Leadership Love from LinkedIn

On a scale of 1-10, how much do you like questions that ask you to rate things?

I first learned this technique from life coaches whose conversations may sound something like this:

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Coach: What would you like to work on today?

Coachee: I’d like to do a better job with my eating habits.

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More than 50% of U.S. employees report experiencing daily stress at work.

Unfortunately, a manager’s leadership style can negatively impact a follower’s stress levels and productivity.

This in turn stresses the manager and creates a vicious downward cycle.

Research suggests that a...

Have you ever been surprised by something in your refrigerator?

I don’t mean a leftover that was once a good color but is now a bad color.

This morning, I was puzzled by a package of turkey burgers.

I quickly realized that I had sent my daughter to the grocery store with a list that...

Millions of people will trundle off today to work at a job they hate.

Many will complain about having a bad boss, a toxic work environment, or lower-than-desired pay—yet I know many well-paid people with great bosses and “best places to work” caliber environments who are still...

Stop me if you’ve heard this one:
A Roman emperor, a transcendentalist writer, and The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll walk into a bar.

“A man’s worth is no greater than his ambitions.” —Marcus Aurelius

(Having the benefit of 1,800+ years of history, I’ll go...

Yesterday, I shared an analogy that illustrates how the environment in which a vintner grows grapes resembles that in which a leader grows people.

Vigilant grape farmers don’t simply abdicate their crop to the environment, however.

They study viticulture, time the planting and harvest, and...

You don’t have to be a wine connoisseur to appreciate a vintner’s ability to cultivate grapes to their full potential.

The size, taste, and quality of any grape crop is determined by environmental factors known by the French term “terroir”.

The elements of terroir are...

I love late-night infomercials that are so bad they’re good.

If you stay up late enough, you’ll be bombarded with offers for military-grade sunglasses, copper-infused knee braces, and the like.

Each infomercial depicts some ridiculous testament to the product’s performance like...

On February 4th, 1968, Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered a sermon titled, “The Drum Major Instinct”.

He observed that we each have an innate desire “to be important, to surpass others, to achieve distinction, to lead the parade”.

In this sermon—prophetically...

I looked down at the couch then up at the crammed moving van.

I had given myself the packing job because of my planning abilities and keen intellect.

“There’s no way that’s fitting in there, genius.”

My bride has always had a special way of keeping me grounded.

We lugged...

I had a childhood friend who dabbled as an amateur magician.

One day, he came to my house after a shopping spree at the local magic store.

He slowly walked across the room and assumed his most magical pose.

He swished his hand, and then—poof!—he launched a bright fireball into the...

Until the late 1940s, movie studios inked actors, writers, and producers to long-term contracts that gave studio brass complete control over what was created and how.

Stars have more autonomy today and can choose which studio they’ll partner with for their next blockbuster.

Sound familiar?