Ready for a coffee break? Maybe tea or cocoa now that Autumn has arrived? Here are five of the leadership articles that inspired me last month. Grab your favorite beverage, a healthy snack, and read, reflect and grow.
Would you list strong character as an important trait for successful leadership? A seven year study of 100 CEOs showed that those “leaders of strong character achieved up to five times the return on assets as did leaders of weak character.” Read more in “Good People Make Good Leaders,” a Tom Fox interview for The Washington Post.
2. I’m a big believer in noticing and focusing on the positive. It makes such a difference in attitude! (Hence, my #100Days Of HappyForEl2015.) Joyce E. Bono and Theresa M. Glomb conducted a study that found significant improvement in stress levels and stress management in people who focus on the positive experiences of their day. Read about it in The Powerful Effect of Noticing Good Things At Work, published at Harvard Business Review online.
3. It might seem counter-intuitive to some, but introverts make great leaders! On FastCompany.com, Lisa Evans shared some of the characteristics, natural to introverts, that can greatly influence others. Read about them in 4 Traits of Introverts That Make Them Great Leaders.
4. What do you look for in employees? Business Insider shared Terry Bradberry’s LinkedIn article titled 10 Skills That Set Exceptional Employees Apart. If you could add a #11, what would it be?
5. I love brainstorming. I also enjoy facilitating brainstorm meetings. Watching how ideas develop – or fade – is fascinating. So I was intrigued when I read about the “pile-on meetings” at HGTV. You can read about it in the New York Times interview by Adam Bryant titled Kathleen Finch: Get Better Ideas with a ‘Pile On’ Meeting.
That’s the September five. I hope you find them as inspirational as I did. What leadership articles did you find of interest last month? Add a comment and share the link!
Lead on, friends.
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Photo credit: Jon S, used with Creative Commons license
