It’s that time of the week.  Time to offer some links to articles and things which I have found particularly interesting and thought provoking.  As always, I entrust them to you and hope you find them equally interesting and insightful.

Leadership

First of all, if you have not heard of Otto Scharmer before, allow me to introduce you to him and his fantastic blog!  Scharmer is the author of many current works, and a leader in thought particularly on the relationship of leadership and the future.  Some of his recent works include:  Presence (which he co-authored with Peter Senge, Joseph Jaworski, and Betty Sue Flowers); Theory U:  Leading from the Future as It Emerges; and Leading from the Emerging Future:  From Ego-System to Eco-System Economies (co-authored with Katrin Kaufer).

In leadership, as in life, mentoring is imperative.  Curtis Miller offers an expansive look at five keys for mentoring that he sees.

Likewise, leadership is something that needs to be grown.  As Alli Pollin writes, future leaders are often taught and grown through the experience and modeling of other leaders.

The Harvard Business Review (HBR) offers a helpful tip about paying attention to details and things which may be “untouchable,” particularly for managers and leaders in new situations or in new jobs.

Anita Elberse from HBR had a unique opportunity to do an in-depth study and interview with Sir Alex Ferguson.  Elberse has developed a case study of Sir Ferguson’s management style and approaches.  Sir Ferguson served most famously as the manager of Manchester United for 26 seasons.  If you like learning from remarkable leaders, this in-depth conversation and article is well worth your time!

Roger L. Martin authored an article in the October edition of HBR entitled, “Rethinking the Decision Factory.”  His article is a helpful reflection on the struggle and challenge of employing and working with knowledge workers.

Intersection of Leadership and Trust

Is there a correlation between an economic recession and people’s ability to trust one another? Andrew O’Connell suggests that there might be.

Vocation

My friend Hannah offers an honest and transparent look at calling, career, and vocation.  A lot of what she has to say in her reflections resonates with me.  How about you?

Congratulations

I would like to offer a hearty congratulations to Dr. Richard Nance.  Dr. Nance is the director of the Choir of the West, and the head of choral activities at Pacific Lutheran University (PLU).  It was a joy to sing under him, and it is an honor to call him my friend.  Dr. Nance was recently awarded the American prize in choral conducting. The Tacoma News Tribune also reported on the story.

I would also like to offer congratulations to now Rev. Dr. Daniel Peterson.  I had the pleasure of learning from Dr. Peterson when he was a professor in the religion department at PLU.  Dr. Peterson was recently ordained and has been called to the Matteo Ricci College (at Seattle University) as minister and teacher.

Church and Congregational Practices

One of the on-going debates within congregations is how to be inter-generational.  To this end, the natural follow-up question is how are children invited and welcomed into worship?  St. John Lutheran has taken an approach that I hope other congregations will wholeheartedly consider and follow.

Religion

Rev. Diane Roth offers a good reflection on the idea of “being religious” as she sees it.

Social Media, Job Seeking, and Other Tips

If you are in the midst of creating, recreating, or revising your social media usage and plan, Kim Lachance Shandrow offers 10 Questions to Ask when creating that plan.

CBS Money Watch offers helpful advice about the most common resume mistakes that job seekers make.

There was plenty more I could share from the past week, but I think these are probably more than enough.  Hope you enjoy them.  As always if you have topics or things of particular interest you would like this blog to cover, please do not hesitate to let me know via a comment here.