July 2021 Leadership Development Carnival

Welcome to the July 2021 Leadership Development Carnival! We’re excited to share posts from leadership experts from around the globe on the topics of communication, development, engagement, motivation, productivity, team building, and more.

Communication

Julie Winkle Giulioni shared Remote Relationships: How Far Can You Coast? Julie explains: "Relationships require attention, intention, and investment. Even more so from afar. This article offers two high-impact strategies to ensure that despite virtual or hybrid configurations, important connections don’t coast to a stop." Follow Julie on Twitter at @julie_wg.

David Grossman of The Grossman Group provided Get a Sneak Peek of My New Book - Heart First: Lasting Leader Lessons from a Year that Changed Everything. David shares: "This book comes at a critical time for employees and leaders at all levels who want to find a better way to connect, communicate and lead a team through change and crisis. It will be released this summer, but I’m excited to share the Sneak Peek. Access it here." Follow David on Twitter at @ThoughtPartner.

Diana Peterson-More shared The Power of Apology: It's Not If, Rather How. Diana explains: "We all make mistakes; it's not if we make them, rather how we handle them. Some of us shy away from apologizing, offering explanations (don't bother - they sound like excuses), while others attempt to explain them away with "cute" remarks - "isn't it funny that the person who volunteered to bring the appetizers is twenty minutes late?" This blog offers six easy-to-embrace tips to remember when apologizing, starting with two simple words: "I'm sorry."" Find Diana on Twitter at @DianaPMAuthor.

Team Building

Bill Treasurer of Giant Leap Consulting contributed Try Courage. Bill explains: "All forms of courage involve taking risks. With TRY Courage, the courage of first attempts, the underlying risk is that your actions end up inflicting harm on others or yourself." Follow Bill on Twitter at @btreasurer.

Steve DiGioia contributed Please Don’t Discount the Inexperienced. Steve writes: "Leaders and great managers are keenly aware how to motivate and bring out the best in others, regardless of their experience. With proper direction, plenty of patience, and endless optimism, you’d be surprised what is possible. Here is proof how." Find Steve on Twitter at @stevedigioia.

Adriana Garza writes Leading with Love: Three Things to Remember. Adriana summarizes: “Effective leaders understand the role of relationships and developing a culture of safety and unity for the teams they lead. It is "Heart" work!” Connect with Adriana on Twitter @adrianag62.

Development

Karin Hurt and David Dye of Let's Grow Leaders provided How to Stay Productive as You Return to the Office. Karin and David share: "You’ve learned a lot about how you work and what makes you most productive over the last year. You had more choices on how to structure your day, when (and with whom) to engage. You figured out what worked best for you. The return to the office can feel as overwhelming as that initial, emergency pivot to working from home." Follow them on Twitter at @letsgrowleaders.

Dana Theus of InPower Coaching writes How to Overcome the Imposter Syndrome: Make it Your Best Friend. Dana explains: “While many of us experience challenges with the Imposter Syndrome earlier in our careers, high stakes jobs bring on imposter feelings with ferocity. For most of us, as the cost of failure rises, our enthusiasm for “failing forward” diminishes. This is why the Imposter Syndrome bedevils us more and more as we rise higher in an organization or move out farther away from organizational groupthink into entrepreneurship to take on more accountability and (potentially) make more costly mistakes.” Find Dana on Twitter at @DanaTheus.

Bernd Geropp provided How I learned to delegate. Bernd shares: "When I co-founded my first company, a high-tech start-up, I had a completely wrong idea of ​​managing people. In this post, I'll talk about how I learned to delegate.” Find Bernd on Twitter at @moreleadership.

Marcella Bremer of Positive Culture contributed The fearless, learning culture. Marcella considers: "Without the freedom to fail people repeat what has been good enough in the past. But if you want to develop a positive culture with high performance, if you want people to play to win - then you need psychological safety as a foundation. Here’s how to create psychological safety" Follow Marcella on Twitter at @MarcellaBremer.

Liz Weber of Weber Business Services provided Leadership Dysfunction - Doing What You’ve Always Done. Liz writes: "Are your questions and candid feedback constantly pushed aside or deflected? You may have a leadership dysfunction problem. Are you ready to find out if it is time to stop doing what you’ve always done? " Connect with Liz on Twitter at @lizwebercmc.

Ken Byler of Higher Ground Consulting Group contributed Leaders Need Roots and Wings. Ken writes: "The paradox of roots and wings offers worthy guidance for leaders as we invest in the development of others." 

Joel Garfinkle of the Career Advancement Blog shared 5 Tips for Bragging at Work—without Sounding Like You’re Bragging. Joel summarizes: "Do you want to make your strengths more widely known, but worry about being seen as a braggart? You’re not alone—that’s a common fear among employees in most workplaces. Of course, you don’t want to become known for boasting. Rather, you can brag in more subtle ways that will feel and sound completely normal." Find Joel on Twitter at @JoelGarfinkle.

S. Chris Edmonds of The Purposeful Culture Group provided Good Comes First: Why Focus on Work Culture Now? In this video post, Chris shares: "The idea of having leaders be interested in doing better, doing different . . . they can see the flaws of their operation, but often their focus is so exclusive to results and productivity and performance that the way people treat each other doesn’t appear on their radar screens at all." Follow Chris on Twitter at @scedmonds.

Creativity/Inspiration

Marcia Reynolds of Covisioning Transformational Leadership provided Do You Have the Courage to Coach? Marcia shares: "The courage that emanates from your presence will help others override their fears. Read how to call forth your courage with self-awareness and choice." Connect with Marcia on Twitter at @marciareynolds.

Jon Lokhorst of Lokhorst Consulting shared Who was Dorothy Vaughan and what can you learn from her leadership? Jon explains: “Dorothy Vaughan overcame gender and racial barriers to become a respected leader at NASA during the space race of the 1960s and 1970s. She is most known from her portrayal by the award-winning actress, Octavia Spencer, in the movie, Hidden Figures. Although Vaughan died in 2008, she continues to stand out as an exemplary leader for us today.” Find Jon on Twitter at @jonlokhorst.

Wally Bock of Three Star Leadership provided 3 Ways to Make Sure Nobody Shares Their Good Ideas. Wally explains: "If you stifle creativity at work, you never have to worry about implementing a good idea." Connect with Wally on Twitter at @WallyBock.

Engagement

Jon Mertz of Thin Difference shared CEO activism needs a modern-day blueprint. Jon considers: "Over fifty years ago, Lewis Powell wrote a memo for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce outlining the importance of political power for business leaders. Through time, we understand the political power of business leaders, and now CEO activism is a modern take on it. We need a modern-day Powell memo to inspire more business leaders to take on issues of social and environmental importance. It is a new day for stakeholder capitalism." Connect with Jon on Twitter at @thindifference.

Jennifer V. Miller writes Leadership in the Hybrid Workplace. Jennifer summarizes: “An analysis of the current state of leadership in the hybrid workplace. She also offers insights into what leaders need to know right now about creating an optimal environment.” Find Jennifer on Twitter at @JenniferVMiller.

Sean Glaze of Great Results Team Building shared How Great Leaders Get Team Members and Employees to Contribute Ideas for Improvement and Innovation. Sean writes: “Not all leaders seek or appreciate the ideas that will allow them and their teams to become truly great. So if YOU want to be better… if you want to be different, there are THREE simple steps that will allow you to build relentless improvement and innovation into your team culture.” Find Sean on Twitter at @leadyourteam.

Ken Downer of Rapid Start Leadership provided Courage to Lead: Re-looking the Role of Courage in Leadership. Ken shares: “It takes courage to lead, but not in the way many people seem to think. Certainly we need courage to step forward and show the way, but if we want our teammates to be motivated, engaged, and productive as they follow, there’s something else we have to do with that courage. ” Follow Ken on Twitter @RapidStartLdr.

Lisa Kohn of Chatsworth Consulting Group shared Lead with love. Lisa shares: "That when we lead with love – with a desire to see the best in others, to give our best to others, and to find the best way to work, live, learn, and grow with others – that’s the best type of Thoughtful Leadership." Connect with Lisa on Twitter at @ThoughtfulLdrs.

Productivity

Christina Felty of Voice of HR explains The Not-So-Magical Triangle of Project Management. Christina shares: “The Project Management Triangle impacts all the work you do in your business, whether you know it or not. Are you planning ahead effectively?” Follow Christina on Twitter @voiceOfHR.

Jon Verbeck provided Improving Your Backroom. Jon writes: “The “Backroom” (your finance and accounting department) has always been a vital piece of a company's’ framework. Here's how to make it efficient.” Follow Jon on Twitter at @jonverbeck1.

Eileen McDargh contributed How to Transition to the Not-So-New-Abnormal. Eileen explains: "A new world of business has been created by the pandemic. Some people loved working at home and others hated it. Many organizations are considering a hybrid model where employees would divide their time between the office and home. Eileen offers three tips for managers who find themselves in this new hybrid way of working." Connect with Eileen on Twitter at @macdarling.

Stephanie Skryzowski of 100 Degrees Consulting provided 3 ways to ensure a smooth-as-butter audit. Stephanie shares: "In this blog post Stephanie shares 3 basic steps to take throughout the year to ensure a smooth and easy audit process." Connect with Stephanie here.

Neal Burgis of Successful Solutions contributed Going Beyond the Obvious in Innovation and Technology. Neal explains: "Beyond the obvious to generate, create, and produce results beyond the ordinary is what you want to be unique. Doing the obvious is what everyone else is doing. You need to be unique with a practical and affordable idea people want and need. Look beyond the obvious to inspire." Follow Neal on Twitter at @exec_solutions.

And More...

John Stoker of DialogueWORKS contributed Emotional intelligence begins with self-awareness. John writes: "A huge factor in improving your emotional intelligence is your personal awareness and understanding of how your behavior affects others. Here are 10 questions that will help you assess your personal awareness. " Connect with John on Twitter at @JohnRStoker.

Jim Taggart of Changing Winds shared The Six Inner Leadership Selves. Jim considers: "Being a leader, in whatever capacity, is not a one dimensional affair. There are many ways that each of us can practice leadership: at work, in our community, at home, or in an unexpected crisis situation. One thing’s clear: you definitely don’t have to be in a management position to show leadership." Follow Jim on Twitter at @JlcTaggart.

Brenda Yoho writes Solution Focused. Brenda explains: “You can be the most effective leader around, but..... Yes, there will always be a but! You and your team or staff will have problems, issues, mistakes, and things we cannot imagine today will happen (COVID-19). It will be fine if we prepare with a solution-focused leadership mindset.” Find Brenda on Twitter at @BrendaYoho.

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.