Welcome to the April 2015 edition of the Leadership Development Carnival. The College Basketball championship game will be played tonight.

Over the last few weeks, social media has been abuzz with people who wanted certain outcomes. They hoped favorite teams would win, a cinderella would emerge from the lower seeded teams, and in some cases, that friendly wagers would go their way.

No matter how much research you do or how fervently you hope for a certain outcome, reality tends to dish out different outcomes sometimes than the ones we want or hope for.

As leaders, we are constantly dealing with the equivalent of busted brackets. Management changes, or our strategic plan is rebuffed, or people simply don’t perform the way we think they will.

We appreciate these 23 leaders who have incisive ideas about how to succeed when complications arise, and how to nurture teams who can then thrive.

Let’s Get Started

Anna Farmery of The Engaging Brand contributed Define Your Point Of Difference Like Van Gogh. She paints a compelling picture of the way to define your point of difference – what it is that makes you stand out. Find Anna on Twitter at @engagingbrand.

Anne Perschel, Ph.D., of Germane Consulting submitted 5 Ways Women Redefine Leadership. She shares: “Women have improved and redefined leadership in a number of important ways, which men have also adopted. But women but get little credit for these contributions. Read this to change that. Follow Anne on Twitter at @bizshrink.

Bruce Harpham of Project Management Hacks submitted Why Showing Appreciation To Your Team Makes A Difference. Bruce says, “Appreciation is a powerful leadership tool. Learn five different ways you can show appreciation to the people you work with. Your team will be happier and more productive as a result.” Follow Bruce on Twitter at @PMPHacks.

Dan McCarthy of Great Leadership submitted How To Give Feedback. He reminds readers, “Feedback can be one of the most powerful ways to develop employees and improve performance,” then asks, “so why are many managers so hesitant to give it?” Find Dan on Twitter at @GreatLeadership.

Dana Theus of In Power Consulting submitted Dealing With Difficult People. In her article, Dana explores how relationships can improve by getting alignment on three areas: emotions, beliefs, and intentions & expectations. Follow Dana on Twitter at @danatheus.

David Couper of Improving Police contributed Are You A Quality Leader? David’s article outlines 12 principles of quality leadership. Although his site is specific to law enforcement, you’ll see how the principles can transfer to many areas of business.

David Dye of Trailblaze, Inc., shared 10 Questions To Ask When No One Will Listen. In this article, David reminds readers “If you’ve communicated something once, you haven’t communicated.” The 10 suggested questions in the article help leaders to truly listen. Discover David on Twitter at @davidmdye.

Jeff Harmon of Brilliance Within contributed If I Could Only Teach One Leadership Lesson. In this article, Jeff explains the crucial role of true listening. He continues, “Service can come in a variety of forms, but whatever form it takes, take great care to ensure that you’re genuine in your interest.” You can locate Jeff on Twitter at @JeffDHarmon.

Jesse Lyn Stoner of the Seapoint Center provided Collaboration Does Not Require Consensus. Jesse summarized: “Pushing for consensus when it’s not needed actually makes collaboration more difficult. The best collaborative environments are situational in their approach to team decision-making.” Follow Jesse on Twitter at @JesseLynStoner.

Jim Taggart of Changing Winds submitted Five Ways To Serve Your Organization & Build Your Leadership Skills. Jim uses this article to discuss the five pursuits people should pursue in order to integrate the personal aspects of leadership growth with organizational needs. Find Jim on Twitter at @72keys.

Joel Garfinkle of Career Advancement Blog contributed Women In Leadership Roles: Are They Perceived Differently?. Joel has some great tips, including “learn from successful role models or mentors.” Find Joel on Twitter at @JoelGarfinkle.

John Hunter, on behalf of the W. Edwards Deming Institute, provided the podcast Transforming The Organization – With David Langford. In the podcast, David Langford emphasizes why it is best to focus where you actually can have influence and discusses the fact that to transform you need to change the system. Follow The Deming Institute on Twitter at @DemingInstitute.

Jon Mertz of Thin Difference sent The Uncomfortable Truths About Generational Culture. Jon continues: “Do we build bridges between generations and cultivate an environment where everyone can excel? To lead more fully, we must listen to diverse voices and engage different generations.” Follow Jon on Twitter @ThinDifference.

Julie Winkle Giulioni of Design Arounds submitted Is It Time To Kill Off Career?. In this article, Julie asks, “Has the term career outlived its usefulness in today’s business lexicon and is its continued used threatening employee engagement?” Follow Julie on @julie_wg.

Karin Hurt of Let’s Grow Leaders submitted 5 Ways To Strengthen Trust With Weak Ties. In her article, Karin encourages each of us to be that guy. Read the article to find out who that guy is and why they are so critical to true collaboration. Follow Karin on Twitter at @letsgrowleaders.

Linda Fisher Thornton of Leading In Context contributed What Is Authentic Leadership? She says: “I believe that 14 personal, interpersonal and societal dimensions together form what we think of as authenticity. They involve overcoming the internal and external barriers to living an intentional, aware and ethical life. See if you agree.” Follow her on Twitter at @Leadingincontxt.

Michael Lee Stallard of Michael Lee Stallard submitted How Leaders Can Identify & Establish Core Values That Connect. He asks, “If you asked your employees what the organization’s core values are, could they tell you? Most cannot, which results in lower levels of connection and engagement.” His article contains four steps that can help leaders to identify and establish core values that are meaningful and encourage connection across the entire organization. Follow Michael on Twitter at @michaelstallard.

Miki Saxon of Ramp Up Solutions, Inc., shared Influence, Persuasion, and Manipulation. In the article, Miki discusses Influence, persuasion, manipulation. Despite the various words used, each one still carries power, and calls for caution on the part of the person wielding it. Find Miki on Twitter at @OptionSanity.

Neal Burgis, Ph.D. of Burgis Successful Solutions submitted Beyond The Obvious To Create Breakthrough Results. In this article, Neal discusses how organizations can innovate by harnessing the power of new ideas and “shifting gears into thrive.” Find Neal on Twitter at @exec_solutions.

Randy Conley of Leading With Trust submitted 6 Steps To Leading Like a Badass. Randy shares: “There’s a part of every leader that wants to be known as a badass, but being a badass leader isn’t exactly what you think it is.” Follow Randy on Twitter at @randyconley.

Robyn McLeod of Chatsworth Consulting Group presented Eight Tips for Having That Difficult Conversation With Your Boss from The Thoughtful Leaders Blog where she shares that while having a difficult conversation with your boss is never easy, taking the plunge can pay off in a big way if you follow a few simple tips for making it a productive discussion. Follow Thoughtful Leaders on Twitter at @ThoughtfulLdrs.

S. Chris Edmonds of The Purposeful Culture Group contributed One Company’s Values Journey. In sharing this article, Chris explains: “I love learning about values-aligned organizations. Here’s my interview with Mark S. Fernandes, Chief Leadership Officer of the Luck Companies, on their evolution to embracing Values Based Leadership.” Follow Chris on Twitter at @scedmonds.

Susan Mazza of Random Acts Of Leadership submitted Recognizing Leadership In Action. Susan asks us to consider the people we are around every day, then to look for acts of leadership we can recognize in them. She notes: “Great leaders become great by taking one act of leadership at a time over time.” Find Susan on Twitter at @susanmazza.

Tanveer Naseer of Tanveer Naseer Leadership submitted Why Successful Leaders Focus On Giving Over Getting. In this article, Tanveer shares a story of a comedian and how he made a mental shift from “not looking to take, but looking for an opportunity to give.” Follow Tanveer on Twitter at @TanveerNaseer.

Wally Bock of Envisia Learning sent Leadership Development & The Fat Smoker. In this article, Wall observes, “In other words, everybody talks about leadership development, but hardly anyone does anything.” He encourages the reason this may be the case, and encourages us to “Stop just talking about leadership development and start doing something about it.” Follow Wally on Twitter at @wallybock

Until Next Time

We appreciate everyone who submitted articles for this month’s carnival. We are pleased to announce that Susan Mazza of Random Acts of Leadership will be hosting the May Leadership Development Carnival. We will send submission details later this month.