January 2020 Leadership Development Carnival

Welcome to the January Leadership Development Carnival! We’re excited to share posts from leadership experts from around the globe on the topics of  communication, development, engagement, team building, and more.

Communication

Mary Schaefer of BizCatalyst 360 shared Employee Feedback: It’s More Than Words – Part 2. Mary summarizes: "As leaders, when we are connected to our noble intentions to support what employees are capable of, even their capacity for trying, we elevate the often-avoided task of offering feedback. Humans at work are more likely to respond to constructive, compassionate truth from someone important to them." Find Mary on Twitter at @MarySchaefer.

Jim Taggart of Changing Winds shared Creating Your Leadership Footprint through the Practice of LESS is MORE. Jim advises: "As you go forward in your personal leadership journey, reflect periodically on how you’re communicating to your co-workers and, if applicable, those you lead. Are you listening to the upper register? Can you hear what is not being said?" Follow Jim on Twitter at @72keys.

Paula Kiger of Big Green Pen shared What leaders can do. Paula writes: "Leadership takes place at all levels of an organization, not just the C-Suite. Here's how to position yourself to lead no matter your role." Connect with Paula on Twitter @biggreenpen.

Diana Peterson-More shared Be Brief, Be Brilliant, Be Gone: Maximizing Communication. Diana explains: "Be brief, be brilliant, be gone is oft-quoted and less frequently followed. Several notable individuals have spoken on this theme, which can be distilled to the following: 1) be strategic in your communication – ask what is the goal to be achieved? 2) be intentional – once the goal is determined select the words that will allow you to achieve that goal; 3) be impactful – be economic with your word choice since less is more; and, 4) leave the listener with the impact you intended." Find Diana on Twitter at @DianaPMAuthor.

Development

Ralph Brandt of RDR Group provided Is Everyone Capable of Success?. Ralph writes: "From the moment we start school and throughout our careers, we’re being sorted to determine if we belong in the advanced group. Do we believe that only some are capable of success—or do we believe everyone has high potential?"

Marcella Bremer of Positive Culture contributed Positive Team and People: Purpose. Marcella considers: "Why are you here? The question for purpose may fuel yourself and your team. Here's a philosophical question to ponder for the new year. What makes you come alive? That's why you are here. And how about your team?" Follow Marcella on Twitter at @MarcellaBremer.

Mary Ila Ward of Horizon Point Consulting shared 3 Tips for Leading Well in 2020. Mary writes: "I enjoyed the opportunity to hear Karith Foster speak recently. If you haven’t had an opportunity to check her out, she is well worth it. She combines humor and storytelling to make simple, but profound points about leading and living well. In her address, she talked about the ABCs necessary to be a leader in 2020. I found it to be great advice so I put together a post to pass on the information." Find Mary on Twitter at @maryilaward.

Lisa Kohn of Thoughtful Leaders Blog shared This is one of the most important changes you can make to enhance your leadership and your life. Lisa shares one essential change that will truly enhance your leadership – and your life – for the holiday season and end-of-year responsibilities that are upon us. Connect with Lisa on Twitter at @ThoughtfulLdrs.

Shelley Row of Insightful Leadership contributed Big Decisions: Are you considering a broad range of information sources?. Shelley considers: "You cannot make a wise decision by talking only to those with whom you prefer, and who are more likely to agree with you and more likely to see the world from a similar perspective. That leads to insular thinking and can cause you to miss key inputs that could sway your decision." Connect with Shelley on Twitter at @shelleyrow.

Engagement

John Stoker of DialogueWORKS contributed Are your expectations getting the best of you?. John writes: "Our expectations often get the better of us. Because we often do not know what our expectations are until they are violated, it is helpful to assess the accuracy and rationale behind them. Taking a minute to deliberately consider our expectations can pay huge dividends. " Connect with John on Twitter at @JohnRStoker.

Chris Edmonds of The Purposeful Culture Group provided Culture Leadership Charge: The Service Advantage. Chris shares three specific benefits that employees enjoy when they engage with their peers in active service. (One difference – writing a check to a deserving charity creates passive service. Active service requires investment of time, energy, and care.) Find Chris on Twitter at @scedmonds.

Jon Mertz of Thin Difference shared Why You Should Consider Having Employees on Your Board. Jon considers: "When the Business Roundtable, a group of the nation’s top CEOs, encouraged businesses to embrace all stakeholders (not just shareholders), many analysts were left asking 'what’s next?' A substantive next step is to encourage businesses to add employees to their boards of directors." Connect with Jon on Twitter at @thindifference.

Inspiration

Jesse Stoner of Seapoint Center shared How to Find Thanks and Gratitude. Jesse writes: "Brain science shows we are hard-wired to focus on negativity. However, there are some simple things you can do to shift your attention, feel more gratitude and even rewire your brain for more positivity." Follow Jesse on Twitter at @JesseLynStoner.

Bill Treasurer of Giant Leap Consulting contributed Keeping the Faith and Gratitude Alive All Year Long. In keeping with last month’s sentiment of gratitude, Bill Treasurer found himself writing about what turned out to be a tribute to his grandmother. Here, he delves deeper and explains the importance of keeping faith and gratitude alive throughout the year. Follow Bill on Twitter at @btreasurer.

Wally Bock of Three Star Leadership provided 12 Ways to Treat People Like People. As the title indicates, Wally outlines a dozen ways to treat people like people. Connect with Wally on Twitter at @WallyBock.

Team Building

Karin Hurt of Let's Grow Leaders shared Stretch Goals: How to Motivate and Challenge Your Team. Karin reflects: "We’ve felt that sinking 'There’s no way to pull this off' feeling more times than we can count—and yet most of the time, the team rallied to the challenge and achieved more than they ever thought possible. You can too. Time to rally the team." Follow Karin on Twitter at @letsgrowleaders.

Eileen McDargh contributed From the World’s Highest Mountains—Lessons for Leaders. Eileen considers the power of synchronicity when it comes to an expedition through two remote provinces of the Indian Himalayas. Connect with Eileen on Twitter at @macdarling.

Ann Howell of Science of Working provided Watch for these seven types of employees with backdoor power. Ann summarizes: "Sometimes the most powerful people in a company do not have a high-level job title. Watch for these seven types of employees with backdoor power." Follow Ann on Twitter at @drannhowell.

Julie Winkle Giulioni shared Virtual Leaders Should Worry Less About Connectivity and More About Connections. Julie explains: "Despite the ubiquitous nature of virtual teams, many organizations and leaders continue to struggle with the fundamentals of how to manage this permutation of a workgroup. Too frequently, they focus their efforts exclusively on the technology that enables connectivity and fail to address what’s actually most important to attaining the desired results: the human connection.This article offers actionable strategies for making this happen." Follow Julie on Twitter at @julie_wg.

David Grossman of The Grossman Group contributed Make the Most of Your Town Hall – 10 Ways to Unleash the Power of Your Team. David writes: "If you’re like a lot of leaders I know, you’re constantly looking for ideas to make your next town hall feel more exciting and inspiring for employees, and research shows that employee expectations are changing when it comes to communication. Get key insights into many emerging trends and 10 strategies for revitalizing town halls with this new eBook." Follow David on Twitter at @ThoughtPartner.

And More...

Neal Burgis of Successful Solutions contributed How Different Will Your Business Be Next Year in 2020?. Neal explains: "The end of the year is always a good time for reflection. The arrival of any new year inevitably provokes discussion on how the next 12 months will unfold. What changes will you make in the new year?" Follow Neal on Twitter at @exec_solutions.

Bernd Geropp provided What is the purpose of a company?. Bernd shares: "The purpose of a company is not to make a profit or to create jobs but to satisfy the needs of customers. It's always about customer value.” Find Bernd on Twitter at @moreleadership.

Peter Block of Designed Learning contributed Consulting Complexities: Final Thoughts on What to Do. Peter explains: “Real change has to be chosen; it is a voluntary act. If we are in the business of joining with the top to change others, we have become an agent of top management—and a part of the problem. We have become a stealth operation that will eventually undermine trust and make it harder the next time around.” Connect with Peter on Twitter at @FlawlessWrkshps. 

Thank you to everyone who submitted articles for this month's carnival! If you would like to be added to the distribution list for submission calls, please fill out this form and we'll be happy to add you to the list.