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The Best Leadership Links to Read Right Now

by | Jun 30, 2017

Today we dispatched the June edition of our Leadership That Works Newslettera curated digest of the best leadership links to read right now, sent at the end of each monthIn this month’s edition: why habits make hard things easier, the secret to mental toughness, how to be more proactive, and more.  As alwayswe’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 Is the “Stuff” of the Tough?

“Mentally tough people often voluntarily choose the hard path” writes LaRae Quy in this SmartBrief post as she reflects back on lessons she learned about perseverance throughout her career as an FBI counterintelligence agent. Quy observes seven things the toughest people never think and extracts insights that can help leaders grow their own mental fortitude.
**For more on mental toughness, follow this up with our post on How to Build Leadership Grit.

Setting Goals Is Only Half the Battle

Most leaders know the importance of setting goals. But to achieve success, leaders must also find ways to motivate employees to commit to the organization’s goals and dedicate themselves to meeting them. What’s the best way inspire buy-in from your people? In this helpful post, Switch & Shift asks ten young entrepreneurs to share the practices that have helped them get employees to commit more fully.
**Follow this up with our post on How to Meet Your Goals No Matter What and our roundup of 37 Quotes on Reaching Life and Leadership Goals 

The CEO Summer Reading List

Find yourself aimlessly browsing Amazon or your local bookstore in pursuit of the perfect beach or backyard book? Glean some inspiration from this diverse list, compiled by McKinsey, that shares what C-Suite leaders from Microsoft, Dow Chemical Company, Barclays, and more, are reading this year.
**Want more book recommendations? Explore Doug’s 40 Favorite Books

Habits Make Hard Things Easier

“Once we develop a habit, our brains actually change to make the behavior easier to complete.” writes Shane Parrish in this practical Farnam Street post that reveals the important difference between goals and habits. One important distinction? Goals have an endpoint (and often require massive effort) whereas habits set us up for success for the long run, and actually make difficult achievements easier. Explore this post to learn how habits, “literally rewire our brain.”
**Looking for more on habits? Follow this up with our post that explores The 5 Traits of an Effective Leadership H.A.B.I.T.

How to Stamp Out a “Maybe Later” Culture

“One of the greatest barriers to successful innovation in the workplace is an inability to get ideas actioned and implemented” says this InnovationManagement article. The best way to avoid the innovation stagnation that is prominent in many “maybe later” cultures is to emphasize a framework anchored in autonomy and accountability. This post offers insights on how to leverage these two building blocks to propel ideas forward.
** For more on pushing things forward, explore our post on choosing to proactively lean in to challenges

Don’t Wait for People to Come to You

An important part of leadership is influencing and inspiring others. A proactive approach can help leaders empower others better, faster, and sooner says Dan Rockwell in this short, actionable post. Rockwell offers seven simple practices for proactively connecting with people for better leadership results.

What Leaders Can Learn from Social Movements

Culture change can often be the most challenging part of organizational transformations. While leaders do have to set the tone and model the behavior necessary for a culture shift, it can’t be achieved through a top-down mandate alone. In this interesting Harvard Business Review post, the authors argue that leaders can learn a lot by looking to social movements and mimicking how they, “engage and mobilize the masses to institutionalize new societal norms.”
** Looking for more on transformation? Check out our post on 3 Small Ways to Make Big Change.

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

Doug Conant is remarkable—and so is this work.
– Stephen M. R. Covey
Author of The Speed of Trust

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