Week 16, 2018 - On momentum, self-development, why-washing - and more

Sunday, April 15th, 2018

Originally, I was educated with a strong focus on mathematics and physics, and therefore I am happy when I find people who are able to draw parallels from these domains into other interesting realms. In Momentum as a management strategy, Julie Winkle Giulioni, draws a parallel to saac Newton’s First Law of Motion and suggests that leaders should use more energy to find, foster and fuel momentum rather than fighting inertia in starting up big initiatives.

Monday, April 16th, 2018

The Monthly Leadership Development Carnival of the Lead Change Group is always a good place to go to find inspiring reads. This month, I stubled upon Wally Bock's Personal Development: Secrets of Getting Better at Almost Anything. As I strive to keep focus on always trying to improve myself, I found this a very interesting piece.

Tuesday, April 17th, 2018

I had never heard about the concept of "why-washing" until Bruce McTague attracted my attention to The 5 Sins of ‘Whywashing:’ How to Stop Misusing Purpose by Zach Mercurio. The "use of a purpose beyond profit solely to enhance the public image of a business" might work for a company - for a while. But I am pretty certain that neither employees nor customers can be fooled for long - which will be for the worse of the whywasher. Therefore, this is an important read for anyone into purpose. It's more than just a fancy buzzword.

Wednesday, April 18th, 2018

In my life as a leader for other people, I have always tried to basically be a nice person. To me, it has always been the obvious choice, and I have never seen any reason to stray from this being the underlying mindset for any form of leadership. After having read 10 reasons nice bosses finish first by Travis Bradberry, I am now even better able to put words on why "nice" and "boss" go well together in the same sentence, with out any need for negations.
And always remember - kindness is not weakness.

Thursday, April 19th, 2018

I think it is generally know that the things we do have an impact on our energy level - they either give us energy or drain us. But in Good Leaders stop their energy leaks, Ross Swan comes with a very good piece of supporting advice - that we should regularly check in and assess what sort of activity we are currently involved in. In that way, it becomes easier to proactively avoid activities draining our energy, rather than discovering it when it's too late and the energy is depleted. A very good and inspiring piece.

Friday, April 20th, 2018

Tim Kastelle has written the interesting piece Are You Solving a Puzzle or a Mystery? - in which he explains the difference (and actually shows how the murder mysteries a lot of us have read are actually puzzles). Here, we are lead to contemplate which kind of problems we are facing in our innovation work - and how to address them accordingly.

Saturday, April 21st, 2018

One thing is that we want to treat other people with kindness and respect (I know I do) - but as a leader, it also matters to make this the mindset of the team. In her article with Harvard Business Review, Christine Porath tells us how to Make Civility the Norm on Your Team.

Another week has flown by - in my part of the northern hemisphere, spring is in the air - but even though outdoor activities might have more and more appeal, I hope to remain able to inspire you in your reading, and I hope you stay tuned for seven new things next week.