Your Mid-Week Leadership Caffeine

5 Articles to Make You Think and Inspire You to Act

1. A fabulous article with some mandatory homework: What is your personal leadership brand, by Adam Bryant writing at strategy+business. Pay particular attention to the section labeled: "The leadership challenge."

2. Much needed guidance (for me) and for many of us: Confusing Motion with Progress, by Ed Batista. I've been known to fall into the all activity/no vector trap.

3. A great article plus some reader-supplied bonus material: Public Speaking for Introverts by Ann Handley (h/t SmartBrief on Leadership). Ann helps us channel that near-cardiac event set of nerves that come with the territory of speaking in front of an audience.

4. How to self-adjust your attitude: Changing the Narrative by Scott Osman writing on LinkedIn. This is a great article on how to rethink and reframe when your feeling like it's time to blame someone, including yourself. Check out the great article links at the end as well.

5. From Professor Tong Zhang writing at FastCompany: Give Your Team the Freedom to Wander and the Innovation Will Flow. Some great insights from academia and start-up lands.

Most Read Last Week

How to Give Positive Feedback to Employees by David Burkus.

What I'm Reading

I'm playing catch-up with deep reads of recent issues of Harvard Business Review, Rotman Management Magazine, and MIT-Sloan Management Review. (And there may be a light beach read mixed in here somewhere as well!)

Leadership and Career Guidance from Art

Leadership Caffeine: Success Demands Unity of Purpose. What we're looking for as leaders is deep immersion in the work by our team members. Yet, we need to set the right environment for this to happen.

I love to hear from readers. If you have an article to share or a topic you would like me to pursue, drop me a note.

One Hour FreeMini-Course TODAY ( 7/21) at Noon Central

How to Get Unstuck and Take Control of Your Career

REGISTER HERE

(Recording to be distributed to all registrants)

Upcoming Live-Online Professional Programs:

1. Aspiring manager on your team?

Do you have team members exploring the shift to managing? We've got two choices for this three-hour immersion in What You Need to Know Before Day One as a Manager: 8/18 or 9/14 from 10 to 1 central. A never to be repeated price of just $97. REGISTER HERE

2. Our Foundation Course: —The Manager Development Program for New(er) Managers

If your team members are new or newer to managing, our program The Manager Development Program blends live-online training, interactive group work, and one-on-one coaching to create a powerful learning and growth experience. And, here's a not-so-secret secret: many participants are experienced professionals striving to strengthen their skills. $497. 9/8, 15, and 22 from 10 to 2 Central. REGISTER HERE