Over a decade ago, upon the recommendation of a friend, I read the book Leadership and Self-Deception: Getting out of the box (Arbinger Institute).

From the title, I thought I was in for an intense course of study, but comforted somewhat by the fact it was a small book.

One night before bed I picked up the book and started reading it. I was so entranced by its style and holding me in suspense that I didn’t put it down until I passed out a 2am. I finished it the next night.

How many leaders can you name who have published a book?

With barriers to entry reduced dramatically by on-demand electronic publishing, establishing your credibility by becoming a published author is simpler than ever. Even celebrities, from Paris Hilton to Donald Trump, have done it.

But how can publishing a book further your career and credibility?

Effective, servant leaders know that, to develop each individual’s capability and productivity, you must tap into the whole person–physical, emotional, emotional and spiritual.

You must attend to all of these dimensions.

For physical well-being, the person needs to be paid fairly. She needs to meet her most basic needs like working in a safe, healthy, secure setting. To be well-served emotionally, one must feel enthusiasm, harmony, passion, and support at work.

To be engaged mentally, leaders need to allow employees to use their creativity, innovativeness, skills, and knowledge. And, for spiritual well-being, you need to discover where each employee finds meaning, value, and purpose.

If you are a business owner, you are a leader.

Many business owners think of themselves more as the person who does the work instead of the person who leads the people doing the work.

But if you’re not in charge, who is?

The absence of leadership in a business creates a lot of frustration and challenges, from employee-management issues, to financial issues, to client issues. In my work with small-business owners, I notice that once business owners get into the mindset of “I’m a leader,” a lot starts to fall in place.

But this mindset is just the start – there are many skills that small-business owners need to have to lead their business successfully.

Many would say they understand the fundamental difference between thriving, and surviving.

Most leaders would easily choose thriving over surviving at any given moment in time.

Then, why is it that I see so much hype around teaching business leaders and others how to “survive”?

How can any justice come from teaching businesses to perspire as a reaction to the economy and endorse protectionism and stagnation as a tool for growth?

How can survival assist any business in a world that is in constant evolution and demands consistent adaptation to change?

As a newly promoted manager, you may feel overwhelmed or even anxious about your role – especially if you were formerly a member of the team you’re now leading.

Being a manager entails a myriad of duties, responsibilities and commitments so it is important for you to have a command of the inner workings of your organization and the team who will work alongside you.

And sure it normal to feel a little awkward if you beat out some of your coworkers for the position.

Here are some tips to help you navigate the waters in a “promoted from within” scenario: 

Multiple Intelligences are rarely, if ever, talked about in leadership circles.

Two that might be discussed are intellectual intelligence (IQ) and Emotional Intelligence (EQ).

In 1983 Howard Gardner, in his book Frames Of Mind, wrote about seven types of multiple intelligences in human beings. Gardner argues that there is a wide range of cognitive abilities, and that strength or weakness in one area or ability does not necessarily correlate to another intelligence.

As a leader, you’re focused at being the best in your industry.

After all, you’ll be leading the rest of the professionals in your company or group, so you have to stay ahead of the curve. But what about differentiating yourself from industry peers?

To maintain a competitive edge, you should focus on creating a clear professional distinction and enhancing your personal brand. You never know when the next career opportunity might fall into your lap, so follow the “always be prepared” motto.

I am always amazed about the large number of skeptics and cynics when it comes to leadership development.

During too many of my sessions, I spend valuable time dealing with this issue and it does not make sense to me.

Let me share an analogy that I use during sessions to handle skeptical and cynical tendencies of audiences, regarding leadership development tools.

There seems to be an ongoing debate about leadership vs. management and supervision.

Do you think they are exclusively different, one in the same, or are they related and inter-mingled?

Based on your experiences, what thoughts, beliefs, perceptions do you have in the leadership vs. management debate?

Let’s talk about this for a moment. I often ask my audiences to complete these three sentence stems: