The BIG team enjoyed these posts this past week and hope you do, too!

Why Smart People Deny Climate Change (David Berreby on BigThink)

An article about climate change in a list of leadership reading…hmmm, you might be thinking. There are a couple behavioral nuggets in the research cited here with direct application to leadership and how we get all mired in thinking we’re right and that those who don’t agree with us are wrong. “We needn’t accept every damn fool argument that comes down the road, but we do need to accept that we’re all inclined to protect damn fool arguments that are associated with our identities.”

Managing Authenticity: The Great Paradox of Leadership (Rob Goffee and Gareth Jones, Harvard Business Review December 2005)

The BIG team is on tear about leaders who believe being authentic is a license to be rude and who think being tactful is being manipulative. If you’re struggling to build and maintain authenticity, you’ll enjoy the three steps the authors outline as a place to get started: get to know yourself and your origins better, get to know others better, and better connect to the organizational context.

Stuckness is the Heart of Change (Dan Oestreich on Unfolding Leadership)

If you lead a team that’s stuck in passive-aggressive behavior, you’ll benefit from Dan’s suggestions for moving the situation off-center to regain direction, momentum and focus.

Stereotyping: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (Steve Petermann on Telic Thoughts)

This intriguing post addresses the stereotype that all stereotypes are bad. Some fascinating stuff here.

12 Most Destructive Management Behaviors (Shawn Murphy on Teamster)

Do a self-audit: if you’re guilty of doing any of the 12 behaviors Shawn lists here, get thee to a coach, a friend, someone who will guide and assist you in getting your leadership actions back on track.

Revisit what you might be taking for granted. “The sun shines and warms and lights us and we have no curiosity to know why this is so; but we ask the reason of all evil, of pain, and hunger, and mosquitoes and silly people.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Here’s to a week of inspiring 7C performance at the intersection of the art of leadership and the science of business!

Image from Dave Jenson on Leadership