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12.10.24
The Best Leadership Books of 2024
THE titles listed below, published in 2024, improve our self-awareness regarding relationships and communication the sine qua non of leadership and provide us with a wider perspective on innovation and the changes taking place around us.
(Random House, 2024)
(Harper Business, 2024)
(Ideapress Publishing, 2024)
(Portfolio, 2024)
(Simon & Schuster, 2024)
(PublicAffairs, 2024)
(Shadow Mountain, 2024)
(Arena Publishing, 2024)
(Wiley, 2024)
(Harvard Business Review Press, 2024)
(Portfolio, 2024)
(St. Martin's Press, 2024)
Biographies:
(Liveright, 2024)
(Regnery, 2024)
(Viking, 2024)
Posted by Michael McKinney at 11:40 AM
12.05.24
Leading Thoughts for December 5, 2024
IDEAS shared have the power to expand perspectives, change thinking, and move lives. Here are two ideas for the curious mind to engage with: Marshall Goldsmith on community: “You may think of yourself as a wholly self-made rugged individualist who takes responsibility for choices made, never whines ‘It’s not fair!’ and always rejects the role of victim or martyr. I’ve met admirable people who embody all these traits, but one: None of them believes they are wholly self-made. They know that an earned life cannot be achieved in isolation. It only thrives within a community.” Source: The Earned Life: Lose Regret, Choose Fulfillment Robert Littell on the shortest distance between two points: “[The assumption] that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line, which you and I, old boy, in our infinite wisdom, know to be a dodgy proposition. Me, I am orthodox anti-Euclidean. There simply is no short distance between two points. There’s only a meander.” Source: Character in The Company Look for these ideas every Thursday on the Leading Blog. Find more ideas on the LeadingThoughts index.   Follow us on Instagram and X for additional leadership and personal development ideas.
Posted by Michael McKinney at 08:58 AM
12.01.24
First Look: Leadership Books for December 2024
HERE'S A LOOK at some of the best leadership books to be released in December 2024 curated just for you. Be sure to check out the other great titles being offered this month.
In this groundbreaking book, internationally acclaimed author and entrepreneurial mindset expert Gary Schoeniger combines insights gleaned from hundreds of everyday entrepreneurs with cutting-edge research to create a practical how-to guide that not only shows us how to be more innovative and entrepreneurial in our own lives but also how to unlock the untapped entrepreneurial potential in others. Ultimately, The Entrepreneurial Mindset Advantage shows us how a subtle shift in our perspective can make a big difference in our lives. While this book will certainly benefit those who want to start a business, it looks beyond new venture creation to expose the entrepreneurial mindset as a teachable framework for thinking that has become essential for individuals and organizations to adapt and thrive in today's rapidly changing world.
Momentum is magnetic. People want to be with, work with, and build relationships with people who have momentum. But what is it, exactly? Renowned author, speaker, consultant, and coach Sam Silverstein has the surprising answer. Momentum is constant, conscious movement toward your goal that is in alignment with your purpose and mission. This goal is always connected with what we are called to do in the service of others. In his simple but powerful step-by-step strategy, Silverstein shows you how to identify what you should be acting on and create continuous progress on your goals and in your life. You will attract others to your mission, and you will create transformative influence in the events you encounter and the lives of the people around you.
In a world of disruption and uncertainty, Still Standing emerges as a beacon of resilience, offering the essential strategies for navigating the pressures of building and leading our organizations into the future. Still Standing is not just a book; it's a tactical roadmap for businesses and their leaders, who are determined to create everyday resilience in the face of constant change. Whether you're seeking to enhance your leadership skills, navigate the challenges of business, or manage workplace burnout and wellbeing, this book offers the insights and strategies needed to thrive and innovate in these uncertain times. Join Cherry Rose Tan in exploring the three capabilities that will empower you to not just survive, but flourish in the competitive world of business and innovation.
Are you ready to transform your life and achieve extraordinary success? Outsmart the Learning Curve reveals the secrets of how ordinary people can overcome obstacles, acquire new skills rapidly, and reach their full potential. Whether you're a recent grad, a mid-career professional seeking change, or simply striving for continuous improvement, this book is your roadmap to personal and professional growth. Unlike many self-development books that focus on world-class performers, Outsmart the Learning Curve celebrates the growth and transformation of ordinary people, offering relatable inspiration and attainable strategies for readers from all walks of life. Outsmart the Learning Curve doesn't just tell you what to do—it shows you how to do it, with actionable advice on experiential learning, personality development, and overcoming self-doubt.
HBR Daily Leader provides 365 days' worth of insights and inspiration, an easy and enjoyable way to make your professional development a regular habit. Every page offers something new, whether it's an insight to spark your thinking, a quote to inspire you, or a question to reflect on. And each day presents you with an opportunity to take on topics such as communicating effectively, managing your time, expanding your influence, and cultivating new skills. Elevate your leadership practice and presence with wisdom drawn from the best of Harvard Business Review.
   
“You can't think well without writing well, and you can't write well without reading well. And I mean that last "well" in both senses. You have to be good at reading, and read good things.” — Paul Graham, Y Combinator co-founder
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Posted by Michael McKinney at 09:15 AM
11.30.24
LeadershipNow 140: November 2024 Compilation
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Posted by Michael McKinney at 08:00 AM
11.28.24
Leading Thoughts for November 28, 2024
IDEAS shared have the power to expand perspectives, change thinking, and move lives. Here are two ideas for the curious mind to engage with: Environmental scientist Donella Meadows on nonmaterial needs: “People don’t need enormous cars; they need admiration and respect. They don’t need a constant stream of new clothes; they need to feel that others consider them to be attractive, and they need excitement and variety and beauty. People don’t need electronic entertainment; they need something interesting to occupy their minds and emotions. And so forth. Source: The Limits to Growth (Read Online) Architect and inventor Buckminster Fuller on creating change: “You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.” Source: As quoted in Beyond Civilization: Humanity’s Next Great Adventure Look for these ideas every Thursday on the Leading Blog. Find more ideas on the LeadingThoughts index. Follow us on Instagram and X for additional leadership and personal development ideas.
Posted by Michael McKinney at 03:33 PM
11.27.24
The Seven Frequencies of Communication
WORDS have power. And how we communicate those words determines their resonance. It is the frequency the speaker uses that connects with us or not. Understanding the frequency with which you are trying to communicate is crucial to reaching and connecting with others. Erwin McManus has provided the map to help us understand how we are heard by others and, importantly, how we can identify what frequencies resonate with those we are speaking to. If we speak at a frequency the listener cannot hear, we don’t connect. The Seven Frequencies of Communication helps us identify and develop not only go to frequencies but also expand our capacity to use other frequencies to connect with others. We all have a core frequency that we use most of the time. As you read through McManus’ descriptions, ask yourself, are you a Motivator, a Challenger, a Commander, a Healer, a Professor, a Seer, or a Maven? When you unlock your frequency, you unleash your potential. What follows is a brief overview of each frequency type. Motivator A Motivator is driven to encourage people and for this reason is probably the most popular. They speak to our needs for energy and self-belief. “When a Motivator speaks, their frequency gets inside of us and elevates our self-belief. A Motivator helps us find energy and strength we did not know we had.” They create a positive, optimistic culture. Motivators understand that people need the energy to take on great challenges, but more than that, they need a foundation of self-belief. Challenger Challengers are all about improvement. They see potential and possibilities, and they define direction. “A Challenger does not believe you need their affirmation as much as you need their drive. The Challenger sees the world as in need of courage. This is the basic need the Challenger tries to meet through communication. The Challenger believes their audience could accomplish anything if they had courage. If you use the Challenger frequency, your role is to elevate and deepen the amount of courage the listener is able to access for their own life.” Commander The Commander frequency is about knowing what needs to be done. It is authoritarian, and at the right time and in the right circumstances, it is invaluable. It carries authority, but to be useful, it must come from a trusted source. “The Commander meets a high need in us for direction. People need to know what to do next in any aspect of their lives. Receiving that direction from someone is a critical part of effective communication.” When you have the Commander frequency, you understand that in certain environments, you must lead with authority. Any place there is danger or alarm. You know what to do and you direct others to get it done. Healer The Healer frequency helps others see their brokenness. “When you use the Healer frequency, you make people feel seen. You help them face their wounds. This frequency embodies the universal truth that no matter who you are or what you have been through, all of us have wounds. Some wounds are obvious. Some wounds are more hidden. Healers have the ability to speak to the deepest wounds in our lives we think no one else can see. When in concert with a complimentary frequency such as Commander, Challenger, or Seer, extraordinary things can happen.” Professor As the label implies, the Professor frequency is all about teaching and helping people to gain knowledge to be successful in whatever they are doing. “This frequency is about more than acquiring knowledge. It is about the love of transmitting what you have earned to others. When you enjoy taking the information you have gathered and turning it into insight for others, you know your frequency is that of the Professor.” Seer The Seer is about imagination and vision. “Their communication opens up possibilities and opportunities for those who are listening. The Seer has the compelling ability to paint a picture of the future no one else can see until they speak.” The Seer lives in the future and is not confined by the past. “Wherever there is a Seer in leadership, their frequency creates a culture of innovation and risk-taking.” Maven The Maven frequency is curious and expresses a need to shift the present paradigm. They seek questions, not answers. They help people see things differently. “To the majority, the Maven frequency brings distress. The Maven is innately heretical, treating the sacred as open to questioning and inquiry. Their violation of orthodoxy is rarely соnscious or deliberate.” The Maven is often not an expert but a student with endless curiosity. They are seen as connoisseurs of new ideas. They can become the one everyone looks to for expertise in a particular domain, topic, or area. McManus has provided an assessment to help you identify your core frequency and primary frequencies and includes a custom report with detailed insights about how to discover the full power and potential of your primary frequency. Like the overuse of a strength, these frequencies have a dark or shadow side. “The shadow of your frequency appears when your frequency is inverted from focusing on others to focusing on yourself. Shadows reshape how you communicate. Where a natural frequency will seek to serve others, a shadow frequency serves only you.” For example, the Challenger can be a manipulator, the Commander a dictator, and the Seer a perfectionist. The Professor can become a diminisher as they demonstrate how intelligent they are rather than using their knowledge to enlighten and build others up. You become most effective when you can move from one frequency to another depending on the needs of those you are speaking to. When you only speak from your core frequency, you create gaps in your communication. You lack empathy. “Empathy is not simply about understanding someone; it is about resonating with them. Empathy is not about transferring what is inside of you to another person, but transferring what is inside of them into you.” The goal of communication is connection, and when you hear and respond to the frequency of others, they feel heard and understood. “Communication at its most human level is not simply the transference of ideas but of hope and love.” Follow us on Instagram and X for additional leadership and personal development ideas.
Posted by Michael McKinney at 11:47 AM
11.22.24
You’re Not Failing—You’re Growing! Powerful Mindset Shifts from J.K. Rowling and Dale Carnegie Everyone Can Use
WE’RE conditioned to fear failure. What if I fail?... I can’t fail this time... Failure is seen as a fatal mistake — whether to a relationship, a career, or a decision we’ve made. But failure is a lot more than that. It’s what grows resilience, inspiration, creativity, and success. It’s how we approach failure that makes a difference. I’ve seen my therapy patients take another look at a failure and realize it gave them room to grow. And there are two examples we can follow — from the author J.K. Rowling and self-improvement and leadership pioneer Dale Carnegie. While wildly different people on the surface, they shared a powerful sense of determination and overall resilience. How each approached failure contains lessons for us all. J.K. Rowling: Learning from Adversity It’s likely you’ve heard of the Harry Potter books and movies. But renowned author J.K. Rowling hardly started out as an overnight success. She was an unemployed single mother wrestling with depression when she discovered an escape — writing. She conjured up a world of wizards and witches, a place where her creative spirit could find solace and hope amidst the chaos of life. Her manuscript got rejection after rejection. But she persisted. Finally, Bloomsbury Publishing took a chance — and Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone became an incredible phenomenon. The lesson we can take from J.K. Rowling is this: Instead of letting failure define her, she persevered — and turned failure into a personal victory. She refused to be pigeonholed by society’s rigid definition of achievement and shallow markers of success. What she found instead was that real success came from within — and failures and adversity were meant to be embraced, viewed as valuable lessons, and part of developing a powerful resilience. Dale Carnegie: Success Comes from Failure Twentieth-century self-improvement and sales guru Dale Carnegie published How to Win Friends and Influence People back in 1936. It was a runaway bestseller and remains a classic to this day. But Carnegie didn’t just set out to write a book and make his mark: he failed at countless endeavors first. Instead of brushing past them, he did the opposite: he wrote them down and kept them in a folder. He took a hard look and confronted his own shortcomings head-on. Here’s the lesson: By digging into his failures, Carnegie found invaluable lessons. He came to understand that setbacks were like an elixir for personal growth and self-discovery. He saw failures like his best buddies, always ready to teach him a thing or two. He cultivated a can-do spirit that enabled people to tackle challenges and overcome obstacles — and build a methodology from it that has had a profound influence on millions of people. So much for being afraid to fail. Once you know it’s an opportunity, you can learn from it. Your Turn: Four Mindset Shifts To use failure to achieve your own greatness, make these four simple but powerful mindset shifts: Make the Choice: Failure is like a boot camp for resilience, a grueling training ground that prepares us for life’s inevitable challenges. When it knocks us down, we face a pivotal choice: stay on the ground and wallow in defeat, or bounce back like we’re on a trampoline, ready to soar again. This choice is crucial: each time we pick ourselves up, we build mental and emotional muscles that equip us for future struggles. It’s a reminder that while setbacks can sting, they also offer us the chance to rise stronger and more determined than before. Get Creative: When our grand plans go belly-up, we’re often left scrambling for alternatives, which sparks our creativity like nothing else. This is the moment to ditch the beaten path, think outside the box, and try unconventional solutions. Some of history’s coolest inventions and groundbreaking discoveries emerged precisely because someone was willing to pivot and innovate after a failure. It’s amazing how necessity can lead to creativity. When faced with obstacles, we often tap into reservoirs of ingenuity we didn’t even know we had. So, the next time things go awry, embrace the chaos and let your imagination run wild! Shift Your Focus: Failure also serves as a powerful catalyst for developing a growth mindset. Instead of fixating on specific outcomes, we begin to shift our focus toward continuous improvement and personal development. This transformative perspective allows us to view failures not as endpoints but as valuable stepping stones on our journey. Setbacks become opportunities for learning, helping us build resilience and adaptability. It’s this growth-oriented mindset that enables us to conquer mountains as we learn to embrace challenges and find strength in the process rather than solely in the results. Be Humbled: Failure has a unique way of building character and humbling us. It’s a reality check that reminds us we’re not invincible superheroes — though let’s be honest, that would be pretty cool. It teaches us that everyone stumbles and that vulnerability is part of the human experience. This humbling journey helps us cultivate empathy and compassion for others, reinforcing the idea that we’re all in this together. Instead of placing ourselves on pedestals, we learn to appreciate the shared struggle of growth and resilience, which ultimately fosters deeper connections with those around us. Failure teaches us empathy and compassion for others facing their own failures. It forces us to question what truly matters to us and what success really means. It’s like a soul-searching journey that leads to personal growth and a more authentic and meaningful life. But here’s the catch — just experiencing failure won’t automatically make you a better person. You must be intentional about it. Embrace failure with open arms, reflect on its lessons, and take action. Only then will you truly transform setbacks into stepping stones to success.  Follow us on Instagram and X for additional leadership and personal development ideas.
Posted by Michael McKinney at 09:36 AM
11.21.24
Leading Thoughts for November 21, 2024
IDEAS shared have the power to expand perspectives, change thinking, and move lives. Here are two ideas for the curious mind to engage with: Creator of Mad Men Matthew Weiner on feedback: “When someone rejects your work, register the fact that they don’t like it, but don’t listen to the reason why. People feel that they have to say something, and they often give a capricious justification to keep from hurting your feelings. For example, someone might say, ‘I don’t like your movie because it’s in black-and-white.’ You think, Damn it. If I had made it in color, I could have sold it. That’s probably not true. Now, if William Goldman or Mike Nichols reads your work and suggests you do X to it, you might want to listen, but if you alter your work for every rejection, you’ll end up running in all different directions trying to please an imaginary audience. It can be damaging and destructive.” Source: Getting There: A Book of Mentors by Gillian Zoe Segal Noel M. Tichy on the need to produce leaders at all levels: “Successful leaders add value. No matter what level or what type of organization, the true measure of a leader is whether he or she has made the assets under their control more valuable today than they were yesterday. A leader is given stewardship over assets, in the form of people, capital, information, and technology. Their job is to make them more valuable and to keep making them more valuable into the future.” Source: The Cycle of Leadership: How Great Leaders Teach Their Companies to Win Look for these ideas every Thursday on the Leading Blog. Find more ideas on the LeadingThoughts index. Follow us on Instagram and X for additional leadership and personal development ideas.
Posted by Michael McKinney at 10:56 AM
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