“A leader is best when people barely know he exists. When his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves.” –Lao Tzu
Welcome to Leadership on Sources of Insight!
Master the mindset, Skillset, toolset for better leadership.
The Leadership Guide
Latest Leadership Articles
Articles by Category
Getting Started
- 5 Practices and 10 Commitments for Effective Leadership
- 12 Traits of a Great Leader
- Everyone is a Leader
- How To Adapt Your Style with Situational Leadership
- Leadership is Who You Are
- Leadership Styles and Development Levels
- The Inner Edge: The 10 Practices of Personal Leadership
- Vision, Mission, and Values
Leadership Mindsets, Models, and Frameworks
- 4-Dimensional Leadership
- 5 Practices and 10 Commitments for Effective Leadership
- A Leaders is the Trustee of the Intangibles
- Future Picture: How the Military Communicates Vision More Effectively
- How To Adapt Your Style with Situational Leadership
- Political Competence: Influence with Skill and Get People on Your Side
- Situational Leadership II
- STARS Model of Business Evolution
- Strategy Diamond
- The First 90 Days: Your Road Map For Success
- The Influencer Change Framework
- The Inner Edge: The 10 Practices of Personal Leadership
- The Six Steps to Fight Pilots Use to Plan Successful Missions
- Vision, Mission, and Values
Vision, Mission, and Values
- Corporate Culture — Actions Speak Louder than Words
- Effective Leaders Develop Multiple Future Outlooks
- Envisioning: The Leadership Skill of Time Travel
- Future Picture: How The Military Communicates Vision More Effectively
- Guide Your Path with Vision, Values, and Goals
- How To Create a High-Performance Team with Vision, Identity, and Values
- How To Find Your Values
- How To Inspire a Vision
- Mission Statements Explained
- Visionary Leadership
- Vision, Mission, and Values
Character & Styles
Character
- 10 Big Ideas from Lead with Humility
- 12 Traits of a Great Leader
- A Leader is the Trustee of the Intangibles
- Character Ethic is the Foundation for Success
- Great Leaders are Rarely Realistic
- Integrative Thinking: Synthesize Multiple Ideas Into One Complete Idea
- Intelligent Leadership Book Review
- Leadership is Who You Are
- Stephen Covey Leaves a Legacy
- Testing for Expert Judgment
- Top 5 Characteristics of Effective Leaders
- Warrior Leaders are Positive and Exude Positive Energy
- Warrior Leaders Focus on the Highest Value Activities
- Warrior Leaders Reveal Great Character
Styles
- Detailed Command vs. Mission Command
- Heart-Led Leadership
- How To Adapt Your Style with Situational Leadership
- Pattern-Based Leadership vs. Fact-Based Management
- Situational Leadership II
- Task-Oriented vs. Relationship-Oriented Leadership Styles
- Visionary Leadership
- What Executives at Microsoft Taught Me
Personal Leadership
- 8 Ways to Be Heroic
- Adapt, Adjust or Avoid Situations
- Build Your Personal Board of Advisers
- Everyone is a Leader
- Guide Your Path with Vision, Values, and Goals
- How To Be a Leader in Your Field
- Live on the Frontier of Your Experiences
- Personal Leadership Helps Renew You
- Personal Leadership is a Choice
- Reflecting With Skill: The Art of Structured Reflection
- The Inner Edge: The 10 Practices of Personal Leadership
- The Key to Progress: Sustain Your Virtuous Cycles and Halt the Vicious Ones
- The Power of Personal Leadership
Team, Teaming, and Teamwork
- 5 Ways to Improve Commitment and Follow-through
- 10 Big Ideas from Out Think
- 10 Ways to Hold People Accountable
- Assessing Your Existing Team
- Clarify Meaningful Results
- How Effective Leaders Get Their Team on Board
- How To Build High-Performance Teams More Consistently
- How To Create a High-Performance Team with Vision, Identity, and Values
- It’s Not Just a Team Effort
- Leadership Skills for Making Things Happen
- Management Lessons of a Lifelong Student
- Smart Leaders, Smarter Teams Book Review
- STEALTH Debrief: Generate Valuable Lessons Learned
- The Leader Must First Belong
- Lessons from Fighter Pilots on Planning Successful Missions
- Virtual Team Success: 7 Steps for Building High-Performing V-Teams with Skill
- Vulnerability-Based Trust: Your Key to High-Performance Teams
The Skills of Leadership
Change
- 10 Tips for Managing Change More Effectively
- Awareness is the First Step of Change
- Change Patterns: Patterns for Innovation and Change Leadership
- Desire to Change
- Head, Heart, and Hands: A Pattern for Change
- How Great Leaders Build a Culture of Innovation and Change
- Knowledge on How To Change
- Starfish Organizations: The Key to Explosive Change
- The Influencer Change Framework
Connection
- Balance Connection and Conviction to Reduce Anxiety and Lead Effectively
- Be the Politically Competent Leader
- Empathic Listening: The Highest Form of Listening
- How Life Experiences Make You a Better Leader
- Leadership in the Moment
- Political Competence: Influence with Skill and Get People on Your Side
- Stephen Covey on How To Present More Effectively
- The Johari Window: Know and Share Yourself With Skill
- The Leader’s Guide to Speaking with Presence
Courage
- Boldness has Genius, Magic, and Power In It
- Fearless Speaking
- Go for the Epic Win
- Live Without the Fear of Death in Your Heart
- The Man in the Arena
Culture
- Awareness is the First Step of Change
- Corporate Culture — Actions Speak Louder than Words
- Future Picture: How The Military Communicates Vision More Effectively
- How Great Leaders Build a Culture of Innovation and Change
- How To Build a Learning Culture
- How To Inspire a Vision
- Jurgen Appelo on Create Your Own Culture Book
- Mission Statements Explained
- Organizational Values: Actions are Louder Than Words
- The 5 Elements of Organizational Architecture
- Three-Factor Theory: Create Enthusiasm in Your Work Environment
- Vision, Mission, and Values
Emotional Intelligence
- 6 Steps to Emotional Mastery
- 10 Big Ideas from Emotional Capitalists
- 10 Emotions to Master for Power, Passion, and Strength
- 13 Skills to Change Emotions and Master Emotional Intelligence
- Develop a Psychology of Resilience in Yourself
- Emotional Triggers and What To Do About Them
- Feel In Control
- How Navy SEALs Build Mental Toughness
- Master Your Emotions by Mastering Your Stories
- Self-Efficacy is the Key to Your Personal Power
- Stephen Covey on Developing Emotional Intelligence
- The Elephant and the Rider
Influence
- 5 Elements of the Win/Win Agreement
- 6 Types of Social Power
- Become a Better Influencer: Identify Supporters, Opponents and Convincibles
- Character Trumps Emotion Trumps Logic
- Don’t Tell … Ask
- How To Build a Coalition with the Coalition-Building Cycle
- How To Frame Compelling Arguments
- How To Overcome Resistance with Entanglement Strategies
- How To Put Good Ideas in Place
- How To Sequence Your Influence to Build Momentum
- How To Survive Counter-Coalitions Against Your Ideas
- Improve Your Influence and Impact–Be Aware of the Larger System
- Influencing Without Authority
- Mindful Change: The Key to Successful Influence
- Persuasion is the Most Important Skill You Can Develop
- The Influencer Change Framework
- The Power of Superordinate Goals: How To Reduce Conflict Between Groups
- Why People Resist Change
- Win the Heart the Mind Follows
Motivation and Inspiration
- 3 Core Wants: Approval, Control, and Security
- Are You a Fire Starter?
- Deepak Chopra on the Soul of Leadership
- Expectation Shapes Reality
- How Grest Leaders Can Energize Others
- How To Arouse People to Extraordinary Achievement
- How To Inspire a Vision
- How To Inspire Others to Help You with Your Vision
- McClelland’s Motivational Model
- Motivation on Fire: Keep Your Motivation Burning for the Long-Haul
- The Seven Major Catalysts that Inspire Progress
Stories and Storytelling
- 3 Stories Leaders Need to Tell
- 6 Keys to Strategic Stories
- Author a Distinctive Story
- Lead Yourself and Others with Inspiring Stories
Strengths
- 3 Myths About Strengths and Weaknesses
- 4 Signs of a Strength: Success, Instinct, Growth, and Needs
- 34 Strengths from StrengthsFinder
- Don’t Confuse Strengths and Weaknesses with Skills
- Find Your Strengths
- Find Your Strengths Among Your Team
- How To Put Your Strengths to Work
- List of Strengths
- Nature vs. Nurture
- Spend 75 Percent on Your Strengths
- Strengths and Weaknesses vs. Personality Profiles
- Strengths vs. Talents
- The Strengths Movement
- Transform Your Hidden Strengths into Learned Strengths
- Why Strengths?
Strategy
- How To Be Strategic with What’s the Hope, What’s in the Way, What’s the Path
- Strategy as a Way of Life
- Strategy Diamond
- What is Strategy?
Vision
- 12-Point Future Picture: How The Military Communicates Vision More Effectively
- How Crusades and Causes are Better Than Visions and Missions
- How To Be a Better Visionary Leader
- How To Communicate Your Vision, Mission, and Values
- How To Guide Your Path with Vision, Mission, and Values
- How To Inspire a Vision with Skill
- How To Inspire Others to Help You with Your Vision
- How To Be Strategic with What’s the Hope, What’s in the Way, What’s the Path
- How Visionary Leaders Can Energize Others
- Why Visionary Leaders Develop Multiple Future Outlooks
How Tos
- How To Be a leader In Your Field
- How To Communicate Without Conflict with Anyone
- How To Consistently Build a Winning Team
- How To Get Your Ideas Adopted through Imperfection
- How To Inspire a Vision
- How To Make Better Decisions Through Disagreement
- How To Paint a Future Picture to Share Your Vision
- How To Visualize Success
- How To Visualize Success by Stepping into Your Future
- How To Visualize with Skill
Checklist
Leadership Lessons from Leaders
Lessons from leaders:
- Top 10 Leadership Lessons by Jim Kouzes
- Top 10 Leadership Lessons by Jim Kouzes (A Question-and-Answer Follow-Up)
- Lessons Learned from Bill Gates
- Lessons Learned from Colin Powell
- Lessons Learned from Ken Blanchard
- Lessons Learned from John Wooden
- Lessons Learned from John Maxwell
- Lessons Learned from Mike Kropp
- Lessons Learned from Stephen Covey
- Lessons Learned from Steve Jobs
Quotes
Book Summaries
- 42 Rules for Your New Leadership Role
- Intelligent Leadership
- Leadership on the Line
- Leadership Transformed: How Ordinary Managers Become Extraordinary leaders
- Love Works: Seven Timeless Principles for Effective Leaders
- Smart Leaders, Smarter Teams
- Squirrels, Boats, and Thoroughbreds
- The Disney Way
- The First 90 Days
- The Inner Edge: The 10 Practices of Personal Leadership
- The Leader’s Pocket Guide
- The Leadership Secrets of Santa Clause
- Triple Crown Leadership: Building Excellent, Ethical, and Enduring Organizations
- What Keeps Leaders Up at Night
Book I Recommend
- 36 Best Business Books that Influenced Microsoft Leaders
- Management Books I Recommend
- Leadership Books I Recommend
