June 2015 Leadership Development Carnival

Welcome to the June 2015 edition of the Leadership Development Carnival. As summer kicks into gear, people look forward to vacations and breaks from routine.

Along with this sun-drenched opportunity to take a breath, we also are sending along links from 21 leaders to warm up your thoughts on leadership.

Some of this month's posts deal with perpetual leadership topics, such as trust. Others share personal stories that brought teachable moments.

Take this opportunity to peruse them all, then let us know which posts triggered a new angle or idea for you.

Let's Get Started

Bruce Harpham of Project Management Hacks submitted How To Build Trust At Work. Bruce says, "Being trustworthy is a key trait of admired leaders. Fortunately, building trust is no mystery. Learn how you can build trust at work and work better with those around you." Follow Bruce on Twitter at @PMPHacks.

Dan McCarthy of Great Leadership submitted 11 Ways For Leaders To Encourage Innovation From Their Employees. In contributing this post, Dan says, "Regardless of what kind of company you may work in, here are 11 things a leader can do to create an environment where employees are encouraged to be innovative." Find Dan on Twitter at @GreatLeadership.

David Dye of Trailblaze, Inc., shared Don't Neglect Your Most Important Leadership Tool. In this article, David shares how a relatively routine domestic chore drove home a leadership lesson and he works in some Abraham Lincoln wisdom too. Discover David on Twitter at @davidmdye.

Jennifer McClure of Unbridled Talent contributed 20 of the Best Quotes from Leadercast 2015 #thebraveones. In this post, Jennifer shared 20 of the best quotes from Leadercast 2015 (she was the emcee at the Northern Kentucky host site). Find Jennifer on Twitter at @JenniferMcClure.

Jesse Lyn Stoner of the Seapoint Center provided Vision Requires Action: 7 Tips To Move & Keep Moving. Jesse summarized: "Creating a shared vision is one of the most important roles of a leader. But vision alone is not enough. Vision requires action." Follow Jesse on Twitter at @JesseLynStoner.

Jill Malleck of Epiphany at Work contributed Powerful Leaders Choose The Best Interpretation. Jill defines this post as "The skill of 'giving the benefit of the doubt' explained, and a practical way of ensuring you do so." Find Jill on Twitter at @epiphanyatwork.

Jim Taggart of Changing Winds submitted Three Notable Global Thought Leaders And Why They Matter. In this post, Jim shares the impact made on him when he encountered three leaders who "have left indelible marks for the betterment of the world." Find Jim on Twitter at @72keys.

John Hunter of the Curious Cat Management Improvement Blog provided The Aim Should Be The Best Life, Not Work Versus Life Balance. John explains, "Work is a big part of life. As with any system the results depend on the overall system not the performance of individual parts taken separately." Follow John on Twitter at @curiouscat_com.

Jon Mertz of Thin Difference sent Graduation Is Just A Phase. Jon asks: "What if we've been viewing graduation all wrong? Instead of considering it a completion, what if we all agree that graduation is just a phase?" Follow Jon on Twitter @ThinDifference.

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.

Kevin Eikenberry  of The Kevin Eikenberry Group provided Avoiding Your Leadership Deflategate. Borrowing from the terminology used in the sports world recently, Kevin explores four "leadership deflators" and how to avoid them. Follow Kevin on Twitter at @KevinEikenberry.

Lisa Kohn of The Thoughtful Leaders^TM Blog provided The Importance Of A Quiet Mind. In this piece, Lisa shares how important it is to quiet your racing mind and make time for thoughtful reflection, as well as a few simple steps you can take in order to live and lead more effectively. Follow Lisa on Twitter at @ThoughtfulLdrs.

Mary Jo Asmus of Aspire Collaborative Services, LLC, contributed Lead Responsibly. This post describes ways in which leaders can take responsibility. Mary Jo encourages: "Instead of shrugging your shoulders and saying that there is nothing you can do consider if you are doing what you can." Find Mary Jo on Twitter at @mjasmus.

Mary Ila Ward of Horizon Point Consulting provided Get A Leadership Professional Development Game Plan. She notes, "Leaders take control of their personal and professional development in order to continuously grow and maximize their contribution. As a leader do you have a professional development game plan? Here are three tips than can help you create or fine-tune your plan." Follow Mary Ila on Twitter at @MaryIlaWard.

Michael Lee Stallard of Michael Lee Stallard submitted Michael Jordan's Transformation Contributed To His Success. He summarizes, "Before Michael Jordan could lead the Chicago Bulls to the championship, he had to learn an important leadership lesson: how to connect with others." Follow Michael on Twitter at @michaelstallard.

Miki Saxon of MAPping Company Success shared If The Shoe Fits - Reality Requires Coping. In the article, Miki contends: "Coping is one of the most important leadership (and life) skills, as well as one of the most underrated and ignored." Find Miki on Twitter at @OptionSanity.

Neal Burgis, Ph.D. of Burgis Successful Solutions submitted Pushing The Envelope To Create Breakthrough Innovations. In this article, Neal discusses how, by using your strengths, skills and talent to your maximum, you are stretching or pushing yourself to strive for greater results. Find Neal on Twitter at @exec_solutions.

Randy Conley of Leading With Trust submitted Are You Easy To Follow? 10 Things Great Leaders Know & Do. Randy asks: "Are you an easy leader to follow?" then shares 10 things great leaders know and do to make it easy to gain the loyalty, trust, and followership of their team members." Follow Randy on Twitter at @randyconley.

S. Chris Edmonds of The Purposeful Culture Group contributed Your Team Needs A Caring, Assertive Captain. In sharing this article, Chris explains: "In the absence of leadership, teams struggle. Power, control, politics, and 'I win, you lose' behaviors abound. If leaders want a high performing, values-aligned team, they must craft it, intentionally, every day. This post outlines how effective ship captains do exactly that." Follow Chris on Twitter at @scedmonds.

Susan Mazza of Random Acts Of Leadership submitted Embrace The Peter Principle. Susan explains: "The 'Peter Principle' essentially states that people tend to rise to the level of their incompetence. Yet consider that embracing your incompetence is exactly what it will take for you to take a leap in your growth as a leader and realize your next level of potential." Find Susan on Twitter at @susanmazza.

Tanveer Naseer of Tanveer Naseer Leadership submitted Building Emotional Competencies In Our Leadership. In this article, Tanveer expresses his thoughts on how leaders can build their emotional competencies in order to help bring out the best in those they lead. Follow Tanveer on Twitter at @TanveerNaseer.

Until Next Time

Thank you to everyone who submitted articles for this month's carnival. We are pleased to announce that Jane Perdue of Brathwaite Innovation Group will be hosting the July Leadership Development Carnival. We will send submission details later this month.