March 2020 Leadership Development Carnival

Welcome to the March 2020 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

Beverly Crowell of Designed Learning shared Developing Flawless Clients. Beverly writes: “Most professionals are working in cross-functional, cross-business groups and other work models that do not maintain strict vertical business units grouped by function and geography. So, a client today may be a consultant tomorrow.” Connect with the Designed Learning team on Twitter at @FlawlessWrkshps.

Jesse Lyn Stoner of Seapoint Center provided Purpose-Driven Leadership Is Good For Business… and everything else. Jesse writes: "As trust in government continues to erode, more and more leaders of purpose-driven companies are taking a public stand around issues that impact us as a society. And they have discovered that it doesn’t hurt their business. In fact, it is good for business." Connect with Jesse on Twitter at @JesseLynStoner.

Diana Peterson-More shared Purposeful Communication: Announcing One's Intentions. Diana explains: "At times in our eagerness to communicate and be heard, we start talking when our intended audience isn't ready to listen. They may be polite and attempt to listen and respond; however, the anticipated outcome just isn't there. Did we pick the right time? Did we pick the right place? Did we ask if it was a good time to engage? Discover how to better reach the intended audience and to be heard by being purposeful and announcing one's intention." Find Diana on Twitter at @DianaPMAuthor.

Development

Julie Winkle Giulioni contributed Want Employees to Own Their Career Development? Try These 2 Things. Julie shares: "This short post and animated videos offers tangible suggestions for how to shift ownership and responsibility for development where it belongs... with employees." Follow Julie on Twitter at @julie_wg.

Joel Garfinkle of the Career Advancement Blog shared Time Management Strategies & Prioritizing. Joel writes: "Miguel had been working to increase his responsibilities to prove he could handle a leadership role, but now he was having a hard time keeping up with it all. He simply didn’t seem to have the bandwidth for it all. What was he to do? Time-management strategies like these ones can relieve a lot of their stress." Find Joel on Twitter at @JoelGarfinkle.

Eileen McDargh contributed Cracking the Leadership Code: The Secret to Resilient Leaders . Eileen summarizes: "Move past the first dictionary definition of 'leader' and you encounter deeper insights into the different roles that a leader can play." Connect with Eileen on Twitter at @macdarling.

Ann Howell of Science of Working contributed Women Face Persistent Barriers at Work. Ann writes: "Although women perform better, they are 17% more likely to derail. Research shows why women face persistent barriers at work." Follow Ann on Twitter at @drannhowell.

Robyn McLeod of Thoughtful Leaders Blog provided Why you must make time to look back to understand. In this post, Robyn shares the importance of making time for reflection—as individuals, as leadership teams, and as organizations—and offers guidance on discerning the past to create what we want moving forward, so that we can continue to be the leaders we most want to be. Find Robyn on Twitter at @ThoughtfulLdrs.

Karin Hurt of Let's Grow Leaders provided Practical Help for Exhausted Leaders Who Need to Get More Done. Karin explains: "If you want to sustain your impact and accomplish your leadership goals, it’s essential to maintain your energy and use your time as effectively as possible. Here are five ways to effectively manage your energy." Follow Karin on Twitter at @letsgrowleaders.

Shelley Row of Insightful Leadership shared 7 Ideas to Consider When Creating Your Leadership Philosophy. Shelley shares: "Your leadership philosophy is essential to guiding your work every day. It is your North star, your guiding light, the keel that keeps you upright, the rudder with which you steer, your boundary within which you work… and live. What do you believe about leadership? What are the leadership principles that guide your behavior?" Connect with Shelley on Twitter at @shelleyrow.

Chris Edmonds of The Purposeful Culture Group provided (Video) Culture Leadership Charge: Grounded in Servant Purpose. Chris writes: "Most companies do not go to the length required to formalize their servant purpose and then communicate frequently to team members how their work contributes to that higher purpose. But higher purpose has been shown to boost company performance." Follow Chris on Twitter at @scedmonds.

Erik Samdahl of i4cp shared Empowering Female Talent by Promoting Career Development. In this post, Erik shares how Lincoln Financial has achieved 61% female representation in its workforce and 50% of all management positions. Connect with Erik on Twitter at @i4cp.

Ken Downer of Rapid Start Leadership provided 'Set and Forget' Leadership: How to Delegate So You Don't Get Burned. Ken explains: "'Set and forget leadership' is what we tend to do when we’re in a hurry, but the biggest speed advantage this approach confers may be how quickly it can get us into trouble. Here’s a way to think about how to delegate that task we’ve cooked up so that things function smoothly in the kitchen, and nobody gets burned." Follow Ken on Twitter at @RapidStartLdr.

Ralph Brandt of RDR Group shared Forecasting Your Own Future. Ralph writes: "Your future consists of constant changes, and if you don’t learn to manage them effectively—you will have difficulties. How can you get what you want out of your future? It starts with identifying what you really want."

Engagement

Jim Taggart of Changing Winds shared Build Your Organization’s Social Capital by Keeping Good Company. Jim explains: "Senior leadership must invest the necessary time to build and sustain trust within an organization, starting with creating a respectful workplace. One tangible outcome of this is the open sharing of information through collaborative work relationships." Follow Jim on Twitter at @72keys.

Marcella Bremer of Positive Culture shared Culture: Diversity and Inclusion. Marcella asks: "Diversity and inclusion lift the financial bottom line, but: It only works if you work it. Check out this exercise to foster the awareness, appreciation and adoption of diversity—and include all people at work." Follow Marcella on Twitter at @MarcellaBremer.

Mary Ila Ward of Horizon Point Consulting shared 4 Ways to Apply Quality Time at Work. Mary writes: "Love languages are also applicable in the workplace. The key to applying love languages of appreciation at work is to make it personal. So if you are a supervisor or colleague is someone who values quality time, how do you express this at work?" Find Mary on Twitter at @maryilaward.

Laura Schroeder of Working Girl provided Navigating the Four-Day Work Week. Laura shares: “An increasingly popular career choice for senior professionals is to seek out a part-time contract, and companies that embrace flexible work arrangements have access to a more diverse and experienced talent pool. Is the ‘four-day work week’ right for your organization, and how can you support part-timers in a full-time environment?” Find Laura on Twitter at @workgal.

Ken Byler of Higher Ground Consulting shared Lead with Love. Ken writes: “A leader’s work is all about relationships and interactions. It makes sense that love should guide his or her daily actions and decisions.” Follow Ken on Twitter at @kenbyler.

Motivation & Productivity

Henry Mukuti of Insakanet provided Life gives us a second chance. Henry writes: "If you are reading this article, today is the first day of the rest of your life, and you have every reason to be grateful for it. Thank God for the gift of your life. You are alive for a reason." Connect with Henry on Twitter at @hjm32471.

Susan Fowler contributed Learn How to Master Your Motivation with Susan Fowler. Do you ever wonder why you reach some goals easily and struggle with others? In her latest book, Master Your Motivation, Susan Fowler explains the three scientific truths behind motivation that will help you achieve your goals. Distilling many years of research, Fowler fashioned a condensed description of three basic needs we must create in our lives in order to master our motivation: choice, connection, and competence. Follow Susan on Twitter at @fowlersusann.

Neal Burgis of Successful Solutions contributed Leading with Heart. Neal summarizes: "Heart-Led Leaders Are Different: By measuring success not just on spreadsheets but by the impact they have on the organizations and on its employees. Heart-Led Leaders are obsessed with achieving bottom-line results." Follow Neal on Twitter at @exec_solutions.

Team-Building

Sean Glaze of Great Results Team Building shared This ONE WORD is the Defining Trait of Winning Teammates. Sean writes: "Winning Teammates are the glue that holds organizations together, because they bring more than technical skills with them when they arrive–they also bring vital interpersonal skills that contribute to a more profitable and positive team culture. But it was after a funeral that I learned the defining trait of winning teammates." Connect with Sean on Twitter at @leadyourteam.

Randy Conley of Leading with Trust contributed 5 Strategies for Building High Trust, High Performing Teams. Randy shares: "The most important lesson I’ve learned about being part of a successful team, or leading one, is the need for trust. Great teams thrive on trust, and this post shares five practical strategies that will cultivate high trust and high performing teams." Find Randy on Twitter at @RandyConley.

Dan McCarthy of Great Leadership provided Does Your Team Have a #1 Priority?. In this guest post from Mike McHargue, he raises the question: "Does your team have one clearly stated priority? The one thing that is the focus above everything else? And, is everyone on your team crystal clear about what that priority is?" Read more to find out why every team needs a #1 priority! Follow Dan on Twitter at @greatleadership.

And More...

Bill Treasurer of Giant Leap Consulting contributed You Don't Need to Be A Hero to Have Everyday Courage. Bill explains: "When the term 'courage' is limited only to the heroes among us, we begin to abdicate our own responsibility to be more courageous. By inflating courage to a standard so high that it can only be attained by an exceptional few, we suck the air out of our own space to be courageous—to the point of extinguishing the brave little pilot lights that flicker in our souls waiting to ignite. We begin to deify our heroes, making us small and them uncomfortable." Follow Bill on Twitter at @btreasurer.

Wally Bock of Three Star Leadership provided Leadership: Do it naturally or do it wrong. Wally summarizes: "Leadership is important work. But the best leaders don’t make it look important, they make it look natural." Find Wally on Twitter at @WallyBock.

Heather Stagl of Enclaria shared Four Invisible Dynamics You Must See to Change Your Organization. Heather writes: "Ever wonder why your organization doesn't change as much as expected, despite your best efforts? You're not alone! The problem is that the intertwining factors that create results for an organization are often invisible. If you can't see them, you can't do anything about them, and they'll continue to pull the organization back toward the status quo." Connect with Heather on Twitter at @heatherstagl.

Lisa Fain of Center for Mentoring Excellence provided Senior Leaders Need Mentoring Too. Lisa shares: "As a mentoring relationship comes to an end, I will often interview the mentor about what they learned during the relationship. 'I need a mentor, too,' is the most popular refrain during these conversations. Even the most senior-level employee is often surprised at their own realization about how much they would benefit from mentoring. But it’s indeed true that mentoring is for everyone. Let’s look at the ways mentoring can promote connection, provide clarity, and increase competency." Connect with Lisa on Twitter at @lzfain.

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.