The key ingredient to great leadership is courage

Get your mindset right to lead during changing times | The key ingredient to great leadership is courage | Focus on the customer to grow like Amazon Created for {EMAIL} | [Web Version]( November 8, 2019 CONNECT WITH SMARTBRIEF  [LinkedIn]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [SmartBrief on Leadership]( [SmartBrief on Leadership]( Innovative Ideas. Ahead of the Curve. [SIGN UP]( ⋅ [FORWARD](  [] Leading Edge [] [Get your mindset right to lead during changing times]( Leaders need to sharpen their mental agility and critical thinking skills to keep up with market changes and move forward, writes Mary Lippitt. She describes six situational mindsets, including one that focuses on inventing and another that explores what lies ahead, that can help leaders shape their thinking amid change. [SmartBrief/Leadership]( (11/7) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [The key ingredient to great leadership is courage]( All leaders need courage so they can face conflict head-on and not be afraid to say no or make unpopular decisions, writes Steve Keating. "[N]ot making a decision IS a decision and it's very often a wrong decision," he writes. [LeadToday]( (11/7) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( Become a leader who supports everyone Stand out as a leader and a supervisor. Learn how to cultivate a thriving work environment with foresight, motivation, inspiration, and knowledge that can make a difference in your organization. Earn a Penn State Master of Professional Studies in Psychology of Leadership completely online. [Request Information]( ADVERTISEMENT [] Strategic Management [] [Focus on the customer to grow like Amazon]( Big companies such as Amazon and Walmart remain competitive despite challenges from upstarts because they capitalize on customer data and invest money in their technology infrastructure, says management writer Ram Charan. "Go back to the old foundation of business: Focus on the customer, and use business acumen to generate cash and allocate it to serve the customer and build the future," Charan says. [Strategy+Business online (free registration)]( (11/7) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Smarter Communication [] [A 3-part method to build trust]( Leaders can build trust with their team members by creating a culture where it's OK to disagree with one another in a respectful manner, writes Scott Warrick. He advises using the EPR method of empathic listening, parroting and rewards, which involves paying attention, repeating back the other person's ideas and noting where disagreements are acceptable. [Great Leadership]( (11/7) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [Generation Z employees need direct communication]( A ServiceNow survey found that 83% of Generation Z employees say they prefer face-to-face communication with their managers, while a different survey said 82% of managers thought Gen Z employees preferred to communicate by instant message. Other issues relevant to them are a desire for coaching and the need to manage heavy student debt loads. [HR Dive]( (11/7) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Smarter Living Get your mind and body right each Friday [] [Use journal writing to clarify goals, strategies]( Use journal writing to clarify goals, strategies (Pixabay) Keeping a journal of goals and ideas can help you prioritize actions and develop new strategies, says Michal Korzonek, co-founder of Journal Smarter. Korzonek recommends starting with one question: "What is the one habit that I can start doing tomorrow that would be the most effective first step towards my goal?" [Forbes]( (11/5) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] In Their Own Words [] [Glassdoor exec: Turn your strengths into superpowers]( Women in leadership should capitalize on building their strengths to turn them into superpowers rather than solely trying to improve weaknesses, says Annie Pearl, Glassdoor's chief product officer. "Empowering your team to come up with bold ideas, and creating a culture where failures are celebrated can lead to people feeling more confident and to working even closer together," she says. [Thrive Global]( (11/7) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Daily Diversion [] [Study: We like pop music that surprises us]( We enjoy music when the chords follow a familiar pattern but then take surprising or unique turn, but we also appreciate hearing familiar chords when we don't know what to expect, according to a study that analyzed 745 pop songs. The songs used in the study included "Red Red Wine" by UB40 and "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" by the Beatles. [CNN]( (11/7) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Editor's Note [] [What are you reading today?]( What are you reading today? Every Friday, we chat on Twitter about the books that are making a difference in our leadership journey. Please [respond to this tweet with your #FridayReads fave](! [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [] Where there is age there is evolution, where there is life there is growth. Anjelica Huston, actress, director, producer [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email](   [Sign Up]( [SmartBrief offers 200+ newsletters]( [Advertise]( [Learn more about the SmartBrief audience]( Subscriber Tools: [Manage Subscriptions]( [Update Your Profile]( [Unsubscribe]( [Send Feedback](mailto:leadership@smartbrief.com) [Archive]( [Search]( Contact Us: Advertising - [Laura Engel](mailto:lengel@smartbrief.com) Editor - [James daSilva](mailto:leadership@smartbrief.com) Mailing Address: SmartBrief, Inc.®, 555 11th ST NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20004 © 1999-2019 SmartBrief, Inc.® [Privacy Policy (updated May 25, 2018)]( | [Legal Information]( Â