Leadership Feeds

IDEAS shared have the power to expand perspectives, change thinking, and move lives. Here are two ideas for the curious mind to engage with: I. Math teacher Dan Meyer on real-world problem solving: “What problem have you solved, ever, that was worth solving where you knew all the given information in advance? No problem worth solving is like that. In the real world, you have a surplus of information and you have to filter it, or you don’t have sufficient information and you have to go find some.” TED Talk: Math Class Needs A Makeover II. Bob Goff on focus: “We need to block our view of the things that hardly matter at all, stop returning to the patterns that do not serve our larger objectives, start recognizing what is temporary and transitory, and instead focus intensely on the things that will last forever: our faith, our families, and our purposes. When you direct your attention to these things, you will find your joy.” Source: Undistracted: Capture Your Purpose. Rediscover Your Joy * * * Look for these ideas every Thursday on the Leading Blog. Find more ideas on the LeadingThoughts index. * * * Follow us on Instagram and X for additional leadership and personal development ideas.  …

HERE’S A LOOK at some of the best leadership books to be released in October 2025 curated just for you. Be sure to check out the other great titles being offered this month. A CEO for All Seasons: Mastering the Cycles of Leadership by Carolyn Dewar, Scott Keller, Vikram Malhotra and Kurt Strovink In the high-stakes world of corporate leadership, becoming a Fortune 500 CEO is an Everest-like ascent—with only the savviest managing to avoid falling off the mountain. In A CEO for All Seasons,you’ll find an essential climbing route that will take you through every stage. Unique in applying a number of sophisticated metrics to isolate the world’s top 200 CEOs, reduce them to a representative sample, and then reap their wisdom, the McKinsey team, in A CEO for All Seasons, spotlights the specific stage-based hurdles that CEOs face. From preparing for the role to starting strong to sustaining momentum to ensuring a lasting legacy, the book leaves no segment of the journey unmapped. Along the way, it offers proven strategies for maintaining forward progress and, crucially, alerts readers to common blind spots that can sabotage success, as revealed by a detailed survey of thousands of executives. Don’t Be Yourself: Why Authenticity Is Overrated (and What to Do Instead) by Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic "Just be yourself" might be the worst advice you’ve ever received. For years, we’ve been told that authenticity is the key to success—that we should be true to ourselves, tune out others’ opinions, and lead with…

Here is a selection of Posts from September 2025 that you will want to check out: 9 Ways Great Leaders Communicate by @charlesstone 12 Characteristics of Humble Leaders I’ve Known by @Clawlessjr Samuel George: Lithium Rising: The Race for Critical Minerals via @jamesstrock Critical minerals are the new oil—and the global competition for the clean energy future is on. Six problem-solving mindsets for very uncertain times via @McKinsey The Case for Investing in Public Imagination by Craig Shapiro via @collabfund The Cambrian Implosion via @firstthingsmag by Matthew W. Maguire The contrivances and apparatus of the inorganic now assert themselves against the organic in almost every dimension of life. Always Becoming: Lessons from the Highest Performers by @AlanSteinJr So if there’s one thing we can do for those we love, lead, and care for—it’s this: Be Here. Now. via @TheDaily_Coach Ten Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me In College by @PhilCooke Kidlin’s Law: The Shortcut to Clarity by @SahilBloom 4 Leadership Lessons on how to Successfully Change an Organization’s Culture by @BrianKDodd A Republic, If We Can Keep It by @jamesstrock Designers need to broaden how and where they get inspiration by Terri Witherden What We Do Is Hard by Bharat Kumar, SVP, Executive Creative Director via @LBBOnline He explains why he “refuses to believe that AI can replace the deeply human mix of insecurity, ego, humour, stubbornness, fear, joy, and occasional delusion that fuels great creative work” The Fear Factor: How to Turn Anxiety into Action as a…

AS organizations navigate the complexities of the 21st century — marked by rapid technological advancements, evolving workforce demographics, and global socio-political shifts — the need for a fresh approach to leadership has never been more pressing. One of the most significant shifts in leadership thinking is the emphasis on inclusion as a core strategic imperative. Inclusion isn’t simply a fashionable term or corporate social responsibility checkbox; it’s a critical driver of long-term organizational success. Why inclusion is so important, and why now? Inclusion has become a focal point in organizational strategies because the world we live in is more interconnected, diverse, and complex than ever before. The rapid pace of technological change, the increasing mobility of the global workforce, and heightened societal expectations for fairness and equality are reshaping the expectations placed on leaders and businesses. But what makes inclusion so critical today, beyond the external pressures, is that, at its core, inclusion is about creating an environment where everyone feels they belong, valued, and able to contribute at their full potential. It goes beyond diversity, which focuses on representation, and encompasses how that diversity is leveraged. In an inclusive environment, individuals aren’t just invited to the table — they’re encouraged and empowered to participate fully and authentically. This enables organizations to tap into the vast reservoir of creativity, innovation, and insight that comes from diverse teams. Consider the analogy of a seed and its environment. A seed’s ability to grow depends not only on its inherent qualities but…

IDEAS shared have the power to expand perspectives, change thinking, and move lives. Here are two ideas for the curious mind to engage with: I. Matt Cooke on surrender: “Surrender isn’t giving up; it’s letting go of the need to control what’s never been yours to carry. There’s power in releasing the grip. In trusting the process even when you can’t see the outcome. You weren’t meant to figure it all out; you were meant to feel your way through it. When you surrender, you create space. When you trust, you allow movement. That’s where things shift, not through force, but through flow. So, if it feels uncertain right now, that’s okay. You’re not lost. You’re just in the space between. Let go. Lean in. And trust that what’s meant for you knows exactly how to find you. So, remember, surrender isn’t giving up, it’s allowing in.” Source: Beyond Wanting: The Art of True Manifestation II. William Vanderbloemen on self-awareness: “Being self-aware makes you better at finding solutions. Knowing yourself comes with a guaranteed pinch (or more) of humility, so when a self-aware person is faced with a challenge, they can decenter themselves from the issue. Being self-aware is knowing all about you while knowing that it’s not all about you. Whatever the crisis, the Self-Aware remain even-keeled and committed to the goal. A great summary of how self-awareness can serve you in a crisis is the first few lines of Rudyard Kipling s “If.” It’s all about keeping…

THE group(s) we identify with influence who we are – our thinking and behavior. We are a reflection of the groups we identify with. In The Collective Edge, Colin Fisher explains that “Understanding human behavior means understanding group dynamics—the obvious and hidden ways in which our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are shaped by groups.” In addition, “Whether you want to change yourself, your work group, or the world, you need to work with the invisible forces of group dynamics instead of being mindlessly pushed around by them.” We tend to think in terms of individual actors rather than groups, especially when it comes to leadership. Whether things go right or wrong, we look for individualistic explanations, overlooking the role of groups. Fisher reimagines leadership “not as the province of individual heroes and villains, but as a team sport in which we all do our part to improve and maintain our groups’ fundamental structure.” Cooperation depends on the group. We tend to overemphasize the individualistic mindset, focusing on the individual rather than the influence of the group the individual is a part of. The answer to many of today’s problems rests in group dynamics. “Groups offer: a vehicle to accomplish what you can’t do alone and provide a sense of belonging.” Under what conditions does effective collaboration take place? Group synergy requires differences in what people know, think, and do. When a group is too similar in thinking, we get conformity. Too diverse, and the group may struggle to come…

IDEAS shared have the power to expand perspectives, change thinking, and move lives. Here are two ideas for the curious mind to engage with: I. Jeffrey Hull and Margaret Moore on humility and performance: “Humble leaders, and their organizations, may not perform better than those led by leaders who are not humble. However, the performance and well-being of the workforce is better when led by humble leaders. A tentative conclusion is that leaders who lead with humility it for others’ benefit, not for the sake of their own performance.” Source: The Science of Leadership: Nine Ways to Expand Your Impact II. British essayist and novelist Pico Iyer on stepping back: “It’s easy to feel as if we’re standing two inches away from a huge canvas that’s noisy and crowded and changing with every microsecond. It’s only by stepping farther back and standing still that we can begin to see what that canvas (which is our life) really means, and to take in the larger picture.” Source: The Art of Stillness: Adventures in Going Nowhere * * * Look for these ideas every Thursday on the Leading Blog. Find more ideas on the LeadingThoughts index. * * * Follow us on Instagram and X for additional leadership and personal development ideas.  …

IDEAS shared have the power to expand perspectives, change thinking, and move lives. Here are two ideas for the curious mind to engage with: I. Colin Fisher on group dynamics: “Being a member of a group changes how people see reality. Two groups can see the same event but believe wildly different things about it. Groups are a lens through which members view what is true. When a situation is new and uncertain, norms emerge quickly and most people fall in line rather than sticking up for their own (weakly held) points of view. In fact, many people adopt group norms so quickly, they don’t even realize they changed their own views.” Source: The Collective Edge: Unlocking the Secret Power of Groups II. Margaret Andrews on self-understanding: “Self-understanding is the foundation of effective leadership. However, society doesn’t emphasize self-understanding. With advertisers telling us what we should want and how we should measure success (usually money and the things money can buy), the power of influencers, the desire for ‘likes’ on our social media posts, and often families that push us to ‘succeed,’ we’re taught to chase what others have, to want what others want, and to care more about status and approval than self-understanding, personal growth, or living a meaningful life. Looking externally rather than internally leads to a lack of clarity about who we are and what we want, and this lack of clarity can lead us to make bad decisions.” Source: Manage Yourself to Lead Others: Why…

IDEAS shared have the power to expand perspectives, change thinking, and move lives. Here are two ideas for the curious mind to engage with: I. Hemant Taneja on radical collaboration: “Lobbing ‘disruptive’ innovations like random hand grenades into such large, established, and important sectors usually only changes things on the fringes. Those who work on the inside, who have spent their lives in their professions, get the sense that outsiders are invading and telling them they are outmoded or worthless, so they understandably push back. They might outright reject the innovation—or lobby to get policymakers to regulate the innovation away. Systemic transformation gets throttled when these disruptors fail to work with the system. Disruption needs to be disrupted, so to speak, by radical collaboration.” Source: The Transformation Principles: How to Create Enduring Change II. Rolf Dobelli on values: “When it comes to important issues, values allow you to have radical flexibility. Once you’ve defined your values clearly, you don’t have to weigh the pros and cons every time you are faced with a decision. It’s already been made for you.” Source: The Art of the Good Life: 52 Surprising Shortcuts to Happiness, Wealth, and Success * * * Look for these ideas every Thursday on the Leading Blog. Find more ideas on the LeadingThoughts index. * * * Follow us on Instagram and X for additional leadership and personal development ideas.  …

HERE’S A LOOK at some of the best leadership books to be released in September 2025 curated just for you. Be sure to check out the other great titles being offered this month. The Collective Edge: Unlocking the Secret Power of Groups by Colin M. Fisher Why are groups so hard? From boring work meetings to dysfunctional families to warring nations, group dynamics shape every aspect of our lives. How can we avoid the common pitfalls of living and working together and get the most from our groups? The solution isn’t to change individuals—it’s to understand the world from a collective perspective. In The Collective Edge, Colin Fisher, one of the world’s foremost experts on group dynamics, distills decades of research into practical strategies to help groups function at their highest levels. The secret to getting the most from your groups is knowing how to work with the invisible forces of group dynamics instead of being mindlessly pushed around by them. Whether you’re a leader, team member, or simply interested in better understanding how groups work, The Collective Edge provides essential wisdom that will help your groups unlock their true potential. We Are Ambiverts Now by Karl Moore and Gabriele Hartshorne-Mehl Based on real-world evidence from senior executives and successful entrepreneurs, this book argues that an effective leader must act like an ambivert: an introvert at times and an extrovert at others. Thanks to landmark books such as How to Win Friends and Influence People, many professionals think that…

Here is a selection of Posts from August 2025 that you will want to check out: Feeling Blindsided? Try These Six Leadership Shifts by @TerriKlass Becoming Unoffendable by @KevinPaulScott The Best Teams in the World All Have These 3 Traits by @AlanSteinJr 3 Reasons Small Wins Crush Big Goals by Craig Groeschel Not All Feedback is Created Equal by @wallybock Why working in an office still matters via @FastCompany by Jim Misener How curiosity rewires your brain for change by @neuranne Anne-Laure Le Cunff 20 Ways to Get Mentally Tough by @JonGordon11 The Secret to Creative Fire? Gather the Fuel Before You Strike the Match by@wallybock The Breakthrough Question by @JeffHenderson Leaders Who Attention Bomb via @AdmiredLeaders 3 Reasons Leaders Must Care About the Details No One Else Sees by @BrianKDodd The Cult of the Rewatch: Why Nostalgia Is Eating Innovation via @LBBOnline In this climate – war, collapse, too many tabs open – people weren’t craving new ideas. They were craving control. Control felt like the past A Meretricious Meritocracy 1 of 5 by @jamesstrock This is the first of five posts relating to the modern American meritocracy A Meretricious Meritocracy 2 of 5 by @jamesstrock The bureaucratization of everything Five Ways To Finally Get Your Talent Noticed by @PhilCooke What A World (A few Stories) by @morganhousel Is Your Team a Committee in Disguise? Diagnose the Problem and Get Your Teamwork On Track by @SusanMazza The Leadership Drift: 7 Reasons Even Good Leaders Fail by @BrianKDodd The…

IDEAS shared have the power to expand perspectives, change thinking, and move lives. Here are two ideas for the curious mind to engage with: I. Luc de Brabandere on changing twice: “If you want to change, you have to change twice. You not only need to change the reality of your situation, you also need to change perception of this reality.” Source: The Forgotten Half of Change: Achieving Greater Creativity through Changes in Perception II. Nido Qubein on bureaucracy: “There is a tendency in any organization for it to become self-serving. The larger the organization grows and the older it is, the stronger this tendency expresses itself and becomes this kind of inertia, a growing gravitational field if you will, that pulls everything into its orbit. Whatever its stated goals or original mission may have been, the organization’s everyday purpose becomes more and more about the perpetuation of the organization itself. This is the essence of the term bureaucracy.” Source: Extraordinary Transformation: An Entrepreneurial Blueprint for Leaders Who Seek Transformational Growth in Any Organization * * * Look for these ideas every Thursday on the Leading Blog. Find more ideas on the LeadingThoughts index. * * * Follow us on Instagram and X for additional leadership and personal development ideas.  …

NIDO QUBEIN began serving as Highpoint University’s president in 2005. As he toured the school in January of that year, it was not a school that he would even send his own children to. He was about to change that. He has led the university through an extraordinary transformation during his two decades and counting in office, including: Undergraduate and graduate enrollment has increased from 1,500 in 2005 to a record 6,335 students last fall, with the addition of 12 academic schools. This has been supported with a jump in the number of faculty members from 108 to more than 500. The Campus itself has also grown significantly with the construction of 128 new or renovated buildings on Campus and a total investment of more than $3 billion. The Campus has expanded from 91 acres to over 550 acres. In addition, HPU’s rankings have jumped from #17 in 2005 to #1. The university has maintained the #1 Regional College in the South for 13 consecutive years in “America’s Best Colleges” by U.S. News & World Report and #1 Most Innovative for 10 consecutive years. Extraordinary Transformation: An Entrepreneurial Blueprint for Leaders Who Seek Transformational Growth in Any Organization not only explains how this transformation happened but also provides the principles that can be applied to your professional and personal life. Entrepreneurs take note. Qubein provides a guide to transformational change. Here are some of the insights found in this book: You have to peer into the interior of events…

IDEAS shared have the power to expand perspectives, change thinking, and move lives. Here are two ideas for the curious mind to engage with: I. Richard Daft on reflection: “Reflection is also a choice: that of thoughtful wisdom over instant reaction. The idea of reflection is to find deeper understanding of cause-and-effect relationships, because organizational problems often are more complex than they look. Things move so fast that often you may not know what you really think or feel about an issue. Reflection makes your mind proactive rather than reactive.” Source: The Executive and the Elephant: A Leader’s Guide for Achieving Inner Excellence II. Antony Bell on humility: “Humility rests firmly on the foundation of self-awareness. Humility generates two qualities: a thirst for personal growth and a healthy dose of self-discipline. Requires a certain measure of humility to recognize what you don’t know and an equal measure to want to keep on learning. Humility recognizes that greatness requires work, and work requires self-discipline. Great leaders work hard, and, most of all, they work hard on themselves.” Source: Great Leadership: What It Is and What It Takes in a Complex World * * * Look for these ideas every Thursday on the Leading Blog. Find more ideas on the LeadingThoughts index. * * * Follow us on Instagram and X for additional leadership and personal development ideas.  …

WE experience a tsunami of chaos in our environment, creating cross-pressures to achieve what appear to be contradictory goals at the same time. The solution is what Robert E. Siegel calls Systems Leadership. “Leaders face pressure to do opposing things at the same time, which can make them feel like no matter what they do or how well they do it, they are getting it all wrong.” The Systems Leader by Robert Siegel is based on systems thinking as made accessible in Peter Senge’s classic book The Fifth Discipline. In it, he “emphasized the interplay of actions and reactions between components of any kind of system, and the importance of studying those relationships holistically, not as isolated parts.” Systems Leadership incorporates strategies to reframe and learn how to master five key dimensions of cross-pressures that most leaders find themselves embroiled in and many fail to confront: Priorities: The need to succeed at both execution and innovation People: The need to project both strength and empathy Sphere of Influence: The need to focus both internally and externally Geography: The need to think both locally and globally Purpose: The need to pursue both ambition and statesmanship Systems Leadership begins with embracing how much you don’t know at any given moment, and gives you a way to move forward with reasonable confidence but not delusional overconfidence. Siegel asserts that many leaders fail to deal with these cross-pressures because they engage in counterproductive behaviors that feel good in the moment. For example, replacing…

Botanists will tell you to have a vision for how you want a plant to look before you start pruning it. The same is true for your life and your business. Whether you’re talking about programs, processes, personal commitments, or even people – over time, they all tend to accumulate. You simply end up with more of everything. However, overgrowth impedes your ability to scale yourself and your business. In order to grow, you’re going to have to prune. Continue reading The Pruning Principle at Full Focus.

It’s that time of year again. The weather is changing, leaves are falling off the trees, and your favorite leadership podcast is talking about Strategic Planning again. If there’s one thing that humans do well, it’s imagining the future. (We can do it badly, too, of course.) But the important thing is that we can create better outcomes for ourselves and our businesses when we do it intentionally. That’s where Strategic Planning comes in. Continue reading 6 Essential Ingredients for Effective Strategic Planning at Full Focus.

“Quiet quitting” seems to be the hot topic of conversation in business and leadership circles right now. But what exactly is “quiet quitting”? How can you figure out if your employees are doing it? And, perhaps most importantly, how can you create an organizational culture where your team members will feel empowered in their job?   Continue reading How to Avoid Quiet Quitting in Your Business at Full Focus.

You spend your days managing details, scheduling meetings, and replying to emails — by the time you start on the “real work,” the workday is half over. This ends up cutting into your personal life as you try to make up for lost time. It all leads to you feeling more tired, more stressed, and less productive at work and at home. If you heed our advice, you can minimize this pain. The advice is simple: hire an executive assistant! Continue reading 5 Mistakes Business Owners Make When Hiring an Assistant at Full Focus.

Last week we talked about the importance of a thriving company culture. Hopefully, Michael and Megan made the case that a company culture is both important and the responsibility of the leader. We’re going to continue that conversation by talking about how businesses can actually cultivate a thriving company culture – no matter where they’re starting from.   Continue reading 4 Ingredients for a Thriving Company Culture at Full Focus.

Anywhere you find a group of people, you’ll find a culture. That’s true for families, churches, cities, neighborhoods, and anything else you can think of that includes more than one person. This idea is especially true for businesses. Leaders need to have a vision for how they want their culture to look and feel. If they don’t, they could find themselves surrounded by a toxic culture that not only hurts business but makes everyone miserable. Continue reading Why a Thriving Culture Is Essential at Full Focus.

Your business is probably the largest single asset in your portfolio. You’ve invested time and money, and, one day, you may want to see a healthy return on those investments. If you want to maximize the value of your business, then you should start making plans today. Continue reading How to Maximize the Market Value of Your Business in 8 Steps at Full Focus.

There is no denying that you will get further, faster with a good coach. But what about a great coach? How much further could you get with amazing coaching? Today’s episode tackles that question by talking with LeeAnn Moody, Director of Performance Coaching for Full Focus. LeeAnn and Michael break down the four characteristics of great coaching and help you identify what you might need to be successful for your organization. Continue reading What Makes Good Coaching Great at Full Focus.

During the height of the pandemic, everyone was forced to go remote. But, now that offices have opened back up, leaders and staff are confronted with some challenging questions around a seemingly basic concept: Where should work happen? Continue reading What Elon Musk Gets Wrong About Remote Work at Full Focus.

What if you could grow your business and only do about 20% of the work you’re currently doing? If that were true, you would do almost anything to find out how to do it, right? Continue reading The 10/80/10 Principle: Grow Your Business with 20% of the Work at Full Focus.