Today we dispatched the July edition of our Leadership That Works Newsletter, a curated digest of the best leadership links to read right now, sent at the end of each month. In this month’s edition: what the world’s CEOs are thinking in 2017, how to be more productive, why mental concentration causes fatigue, and more.  As always, we’re sharing the articles from our newsletter here in case you’re not subscribed to our mailing list. (If you like what you see, you can sign up to receive our newsletter here).

What’s on the Minds of 1,379 Global CEOs?

In their 20th annual CEO survey, PwC asked almost 1400 CEOs from all over the globe their thoughts on how the massive globalization and technological changes of the past decades will impact growth, talent, trust, society, and more. Explore the full results of the illuminating report here.
**Follow this up with tips from our Founder and former Fortune 500 CEO, Doug Conant, on how to influence people with honor in a complex world. 

Nobody’s Good at Multitasking

In this personalized productivity guide from The New York Times, organized by work style, an MIT neuroscience professor says bluntly that, “multitasking is not humanly possible.” So how can you make the most of your workday and power through everything on your to-do list? Try “monotasking” instead. There are lots of actionable tips here that walk you exactly through the steps you need to take to effectively monotask, cut out distractions, and get stuff done.
** For more on getting things done and avoiding procrastination, explore our post on choosing to proactively embrace challenges. 

Mental Fatigue Can Affect You Physically

Have you ever felt physically drained despite a day spent mostly sedentary, sitting at your desk answering emails or working on mentally challenging (but not at all physically engaging) tasks? It turns out that the phenomenon of physical exhaustion spawned by mental exertion is not imagined; according to this interesting post, it’s very real, and there are a few things you can do to address it.

Diversity Is More Than a Buzzword

In today’s workplace, the business case for diversity is strong, with evidence long mounting that a diverse workforce is a key contributor to better results in the marketplace. But, writes Pinterest’s Head of Inclusion and Diversity in this Harvard Business Reviewarticle, “businesses have struggled to increase diversity across all levels.” She shares the four key lessons she learned about how to increase diversity in a business in the past year.
**Interested in how your organization measures up on Diversity & Inclusion? Take PwC’s D&I benchmarking survey here. 

Put Your Phone Away

Yes, our mobile devices are marvels of ingenuity and connectivity and they can helpfully keep us plugged into work in a variety of ways. But one busy executive makes a compelling case for why they should remain out of sight in meetings in this guest post on Jesse Lyn Stoner’s blog. Phones can prevent us from being present and engaged, but there are simple ways to manage these “weapons of mass distraction.”
** Trying to be more present in interactions? Read our 3 expert tips for listening like a leader here. 

Leadership Summer School

Whether you’re headed to the beach or your morning commute, if you’re a leader who’s devoted to learning and growth, you’re always on the hunt for a good book recommendation. Enjoy this list of ten interesting summer business reads from Strategy+Business.
**Looking for more “recommended reading”? Check out our list of 40 great leadership and business books here. 

Talent Development Is Good Strategy

In this KelloggInsight post, a retired Brigadier General makes the case for devoting resources to talent development and provides practical tips for doing so successfully, gleaned from his time in the military. Learn how building a sustainable leadership team internally requires strategic and “careful consideration of the talent it will need in the future.”

Transformations Are All about the People

The utilities industry is one, among many, that has faced enormous disruption. In this BCG interview with Roland Hess, Head of Transformation at Innogy (a European power and gas provider), he talks about the most essential ways to transform an organization. Two key insights? Change starts with you, and people are “everything, not only in the transformation but also in every business area.” Lots of takeaways here for today’s leaders.
**Leading transformation in your organization? Explore our post on 3 small ways to make big change. 

Level up your leadership

Take the first step towards fundamentally lifting the trajectory of your leadership. The BLUEPRINT Boot Camp will challenge and enlighten you as you explore thought-provoking questions and unearth career-altering insights.

Emerge from this boot camp armed with all the tools needed to continue to develop your leadership model throughout the course of your career.  An enlightening pre- and post-program curriculum of correspondence, interaction, reading, and collaborative group work provide an ongoing leadership learning experience like no other.

Enjoyed these links? Check out our link roundups from June, May, and April. Or, join our mailing list here.