June 2019 Leadership Development Carnival

Welcome to the June 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

Chip Bell shared The Secret Sauce of Leadership Communications. Chip reflects: "Listening can mean the difference between getting more information and gaining greater insight. Insight is the preamble to wise decision making." Follow Chip on Twitter at @chiprbell.

Beth Beutler of H.O.P.E. Unlimited contributed The Curse of Responsiveness. Beth writes: "It’s more common not to receive timely responses than to receive them. Frustrating. But being responsive can be a curse too." Find Beth on Twitter at @bethbeutler.

Jesse Stoner of Seapoint Center shared 15 Quotes by Mary Parker Follett – Guidance for Today’s World. Who is Mary Follett? Jesse explains: "According to Warren Bennis, 'Just about everything written today about leadership and organizations comes from Mary Parker Follett’s writings and lectures.' Peter Drucker called her 'the mother of modern management.' Today's world is ready for and needs her wisdom. These 15 quotes each stand alone and together point the way to creating a world that benefits all." Connect with Jesse on Twitter at @JesseLynStoner.

Development

Mary Faulkner of IA-HR contributed Nobody Likes Performance Management. Rolling out big changes to your performance management? Quick question: Why? What’s your strategy? And are you really making the process better? IA’s Mary Faulkner asks the big questions you should answer before you make any changes. Connect with Mary on Twitter at @mfaulkner43.

Tamra Chandler of PeopleFirm shared Feedback—Most of Us Have It Wrong, so It’s Time for a Fresh Start!. Tamra writes: "Feedback—the mere mention of the word can make your blood pressure and defenses rise. For many of us, it's a dirty word that we associate with painful conversations, bias, politics, resentment, and self-doubt. Yet if we step back and think about the potential value of feedback, we’d realize it shouldn’t be a bad thing. To improve, grow, and advance, we need insights that help us do that. When it’s given correctly, feedback lifts us up, helps us understand our strengths, shows us pathways to achieve that next step, and sometimes even changes the course of our lives." Find Tamra on Twitter at @mtchandler.

Linda Fisher Thornton of Leading in Context contributed Shallow Thinking. Linda shares: "Using shallow thinking leads to making decisions out of context. Blissfully unaware of the deeper issues, we may make decisions that set off a chain reaction of unintended consequences." Follow Linda on Twitter at @leadingincontxt.

Karin Hurt of Let's Grow Leaders shared How to Prevent Training from Wasting Time and Money. Karin writes: "Your employees go to training. Hopefully, they come back fired up and excited about what they’ve learned and what they can do with it. Two weeks later though, they’re back to their old habits. Now, all those behaviors that worked well in the role-plays are a distant memory. What happened?" Find Karin on Twitter at @letsgrowleaders.

Chris Edmonds of The Purposeful Culture Group provided Culture Leadership Charge: A Better Way to Build a Team. In this video post, Chris considers: "How can we create effective team building that contributes to sustained healthy relationships? By engaging with others in meaningful, cooperative activities away from the workplace and then leveraging insights gathered there into positive and productive work relationships." Follow Chris on Twitter at @scedmonds.

Shelley Row of Insightful Leadership shared Do You Have Analysis Paralysis?. Shelley writes: "There is no magical piece of information. Rather than seeking more data, you must, counter-intuitively, listen to the nagging voice in your head. That nagging voice is pointing to the problem." Connect with Shelley on Twitter at @shelleyrow.

Dan McCarthy of Great Leadership contributed The Unspoken Role of Confidence in Leadership. In this guest post, Karen J. Hewitt asks: "With confidence such a critical part of leadership, and leadership key to unlocking the potential of your people and the organisation, isn’t it time to make the unspoken spoken?" Connect with Dan on Twitter at @greatleadership.

Jane Perdue of The Jane Group shared Good-bye, gender stereotypes. Jane asks us: "Have you ever thought about how you might be contributing to stereotypes that will adversely affect your children when they’re old enough to join the workforce? Here’s 9 things you can do today to give your kids a better tomorrow." Follow Jane on Twitter at @thehrgoddess.

Lisa Kohn of Thoughtful Leaders Blog contributed No one is responsible but you. Lisa reminds us that "taking responsibility for your life offers you the ability to change it by living each day as if what you do matters, and you no longer have to wait for someone or something else; this yields you the possibility, endless possibility, of changing your life to what you want it to be." You can find Lisa on Twitter at @ThoughtfulLdrs.

Steve DiGioia provided You Need These 9.5 Skills to be Friendly Enough for the Customer Service Industry. Steve shares: "Of all the traits needed to be a successful leader, manager, or service employee, these are the 9.5 foundational skills needed to be successful in the customer service industry." Connect with Steve on Twitter at @stevedigioia.

Neal Burgis, Ph. D. of Burgis Successful Solutions shared The Power of Trust in Your Leadership. Neal states: "Trust can be a funny thing. At one time you are the one people follow. If you do something wrong, you are then the person who people stop following. Trust in leadership helps you motivate employees to produce greater results." You can find Neal on Twitter at @exec_solutions.

Engagement

Paul LaRue of Upwards Leader provided That Vision Thing. Paul shares: "A leader asked if vision is really important. Here are some reasons why people don’t understand that vision thing." Connect with Paul on Twitter at @paul_larue.

Joel Garfinkle of the Career Advancement Blog shared Benefits of Hiring a Professional Keynote Speaker. Joel reflects: "Whether you are hosting an all-day high-potential training or a corporate event, a professional keynote speaker has the power not just to motivate your employees, but also to help you cut costs by improving your people’s efficiency and productivity." Follow Joel on Twitter at @JoelGarfinkle.

Michael Lee Stallard of Connection Culture contributed America's Loneliness Epidemic: A Hidden Systemic Risk to Organizations. Is loneliness a personal issue, or does it pose systemic risk to organizations? Michael shares what leaders need to know about loneliness in the workplace as well as examples of how organizations are engaging their employees. You can find Michael on Twitter at @michaelstallard.

David Grossman of The Grossman Group provided Trust in the Workplace: 6 Steps to Building Trust with Employees. David writes: "A leader’s ability to inspire and motivate employees is based on trust. Here are 6 ways that leaders at all levels can build trust in the workplace." Find David on Twitter at @ThoughtPartner.

Leadership

Dan Oestreich of Unfolding Leadership shared Leadership and Beauty. Dan reflects: "A value such as beauty can be an intrinsic part of leadership development work if that work is recognized for what it is — a work of art." You can find Dan on Twitter at @DanOestreich.

Jon Mertz of Thin Difference contributed How Should Change Leadership and Common Good Intersect?. Jon summarizes: "Change leadership and common good need a tight intersection. Both are about solid ethics, dignity, and corporate citizenship." Discover Jon on Twitter at @thindifference.

Jim Taggart of Changing Winds shared Is Sucking Up To Your Boss the Way to Get Ahead? What Would Machiavelli Think?. Jim writes: "Buttering up your boss, or potential boss, appears to have big payoffs, provided you know how to spread it in the just the oh-so-right proportions." Find Jim on Twitter at @72keys.

Marcella Bremer of Positive Culture provided Leadership: The Hero, the Servant, and the Host. Marcella asks: "What would happen if you saw your next project as a party with you as the host? It would feel more like fun, and the results of this 'party' could amaze you. The positive leader is a host." Follow Marcella on Twitter at @MarcellaBremer.

Randy Conley of Leading with Trust contributed Think You’re Wise in Your Own Eyes? 4 Steps to Develop Leadership Humility. Randy suggests: "Popular culture lionizes leaders who are outspoken, brash, or have big personalities, yet research clearly shows the most successful leaders possess a healthy dose of humility." Here's how leaders can cultivate the valuable trait. Follow Randy on Twitter at @RandyConley.

And More...

Stephanie Skryzowski of 100 Degrees Consulting shared How long have you been hiding?. Stephanie shares: "Just like the seasons, cash feels unpredictable, uncontrollable, and frustrating at times (ahem, snow in April!). Cash flow forecasting does NOT have to be scary or take more than 30 minutes a month (seriously), but it WILL help you regain control over your organization and confidence in your financial sustainability." Find Stephanie on Twitter at @Steph100Degrees.

Bill Treasurer of Giant Leap Consulting provided The Difference Between Incidental and Intentional Courage. Bill writes: "Before making the shift from incidental to intentional courage, it’s easy to view life as a series of situations that life dumps on you, whether you’re ready or not." Follow Bill on Twitter at @btreasurer.

Susan Fowler contributed Can You Teach Motivation?. Susan shares: "You probably spends countless hours and money training people on the skills they need to do their jobs. Many organizations spend even more to incentivize, entice or outright bribe people to use those skills. But rarely do training organizations take advantage of compelling science to deal with the most critical determinant of whether people apply those skills: motivation. If you and your executives still believe that 'it’s not personal; it’s just business' or that the primary purpose of business is to make money or that to obtain results, you need to hold people accountable, you are at risk of thwarting the psychological needs that must be met for people to perform and thrive at work." Connect with Susan on Twitter at @fowlersusann.

Anne Perschel of Germane Consulting shared Why a Sense of Belonging at Work is Essential for Your Company's Success. Anne writes: "Our need to belong drives us collaborate in groups on behalf of goals that exceed individual capabilities. Fulfilling this sense of belonging is critical for your company's success." Connect with Anne on Twitter at @bizshrink.

Sean Glaze of Great Results Team Building provided 5 Examples of Important SOFT Skills that Ignite Workplace Performance. Sean states: "Workplace performance is the result of developing your people beyond the normal range of technical skills. Emphasizing soft skills is not just important – it is vital." Find Sean on Twitter at @leadyourteam.

Eileen McDargh contributed Resilient Leaders Forget Busy; Become Purposeful. Eileen writes: "Today’s environment demands that effective managers move business forward in innovative ways, not merely push paper, memos and meetings to maintain the status quo. Energy results from a personal commitment to a goal that has meaning and passion." Connect with Eileen on Twitter at @macdarling.

Wally Bock of Three Star Leadership shared Three Reasons You Should Get Enough Sleep. Wally reminds us all: "You’re probably not getting enough sleep, and your work, your team, and your health are the worse for it." Find Wally on Twitter at @WallyBock.

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.