value—of women in their organizations:

1.     Make the commitment: It sounds basic, but chief executives need to understand—and accept—that their organization’s bottom line will be enhanced by including women in policy-shaping forums and decisions.

2.     Make the commitment count: Tie executive compensation to the active inclusion and advancement of women—simply meeting a quota is not enough (and in fact, is counterproductive).

3.     Encourage and mentor women: The fact is that more women take on the combined role of breadwinner and caregiver than men, and organizations need to accommodate that—or they will ultimately suffer the loss of some great talent.  Women want tough assignments, and in my experience, are often better than men when it comes to collaborating.

4.     Check male egos at the door: Consciously or unconsciously, the “old boys” network is alive and well. Organizations must adopt a zero-tolerance policy against discrimination (and not just against women).  Instead of celebrating the behavior that still exists on Wall Street, it needs to be wiped out.

5.     Recognize women’s unique contributions: Most of the women I know and have worked with have been better at multi-tasking than men (myself included), and reach consensus faster and with less contention than most men.  It’s no coincidence that more female U. S. Senators have co-sponsored bills and reached across the aisle to get things done than their male counterparts.

Organizations need to realize that leadership requires extra innings. Not all games are decided in nine innings. Excelling in business requires a real team effort and leveraging the talents of everyone involved, regardless of their position within the organization—or their sex.

5 Steps Leaders Should Take to Increase the Role and Value of Women in Their Workplace

Many thanks to HR.BLR.com for posting my article about women at work. I hope it is useful to you in your endeavors.

Here is the link if you wish to read the article: http://hr.blr.com/HR-news/Discrimination/Workplace-Diversity/Steps-leaders-take-increase-role-value-women

"We Don't Need Politicians-- We Need Leaders" published in The Hill

The Hill posted my article about leadership requirements today. Here is the link if you'd like to read the article:thehill.com/.../231618-we-dont-need-politicians-we-need-leaders

My appreciation goes to Joe Picard, editor, for his assistance.

Memories: "(Sittin' on) the dock of the bay"

In the summer of 1968 as I was stationed at Naval Station Treasure Island (TI) in the middle of San Francisco Bay awaiting orders with many others to Vietnam, the hit song first recorded by Otis Redding "Sitting on the Dock of the Bay" played over, over and over. Listening to it helped take our minds off the situation at hand. One day I was ordered to the TI navy brig for reasons I knew not. As it turned out, because I had a masters degree, I was sent to the Correctional Center, Naval Station Great Lakes (IL) instead of Vietnam where I served two years striving to rehabilitate military prisoners.

I just saw this superb video which brought back many memories for me and I wanted to share it with others. As some of you will recall, this was a particularly tumultuous period in our country's history. I, like many others, lost close friends in this war.

Here is the link: http://rare.us/story/this-beautiful-collaboration-of-sitting-on-the-dock-of-the-bay-will-bring-you-back-to-a-better-time/

My article "Why business leaders should trumpet the arts" published in PACIFIC COAST BUSINESS TIMES

Thanks to Henry Dubroff, editor, Pacific Coast Business Times, my most recent article about the importance of the arts in business was published in the Santa Barbara-based publication.

Here is the link if you'd like to read the article: http://www.pacbiztimes.com/2015/01/30/oped-why-business-leaders-should-trumpet-the-arts/

Los Angeles Business Journal Published My Article "Business Should Get In on Arts Act"

My sincere thanks go to Charles Crumpley, editor of the LA Business Journal, for publishing my most recent article describing the value of "the arts" in business.

If you wish to read the article, please contact the business journal or me at ritcheich@gmail.com

Fast Company Publishes My Article "5 WAYS TO INVIGORATE YOUR EMPLOYEES WITH ART"

My recent article "Memo to CEO: Five Easy Ways to Invigorate the C-Suite" was given a new title and published today in FastCompany.com. It's about the important role "the arts" can play in business.

Sincere thanks are extended to Tess Woods of Tess Woods PR in the Boston area for all her help.

Here is the link if you'd like to read the article:http://www.fastcompany.com/3039773/5-ways-to-invigorate-your-employees-with-art

Tom Brokaw to Receive Presidential Medal of Freedom

Several years ago when I worked at Stanford University Medical Center, my wife, Joan, and I met with Tom Brokaw in his NBC office in New York. He was the anchor of "NBC Nightly News" at the time. We had a delightful, productive visit discussing an item of mutual interest. We have long admired this humble, highly talented and gracious American and so we were thrilled to hear last evening that he will soon be awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in our country.

As this is Veterans Day, we salute Tom Brokaw who has always cared deeply about veterans and citizens around the globe. And, congratulations to all the other honorees for their many contributions to mankind.

STRAIGHT A's FOR COLLEGE TOWN LIFE

If you'd like to read about the virtues of living in a college town and the pivotal role my exceptional staff played at California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks, CA here is the link to the Ventura County Star:http://www.vcstar.com/opinion/columnists/eich-straight-as-for-college-town-life_75279759

My appreciation goes to editorial page editor Mike Craft and his colleagues for their assistance.

PACIFIC COAST BUSINESS TIMES publishes my article "Cultivating Leadership Through the Arts"

My sincere thanks to Business Times Editor Henry Dubroff for publishing my article on arts & leadership in this week's issue of their business magazine.

Here is the link if you'd like to read it:http://www.pacbiztimes.com/2014/10/17/oped-cultivating-leadership-through-the-arts/

CORP! Magazine published my leadership article

LEADERS ARE IMPERTURBABLE was just published by CORP! business magazine. Here is the link if you wish to read it:http://www.corpmagazine.com/human-resources/real-leaders-are-imperturbable/

KEY STRATEGIC ROLE FOR HOSPITAL GALA

How Special Events Can Build Your Reputation and Brand

Strategic Health Care Marketing, Sept. 2014

by Ritch K. Eich, PhD

Special events have been an integral part of health care organizations for centuries. For example, back when Catherine McAuley founded the Sisters of Mercy religious order in

Dublin, Ireland, in 1831, charity functions—sermons, bazaars, and other appeals—were an integral part of social life.

In his 1955 book about that period, Catherine McAuley: The First Sister of Mercy, Roland Savage reported that charity bazaars were “a striking feature in the social life of Dublin ... and were an unfailing source of revenue for the city’s many charities.”

Today, special events continue in the health care industry, although two different points of view have evolved regarding their purpose.

The first point of view is that a special event is executed to meet a one-time goal, such as fundraising for a new service, building, or alliance.

The second point of view—one that I’ve always embraced—is that a special event has a much more expansive goal that includes underwriting key marketing and public relations initiatives, such as relationship building, reputation enhancement, and patient acquisition. This can lead to a delightful, fruitful experience for all who participate!

Special events, when properly conceived, managed, and leveraged, are a very important part of a health care organization’s overall reputation-building strategy. For example, they can:

• Help enlist strategic allies and partnerships.

• Create a forum for both new and established

     supporters.

• Provide positive media coverage.

• Build market share.

These objectives should all complement one another and lead to making the hospital, clinic, or insurance plan the preferred choice among patients and customers.

Special events must be an integral part of an organization’s overall brand strategy. Viewing them as such will help ensure consistency in both message and timing when combined with other marketing components such as social media, direct mail, advertising, media relations, publications, and online navigation, content, and design. One of the best ways to ensure all of these elements work in concert, and that their potential is maximized, is to ensure they are skillfully led.

Unfortunately, some health care executives have been largely indifferent to the impact special events can have on their organization’s bottom line. Special events are sometimes treated as a fringe activity or worse, and events coordinators are not seen as integral members of the team.

I’ve known industry leaders who have treated special events as if they were nonaligned, self-determining events with maverick volunteers. This is a huge mistake and undermines the many tangible and intangible benefits that special events can bring to an organization.

As rightful extensions of the health care entity’s brand, special events can help bring a community together, alter an institution’s image, or hone existing messages. They can provide invaluable media exposure, help grow business, build inpatient and outpatient census, stimulate philanthropy, and foster goodwill in the community. In other words, they can improve patient care, customer satisfaction, and the organization’s bottom line.

Well planned and orchestrated special events can also bolster employee pride, especially if employees are involved with volunteers in their planning and execution.

One of the notable special events I oversaw for several years was the “St. Joe’s Holiday Ball” for St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in Ann Arbor (part of St. Joseph Mercy Health System). This signature bash, now in its 39th year, is recognized by many as the premier social event in the region and signals the beginning of the holiday season in southeastern Michigan.

This annual special event has allowed St. Joe’s Mercy Hospital to expand, grow, and better serve the community, as can see from the list of themes and beneficiaries over the years: For an organization’s key constituencies, special events can represent a turning point in their decision-making process.

A special event may establish the first personal contact someone has with the institution, and cement a long-term relationship. An event can be the catalyst for transforming a visitor’s abstract interest into tangible appreciation.

A well-planned and well-executed event can convert a fence sitter into an advocate or a passive board member into an active one. On the other hand, disorganized and poorly executed events can have the opposite effect, by discouraging interest and attracting the wrong media exposure.

Enlightened health care leaders realize that if a special event is to have an impact, it takes much more than a dream or wish. It takes hundreds, some- times thousands, of volunteer hours of expertise and dedication.

Whether large or small in nature, if an event is to be successful, it must be guided by a skilled organizer who is a combination of marketer and business leader capable of ensuring that the event’s objectives—along with budget parameters—are in keeping with the institution’s mission and overarching business goals.

Year            Event

1976            St. Joe’s Goes to the Movies

1977            St. Joe’s Plays the Palace

1978            St. Joe’s Waltzes to Vienna

1979            St. Joe’s Rings in the Holidays

1980            St. Joe’s Encores Lester Lanin

1981            St. Joe’s Heralds a White Christmas

1982            St. Joe’s Celebrates a Holiday Fantasy

1983            St. Joe’s Presents a Midwinter Night’s Dream

1984            St. Joe’s Lights Up Manhattan

1985            St. Joe’s Celebrates a Dazzling Decade

1986            St. Joe’s Diamond Anniversary Ball

1987            St. Joe’s Rings in a Merry Christmas

1988            St. Joe’s Orchestrates a Musical Holiday

1989            St. Joe’s Wishes Upon a Star

1990            A Shimmering Rhapsody

1991            Heaven and Nature Sing

1992            Waltz of Yuletide Flowers

1993            La Fiesta del Sol

1994            St. Joe’s Presents a Highland Holiday Fling

1995            The Winter Palace at St. Joe’s

1996            St. Joe’s Holiday in Venice

1997            Joie de Vivre” (Joy of Life)

1998            Reflection of a Winter’s Night

1999            An Evening on the Emerald Isle

2000            The Grand Ball: Celebrating St. Joe’s Past, Present &   Future

2001            St. Joe’s 2001 Odyssey Ball

2002            It’s a Wonderful Life

2003            Under the Tuscan Moon

2004            An Evening at The Nutcracker

2005            A Journey to the North Pole

2006            Majestic Michigan

2007            As Time Goes By

2008            Winter Wonderland

2009            Paris—City of Lights

2010            Rio

2011            The Black & White Ball— The Party for St. Joe’s Century

2012            Wonderland

2013            Let It Snow

2014            Rococo

From its beginning in 1976 and continuing to this day, the St.Joe's Gala underwrote numerous important hospital priorities. They range from ED expansion to patient tower medical equipment, from cancer center initiatives to women's health issues, from NICU to adolescent services and the neuro rehab program.

The Hill just published my article called "A HIGHER STANDARD NEEDED ON CAPITOL HILL"

My article dealing with the ISIS threat and relationships between Congress and the President was just published today.

Here is the link if you wish to read my thoughts:http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/homeland-security/218066-a-higher-standard-needed-on-capitol-hill

Strategic Health Care Marketing Published my article "How Special Events Can Build Your Reputation and Brand"

If you'd like to read my article, please contact Strategic Health Care Marketing, 909 Marina Village Pkwy, #183, Alameda, CA 94501 or telephone 866.641-4548 or email: custserv@plainenglishhealthcare.com

Congratulations to Matthew T. Humphrey, the new editor and publisher and Jennifer Carsen, the new managing editor, and their team for perpetuating the legacy of former, longtime editor and publisher Michele von Dambrowski.

I have always felt flattered to be published in this superb publication.

Training Magazine publishes excerpt from my book, Leadership Requires Extra Innings

Training Magazine just published an excerpt from my latest book, LEADERSHIP REQUIRES EXTRA INNINGS. You can read the excerpt titled "Great Leaders Rely on Great Trainers" by using this link:http://www.trainingmag.com/great-leaders-rely-great-trainers

Proceeds from the sale of my second book on leadership are being donated to The Jackie Robinson Foundation, for scholarships to deserving minority students.

"It's Time to Stop Talking, and Start Taking Action about Ethics in the Military" just published in The Journal of Values-Based Leadership

Paul Grossgold, my co-author, and I wish to express our genuine thanks to Elizabeth Gingerich, editor of The Journal of Values-Based Leadership, for her guidance and thoughtfulness. Our article about military ethics has been published in the Summer/Fall 2014 issue.

Here is the link for those wishing to read what Paul and I have written: http://scholar.valpo.edu/jvbl/vol7/iss2/4/

Bloomberg Businessweek Just Published My Article on Leaders and Executing

My article titled "Are You an Enlightened Leader? Here's a Litmus Test" has been published in Bloomberg.com.

Please use this link to read the article about executing:http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-08-08/the-key-to-motivating-employees-is-dot-r-e-s-p-e-c-t#p2