Welcome to the February 2017 edition of the Leadership Development Carnival!

In a recent webinar, Jack Quarles, author of <a href="http://weavinginfluence.com/books/expensive-sentences-by-jack-quarles/" target="_blank">Expensive Sentences</a>, talked about the trap of "we've always done it that way" and how that can adversely impact productivity and morale. In reviewing this month's contributions, I see a willingness to put aside "we've always done it that way" and risk "what if we tried this?" As I've seen in my own leadership journey, that's often the choice that leads to new and exhilarating paths.

The Lead Change Group would like to thank <a href="http://weavinginfluence.com/books/leaders-made-here-by-mark-miller/" target="_blank">Leaders Made Here</a> for sponsoring the Lead Change Group (including this carnival) for February 2017.
<h3>Let's Get Started</h3>
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<strong>Beth Beutler</strong> of <a href="http://www.bethbeutler.com/" target="_blank">H.O.P.E. Unlimited</a> provided <a href="http://www.bethbeutler.com/how-to-say-no-graciously-2/" target="_blank">How to Say No Graciously</a>. Beth recaps, "Beth Beutler refreshes us on an important leadership skill—saying 'no' with grace." Find Beth on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/bethbeutler" target="_blank">@bethbeutler</a>.
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<strong>Chris Edmonds</strong> of the <a href="http://drivingresultsthroughculture.com/" target="_blank">Purposeful Culture Group</a> contributed <a href="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&amp;q=http://drivingresultsthroughculture.com/culture-leadership-charge-make-values-as-important-as-results/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1485444701979000&amp;usg=AFQjCNH55tT2TRr9-L9nDFKOl86FlD4Llg" target="_blank">Culture Leadership Charge: Make Values as Important as Results</a>. In this post, Chris charges leaders to elevate values to the same level of importance as performance results. Follow Chris on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/scedmonds" target="_blank">@scedmonds</a>.
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<strong>Dan McCarthy</strong> of <a href="http://www.greatleadershipbydan.com/" target="_blank">Great Leadership</a> provided <a href="http://www.greatleadershipbydan.com/2017/01/6-essential-characteristics-for-leading.html" target="_blank">6 Essential Characteristics for Leading Simplification</a>. Dan recaps, "This guest post by <em><strong>Lisa Bodell</strong> </em>explores the concept of "simplification" and the leadership characteristics required to succeed." Find Dan on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/greatleadership" target="_blank">@greatleadership</a>.
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<strong>Dana Theus</strong> of <a href="http://inpowercoaching.com/" target="_blank">InPower Coaching</a> contributed <a href="http://inpowercoaching.com/5-leadership-lessons-from-the-worst-bosses-ive-ever-had/" target="_blank">5 Leadership Lessons From The Worst Bosses I’ve Ever Had</a>. Dana writes, "I've had some pretty terrible bosses. In retrospect, I wouldn’t have it any other way. Not only did I learn a ton, but I began to claim my personal power by deciding I was done with being treated that way." Find Dana on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/DanaTheus" target="_blank">@DanaTheus</a>.
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<strong>David Dye</strong> of <a href="http://trailblazeinc.com/" target="_blank">Trailblaze</a> submitted <a href="http://trailblazeinc.com/9-ways-motivate-employees-dont-set-goals/" target="_blank">9 Ways to Motivate Employees When You Don't Set the Goals</a>. David summarizes, "Whether you are a team leader, a mid-manager, or even the President, CEO, or Executive Director there will be times in your career where you are asked to meet goals that you did not speak into or, in some cases, even disagree with. David shares how you and your team can still thrive in these situations." Follow David on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/davidmdye" target="_blank">@davidmdye</a>.
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<strong>David Grossman </strong>of <a href="http://www.yourthoughtpartner.com/" target="_blank">The Grossman Group</a> shared <a href="http://www.yourthoughtpartner.com/blog/what-great-teams-are-made-of-its-not-what-you-might-expect" target="_blank">What Great Teams are Made Of (It's Not What You Might Expect)</a>. David writes, "Google was fascinated by the question of what makes for an effective work team, and recently studied hundreds of its own teams to determine why some performed better than others. They thought the answer would be the obvious – teams made up of the best and brightest people – but it wasn’t. The answer may surprise you…" Discover David on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/ThoughtPartner" target="_blank">@thoughtpartner</a>
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<strong>Jesse Lyn Stoner</strong> of the <a href="http://seapointcenter.com/" target="_blank">Seapoint Center</a> shared <a href="http://seapointcenter.com/team-values-unite-your-team/" target="_blank">Do team values unite your team or divide it?</a>. Jesse Lyn recaps, "<b> </b><span style="color: #1d2129;">Identifying team values are a great way to create team cohesion. But if it's not done right, it can actually create discord, as this short story shows. This article also includes 6 questions to ensure your team values unite your team and create a foundation of trust.</span>" Follow Jesse Lyn on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/JesseLynStoner" target="_blank">@JesseLynStoner</a>.
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<strong>Jill Malleck</strong> of <a href="http://epiphanyatwork.com/" target="_blank">Epiphany at Work</a> contributed <a href="https://epiphanyatwork.com/build-your-self-confidence-as-an-anchor-during-change/" target="_blank">Build Your Self-Confidence as an Anchor During Change</a>. Jill shares, "Good leaders understand that self-confidence helps employees be more productive, but they can ignore their own confidence and its importance to personal development. Here are some easy tips to ensure you don’t get discouraged." Find Jill on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/epiphanyatwork" target="_blank">@epiphanyatwork</a>.
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<strong>Jim Taggart</strong> of <a href="https://changingwinds.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Changing Winds</a> provided <a href="https://changingwinds.wordpress.com/2017/01/22/be-open-to-outcome-the-leaderly-approach/" target="_blank">Be Open to Outcome: The Leaderly Approach</a>. Jim shares, "I chose this particular post because it’s about personal leadership and ordinary people stepping up to do good for society with no expectation of any form of remuneration. The setting happens to be the United States for my post, from the perspective of a Canadian. Given all the negativity in the media, we need to reflect on the good acts that people do each and every day." Find Jim on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/72keys" target="_blank">@72keys</a>.
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<strong>Jim Thomas</strong> of <a href="http://www.ddiworld.com/home?lang=en-US" target="_blank">Development Dimensions International (DDI)</a> shared <a href="http://www.ddiworld.com/blog/tmi/january-2017/the-dirty-little-secret-about-expat-failure" target="_blank">The Dirty Little Secret About Expat Failure</a>. Jim wrote, "An expat assignment can be a growth opportunity and a great adventure. But is it a smart career choice? In this post, I discuss the ways expat assignments can go wrong, and how many organizations don’t even bother to measure the ROI in their employee mobility programs." Find Jim at <a href="https://twitter.com/DDIWorld" target="_blank">@ddiworld</a>.
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<strong>Joel Garfinkle</strong> of the <a href="http://careeradvancementblog.com/" target="_blank">Career Advancement Blog</a> submitted <a href="http://careeradvancementblog.com/let-work-speak-for-itself" target="_blank">Don't Let Your Work Speak For Itself: 3 Ways to Increase Your Visibility</a>. Joel recaps: "Don't just let your work speak for itself. It's time you actively increased your visibility. Here are 3 ways to make that happen." Discover Joel on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/JoelGarfinkle" target="_blank">@JoelGarfinkle</a>.

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<strong>John Hunter</strong> of the <a href="http://management.curiouscatblog.net/" target="_blank">Curious Cat Management Improvement Blog</a> shared <a href="http://management.curiouscatblog.net/2017/01/10/cater-to-customers-desires-to-achieve-customer-delight/" target="_blank"> Cater to Customers' Desires to Achieve Customer Delight</a>. John summarizes, "Customer delight requires understanding your customers needs and desires. Often even your customers don’t understand these well. Businesses that have a <a href="http://management.curiouscatblog.net/2012/07/09/customer-focus-2/" target="_blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&amp;q=http://management.curiouscatblog.net/2012/07/09/customer-focus-2/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1485464129492000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFMWxJKt7bGA45SXIBcH_TNdaVdrw">deep appreciation for what their customers, and potential customers, desire</a> and that create systems to deliver solutions that delight those customers benefit greatly from that effort." Find John on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/curiouscat_com" target="_blank">@curiouscat_com</a>.
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<strong>Jon Mertz</strong> of <a href="https://www.thindifference.com/" target="_blank">Thin Difference</a> contributed <a href="https://www.thindifference.com/2017/01/less-talk-more-action-where-do-you-fall/" target="_blank">Less Talk, More Action: Where Do You Fall?</a>. Jon asks, "What have you done lately to lend a hand and lead change? We cannot afford just small talk or empty talking heads. We need more doing. It's time to act upon the change we wish to see." Follow Jon on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/ThinDifference" target="_blank">@thindifference</a>.
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<strong>Julie Winkle-Giulioni </strong>of <a href="http://www.juliewinklegiulioni.com/" target="_blank">Julie Winkle-Giulioni</a> provided <a href="http://www.juliewinklegiulioni.com/blog/career-matters/2742/" target="_blank">Want to Institutionalize Career Development? Look for (or Cultivate) these Cultural Markers</a> Julie recaps, "Does your organization have the cultural markers that enable authentic, sustainable career development? Julie's article and the assessment it contains helps you answer this question." Find Julie on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/julie_wg" target="_blank">@julie_wg</a>.
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<strong>Karin Hurt </strong>of <a href="http://letsgrowleaders.com/" target="_blank">Let's Grow Leaders</a> contributed <a href="http://letsgrowleaders.com/stop-this-terrible-habit-you-dont-even-know-you-have/" target="_blank">Stop this Terrible Habit You Don’t Even Know You Have</a>. In the post, Karin points out a terrible habit many leaders have—and why you should stop it right away if you have it too. Follow Karin on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/LetsGrowLeaders" target="_blank">@letsgrowleaders</a>.
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<strong>Marcella Bremer</strong> of <a href="http://www.leadershipandchangemagazine.com/" target="_blank">Leadership and Change Magazine</a> provided <a href="https://www.leadershipandchangemagazine.com/how-can-you-develop-your-personal-positive-power-at-work/" target="_blank">How Can You Develop Your Personal Positive Power at Work?</a>. Marcella recaps, "<span style="font-size: medium;">How can you develop your personal positive power at work? There are four levels to work on, starting with yourself: ME. Here's the overview of the book that I am blogging! I hope you like it - in this era, we need as many positive agents as possible to make change happen.</span>" Find Marcella on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/MarcellaBremer" target="_blank">@marcellabremer</a>.
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<strong>Mary Ila Ward </strong>of <a href="http://horizonpointconsulting.com/" target="_blank">Horizon Point Consulting</a> contributed <a href="http://horizonpointconsulting.com/blog3/item/are-your-goals-comfortable-delusional-or-somewhere-in-between/" target="_blank">Are Your Goals Comfortable, Delusional or Somewhere in Between?</a>. She recaps, "Throughout January, Mary Ila has been talking about methods for goal setting to set us all up for a successful 2017. In this post Mary Ila looks at how we should step outside our goal comfort zones to achieve peak performance in 2017. " Discover Mary Ila on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/MaryIlaWard" target="_blank">@maryilaward</a>.
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<strong>Michael Lee Stallard</strong> of <a href="http://connectionculture.com/disengaged-employees-say-boss-honest/" target="_blank">Connection Culture</a> provided <a href="http://connectionculture.com/disengaged-employees-say-boss-honest/" target="_blank">What Disengaged Employees Would Say to the Boss (If They Could Be Honest)</a>. Michael recaps, "What if you could hear the honest truth about things disengaged employees wish you would do? Michael Stallard shares 6 ways that leaders can boost employee engagement." Find Michael on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/michaelstallard" target="_blank">@michaelstallard</a>.
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<strong>Miki Saxon</strong> of <a href="http://mappingcompanysuccess.com/" target="_blank">MAPping Company Success</a> contributed <a href="http://mappingcompanysuccess.com/2017/01/3-steps-great-boss/" target="_blank">3 Steps to Being a Great Boss</a>. Miki writes, "Being a great boss has a lot to do with being a great worker, then fulfilling your own desires after you are promoted." Discover Miki on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/OptionSanity" target="_blank">@optionsanity</a>.
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<strong>Neal Burgis</strong> of <a href="http://www.successful-solutions.com/" target="_blank">Burgis Successful Solutions</a> submitted <a href="http://www.successful-solutions.com/2017/01/31/being-an-inspired-leader/" target="_blank">Being an Inspired Leader</a>. Neal recaps, "Inspired leaders know how to their employees well enough to inspire them to create and produce great work. Employees who are inspired by leaders contribute significantly than those who are not inspired." Find Neal on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/Exec_Solutions" target="_blank">@exec_solutions</a>.
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<strong>Paul LaRue </strong>of <a href="https://upwardsleader.com/" target="_blank">The UPwards Leader</a> contributed <a href="https://upwardsleader.com/2017/01/12/5-reasons-to-keep-recruiting-when-fully-staffed/" target="_blank">5 Reasons To Keep Recruiting When Fully Staffed</a>. Paul summarizes, "If you have a full complement of people on your team, you may want to see the wisdom in staying in recruiting mode. The reasons may surprise you, but the benefits are tremendous." Follow Paul on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/paul_larue" target="_blank">@paul_larue</a>.
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<strong>Paula Kiger</strong> of <a href="http://www.biggreenpen.com" target="_blank">Big Green Pen</a> submitted <a href="http://biggreenpen.com/2017/01/06/gift-present-moment-guest-post-dr-john-izzo/" target="_blank">The Gift of the Present Moment: A Book Excerpt</a>. Paula summarizes, "In this excerpt from The Five Thieves of Leadership by John Izzo, leaders are encouraged to learn how to center themselves in the present moment and, by doing so, to deter the happiness thief of control." Follow Paula on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/biggreenpen" target="_blank">@biggreenpen</a>.
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<strong>Randy Conley</strong> of <a href="http://leadingwithtrust.com/" target="_blank">Leading With Trust</a> shared <a href="https://leadingwithtrust.com/2017/01/22/the-strategy-every-leader-can-use-to-develop-high-performing-employees/" target="_blank">The Strategy Every Leader Can Use to Develop High-Performing Employees</a>. Randy writes, "The performance of your employees is a reflection of your leadership. What does your team’s performance say about you? Randy shares new research from The Ken Blanchard Companies that points to the strategy any leader can use to develop high-performing employees." Find Randy on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/RandyConley" target="_blank">@randyconley</a>.
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<strong>Robyn McLeod</strong> of <a href="http://chatsworthconsulting.com/2017/01/26/slow-it-down-and-keep-it-real-2/" target="_blank">Chatsworth Consulting</a> shared <a href="http://chatsworthconsulting.com/2017/01/26/slow-it-down-and-keep-it-real-2/" target="_blank">Slow It Down and Keep It Real</a>. In this post, Robyn shares why being thoughtful, being present, focusing on the quality of our interactions not the quantity, and spending face-to-face time with others, helps us to slow down and put our relationships back in the center of our communications. Find Robyn at <a href="https://twitter.com/ThoughtfulLdrs" target="_blank">@ThoughtfulLdrs</a>.
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<strong>Shelley Row</strong> of <a href="http://www.shelleyrow.com/" target="_blank">Shelley Row</a> submitted <a href="http://www.shelleyrow.com/number-one-way-show-respect-work/" target="_blank">The Number One Way to Show Respect at Work</a>. In this piece, Shelley reminds us of "a simple, but often neglected way to show respect to one another at work."  Discover Shelley on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/ShelleyRow" target="_blank">@shelleyrow</a>.
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<strong>Susan Mazza</strong> of <a href="http://randomactsofleadership.com/" target="_blank">Random Acts of Leadership</a> provided <a href="http://randomactsofleadership.com/5-ideas-to-help-you-cultivate-leadership/" target="_blank">5 Ideas to Help You Cultivate Leadership</a>. Susan explains, "The ultimate sign of an effective leader is that they are cultivating leadership in others. Sometimes this happens naturally. Yet, more often than not, if you want to cultivate leadership, you need to be intentional." Follow Susan on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/SusanMazza" target="_blank">@susanmazza</a>.
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<strong>Tanveer Naseer</strong> of <a href="http://tanveernaseer.com/" target="_blank">Tanveer Naseer</a> submitted <a href="http://www.tanveernaseer.com/understanding-why-others-follow-your-leadership/" target="_blank">How Would You Answer This Question About Your Leadership? </a>. Tanveer explains this piece shares, "A question every leader should be asking themselves in order to figure out how successful their leadership will ultimately be." Discover Tanveer on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/TanveerNaseer" target="_blank">@tanveernaseer</a>.
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<strong>Thom Pirone</strong> of <a href="http://www.strongholdtraining.com/" target="_blank">Stronghold Training</a> shared <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/thoughts-death-leader-thom-pirone?trk=hp-feed-article-title-share" target="_blank">Thoughts on the Death of a Leader</a>. In this memorial post to a revered mentor, Thom reflects on the three marks of a genuine leader, including how the impact they leave will be personal and profound. Follow Thom on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/StrongholdThom" target="_blank">@strongholdthom</a>.

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<strong>Wally Bock</strong> of <a href="http://www.threestarleadership.com/" target="_blank">Three Star Leadership</a> submitted <a href="http://www.threestarleadership.com/leadership/3-ways-excellent-leaders-keep-getting-better" target="_blank"> 3 Ways Excellent Leaders Keep Getting Better</a>. Wally recaps, "Great leaders keep getting better. Here are three ways." Find Wally on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/wallybock" target="_blank">@wallybock</a>.
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<strong>Willy Steiner </strong>of <a href="http://executivecoachingconcepts.com/" target="_blank">Executive Coaching Concepts</a> provided <a href="http://executivecoachingconcepts.com/8-whats/" target="_blank">8 "Whats" to Engage and Mentor</a>. Willy explains, "Key challenges for leaders to retain the best talent are to keep their staff engaged with the enterprise and to provide effective mentoring to help them grow and develop.  This post suggest 8 key "WHAT..." questions to support your staff in each area. Discover Willy on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/coachforexecs" target="_blank">@coachforexecs</a>.
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<em>Thank you to everyone who submitted articles for this month's carnival! If you would like to be on the distribution list for submission calls, please contact Paula Kiger (paula @ weavinginfluence (dot) com)!</em>