Leading Thoughts for May 8, 2025

IDEAS shared have the power to expand perspectives, change thinking, and move lives. Here are two ideas for the curious mind to engage with:

I.

Sébastien Page on focusing on what makes us better:

“Traditional goals focus on outcomes, while mastery goals focus on process. Both are effective. It’s important to set goals for process improvements. Don’t overemphasize outcomes over process. If you don’t examine your process and the quality of your decisions, in other words, if you only focus on outcomes, you may think you’re an absolute genius. As a leader, recognize that attaining your goal does not necessarily mean you’ve made good decisions along the way.”

Source: The Psychology of Leadership: Timeless principles to perfect your leadership of individuals, teams… and yourself!

II.

Bob Rosen on finding our way forward:

“Many of us live in a world of delusion, a kind of psychological avoidance. We avoid the mirror at all costs, and we do this to avoid discomfort and anxiety. Our natural tendency is to look outside ourselves for answers to life’s problems. In a counterintuitive way, our peace of mind really comes from the inside. Indeed, many of our problems are self-imposed, and the only way to put an end to our suffering is to deepen our self-understanding. By turning inward, we can find true joy and freedom. Otherwise, we are left with faulty thinking and disturbing emotions and the attachments that weigh us down.”

Source: Detach: Ditch Your Baggage to Live a More Fulfilling Life

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Look for these ideas every Thursday on the Leading Blog. Find more ideas on the LeadingThoughts index.

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Posted by Michael McKinney at 04:13 PM
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Leading Thoughts for May 1, 2025

IDEAS shared have the power to expand perspectives, change thinking, and move lives. Here are two ideas for the curious mind to engage with:

I.

Richard Boyatzis and Annie McKee on prisons of our own making:

“When we are in a downward emotional spiral, feeling confused, unhappy, or ill at ease, we often end up playing and replaying mental ‘tapes’ that actually accentuate our negative emotions and feelings of hopelessness. When we are feeling down over a long period of time, this self-talk centers on messages that undermine us and, in turn, our power to change bad situations (‘It’s not my fault’ ‘My life will never be really happy’) or messages that weaken our sense of efficacy (‘This situation is beyond my control, I’m just stuck with it’).

“When we get caught in this prison of our own making, we lose the ability to see ourselves, others, or our environments as they really are. We see the world through filters that may not have a basis in reality, and we begin to make decisions based on what we think rather than what is. We forget to engage in that other kind of self-talk: hopeful, affirming thoughts about ourselves and compassion for others.”

Source: Resonant Leadership: Renewing Yourself and Connecting with Others Through Mindfulness, Hope, and Compassion

II.

Jonathan Brill on random change:

“There are two interrelated reasons that you can control and profit from randomness. The first is that what’s unpredictable at one scale is often quite reliable at another. The second is that while random changes occur, they often self-organize into a reliable result.”

Source: Rogue Waves: Future-Proof Your Business to Survive and Profit from Radical Change

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Look for these ideas every Thursday on the Leading Blog. Find more ideas on the LeadingThoughts index.

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Posted by Michael McKinney at 12:24 PM
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First Look: Leadership Books for May 2025

HERE'S A LOOK at some of the best leadership books to be released in May 2025 curated just for you. Be sure to check out the other great titles being offered this month.

Another Way: Building Companies That Last…and Last…and Last by Dave Whorton with Bo Burlingham

Dave Whorton went on a journey to find a better way to build companies, a way focused on long-term stability and steady growth, funded through profitability; a way in which leaders were committed to a purpose beyond personal wealth generation, to putting their people first, and to setting up their companies to endure. He calls these companies "Evergreen." Another Way combines Whorton's inspiring story with his Evergreen 7Ps framework, designed to guide more entrepreneurs and business leaders to follow his path. Full of revelations, practical advice, and real-world examples of companies going Evergreen, Another Way is as instructive as it is inspiring at showing capitalism at its best.

The Power of Mattering: How Leaders Can Create a Culture of Significance by Zach Mercurio

Increasingly, people report feeling overlooked, ignored, and underappreciated at work. Simply put, they don't feel like they matter to their leaders or organizations—and it's taking a toll. This hidden epidemic of insignificance is fueling a mental health crisis, intensifying loneliness, and, for organizations, driving disengagement, turnover, and low performance. Zach Mercurio reveals how mattering to others is a fundamental—yet often overlooked—requirement for thriving. He introduces a simple yet effective framework for making daily interactions with your people more meaningful: Noticing: the practice of seeing and hearing others, Affirming: the practice of showing people how their unique gifts make a difference, and Needing: the practice of showing people they're relied on and indispensable

On Character: Choices That Define a Life by General Stanley McChrystal

How to measure a life? After a career of service, retired four-star general Stanley McChrystal had much to contemplate. He pondered his successes and failures, his beliefs and aspirations, and asked himself, Who am I, really? And more importantly, who have I become? When I die, how will I be measured? In the end, McChrystal came to a conclusion as simple as it was profound: the reality of who we are cannot be recorded in dates or accomplishments. It is found in our character—the most accurate, and last full measure, of who we choose to be. On Character offers McChrystal’s blueprint for living with purpose and integrity, challenging us to examine not just our deeds but who we become through them.

Reinventing the Leader: How to Change Yourself to Change Your Company by Gui Loureiro and Carlos E. Marin

An inspiring, practical book by Gui Loureiro, Regional CEO overseeing Walmex, Walmart Canada, and Walmart Chile, and his executive leadership coach Carlos Marin that shows how even the most successful leaders must be open to personal change in order to transform their company. Reinventing the Leader is the turbulent story of how it happened that’s especially relevant in this age of globalization. Gui learns from Carlos that to change the company he must first transform his own leadership style. Written from the dual perspectives of a CEO and his leadership coach, this candid book provides an insightful blueprint for any organization’s success. Today’s leaders are expected to inspire by sharing a vision based on purpose, not just profits. Loureiro and Marin’s enlightening account of self-discovery and business reinvention defines a fresh new approach to leadership for the future.

The 7 Commitments of a Great Team by Jon Gordon

From Jon Gordon comes a powerful new fable on what it takes to build a truly great team. Through engaging storytelling, real-world lessons, and actionable insights, Gordon reveals the seven commitments that great teams must make to build trust, foster connection, overcome adversity, and achieve extraordinary success. Whether you're a business leader, coach, entrepreneur, or team member, this book will inspire you to commit, lead with purpose, and build a team that wins, thrives, and leaves a lasting impact.

The Optimist: Sam Altman, OpenAI, and the Race to Invent the Future by Keach Hagey

In The Optimist, the Wall Street Journal reporter Keach Hagey presents the most detailed account yet of Altman’s rise, from his precocious childhood in St. Louis to his first, failed startup experience; his time as legendary entrepreneur Paul Graham’s protégé and successor as head of Y Combinator, the start-up accelerator where Altman became the premier power broker in Silicon Valley; the founding of OpenAI and his recruitment of a small yet superior team; and his struggle to keep his company at the cutting edge while fending off determined rivals, including Elon Musk, a former friend and now Altman’s bitter opponent. Hagey delivers a nuanced, balanced, revelatory account of the individual who is leading us into what he himself has called “the intelligence age.” Altman is a figure out of Isaac Asimov or Neal Stephenson. Or he is the author himself: if it feels as though we have all collectively stepped into a science fiction short story, it is Altman who is writing it.

For bulk orders call 1-626-441-2024

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“You can't think well without writing well, and you can't write well without reading well. And I mean that last "well" in both senses. You have to be good at reading, and read good things.”

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Posted by Michael McKinney at 07:35 AM
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