Geoff Smart, Author at Dr. Geoff Smart

May 19, 2021 By Geoff Smart Leave a Comment

Are You a Great “Remote” Leader? Take This Checklist Challenge

The days of “management by walking around” are over.

Business books from the 1980s encouraged managers to wander around the office, chit-chat with colleagues, and learn valuable information at the water cooler. Today, leaders of all size organizations find themselves managing people remotely.

In recent weeks, I have discussed this with the CEO of a global public company, the student body president of an Ivy League university, the Executive Director of a not-for-profit that builds bridges in developing economies, the founder of a protein bar startup, a U.S. Senator (who manages D.C. and hometown office staffs), and the head of a private equity firm with offices in several countries.

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January 13, 2021 By Geoff Smart Leave a Comment

Is It Possible to Have a Job That Is Fulfilling and Lucrative — but Still Have a Life Outside of Work?

A little over 25 years ago, I founded ghSMART, a leadership advisory firm, for two reasons, the second of which may surprise you.

First, I wanted to use our expertise in human behavior to help CEOs and investors build valuable companies — and that scope has widened over the years to also include helping not-for-profit and government leaders achieve success. I believe leadership is the most important lever for positive change, and I wanted to build a world-class firm to help leaders amplify their positive impact on the world.

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November 9, 2020 By Geoff Smart Leave a Comment

Hiring Government Leaders: Lessons from the Private Sector

I’m proud and happy that my ghSMART colleagues and I today published a landmark study on “Hiring Government Leaders” at the request of a Washington D.C. think tank.

A new administration’s #1 priority is hiring a talented and diverse leadership team that will elevate the quality of life of its citizens. However, this is easier said than done. Approximately 50% of hiring decisions are considered mistakes.

We drew on a half-century of research and practice in the private sector and public sector, and propose a practical framework to improve the speed and accuracy of hiring cabinet and senior staff, and reduce the chance of costly mistakes. While this article was primarily written for “presidential hiring,” the actionable take-aways are relevant for elected and appointed government leaders to use at the federal, state, or local levels to improve the performance of their administration, department, or agency, for the good of us all.

Please click to read our new article here: https://www.aei.org/research-products/report/hiring-government-leaders-lessons-from-the-private-sector/

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Dr. Geoff Smart is Chairman & Founder of ghSMART, the leadership advisory firm. The firm exists to help leaders amplify their positive impact on the world. In 2020, Vault named ghSMART the #1 company to work for in its industry, in overall satisfaction.
ghSMART has published four bestselling leadership books: Who: The A Method for Hiring (by Smart and Street, #1 in the category of “hiring”), Leadocracy: Hiring More Great Leaders (Like You) into Government (by Smart), Power Score (by Smart, Street, and Foster), and The CEO Next Door (by Botelho and Powell).
Geoff can be reached at geoff.smart@ghsmart.com.

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