Leaders are Readers: Part 2
Welcome to Part 2 of Leaders are Readers. If you missed Part 1 you’ll find it here
Today we look at magazines, articles, videos and online courses.
Ready?
Magazines/Articles
Articles are a great option if you’re just getting started. Variety, minimal time commitment and the latest on leadership.
Start with a few magazines or sites that appeal to you. Technology makes it easy. (Because - of course - there’s an app for that).
I use Feedly to organize my content. Create an account. Add the magazines or sites that interest me. Then every morning I skim the headlines, save any articles I want to read. Then - when I have time to read, I check out the full article. Plus it’s perfect for those times I’m waiting on someone who’s running a little late.
I can read a little or a lot. Scan an article or focus deeply. And it’s a great way to ensure a broad view of leadership.
The trick is to find the right publications for you. Here are a few I like:
HBR.org Best aggregator of content on leadership by a mile. The magazine articles are almost always good. The digital articles - hit and miss. I don’t bother with a subscription - there’s so much content out there. You can sign up on their site for 6 free articles/month. I find that’s more than enough.
McKinsey: Great research, lengthy articles, variety of topics, well-written.
Fast Company: Casual style. Shorter articles. And they publish a LOT of content every month.
MIT Sloan: Similar to HBR. Great content. Some very long reads.
Business Magazines: Inc, Entrepreneur, Fortune, Forbes, Bloomberg….. Each has its own take on business and leadership.
I’ve only added a couple of links here because the easiest way to access these publications is to sign up for Feedly and add each to your feed.
Newsletters: I don’t love newsletters clogging up my inbox. But for a few sources, I find newsletters the way to go. Stanford Biz School and Kellogg are the two I subscribe to.
Business School sites: There are too many to mention. You could start with Stanford’s Insights archives. Short articles and video clips by leading experts.
Want to go old school? Pop into a Chapters or the local library and explore the latest edition of popular business magazines. It’s a great way to spend a lunch hour. And my favourite way to kill an hour or two when there’s a snowstorm and Google Maps tells me traffic is going nowhere. Or if you’d prefer to stay put, visit your local library online. Their digital library will offer more than enough business magazines to keep you occupied until traffic clears.
Videos
If videos are the right fit for your schedule, this format has a lot to offer. Great for interviews. Webinars on current leadership topics. And compelling presentations.
Columbia has an Executive Education webinar series. A little dry, but if you want to learn something specific, there’s great content here.
At the other end of the spectrum are TED Talks. They’ve revolutionized the presentation format. Slick, often visually stunning, their archive is extensive. If you’re not sure where to start, they have a top 25 list A few of my favourites are:
How Great Leaders Inspire Action - Simon Sinek
The Power of Vulnerability - Brene Brown. Try it, I think you’ll like it.
The Happy Secret of Better Work- Shawn Anchor. Funny and insightful.
Talks @ Google. Google gets the best authors and experts to come talk to their employees. Their archive is a treasure trove of great content on leadership and other business topics. One of my favourites is a talk on from Marshall Goldsmith on his best-seller What Got You Here Won’t Get You There. A book I highly recommend.
If interviews are your thing and tech is your industry, Stanford’s View from the Top Speaker Series is a great resource. Interviews of business leaders by Stanford MBA students. Here’s a recent interview with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella.
Online Courses
With the increased sophistication of online courses, this is a great way to spend your “reading” time. And it’s an easy way to learn from leadership experts all over the world.
If you’re interested in courses with an academic feel, these 3 platforms are worth a look.
Coursera: everything and anything on leadership. The largest of the 3.
Edx: more technical focus. Still, a lot to choose from
FutureLearn: UK based platform.
With these three platforms, you can pay to take a course. Or audit and take a course for free. I choose free because I don’t want to do homework. I know people who take these courses and find homework the best part. So, you’ve got options.
If you want to dip your toe in the water, there’s a very enjoyable course called Inspiring Leadership through Emotional Intelligence. This is quality content. The professor is the guy who literally wrote the book on the subject.
A different style of course is available through Linkedin Learning. These tend to be taught by consultants or business leaders. More like corporate training. Less academic.
There’s no free option for LinkedIn. But if you’re a member of Calgary Public Library, they’re available through the website at no charge. If you’re not in Calgary, your local library may offer the same thing.
Wrapping Up
Enough to get you started? Good.
There’s so much available on leadership it can feel a little overwhelming. So experiment to find the right format, the right topics, the right sources for you.
And as I mentioned last week, if a book is boring, move on. It’s the same for podcasts, articles and videos. There’s so much to choose from, why waste your time?
Happy Reading