July 2018 Leadership Development Carnival

Welcome to the July Leadership Development Carnival. We’re excited to share posts from leadership experts from around the globe on the topics of communication, employee performance and engagement, personal and professional development, productivity, team building, and more.

Team Building

Anne Perschel provided Lone Wolf Leader — Why You'll Fire Him. Anne writes: "Another client just fired a lone wolf. This scenario, lone wolf promoted to manager followed by team disaster, is both predictable and avoidable." Follow Anne on Twitter at @bizshrink.

Paul LaRue of The UPwards Leader provided Why You Need To Break Your Chain Of Command. Paul states: "The old 'chain of command' leadership style is outmoded. It’s merely a weak excuse for passing the buck. Here’s why it needs to be replaced." Connect with Paul on Twitter at @paul_larue.

Ken Downer of Rapid Start Leadership provided Leading When Things Go Wrong: Playing Soccer on the Ice. Ken explains: "It's the little things leaders do that make great things possible, especially in the face of adversity. Here's how one great leader kept his team unified and focused even when all seemed lost." Follow Ken on Twitter at @RapidStartLdr.

Productivity

Mary Ila Ward of Horizon Point Consulting submitted 6 Ways to Build Energy. "We all have a finite amount of energy to give. Whether it is physical energy as in this example or emotional or mental energy, we often expend it on things and people that do not lead to positive outcomes or results. We come to things that we need to be fully engaged in totally drained. And it’s not because of the activity in the present, it’s the activity in the past." In this post, Mary Ila shares ways to combat the struggle. Discover Mary on Twitter at @MaryIlaWard.

Wayne Turmel of Remote Leadership Institute submitted Does Your Office Make People Want to Work Remotely?. Wayne summarizes, "The modern workplace has several features that make working from home a tempting option for many." Follow Wayne on Twitter at @WTurmel.

Development

Ronni Hendel of Actionable Conversations provided “Just” Noticing — Spark Change With This Simple Practice. In the post, Ronni shares: "Noticing is a prerequisite to growth and learning—and, often, when we 'just' notice, things actually shift. Learning to self-observe is a powerful leadership practice. This post explores the whys and hows of that practice." Find Ronni on Twitter at @ronnihendel.

Chip Bell provided Four Traps Mentors Must Avoid. Chip writes: "Mentors are vital for an organization’s future leaders to thrive. If you're a mentor, be careful not to fall into any of these four traps." Follow Chip on Twitter at @ChipRBell .

Julie Winkle-Giulioni provided Learn-Gevity: Enhancing Your Ability to Learn and Succeed Over Time. Julie states: "In today’s hyper-competitive environment, where people are working longer, it’s essential to embrace lifelong learning as a genuine discipline and not just a buzzword!" Connect with Julie on Twitter at @julie_wg.

Jesse Stoner of Seapoint Center submitted Why People Don’t Notice You’ve Changed. Jesse summarizes: "Often in coaching, managers work on changing their behaviors. But you also need to pay attention to other’s perceptions of you. Or you can end up in a situation where people don’t notice you’ve changed—where you’ve become a butterfly, but others still see a caterpillar." Follow Jesse on Twitter at @JesseLynStoner.

David Dye and Karin Hurt of Let's Grow Leaders submitted Firing with Compassion: How Do I Fire Someone and Still Win Well?.  Managers often have to fire people, but there is a huge difference between managers who do it well and those who make it a terrible, humiliating experience. Karin Hurt and David Dye help us make the best of a difficult situation. Find them on Twitter at @letsgrowleaders.

Shelley Row provided What Commitment Looks Like. Shelley shares: "We talk a lot about the need to gather information, discuss, debate and gain consensus. We should also talk about when enough discussion is enough."  Find Shelley on Twitter at @shelleyrow.

Chris Edmonds of The Purposeful Culture Group provided Culture Leadership Charge: Frantic to FantasticChris states: "Frantic might be an apt descriptor of how you engage in life and work and community. What if you were able to reset—to recalibrate—and learn to serve well and lead well and live well in every context and every role?" Follow Chris on Twitter at @scedmonds.

Jon Verbeck shares Does Your Company Do the Basics?.  Jon says: "Every time I start a new relationship with a client, I try to put basic financial controls, processes, and reporting in place. I’m amazed that many of the companies I work with don’t have these basics down." Find Jon on Twitter at @jonverbeck1.

Wally Bock of Three Star Leadership provided A Learning Journey is Its Own Reward. Wally states: "You won’t be able to achieve every goal you set. But everything you study and everything you learn enriches your life. And that’s worth the effort." You can find Wally on Twitter at @WallyBock.

Creativity/Inspiration

Steve DiGioia provided The Five Principles of Mars & How To Incorporate Them in Your Business. Steve writes: "Let’s look at 'The Five Principles' that Mars Incorporated published in 1983 and which is the key to their culture. Their 100,000+ employees strive to live by these principles each and every day and they serve as a compass to help guide their business decisions. These are principles that every leader should live by." Follow Steve on Twitter at @SteveDigioia.

Neal Burgis, Ph. D. of Burgis Successful Solutions provided The Resilient Innovation Leader. Neal states: "Key takeaways on how resilient innovative leaders to address challenges and focus on value-creating opportunities is associated with risk, crisis and disruption. Getting your employees to go beyond the obvious and adapt to being resilient in the work they perform requires them to be more creative and innovative in how they manage stress and frustration." You can find Neal on Twitter at @exec_solutions.

Communication

Randy Conley of Leading with Trust provided Spin Belongs in The Gym, Not The Workplace - 4 Ways to Increase Transparency. "Spinning" the truth is one of the most common ways leaders erode trust. In this post, Randy Conley share four ways leaders can increase transparency in their communications that will help develop a climate of openness and trust. Follow Randy on Twitter at @RandyConley.

Paula Kiger of Big Green Pen provided From the World of Improv: Five Ways to Rock Your Speech. Paula states: "Some of the messages leaders have to share are directed at an audience of one instead of hundreds. No matter the size of the audience, the improve world has techniques that will help you make your point." Connect with Paula on Twitter at @biggreenpen.

Beth Beutler of H.O.P.E. Unlimited provided Consider Yourself a Professional? Avoid these things on Facebook. Beth shares: "If you don’t use Facebook or Instagram, you can skip this acrostic. But if you’re part of the 2.13 billion users out there, here are eight things an excellent professional should avoid doing on Facebook." Find Beth on Twitter at @bethbeutler.

Robyn McLeod of Thoughtful Leaders provided How to prepare for an important conversation. Robyn explains how working the 4P's of preparation will ensure that you enter any important conversation with more clarity, understanding, and confidence. Follow Robyn on Twitter at @ThoughtfulLdrs.

Dana Theus of InPower Coaching submitted Unconscious Bias: the Key to Effective Communication in the Workplace Between Men and Women. Dana shares: "I’ve often observed that two parallel stories about women and men in the workplace often coexist. First, 'women and men communicate differently' is a truth that few bother to deny. Second, 'men and women are treated equally in the workplace.' To me, it’s difficult for these two perspectives to both be true and yet many people, especially leaders, seem to believe them without any cognitive dissonance, unaware of the ways unconscious bias works on us all." Discover Dana on Twitter at @DanaTheus.

Art Petty submitted Leader: It's Time to Develop Your Listening Muscle. Art summarizes: "Fierce listening is a leadership power tool. Unfortunately, too many of us are busy elsewhere in our minds when others are talking. Here are 9 ideas to help strengthen your effectiveness as a listener." Follow Art on Twitter at @artpetty.

David Grossman of The Grossman Group shared 4 Steps to Communicate in a Crisis Situation. David writes: “Every company, no matter the industry, deals with difficult problems and issues each day. No industry or organization is free from the risk of a crisis. When something goes wrong, corporate leaders should follow these 4 actions to mitigate crisis, create shared meaning and move people to action.” Discover David on Twitter at @thoughtpartner.

And More...

Dan McCarthy of Great Leadership provided Ethics Is Serious Business. According to guest author John Hooker, "An organization that takes ethics seriously, and develops ethical competence in its emerging leaders, is well on the way to building a sustainable social infrastructure." Read more to find out why. Find Dan on Twitter at @greatleadership.

Joel Garfinkle of the Career Advancement Blog submitted Employee & Manager Relationship. Joel shares: "Relationships between employees and managers are not only shaped by personalities—they’re also shaped by societal forces you have less control over.  Strong employer and manager relationships require continual effort to grow. Remember that as a manager, you’re not just responsible for getting tasks completed—you need to foster relationships that keep your team strong." Follow Joel on Twitter at @JoelGarfinkle.

Jon Mertz of Thin Difference submitted How Personal Brand and Shareholder Value Led Us to Selfishness. Jon shares: "The pursuit of personal brand and shareholder value have created a business world and society soaked in selfishness. Without accountability and a business and individual mindset shift, we will sink to greater chaos." Discover Jon on Twitter at @thindifference.

Marcella Bremer of Leadership and Change Magazine provided Love in the workplace. Marcella questions: "Is your workplace positive and loving? All positive organizations practice love. Moreover, fresh research shows that employees who feel love perform better. Let's see what love can do for a positive culture and performance." Connect with Marcella on Twitter at @marcellabremer.

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