With  hundreds of thousands of different articles out on the world wide web, it can be extremely difficult to know which one to read. Being a lifelong student of leadership, I attempt to read as many articles on the subject as possible. Understanding that there are so many good articles out there on it, I wanted to share some of my recent favorites.  Many of these are quick reads and have powerful nuggets of wisdom for any leader to digest. These are not the only good articles out there on leadership and success in life of course, but they are worth reading and I believe will help anyone who wishes to improve themselves, their business and the quality of life for them as well as those they share time with. Enjoy!

1. 20 Qualities for a Successful Life — (by Dumb Little Man) How do you define a successful life? Is it by how much money or stuff you have amassed, or is it by the legacy you leave behind?
2. 7 Tips to Manage Your Boss — and Yourself — (by Steve Tobak) Strategies for a healthy employee-manager relationship from a manager’s perspective.
3. A Daily Dose Of Gratitude — (by Chris Hammer) Cultivating and practicing a mindset of gratitude can go a long way to feeling good about our own lives and the world around us.
4. America’s Best Leaders — US News and World Report — US News and World Report highlights a key number of leaders in many functions across the country. A pretty good overview of a listing of high end leaders in their fields.
5. Better Illustrations = Better Communicator (by Tim Milburn) There is a powerful connection that takes place between speaker and audience when one can share the right illustration, at the right time, and for the right reason.
6. Businesses Don’t Fail — Leaders Do — (by Mike Myatt) If you’re willing to strip away all the excuses, explanations, rationalizations, and justifications for business failures, and be really honest in your analysis, you’ll find only one plausible reason –poor leadership.
7. Communication: The Most Important Key to Leadership Success — (by Lee Froschheiser) You hear it all the time … aspiring managers or vice presidents want to know the most important key to an esteemed business leader’s success. Their jaws often drop when they learn the truth.
8. Don’t be the Grinch Who Resists Change — (by Scott Franklin) Change is often presented as a technical exercise. While this is all well and dandy logically, it usually fails to create an emotional connection and makes the change seem like a lot of tedious work. Enlightened leaders know that there is a natural desire to be part of something larger than ourselves.
9. Feedback Is Key To Leadership Success — (by Lee Coates) Any successful leadership system requires that the leader knows what’s working, knows what’s not working and knows what to do different.
10. Five Lessons About Cooperation From The Creation Of A National Volunteer Database — (by Mark Bernstein) Businesses in the same industry can be loath to work with competitors. But sometimes working together can result in more good than harm.
11. Five Lessons in Leadership — (By Mary Brandel) Five Top CIOs share what their careers have taught them.
12. Four Lessons on Leadership from Russian Businesses — (by Konstantin Korotov) Russia seldom comes to mind as a place that can teach anything positive to Western companies. Despite the multiple criticisms and problems that businesses are facing in the country, talent development is one area where Russia could teach some interesting lessons to organizations worldwide.
13. General Douglas MacArthur’s Principles of Leadership — A list of the principles that MacArthur followed in order to be an effective leader.
14. Growing Leaders of Character — (by Don Jacobson) A thought provoking Q&A with Gene Klann, author of the book “Building Character: Strengthening the Heart of Good Leadership”
15. How Thinking Like a Child Can Help Any Leader Achieve More Goals — (by Lead Change Group) Lucie, the daughter of a friend of the author, wrote a list of “things I whant to do when I get older”. At age 8, she knows the first and most important rule about goal achievement: to accomplish your goals, first you have to set goals.
16. How to Break Free from Negative Thoughts — (by Rhonda Jones) A mind that is filled with negative thoughts is like a dark cave that limits positive and faith-filled thoughts from entering in. Having a chronically negative thought life is a mental mindset that focuses more on what is wrong, than all that is right in life.
17. How to Deal with Really Tough Criticism: Five Steps — (by Christing M. Riordan) We rarely discuss dealing with criticism as a necessary part of leadership. Yet the reality is that every leader, whether chief executive, politician, sports coach, or first-time supervisor, will experience criticism.
18. How to Find a Business Mentor Who’ll Help You Achieve Your Leadership Goals – (by Rene D. Petrin) Providing a nice 8-step approach for finding a mentor.
19. How To: Develop a Mentorship Program — (by Emma Johnson) Guidance from an effective mentor can be rewarding professionally and personally for both the mentor and mentee.
20. Inside Facebook: How Do You Resolve Conflicts? — Quick video of Joey Flynn, Product Designer for Timeline at Facebook, answering this very important business question.
21. Is “Command and Collaborate” the New Leadership Model? — (by Herminia Ibarra) It’s not “either/or,” but “yes/and” when it comes to which leadership style to choose.
22. Leaders At Alibaba, Youku, And Baidu Are Slowly Shaking Up China’s Corporate Culture — (by April Rabkin) Three top Chinese tech companies are remaking the country’s waning, hierarchical corporate culture with an injection of new ideas from the West.
23. Leadership and integrity — (by Michael Ray Hopkin) People who live with integrity are incorruptible and incapable of breaking the trust of those who have confided in them. Trait of a good leader.
24. Leadership Caffeine: Warning! Your Words About Change are Falling on Cynical Ears — (by Art Petty) Even the most credible of leaders have to step up their game when it comes to talking about and promoting change on their teams and in their organizations.
25. Leadership character: The role of collaboration — (by Col. Eric Kall) West Point Colonel speaks about the importance of collaboration in successful leadership.
26. Leadership Is a Gift Given by Those Who Follow — (by Grant McCracken) Here is General Mark Welsh, Commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe. Welsh’s biggest theme? Leadership as an act of service. As the General says, “Leadership is a gift. It’s given by those who follow. You have to be worthy of it.”
27. Leadership Lessons From Community Maven Tara Hunt: When Not To Listen To The Crowd — (by Lydia Dishman) Any entrepreneur or community-building connector worth their salt should know when to crowdsource, and when to listen to their inner voice.
28. Leadership Success Always Starts With Vision -  (by John Ryan) The president of the Center for Creative Leadership talks about not giving up on your dreams and how that, in his experience, is always the first major step toward leadership success.
29. Leadership Success is No Longer Measured by Money or Power — (by Glenn Llopis) What is leadership success? Is it money, promotions, happiness, raising a family, changing the world, or advancing your industry or community? This simple question has grown complicated over the years, so it’s more important than ever to clarify what success means.
30. Leading and the Multigenerational Factor — For the first time in human history, we have four separate generations working together in society. Each generation has its own characteristics, strengths, likes and dislikes, and working style.
31. Leading Older Employees — (by Jodi Glickman) As Millennials take on increased responsibility at office, they need to build management skills that allow them to work effectively with senior colleagues.
32. Lessons in Leadership – Flash, Bang, Wallop goes Kodak — Businesses fail for two main reasons – poor leadership and/or poor sales systems. In this case, the cause of the failure of one of the world’s greatest companies must be placed squarely at the door of poor leadership.
33. Mandela: His 8 Lessons of Leadership — (By Richard Stengel) Writer talks about his possible last visit to him and how Mr. Mandela talked with him about leadership lessons he’s learned in his 90+ years of life.
34. Multicultural Leadership Starts from Within — (by Jevan Soo) Only through knowing other cultures deeply can a manager effectively connect the dots between them and highlight meaningful differences between cultures that impact business strategy.
35. Performance Leadership: 11 Better Practices That Can Ratchet Up Performance — (by Robert D. Behn) A report where the author, a professor at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard, offers an approach that encompasses eleven “better practices” that he has observed in use by successful public managers.
36. Principles for a Successful Life — (by Ron Kurtus) A highly cited author (cited in 112 published books) talks about principles for having a satisfying and successful life.
37. Principles for Successful Work-Life Balance — (by Mike Hawkins) Leadership coach Mike Hawkins offers 10 tips for balancing workplace pressures with life responsibilities.
38. Secrets of Leadership Success — (by Susan M. Heathfield) Nature or nurture is a question often asked about leadership. Key leadership success secrets set the great leaders apart from the so-so leaders in today’s organizations.
39. Self-Image Is The Key To Success In Business And In Life – (by Ethan Hale) Individuals who expect to succeed at a given venture are more likely to do so than those who expect to fail.
40. Six Questions to Help You Avoid Protestors at Your Doorstep — (by David Peck) Six questions to ask yourself as a leader
41. Steve Jobs: 10 Lessons in Leadership — (by Erik Qualman) While we can never become Steve Jobs, nor should we strive to be (follow your heart), what we can do is understand what is the greatness of Steve Jobs and, where applicable, apply these principles to help us develop as leaders.
42. The 200 mph Tune Up: 4 Critical Decision Filters For The Startup Leader — (by Terry Starbucker) Developing a critical “filtering” process that can make those “on the fly” decisions easier, and more effective.
43. The Four-Letter Word that Makes You and Your Work Irresistible — (by Mark Sanborn) A four-letter word that in the business world makes many uncomfortable. It seems inappropriate or even taboo among some circles. What could it be?
44. The Third Level of Leadership — (by John C. Maxwell) As you ascend the levels of leadership, it’s important to build an effective team.
45. The Toughest Choices a Leader Must Make — (by Ray Blunt) There is less said about something that is more important to your initial and long-term effectiveness. They are the three toughest daily choices a leader must make.
46. Training Yourself To See New Strategic Options — (by Kaihan Krippendorff) the strategic choices we make every day are determined by the “strategic narratives” we tell ourselves. One’s ability to see new strategic options is a function of the number and variety of stories one recognizes.
47. Where To Find Inspiration When The World Tells You To Give Up – (by Kaihan Krippendorff) We do not all always have someone or something to keep us motivated. What do we do when we need extra inspiration when the world seems to be telling us to give up?
48. Why Faith is so Important for Success — (by Stephen Kennedy) Conceiving all kinds of useful ideas but having a great deal of difficulty with believing. Consequently, not achieving all that I desired? In short, there may simply be a lack of faith.
49. Why Great Leaders Don’t Take Yes for an Answer: The Leadership Challenge — (by Michael A. Roberto) Leadership is more than getting others to do your bidding. True leadership requires that you listen to others and understand (even if you don’t agree with) those who criticize your ideas.
50. Wise Words – 106 Maxims — Sayings and quotes intended to help one grow as a leader, as a friend and as a person.
51. Your Greatest Asset In Life is Free  (by John McBride) In our differing ways we are all engaged in the process of seeking success. Because of our aspirations, ability and commitment, we approach this in a variety of ways. Many will fail in their quest for what they have perceived as success, but need this be so?

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We all know there are many great blogs out in the online world of the internet. One of my personal favorites is Guy Kawasaki’s blog. Through his blog, he releases many tidbits of wisdom and knowledge. In addition to being the co-founder of Alltop.com (an “online magazine rack” of popular topics on the web) and the previous “chief evangelist” of Apple, he is also the author of ten books including Enchantment, Reality Check and The Macintosh Way. According to Guy, when it comes to being successful in life, your likeability is a key factor. Regardless of one’s age, nationality, knowledge or experience, how likeable they are will determine how effective they will be in most situations. What are ways in which you can increase your likeability?

When it comes to increasing likeability, Guy Kawasaki has some pretty down to Earth ideas. Below is a chart that he shares in his book Enchantment. I liked it so much I wanted to share it here with you…enjoy!

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A new year has begun and a countless list of New Year’s resolutions have been made by many. A large number of those resolutions won’t last the month! OK, I admit I tend to be optimistic about people (because many will tell me that most New Year’s resolutions don’t last the first week).  Resolutions are great decisions that people usually commit to in order to change their life or the life of someone else for the better. So why do so many “forget” or “lose track of” whatever it is they said they were going to do? I’m sure you’ve never been one of those people. J Admit it. We’re all guilty of not committing to the resolutions we’ve supposedly committed to. But why is that? It’s simple…a sincere passion for it is missing. It’s so much easier to commit to a change that can help you follow your passion…whatever that passion may be.

Principle: Follow Your Heart

I’m sure this is not the first time you’re seeing the above phrase. If it is, then I’m glad it’s being introduced to you here. If you have seen it before, I hope you understand what it means. Early in my career, I thought I understood what it meant, but I discovered that I didn’t really. At first I always focused my education on helping me get the job that would make me the most money. When I started along that track, I discovered that even though I was beginning to make some serious bucks, I wasn’t feeling fulfilled. If I kept on that track, I knew I would end up in a place I didn’t want to be at in the future. So, I decided to go into another type of field where I felt I made more of a difference. That helped me to feel better about what I was doing.  That feeling that one gets when they are following their heart is a personal feeling that only you can know how it feels when you’re on the right path for yourself

How do you know you’ve found your passion? Find something you love to do so much, you can’t wait for the sun to rise to do it all over again. Connecting your New Year’s resolution to something you’re passionate about will help in achieving your goal.

Principle: Do Not Fool Yourself!

By fooling yourself, I’m talking about making yourself believe something in order to avoid something you know you need to do.  This principle for helping to stick to the commitments you made to yourself is a short and simple, yet powerful one. It’s a principle that all of us at one point or another have used to rationalize ourselves out of doing something we needed to do (e.g. I can have one more ice cream ‘cause I’ve had a very stressful week).

If you want to succeed in what you’ve committed yourself to do, be honest with yourself. Don’t fool yourself into not following your passion. Earlier in this post I briefly described how I was not on a path in my career where I would be personally fulfilled. I was originally fooling myself into allowing money be the focus of my occupation. Had I not realized that I was fooling myself, I would still be doing something that I didn’t want to do and thus, would still feel as though I was missing something in my life.

Principle: Baby Steps

Ah! Here is the old adage about taking baby steps. If one of your goals is to read more books rather than watching TV or surfing the internet, why not start by reading no more than 15 minutes in the morning or at night before going to bed? There was a time not so long ago when reading for fifteen minutes felt to me like three days…in fifteen minutes. Oh it was brutal for me! I was reading so slow it would take me 15 minutes to read one or two pages of a paperback. No fooling…I was bad! I did manage to overcome this by taking baby steps. First I made it a point to read one page and then stop for a minute and then read the next page. I’d read the second page and then stop for a minute before I continued. This allowed me to not get as bored with reading as I would’ve had I read straight thru at first. Over the next few weeks I began to notice that I was reading faster and not getting as bored reading as I was when I first started. In time I was reading two, then three and four pages a minute.  Today, I find reading fun and cannot imagine myself finishing the day without reading.

Do You Know Someone…?

Do you know of anyone who has a passion for something? If you believe you do know someone like that, observe them.  Do they appear to have more enthusiasm, energy, and excitement than others? Do you find that they often appear to be creative in what they are passionate about? They appear to come up with really unique and yet simple ideas?

Do you know someone who succeeded at losing the weight they wanted to lose? Ask them how they did it? Did they quit eating everything that was bad for them and going to the gym six to seven days a week or did they take baby steps to reduce or change the types of foods they were eating?

Do you know of someone who succeeded in whatever they chose to commit to last year? Look back on how they did it? Did they use some of the above aspects to succeed at what they chose to commit to?

What are some ways that you believe will help you succeed at achieving your goals for the new year?

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Today is Thanksgiving and many people around the world celebrate it. I originally thought it was only an American holiday being that my recollection recalls learning about how the pilgrims in New England, USA, celebrated the first one in order to give thanks for the bountiful harvest they had that year. It eventually became a holiday tradition that started to include not only the bountiful harvest but all areas that a person or community could be thankful for. Family, friends, health, a home, you name it. Having something in one’s life where not having it would make life less enjoyable is always something to be thankful for.

My own life has had many ups and down in the past few months. Many ups and downs have occurred in my personal life as well as some in my professional and social lives. This has caused me to have some personal soul searching in order to “come to grips” as they say with the things going on in one’s life. It’s good to do soul searching every now and again because it helps a person to have a clear perspective with the world, their role in it and their life. My humble opinion tells me that soul searching is an exercise that everyone needs to do at least once in their life if not more. Some of the most successful people (is society, academia, in business or religion, etc.) I know have admitted to having personally soul searched at least once in their lifetime. Many of those same people have actually said that they do it regularly because without it they have often fallen prey to their own self-deception.

Now, how many times a person does soul searching is completely up to them. I really do enjoy the quote by that famous author known only as ‘Anonymous’ that says, “The greatest evil in the world is self-deception, because self-deception preys on the troubled soul.” One of the simplest and easiest first steps to doing a personal soul search is to take a look at the good things one has in one’s life and thankful for them. Today being Thanksgiving is a good day to do just that. Why? Because, in addition to the saying “there’s no time like the present to begin something”, there are many other people today also giving thanks for what they have in their lives.

One of my aunt’s recently sent me the below prayer of Thanksgiving. After having read it, I thought what a great item to share with others. Whether a person is religious or not, we can always be grateful for the things we have. Whether the glass is half-full or half-empty, that perspective is always up to you.

Thank you Lord
Because everything goes well ,
For a clear and receptive mind
For the light that illuminates me,
For the life that heals my body,
For the abundance of all good things,
For the people who come into my life,
For those I love but have to let go,
For my home,
For my work,
For my study,
For my abundant remuneration
For my constant protection
For the safety of everyone who walks on the street,
For peace in my heart,
In my home,
In my work,
In my country,
In my city,
In my continent,
On my planet …
Thank God for this world in order.

Lord, always remind me that nothing is going to happen that you and I cannot resolve.

Amen!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

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This is probably a topic that has been beaten down so much that I’m almost embarrassed to write about it. But I can’t help it. You can tell a lot about a person from the way they shake hands with you. Whether they intend to let you know or not.  How can that be? How do you know if the person doesn’t have a weak hand or some other medical condition preventing them from doing any other type of handshake other than as though you are shaking hands with a piece of tissue paper? Or maybe the person does not know their own strength (which is why I can’t feel my hand for a few minutes after I shake it with him)? How can you really tell a lot about a person by the way they shake hands with you? Read on and I’ll share some thoughts on that very topic…

A New Director, a New Boss

A number of years back, I was working at a large corporation in a department that supported a number of infrastructure areas. There were so many areas being covered by the group that I often wondered why all this responsibility was being placed under one group and not a few groups. Personally I thought there had to be changes coming because sooner or later something was going to break and when it did, it wouldn’t be pretty. Around the same time, the company was beginning to go through some financial difficulties that caused the rumor mill to begin working overtime. What was a main rumor topic? It was, “I hear there is a potential RIF coming!” (RIF = Reduction in Force or staff). This was enough to make many people become a little uneasy about the future of their positions at the company.

Soon after employees started hearing the buzz about a possible RIF, the vice president in charge of the division I was working in hired a new Director to run many of the organizations including mine. Usually when someone comes into a new position of leadership, they want to make their mark in the company. A way they usually do that is by re-organizing the departments.

My team had an opportunity within the next week or so to meet with the new director. During the meeting he told us that he had no intention of performing any re-organizations of the group I was a part of what-so-ever. He was smiling and sounded sincere. At the end of the meeting, when I went to shake his hand, he held my hand in a way and I almost wasn’t even feeling his hand there. It was almost as though he really didn’t want to shake my hand. More interestingly about the handshake was that as soon as I shook his hand, the feeling that this person was insincere and flat out lying to me was the first thing that flashed across my mind. Personally, I was taken completely off guard to the impression I received from him through his handshake. A sense of fear for my job at the time almost automatically came over me. Don’t know why, but it did. There were so many of us in the group that he actually wound up shaking my hand a second time before we left the room. Again, my feeling after the first handshake was re-enforced. After the meeting, many of the people in the department and I in separate meetings were discussing our impressions about the new director. What came out? How he made them feel as they shook hands with him. They all felt the exact same thing I did.

So what happened at that company later on with this new director? Ten days later I come into work to discover this new director has resigned and accepted a position at another company closer to his home. For a person at that level, a new position doesn’t just come about so quickly. There are numerous interviews that occur before an offer is made let alone a formal acceptance and confirmation. For me, that kind of explained the insincere feeling we all received from his handshake. It was pretty clear that this new director had no intention of staying with my company. He was simply buying his time with a paycheck to cover his immediate expenses until a better deal for him came about and there was already something in the works for him before he started with my company.

Types of Handshakes and What They (May) Say About You

Below are some forms of handshakes and what they often say about a person. Please note though that handshake expectation differs depending upon the culture the exchange is occurring in. With that said, the information below is based upon most Western cultures. Even within Western cultures, specific community groups may have their own views on what is proper and what is not for a handshake (e.g. It’s considered rude and completely unacceptable for a man to offer a handshake to a Hasidic Jewish woman if he is not the woman’s husband).

The Lingering Hand Shake: A standard hand shake with an extra few shakes and holding on for just a few seconds. I find this often happens when old friends meet or with a good bye to someone dear. Among business people, it can give a bit of a chance to communicate positive thoughts. Make sure to only do this with someone you know very well or else it can be taken in a completely wrong way.

The Water Pump: Similar to the lingering hand shake. With a water pump handshake, the person gets a hold of you and then they will pump your arm as if they are attempting to pump water out of an old fashioned faucet. Often, a water pumper will pump your hand anywhere from seven to ten times to even fifteen times before they stop. Once they stop pumping, they usually hold onto your hand until you work it out of their grasp. Usually accomplished by pulling away forcefully.

The Push Off: This is when at the end of the handshake your hand is pushed away. It may be subtle but it could be read as a negative message by the person on the receiving end of the push.

The Pull In: The handshakes results in one pulling the other closer. This often speaks of a controlling body language. How would you feel if someone pulled you closer to them while shaking your hand?

The Superior: If offered first palm down, it indicates superiority. It is the body language of a controlling person.

The Lesser: If offered first, palm up, it could indicate humility and that a person is there to serve.

The Finger Cruncher: Rather than grabbing across the palm, the fingers are grabbed and crushed. Is it sporty to give pain someone else a little pain during a handshake? This one can be painful. The person who does the finger cruncher will say they can’t judge their own strength but if you pay attention, note that they won’t do this while shaking a woman’s hand.

The Bone Cruncher: Much like the finger cruncher, the same vice like grip is around the hand. Enough said. Please see comment to the Finger Cruncher above.

The Palm Pincher: This is usually from a woman, and only a few fingers and thumb grasp the palm for the shake. This is actually the norm for a woman in some cultures. If a man shook your hand this way, it could be taken as being from a person who does not want to shake hands with you. Insincerity can often pop into a person’s head when a man shakes hands this way.

The Twister: This may start off as a normal shake but ends up with one twisting and putting the other on top. Sometimes a person is meaning to show warmth of empathy with this type of handshake, but quite often it’s interpreted to show a person to be of a controlling personality. Especially if it is incorporated with a pull in by the shaking hand prior to the other hand going on top. This type of handshake can also be seen as intrusive, or simply too personal.

The Dead Fish: This is one of my least favorites of all! It’s a cold, unemotional, sometimes wet shaking of hands. It is basically the definition of complete indifference towards the person they are shaking hands with. (Note: There are times when the person giving a “dead fish” type handshake may have a physical aiment giving them an inability to grip a person’s hand any stronger.)

The Left Handed Shake: Those that give a left-handed handshake are seen as at the very least a little strange and at the most as down-right insulting. To some people it’s as bad as spitting in their face. Want to know why? In some cultures, you wipe your backside with your left hand. In many western cultures this is seen as a sign of complete disrespect to the other person so why would you do it in the first place.

There are just a few of the different types of handshakes out there. What are some comments or examples of handshakes that you’ve seen and experienced?

Cheers!

Gil

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