September 2018 Leadership Development Carnival

Welcome to the September Leadership Development Carnival. We’re excited to share posts from leadership experts from around the globe on the topics of communication, creativity and inspiration, development, leadership, productivity, team building, and more.

We're especially pleased to welcome Jim Haudan and Rich Berens of Root Inc. as sponsors of this month's Carnival. We hope you'll enjoy their contribution, 5 Leadership Blind Spots That Perpetuate Disengagement & Indifference. To help leaders break free from the obsolete traditions holding our workplaces back, Jim and Rich share five blind spots keeping your people on the bench and suggest tactics that will help align work with modern day society. Follow them on Twitter at @jhaudan and @therootinc.

Team Building

Sean Glaze of Great Results Team Building provided Four Collaboration Catalyst Questions to send up and down and across your organization. Sean states: "At EVERY level of the organization, you should encourage people to share the following four questions with people who are above them, below them, and across from them in different areas or divisions to build a network of teammates who have a better understanding of team challenges and a better appreciation for the people they work with and beside." Find Sean on Twitter at @leadyourteam.

Marcella Bremer of Leadership and Change Magazine provided How positive is your workplace culture?. Marcella questions: "How positive is your current culture, on a scale of 1 to 10? If you'd like to improve that score, what could you do? Check out these ideas." Connect with Marcella on Twitter at @marcellabremer.

Paul LaRue of The UPwards Leader provided Do You Know The Temperature Of Your People?. Paul states: "Many leaders don’t have the true read on the pulse of their teams. Here is a simple approach to ensure you can connect deeper with everyone." Connect with Paul on Twitter at @paul_larue.

Communication

Anne Perschel of Germane Coaching & Consulting  provided How Good Leaders Avoid Playing Go Fetch a Rock. Anne states: "'Go fetch a rock' is a corporate game that wastes time and frustrates players. Like many leaders, you're probably unaware you've been playing. Answering a few simple questions will help you stop." Connect with Anne on Twitter at @bizshrink.

Bernd Geropp shared How to become a better listener and imrpove as a leader. Bernd writes: “The majority of employees consider their boss to be a poor listener. Therefore, as a true leader, you should always ask yourself how to become a better listener. Here are 6 simple tips you can immediately implement to become a better listener and 3 crucial tips on how to ask questions the right way.” Discover Bernd on Twitter at @moreleadership.

Mary Schaefer of The Pro-Human Workplace submitted What are We Telling Others Without Saying a Word?. In this post, Mary shares: "It’s one thing to skillfully read the room, but how is the room is reading you? The attitude we bring to an interaction has a significant effect on how what we're saying is presented and received. Ask yourself these questions to cultivate more awareness and raise your chances of a successful exchange." Discover Mary on Twitter at @MarySchaefer.

Beth Beutler of H.O.P.E. Unlimited provided Five Things a Real Professional Should Not Say. In this post, based on true experiences, Beth suggests some things a real professional should avoid saying. Find Beth on Twitter at @bethbeutler.

Creativity/Inspiration

Chip Bell provided ARE YOU A DISRUPTOR?. Chip writes: "What do Bill Marriott, Ray Kroc and Al Hopkins have in common? They all are (or were) innovative disruptors who discovered new ways to better serve customers and trigger service transformations. Click to be disrupted and inspired!" Follow Chip on Twitter at @ChipRBell.

Dan McCarthy of Great Leadership provided Leadership at the Symphony. Dan provides: "This guest post from Barbara Mitchell explains how leaders can learn from a symphony conductor and others in the performing arts." Find Dan on Twitter at @greatleadership.

Development

Dana Theus of InPower Coaching submitted Want An Executive Job? 3 Tricks To Get Out Of The Weeds. Dana shares: "When you’re targeting the top executive jobs, you need to broaden your perspective, act strategically and think globally before you go for the top spot – to help you get noticed, rock the interview and to help you survive when you’ve got the coveted slot. But this can be tough because it requires refocusing and spending energy in places that don’t always feel like they’re helping you get your current job done. When you’re getting yourself ready to leap from middle management to the executive suite, how do you stop focusing on what you’ve spent your whole career becoming good at?" Discover Dana on Twitter at @DanaTheus.

David Dye of Let's Grow Leaders submitted How to Motivate Your Team: Stop Treating Them Like Family. David shares a cautionary perspective on the idea of your team being a "family." Find him on Twitter at @davidmdye.

Shelley Row provided Challenge these Five Assumptions for More Innovation. Shelley draws some important lessons about assumptions from a experience searching for UFOs. Find Shelley on Twitter at @shelleyrow.

Chris Edmonds of The Purposeful Culture Group provided Culture Leadership Charge: People Don't Leave Leaders They Love. In this 3-minute video charge to leaders, Chris outlines how leaders can create workplace civility, sanity, and – God forbid – validation, to create a work culture where people thrive. Follow Chris on Twitter at @scedmonds.

Stephanie Skryzowski of 100 Degrees Consulting provided How I got permission to play bigger. In this post, Stephanie asks: "My mastermind gave me the permission and ability to think bigger. I now have the confidence and skill to think bigger than I ever have. To play bigger and expect more from myself. "

Laura Schroeder of Working Girl provided Leadership Lessons from Taekwondo. Laura states: "Great leaders know you don’t engage people with surveys, performance evaluations or 2.3% merit increases. You engage them by taking a genuine interest in their development; recognizing a job well done – or a board well broken; enabling them to master the moves; empowering them to try new moves; and helping them advance to the next level." Connect with Laura on Twitter at @workgal.

Jon Mertz of Thin Difference submitted The New Literacy Requirements for Better Personal Leadership. Jon asks: "Advancing our personal leadership skills and abilities requires a new literacy. Are you ready for the challenge?" Discover Jon on Twitter at @thindifference.

Joel Garfinkle of the Career Advancement Blog submitted 6 Tips to Balance Your Work & Life. Joel shares: "Countless employees in the U.S. are working long, hard hours and that's not necessarily good for their careers or companies. These work/life balance tips will help you enjoy a rewarding life outside of work." Follow Joel on Twitter at @JoelGarfinkle.

Jane  Perdue of The Jane Group provided 5 ways to tame bias. Jane suggests: "Sometimes we all get so busy that we think without thinking and go with our gut. That's when unconscious bias sneaks up on us and limits possibility for ourselves and others. Learn 5 ways to think more mindfully." Follow Jane on Twitter at @thehrgoddess.

Art Petty submitted Proper Care and Feeding of Your First-Time Managers. Art summarizes: "There are few activities in your management career that offer the high return-on-time-invested (ROTI) than actively engaging and supporting your newly promoted first-time managers. Here are four essential activities to help guide your efforts:" Follow Art on Twitter at @artpetty.

Mary Jo Asmus of Aspire Collaborative Services, LLC submitted What you can do about that person who really bugs you. In this post, Mary Jo shares: "Start taking personal responsibility for addressing the reactions and actions you have about that person who really gets under your skin. This posts provides some ideas on how to get started." Discover Mary Jo on Twitter at @mjasmus.

Mary Ila Ward of Horizon Point Consulting submitted Forget the 401K Plan, Does the Benefit Package Address Getting Rid of Debt?. In this post, Mary suggests: "The debt issue is a problem on so many levels, but for employers, it is impacting thoughts and decisions about what a desirable benefits package looks like in order to recruit and retain employees. Is the savings piece of your benefits plan, most likely in the form of a 401K, even desirable anymore?" Discover Mary on Twitter at @MaryIlaWard.

Wally Bock of Three Star Leadership provided Why are there so many bad bosses?. Wally states: "There are lots of bad bosses out there, way too many. But it may not be their fault." You can find Wally on Twitter at @WallyBock.

David Grossman of The Grossman Group shared The Art of Active Listening. David writes, “The concept might seem simple, but active listening – that is, fully concentrating on what’s being said – takes work and practice. And the results can make a significant difference in the quality of relationships, followership and overall results. Sharpen your listening ears with these 5 steps and then take our free listening quiz… the results just may surprise you.” Discover David on Twitter at @thoughtpartner.

Leadership

Randy Conley of Leading with Trust provided 5 Ways Leaders Try to Lead Right in The Wrong Way. Randy shares: "Most leaders have good intentions and earnestly try to lead in the right ways, but sometimes the actions they think are helpful to their team actually cause harm or frustration. They’re trying to lead right in the wrong ways." Follow Randy on Twitter at @RandyConley.

Jim Taggert of Changing Winds provided What’s Your Leadership Lens?. Jim asks: "How do you perceive the world? Is your glass half empty, or half full? When you interact with people, whether at work or in your community, do you inherently trust them?" Find Jim on Twitter at @72keys.

Productivity

Neal Burgis, Ph. D. of Burgis Successful Solutions provided Why Are Leaders Afraid to Take Risks?. Neal states: "Looking at what you have that stops you from moving forward is worth looking at the patterns you think of as your habits are ingrained in within you. Work through these issues as they hold you back from the important things in your life personally and professionally. Every strategy brings with it the risk that an individual's actions will pull the business off course." You can find Neal on Twitter at @exec_solutions.

Jon Verbeck shares The Q3 Push - Assess and Realign to Better Meet Your Goals. As we wind up the third quarter, Jon encourages us to review and realign our business to better meet our goals for the year. Find Jon on Twitter at @jonverbeck1.

And More...

Jesse Stoner of Seapoint Center submitted The Trust Feedback Loop. Jesse summarizes: "Successful leaders tap into a positive feedback loop that serves as a source of strength, positive self-regard, and regard for others that increases your own and your team’s performance. Here are the 5 elements of the Trust Feedback Loop." Follow Jesse on Twitter at @JesseLynStoner.

Eileen McDargh of The Resiliency Group submitted Five Tips to Unleash Learning Potential. Eileen shares: "A resilient, engaged workforce needs to constantly be learning and growing to stay ahead of the competition. However, it’s easy to shrug off learning when faced with limited time and budget constraints. Time to stop that old-school thinking." Discover Eileen on Twitter at @macdarling.

Lisa Kohn of Thoughtful Leaders provided The lies we tell ourselves. Lisa Kohn shares: "In order to lead more effectively – to lead our organizations, our teams, our families, and ourselves – we need to become aware of – and call out – many of the lies we tell ourselves." You can find Lisa on Twitter at @ThoughtfulLdrs.

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.