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“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
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Master the mindset, Skillset, toolset for better leadership through guides, checklists, articles, quotes, and more.
Latest Articles
The Leadership Guide
Articles by Category
Getting Started
4 Leadership Styles of Situational Leadership
5 Practices and 10 Commitments for Effective Leadership
12 Traits of a Great Leader
Everyone is a Leader
How To Adapt Your Leadership Style with Situational Leadership
Leadership is Who You Are
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
10 Practices of Personal 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 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
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
How To 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
7 Steps for Building High-Performing Virtual Teams with Skill
10 Big Ideas from Outthink
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
Vulnerability-Based Trust: Your Key to High-Performance Teams
Articles by Leadership Skills
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
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
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
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
Best Leadership Books
36 Best Books that Changed Microsoft Leaders’ Lives
Top 10 Leadership Books
Best Leadership Books
Book Summaries
42 Rules for Your New Leadership Role
Intelligent Leadership
Leadership on the Line
Leadership Transformed
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
What Keeps Leaders Up at Night
The Leadership Checklist
- As a leader, I seek first to understand, and I listen to people until they feel heard (empathic listening.)
- As a leader, I set the example others wish to emulate.
- As a leader, I vary my leadership style to motivate when needed or direct based on the needs and abilities of the team.
- As a leader, I vary my leadership style between people-focused and task-focused based on the situation I’m in.
- As a leader, I continuously find ways to simplify.
- As a leader, I focus on service to others.
- As a leader, I allocate time for what’s important.
- As a leader, I do what I say I will do.
- As a leader, I create a compelling vision that inspires people to rally around.
- As a leader, I take feedback and adapt in response.
View The Leadership Checklist >>
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 Use Future Picture to Share Your Vision
How To Visualize Success
How To Visualize Success by Stepping into Your Future
How To Visualize with Skill
Leadership Lessons from Leaders
Top 10 Leadership Lessons by Jim Kouzes
Top 10 Leadership Q&A with Jim Kouzes
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
Best Leadership Products
Great Quotes on Leadership
- “A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.” — John C. Maxwell
- “A real leader faces the music, even when he doesn’t like the tune.” – Anonymous
- “All Leadership is influence.” — John C. Maxwell
- “Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson
- “Lead me, follow me, or get out of my way.” — General George Patton
- “Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality.” — Warren Bennis
- “Managers help people see themselves as they are; Leaders help people to see themselves better than they are.” — Jim Rohn
- “The art of leadership is saying no, not yes. It is very easy to say yes.” — Tony Blair
- “The price of greatness is responsibility.” — Winston Churchill
- “When the effective leader is finished with his work, the people say it happened naturally.” — Lao Tzu
