If you haven't had a chance to check out our related links, here's a gentle reminder to do so.
From time to time, I will share a few of my favorite posts about leadership from around the blogosphere. These five are my top picks this week from my favorite bloggers. Please feel free to email me anytime to suggest a post to feature here. I would love to know what inspires you.
At All Things Workplace, Steve Roesler asks the question, "Are you really developing leaders?" His focus on leadership learning being hands-on resonates with me as I think about the way Mountain State's leadership degrees train leaders. Far from being all about the books, our cohort format encourages people to put their knowledge and skills into use immediately. Our unique classroom experience allows people to get feedback from a group of peers who are all striving for effectiveness in leadership positions in their various fields.
In "Learn to Lead in your Sleep" Mary Jo Asmus from Intentional Leadership talks about the need for leaders to practice skills and learn new habits. If you are deliberate in honing your leadership skills, you will soon find that leading well is something you do naturally.
My third pick this week is Penelope Trunk's "Career Lessons from Susan Boyle's Success." Though not specifically about leadership, Penelope 's blog offers great advice about careers. This post inspired me to dream big, both for myself and for LeaderTalk.
The Survivor picture alone was enough to get me to add Dan McCarthy's "Would Your Peers Vote For You" to my list for the week. Dan consistently writes things worth reading, and this post is no exception. In this post, Dan talks about the importance of paying attention to and developing strong relationships with peers in the workplace.
Finally, I am still thinking about Art Petty's post from early this week, "Leadership Caffeine for the New Week: Your Message and the Chicken Salad Sandwich Test." Art, who I found on Twitter, gives an example from Dan and Chip Heath's book Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die. In deciding whether to add a Chicken Salad Sandwich offering on long flights, having a clear core message was essential to Southwest Airlines executives. Ultimately, they realized that doing so would detract from their mission to be the low cost carrier. If you are helping to direct your organization, this test can help you determine if your purpose statement is clear enough to be useful in decision making.
I hope you enjoy these posts as much as I did. If you do, leave a comment and tell the bloggers how you found them. And come back here to tell me your favorite!
