Leading Blog

DECEMBER 28, 2023

I DEAS shared have the power to expand perspectives, change thinking, and move lives. Here are two ideas for the curious mind to engage with: I. Scott Weiss on straight talk: “Uncertainty has yet to emerge as a higher-order value or behavior that organizations eagerly reward. It’s much easier to throw up an obfuscating cloud of doublespeak, to offer a glib, condescending sound bite, or even to lie outright than to admit that we simply don’t have the answer.

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Leading Blog

DECEMBER 1, 2023

H ERE'S A LOOK at some of the best leadership books to be released in December 2023 curated just for you. Be sure to check out the other great titles being offered this month. Brave Together : Lead by Design, Spark Creativity, and Shape the Future with the Power of Co-Creation by Chris Deaver and Ian Clawson How did Apple overcome a culture of secrecy?

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Books Leadership Open-book Creativity 268

Leading Blog

NOVEMBER 20, 2023

I F YOU ENTER a bookstore and peruse the shelves for books on famous leaders in history, you’ll likely find a recurring cast of characters staring at you. Winston Churchill. Napoleon Bonaparte. Abraham Lincoln. Mao Zedong. Keep browsing and you’ll encounter another variant of this literature featuring prominent men (and sometimes women) in the business or corporate world: Bill Gates.

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Leading Blog

NOVEMBER 1, 2023

H ERE'S A LOOK at some of the best leadership books to be released in November 2023 curated just for you. Be sure to check out the other great titles being offered this month. Same as Ever : A Guide to What Never Changes by Morgan Housel Every investment plan under the sun is, at best, an informed speculation of what may happen in the future, based on a systematic extrapolation from the known past.

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Leading Blog

OCTOBER 10, 2023

I N AN ESSAY published in 1908, Orison Swett Marden encourages leaders to give responsibility to their employees—to develop leaders at all levels. Give power so that others may grow. Below are thoughts adapted from that essay that are as relevant today as they were when they were written. Every man is a stranger to his greatest strength, his mightiest power, until the test of great responsibility, a critical emergency, or a supreme crisis in his life, calls it out.

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Leading Blog

AUGUST 31, 2023

Here are a selection of tweets from August 2023 that you will want to check out: 7 Ways to Welcome Constructive Feedback as a Leader by @RonEdmondson VIDEO: @ArtPetty interviews Bill Schaninger , co-author of Power to the Middle for The Experts channel What have you changed your mind about? (And if you haven’t, it could be time you need to!) by @suzimcalpine Ten Critical Keys For Designing a Creative Culture by @PhilCooke Fifty Something with More Gas Left in the Career Tank But Need a Change?

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Leading Blog

AUGUST 30, 2023

T HERE IS danger when success goes to a leader’s head. King Solomon wrote, “Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall.” When this happens, they are at risk for what Donald Sull calls in Revival of the Fittest , active inertia. He explains what happens: Managers get trapped by success, a condition that I call active inertia , or management’s tendency to respond to the most disruptive changes by accelerating activities that succeeded in the past.

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Leading Blog

AUGUST 11, 2023

B ECOME your own best friend. “I can’t teach Tom Brady how to throw a ball,” says Greg Harden. “I can’t teach Desmond Howard how to catch the ball. I can’t teach Michael Phelps how to do a perfect flip turn. All I can do is teach you how to become the world’s greatest expert on one subject: yourself. ” The former University of Michigan Athletic Counselor Greg Harden has worked with world-class athletes like Tom Brady, Michael Phelps, Desmond Howard, and hundreds of business leaders and professio

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Leading Blog

AUGUST 10, 2023

I DEAS shared have the power to expand perspectives, change thinking, and move lives. Here are two ideas for the curious mind to engage with: I. John W. Gardner on building meaning into your life: “Meaning is not something you stumble across, like an answer to a riddle or the prize in a treasure hunt. Meaning is something you build into your life. You build it out of your own past, out of your affections and loyalties, out of the experience of humankind as it is passed on to you, out of your own

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Leading Blog

AUGUST 8, 2023

I F YOU WANT to change your culture, you need to change the stories that the people in your organization share with each other. Jay B. Barney, Manoel Amorim, and Carlos Júlio write in The Secret of Culture Change that these culture-changing stories are the secret of culture change. If you want to change your organization’s culture, start by building stories.

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Leading Blog

JULY 21, 2023

L IFE IS HARD at times for everyone. And we all make mistakes. Sometimes stuff happens, and it hurts. There are, without a doubt, a lot of things going on around us that can easily take you off-track. It’s easy to get frustrated, cynical, and angry. Reality can be hard to process. But a few grounding rules will help us prosper in spite of it. Performance strategist John Alston and Emmy Award-winning director-producer Lloyd Thaxton present nine uplifting and inspirational Reality Rules for dealin

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Leading Blog

JULY 20, 2023

I DEAS shared have the power to expand perspectives, change thinking, and move lives. Here are two ideas for the curious mind to engage with: I. Siimon Reynolds on how vagueness leads to failure: “The average person has no clear purpose, and that’s why people end up average. It’s not unusual to see people working 12 hours a day and still not getting anything substantial done.

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Leading Blog

JULY 6, 2023

I DEAS shared have the power to expand perspectives, change thinking, and move lives. Here are two ideas for the curious mind to engage with: I. John Bogle asks us what rabbit we are chasing: “[We need to] ask ourselves whether we’re chasing the fake rabbit of success or the real rabbit or meaning, defined by the contributions to our society that stem from principle, virtue, and character.

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Politics Education Training Quality 352

Leading Blog

JUNE 20, 2023

H UMILITY is the basis of servant leadership. Dale Burke explains what humility looks like and what it does in contrast to pride in How to Lead and Still Have a Life: The 8 Principles of Less is More Leadership. 1. Humility accepts responsibility. Pride blames others. 2. Humility promotes objectivity. Pride lives in denial and ignores the truth. 3. Humility increases teachability.

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Leading Blog

JUNE 5, 2023

M UCH has been written about how the Millennial and Z generations are different, their likes and dislikes, and idiosyncrasies. In Generation Why: How Boomers Can Lead and Learn from Millennials and Gen Z , McGill University professor Karl Moore asks why. He goes behind the observable behaviors and looks at the events that shaped their worldview to better understand why they are the way they are.

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Leading Blog

JUNE 2, 2023

W HEN A CEO first assumes their position or joins a new company, they’re often quick to make changes to the executive team, creating a group of trusted advisors who will drive their strategic agenda. But once the CEO has been in place for a few years, this dynamic changes. Replacing these hand-picked team members becomes a highly unpleasant process, one that CEOs avoid at all costs—despite clear signs it’s necessary.

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Leading Blog

MARCH 24, 2023

I T ALL STARTS with perception. Everything we feel, every choice we make, and everything we do all starts with our perception of our environment. Our perceptions automatically influence our feeling, and they in turn, automatically influence our actions. Perception is powerful. Erik Van Alstine takes us through the various ways the See-Feel-Act Progression influences everything we do in Automatic Influence: New Power for Change in Work and Life.

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Leading Blog

MARCH 3, 2023

B ECOMING teachable and action-oriented clears the way for success. It also sets the stage for The Shortcut by four-time luge Olympian Ruben Gonzalez. The Shortcut is a business fable full of critical life principles. It is the story of the arrogant and underperforming regional director Johnny Valentine who is on the verge of losing his job. Wanting him to succeed, his boss directs him to the Olympian Café.

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Leading Blog

JANUARY 26, 2023

I DEAS shared have the power to expand perspectives, change thinking, and move lives. Here are two ideas for the curious mind to engage with: I. Niccolò Machiavelli on resistance to change: “It must be remembered that there is nothing more difficult to plan, more doubtful of success, nor more dangerous to manage than a new system. For the initiator has the enmity of all who would profit by the preservation of the old institution and merely lukewarm defenders in those who gain by the new ones.

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Leading Blog

JANUARY 24, 2023

T HE context of leadership has changed. It is more complex, and values that must be addressed have shifted. What we once glossed over now requires our attention and action. Mostly it requires that we be more intentional about relationships. Rose Patten puts it this way in Intentional Leadership : “The spotlight on leadership has moved to how people lead in challenging and changing circumstances.

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Leading Blog

JANUARY 20, 2023

W HEN WE THINK of success and influence, there’s more to it than just IQ and EQ. What pulls it all together and contributes to our ability to show up and achieve our goals is the sum total of our experiences and what we take away from them. What we’re talking about is our Experiential Intelligence or our XQ. In Experiential Intelligence , author Soren Kaplan describes XQ as “the combination of mindsets, abilities, and know-how gained from your unique life experience that empowers you to achieve

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Leading Blog

DECEMBER 31, 2022

Here are a selection of tweets from December 2022 that you will want to check out: Ten Life Lessons Learned & Reinforced From A Year Well Lived by @artpetty. The Law of Slow Leaks - Why Important Things Fail and What We Can Do About It by Ken Downer @RapidStartLdr. Forgiveness as a Business Tool by Manfred Kets de Vries via @INSEAD. After the Layoff: How to Support Your Team When it Just Got Smaller by @LetsGrowLeaders.

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Self-aware Tips Learning-by-Doing CEO 200

Leading Blog

DECEMBER 29, 2022

I DEAS shared have the power to expand perspectives, change thinking, and move lives. Here are two ideas for the curious mind to engage with: I. Charles Handy on the nature of vision: “A plan or a strategy which is a projection of the present or a replica of what everyone else is doing is not a vision. A vision has to reframe the known scene, to reconceptualize the obvious, connect the previously unconnected dream.”.

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Leading Blog

DECEMBER 8, 2022

I DEAS shared have the power to expand perspectives, change thinking, and move lives. Here are two ideas for the curious mind to engage with: I. Jim Wallis on moving forward after a crisis: “Not all of our old habits, behaviors, and institutions are bad, just as not all new ones are good. We need to uncover some forgotten lessons that have served us well in the past and make sure the baby of our better choices doesn’t get thrown out with the bathwater of our mistakes.”.

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Leading Blog

DECEMBER 7, 2022

The titles listed below—published in 2022—reflect a need to get realigned with solid leadership practices and thinking. Smart Growth : How to Grow Your People to Grow Your Company by Whitney Johnson (Harvard Business Review Press, 2022) Growth is the goal. Helping people develop their potential—enabling them to articulate and become the self they want to be, are capable of being, and that best serves them and others in the short and long term—is what we as individuals and leaders strive toward.

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Leading Blog

DECEMBER 5, 2022

I IN 1982, Tom Peters and Bob Waterman released In Search of Excellence: Lessons from America’s Best-Run Companies. The book was a huge business bestseller and served as a guide for managers for many years to come. It became required reading in business school classes. Yet, 40 years later, few now speak of the book. Perhaps it’s time for In Search of Excellence to find a new audience.

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Leading Blog

JANUARY 3, 2022

G IVEN that we live in a radically changing world, what got you here won’t get you there. In Michael Useem’s words, “The best capacities of an earlier time remain informative but also incomplete for the challenges we face ahead.” Therefore, “what’s required is a mixture of traditional capacities, fresh capabilities, and a learning bridge for combining the two.”.

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Leading Blog

NOVEMBER 18, 2021

I DEAS shared have the power to expand perspectives, change thinking, and move lives. Here are two ideas for the curious mind to engage with: I. Liz Wiseman describes a practice of Impact Players: “Impact Players practice a fluid model of leadership—leading on demand rather than by command. They take their cues from the situation, stepping up when needed, but when their stewardship is fulfilled, they step back and follow others with equal ease.

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Leading Blog

OCTOBER 31, 2021

Here are a selection of tweets from October 2021 that you don't want to miss: From @michaelaroberto : Interesting findings from Microsoft study on the impact of remote work on collaboration. How A Strong Mind Can Give You The Resilience Advantage by @LaRaeQuy. The Great Capitulation: Here’s Why You’re Losing Too Many Good People by @artpetty. Deliver Presentations That Make Audiences Care by @KareAnderson.

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Leading Blog

SEPTEMBER 20, 2021

D URING the pandemic, one of us became a bit of a Star Trek fan. Minal was never really into science fiction, but she ran out of shows to watch and found herself intrigued when Stacey Abrams, who is famously a Trekkie, said that Voyager was her favorite Star Trek show, even though Deep Space Nine is considered the political allegory. Still, Abrams cited Voyager, and we can’t help thinking it was because of Captain Janeway.

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Leading Blog

AUGUST 31, 2021

Here are a selection of tweets from August 2021 that you don't want to miss: The ABCs of Soliciting and Accepting Feedback by @Julie_WG. 6 Ways to Know if Your Leadership Might be the Lid to Growth by @DanReiland Inflicting Help by @edbatista What are the various ways we can, with the best of intentions, inflict help? Finding Strength In Humility from @JohnBaldoni Jeanne Robertson, humorist, dies at 77.

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Leading Blog

AUGUST 30, 2021

T HE KIND OF SUCCESS Texas Roadhouse has enjoyed didn’t happen by doing things the conventional way. But then founder Kent Taylor is not a conventional guy. He dropped out of business school and threw away the rule book. Through trial and error and a whole lot of perseverance, he opened the first Texas Roadhouse in 1993. He describes Texas Roadhouse as “a people company that just happened to sell steaks.”.

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Leading Blog

AUGUST 10, 2021

Y OU WANT TO CHANGE, but the problem is you haven’t found the right strategy. You need to outsmart your issues. In How to Change , behavioral scientist Katy Milkman says we need to tailor our approach to fit the obstacle and our circumstances. We search for solutions that will deliver the quick knockout victory and tend to ignore the specific nature of our adversity.

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Leading Blog

JULY 22, 2021

I DEAS shared have the power to expand perspectives, change thinking, and move lives. Here are two ideas for the curious mind to engage with: I. Former CEO of Honeywell International, Larry Bossidy , on the behaviors a leader should look for in his or her direct reports: “Over the years, I’ve observed that certain behaviors, on the part of both the subordinate and the boss, are conducive to productive and rewarding relationships.

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Leading Blog

JULY 15, 2021

I DEAS shared have the power to expand perspectives, change thinking, and move lives. Here are two ideas for the curious mind to engage with: I. Journalist George Leonard on mastery: “How long will it take me to master Aikido?” a prospective student asks. “How long do you expect to live?” is the only respectable response. “Ultimately, practice is the path of mastery.

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Leading Blog

JUNE 25, 2021

T HERE’S much more to workplace fun than having a Ping-Pong table in the employee break room, free soda in the refrigerator, and an occasional office party. Prioritizing fun at work is really about embedding fun into the work culture. According to the employees who work for firms listed in Fortune’s “ 100 Best Companies to Work for in America ,” the most defining characteristic of these organizations is they’re all “fun” places to work.

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Leading Blog

JUNE 8, 2021

W ANT A WORKPLACE with fewer accidents? Want to achieve better results? Perhaps your boss wants to avoid the 75% to 80% failure rate that plagues company transformations. You’ve probably heard the stats: only 25% of business transformations cross the finish line. No matter how big or small the change you want to make, if you’re a team leader, it all comes down to you.

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