Summer Reading: 10 Leadership Blog Posts I Like

This week’s blog post was not working out for me.  After several false starts, I realized my problem.  I was trying to be deep and clever…again.  I’m quite capable of both of those things, (from time to time), but when I try to force it, it comes out, well, not like me at all.  So I stopped and instead, began to think about other people, who write about, and practice, leadership every day. With that in mind, I’m going to highlight some of these really talented, experienced people and share with you their perspectives about leadership by offering a variety of blog posts that will both inform and challenge you to stretch your thinking.  At least that’s what it did for me.

Joe Gerstandt (@joegerstandt) works to help us truly understand the meaning and import of diversity, inclusion and culture.  Joe ‘s post entitled, Dancing in the Intersection asks us to think about the tension that results when our differing viewpoints come together and to consider the notion that this place of tension is where our greatest opportunities lie, if we choose to embrace, rather than avoid it.

Anne Perschel, (@bizshrink) is one of my favourite people. And, she is a staunch advocate for women in leadership.  She has compelling and global reasons for placing her considerable energies here. In her post, Bigger is Not Better any more ~ Paradigm Shift and the Paradox of Power, Anne explains the problems created by the Bigger mentality and describes a world where women play a larger role in leadership, not by replacing men but by partnering with them to, as she puts it, “Make the World a more sustainable, socially conscious, emotionally connected, livable place”.

Wally Bock  (@wallybock), author of the Three Star Leadership Blog has a wonderful way of cutting to the chase when it comes to writing about being a good boss. Here he shares his Thoughts on Exceptional Leaders.It is short and to the point and makes great sense.

Many organizations spend inordinate amounts of money on Leadership Development. Dan McCarthy (@greatleadership) author of the blog, Great Leadership and a highly skilled leadership development practitioner generously shares a leadership development program that, if faithfully followed, provides great opportunity for learning and growth in his post entitled: Free Leadership Development Program: Becoming a Great Leader 

Taking a little time to reflect on our own performance is always a good thing and Jane Perdue(@thehrgoddess), Founder and President of the Braithwaite Innovation Group provides a useful template to follow in her post: The 7 C’s ~ a Mid Year Leadership Check up/

It is often tempting, when we first consider an issue to look at what’s wrong or what’s not there, first.  In her post: Is There a Shortage of Good Leaders?  Mary Jo Asmus (@mjasmus) suggests that perhaps we are looking through the wrong lens and in the wrong places when it comes to finding good leaders.

Some of us like to believe that we don’t play politics at work.  In fact, I expect that we all see the destructive side of organizational politics.  But, I also believe that politics in organizational life will always be present.  In his post: 4 Ideas for navigating organizational politics, Art Petty, (@artpetty) shares some wisdom about politics in the work place that makes a great deal of sense and can serve as a tool for anyone navigating his or her way through the political labyrinth.

If you’re a boss, there is no question but that you will be busy.  Sometimes you might think that you are too busy to take a holiday… that your time would be better spent if you remained at the office and worked.  But, Tanveer Naseer, (@tanveernaseer) in his post: Why Summer Vacations are Important to Being Effective  explains why you might want to re-think that strategy.

Delegation is a big deal in leadership.  Often it is such a big deal that it can be quite daunting. In her post: How to Delegate with Confidence, Jesse Lyn Stoner (@jesselynstoner)provides seven guidelines for achieving effectiveness in this area.

And finally, while we are on the topic of delegation, I’m going to throw in something I wrote some time back called: Taking Charge~ When Not to Delegate.

That’s it for now.  What do you think? What would you add to the reading list?