Welcome to my weekly round-up of recent top leadership and communication blog posts. As many of you know, each week I read and tweet several great articles and on Fridays, I pull some of my favorites together here on my blog.

This week you’ll read articles on the hard consequences of taking the easy way out, the crucibles, consolidation and power of a journal in leadership, 3 actions to be everyone’s favorite boss, 5 lessons on leadership and change from 5 years as an expat, and are you leading or hurting your employees. These articles will provide you with tips, strategies and thought-starters from many of the smart folks in my network. So whether you’re a new leader or an industry veteran there’ll be something here for you.

Congratulations! You’ve completed the first part of Courageous Communicator Quest that began with Knowing Yourself and owning who you are. Chances are, you stepped out of your comfort zone, and learned a lot about yourself. You are now ready for the second leg of your journey: What You Want to Accomplish. 

Start by asking yourself: What are your business goals? Big picture, where do you want to go? Do you have a vision for where you want to take your organization or division and what you hope to accomplish? Just as important, have you figured out how to explain all of it to others in a way that they can understand? Without context and planning, you’re venturing out to lead without the tools you need to succeed. 

Welcome to my weekly round-up of recent top leadership and communication blog posts. As many of you know, each week I read and tweet several great articles and on Fridays, I pull some of my favorites together here on my blog.

This week you’ll read articles on the primary reason millennials quit and what organizations should do about it, 4 rare and brilliant things smart leaders do to get respect, 5 roles of great change leaders, when employees think the boss is unfair, they’re more likely to disengage and leave, and 3 reasons we don’t trust leaders who freak out. These articles will provide you with tips, strategies and thought-starters from many of the smart folks in my network. So whether you’re a new leader or an industry veteran there’ll be something here for you.

Welcome back! How did sharing a personal story with your team or employee go in the last challenge? From experience, employees appreciate the human elements that come with integrating stories into communications about the business. It makes executives human and relatable. Because, employees want to know who you are before they will listen to what you have to say. 

And now onto the 4^th and last Challenge in the first leg of your journey—Knowing Yourself—to become a Courageous Communicator. This Challenge focuses on the hidden strength behind the ability to say “I don’t know.” Effective leaders need to be honest, straightforward and timely in sharing what you know—even when there are open issues and/or there’s much that’s still hasn’t been decided. 

Talk is cheap. Especially when it comes to leaders and their ability to build and maintain trust. Just ask any employee. To them, it’s actions and results that matter most. It’s hard to escape online headlines that chronicle the latest corporate scandal, reminding us of the disastrous consequences when the actions of corporate leaders don’t match their words. 

Welcome to my weekly round-up of recent top leadership and communication blog posts. As many of you know, each week I read and tweet several great articles and on Fridays, I pull some of my favorites together here on my blog.

This week you’ll read articles on where business should spend more of their time (but don’t), 3 steps to building engagement with your hourly workers, why women aren’t CEOs according to women who almost were, what really happens inside a PR crisis war room, and recommended summer books for leaders. These articles will provide you with tips, strategies and thought-starters from many of the smart folks in my network. So whether you’re a new leader or an industry veteran there’ll be something here for you.

Making progress! Coming out of last week’s Challenge, did anything you learned about yourself surprise you, or shock you even? Did you get a new perspective? How did that resonate with you? 

This next Challenge in the Knowing Yourself phase is about helping others get to know you, too. Disclosing yourself to others also requires you to leave your comfort zone, yet the benefits that come along with disclosure are abundant including building trust, credibility, relationships and connections.