Lead with your ego, but don't let it run the show

Culture can't be selected from a template | Lead with your ego, but don't let it run the show | Strategy requires a CEO's full attention Created for {EMAIL} | [{NAME}]( at [{NAME}]( [For more relevant content - Update Your Profile]( | [Web Version]( April 12, 2021 CONNECT WITH SMARTBRIEF  [LinkedIn]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [SmartBrief on Leadership]( [SmartBrief on Leadership]( Innovative Ideas. Ahead of the Curve. [SIGN UP]( ⋅ [SHARE]( ADVERTISEMENT Leading Edge [] [Culture can't be selected from a template]( Corporate cultures are unique and ever-changing, and thus should be treated "as a living system" that requires constant care and attention, writes Eric McNulty. "Start a dialogue throughout your organization about what people love about your culture and what they'd like to change, and you'll begin understanding the unique ingredients for your company's ideal culture recipe," he writes Full Story: [Strategy+Business (free registration)]( (4/8) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [Lead with your ego, but don't let it run the show]( Ego can help you move up in an organization, but leaders must remain teachable, humble and appreciative of outside expertise, writes Kristin Hendrix. "Leadership is having a healthy enough ego to make decisions and affect outcomes, yet also making success about our team, instead of ourselves," she writes. Full Story: [Leadership Vitae]( (4/8) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( WEBINAR: Transforming CX Through an Empowered Agent Experience According to a commissioned study conducted by Forrester Consulting, 2 out of every 3 firms surveyed cannot orchestrate customer journeys across multiple channels. Join us on Thursday, April 15th at 2pm ET as industry experts discuss the latest survey findings and best practices that can help transform contact center performance. [Register for the webinar now.]( ADVERTISEMENT: [] Strategic Management [] [Strategy requires a CEO's full attention]( CEOs struggle to focus on strategy because they are too busy with matters that HR or other C-suite executives should be handling, write Vikas Mittal and Shrihari Sridhar. They share the example of a construction CEO who fixed a pattern of poor project execution and vendor management while establishing a longer-term vision. Full Story: [Chief Executive]( (4/8) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( A new energy podcast: Renewable Energy SmartPod Listen to interviews with industry leaders and get the latest news about the trends and technologies powering the energy transition. [Subscribe to the Renewable Energy SmartPod.]( ADVERTISEMENT [] Smarter Communication [] [Treat your voice like an instrument]( Vocal training and proper breathing matter more than ever for effective communication when people are speaking remotely or through masks, says voice and dialect coach Denise Woods. Respect your distinct voice, but do the work "to bring your full essence to your voice so that you can be heard, so that you can be respected, so that you can be appreciated for being the unique person that you are," she says. Full Story: [McKinsey]( (4/8) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [How shared values can help leaders do the right thing]( Leaders can get the right thing done by using the Giving Voice to Values framework of finding common ground with other people and moving together toward solutions, writes Mary Gentile of the University of Virginia business school. "By finding this short list of high-level but shared values, we can at least begin to talk about what would work," she writes. Full Story: [Darden Ideas to Action (University of Virginia)]( (4/8) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( Recognizing leaders in workplace innovation Winners have been announced for the Innovation Awards for Workplace Technology, presented by SmartBrief and AV Technology. Each entrant submitted their product for consideration and was evaluated on uniqueness in the market, ability to solve a problem and suitability for use. [View the winners and nominees here!]( ADVERTISEMENT [] Smarter Working A weekly spotlight on doing more without working longer [] [Why not let people disengage for a while?]( Research suggests that giving employees more time to disengage from work and enjoy leisure can actually boost productivity. "And letting people have elements of their life back is a form of talent regeneration, whereby you leave your people better than you found them," writes David Rock, director of the NeuroLeadership Institute. Full Story: [Forbes (tiered subscription model)]( (4/8) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] In Their Own Words [] [Have you met the "soul-sucking CEO"?]( WD-40 CEO Garry Ridge talks about the "soul-sucking CEO" to illustrate poor leaders who hate feedback, micromanage others and believe their own hype. "Most particularly, his ego eats his empathy instead of his empathy, eating his ego," Ridge says in this interview with John Baldoni. Full Story: [SmartBrief/Leadership]( (4/9) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [Read more]( from John Baldoni on SmartBrief on Leadership [] Daily Diversion [] [Circular home makes you feel like a stroll in the woods]( A circular house in the woods of Poland is designed to blend into its surroundings by looking like a massive tree trunk. Those who visit "can feel as if they are continuously strolling through the trees," says lead architect Przemek Olczyk. Full Story: [DesignBoom]( (4/8) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Most Read by CEOs The most-clicked stories of the past week by SmartBrief on Leadership readers [] - [Consider these questions before reopening the office]( SmartBrief/Leadership [] - [4 ways to get better at handling conflict]( SmartBrief/Leadership [] - [3 signs that a team isn't working well together]( LeadershipWatch blog [] - [Leadership lessons from Capt. James T. Kirk]( LeadToday [] - [Side conversations are powerful -- and missing right now]( Execupundit blog [] About The Editor [] James daSilva James daSilva Hi, it's your SmartBrief on Leadership editor! I've had the great fortune of editing this email for nearly 10 years. Before that, I was a copy editor, including at a small daily newspaper in upstate New York. Thank you for reading and subscribing. I know you don't need to read SmartBrief on Leadership. Rather, you're here because you're on the lifelong journey of being a better leader, communicator and thinker. If this newsletter helps you, please tell your colleagues, friends or anyone who can benefit. Forward them this email, or [send this link](. What topics do you see in your daily work that I should know about? Do you have praise? Criticism? A favorite story from The Onion? [Drop me a note.](mailto:jdasilva@smartbrief.com) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( Press Releases Sponsored Content [ProjectNext Leadership Announces Research Findings]( [Post a Press Release]( Sharing SmartBrief on Leadership with your network keeps the quality of content high and these newsletters free. Help Spread the Word [SHARE]( Or copy and share your personalized link: smartbrief.com/leadership/?referrerId=japnABMSAp [] [] One of the processes of your life is to constantly break down that inferiority, to constantly reaffirm that I Am Somebody. 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