People often ask me “where do you find this stuff?”. The “stuff” are the things I learn or analyze together with my friends and colleagues. Bits and pieces of information, ideas or statistics I use to challenge those who want to be challenged (and some that do not).
There are so many sources, but I do have a small selective “club” who really inspire me.
So here it is, my secret list of sources:
1. Tom Peters (for wild, nuts and crazy stuff related to leadership, innovation and business)
2. Jim Kouzes & Bary Posner (for leadership)
3. Ken Blanchard (for leadership and teams)
4. Seth Godin (whenever I need a purple cow)
5. Nancy Duarte (for inspiration regarding storytelling and presentations)
6. Dan Roam (for transmitting information in a joyful manner)
7. Marshall Goldsmith (for dealing with humans)
8. TED (I know it’s not a real person, but sometimes it feels just like one)
Want more? Google this guys first. It’s worth it!
We changed a lot in the past 100 years. The way we think about work has suffered dramatically. Therefore, the way we must lead people changed in accordance. Here is a [very] short history of the process:
1. Don’t think, stay in the box (before 1930’s - see the Hawthorne Experiment)
2. Think, but inside the box (1930’s - 1970’s)
3. Think outside the box (1970’s - 2000; it’s the era of the tech companies, like Apple and Microsoft)
4. Think bigger than the box (2000 - today; it’s the era of social media companies, like Facebook and Twitter)
5. There is no box (it starts soon; it’s the era of outrageous ideas, products and companies).
Each period required something else from a leader. My guess is, no. 5 will completely mutate the game. How will it look?
At TED, Derek Sivers tell us how to start a movement with the help of a famous video from youtube: Crazy dancing guy.
“Two elements of successful leadership: a willingness to be wrong and an eagerness to admit it.” -Seth Godin
I recently answered a question on quora about the best books on leadership.
I have 2 personal favorites:
1. The Leadership Challenge - Barry Posner & Jim Kouzes
It’s a soft approach, the best one I’ve read. It’s based on a recurring study about top leadership practices. They focus on the top 5. Lots of real life stories.
2. Leading at a higher level - Ken Blanchard
It’s a “harder” approach, with lots of tools and concepts. I think you will find it covers almost everything regarding leadership.
This two are the perfect combination in my perspective.
LaRae Quy, a former FBI and undercover agent, talks about leadership on Michael Hyatt’s blog.
