There’s nothing more rewarding than building your own business—but running the show can also be challenging. When you’re the boss, your words and actions can be amplified in the minds of your employees, so you have to pay more attention to the messages you are sending than you may be accustomed to.
Reading is one of the best tools to help you strengthen your leadership muscles and communicate to your team effectively. Here are some blogs that will help you stay inspired and keep growing.
The Tim Ferriss Show (@TimFerrisBlog)
Tim Ferriss put himself on the map with The 4-Hour Workweek—his guide to getting more done in less time— and has followed up with The 4-Hour Body and The 4-Hour Chef. In his never-boring blog, the larger-than-life productivity guru features podcasts from innovators such as Peter Diamandis, chairman and CEO of the XPRIZE Foundation, thought leaders including Malcolm Gladwell, and motivational speakers such as Tony Robbins and more. If you can’t get enough of Ferriss, you can also subscribe to his email newsletter, 5-Bullet Friday, where he highlights topics like “What I’m listening to” and “What I’m reading.”
Seth Godin (@ThisIsSethsBlog)
Author of 17 bestselling books—among them Purple Cow and Tribes—Godin writes a blog that is short and sweet, but probes deep below the surface when it comes to leadership. An overriding theme of his blog is the importance of doing great work—even if the crowds are clamoring for something less.
Consider what Godin has to say about reputation:
“1. Your reputation has as much impact on your life as what you actually do.
- Early assumptions about you are sticky and are difficult to change.
- The single best way to maintain your reputation is to do things you’re proud of. Gaming goes only so far.”
Hooked? You can get a daily fix on his blog.
The Tony Robbins Blog (@TonyRobbins)
Robbins speaks about topics from spirituality to wealth, and as a coach to some of the world’s most respected CEOs, he offers advice on leadership that often challenges the conventional wisdom. A recent post on disruptive innovation discusses Robbins’ ideas from a recent seminar, for instance.
“Innovation, what is innovation? It’s not tech. Innovation is any way you find a way to do more for a client than anybody else does,” Robbins said. “In fact, if there’s one goal I have for you, it’s fall in love with your client and not with your product or service, because your product or service is going to have to change.” That’s advice no leader can afford to ignore.
The Playbook (@MagicJohnson)
Magic Johnson offers career and leadership advice on this blog, covering topics like the importance of over-delivering, “5 steps to becoming an amazing public speaker” and the perspective of Leslie Miley, director of engineering at Slack, on the importance of entrepreneurship. Instead of your second cup of coffee, check out this blog for a jolt of instant energy.
Beebole Management Blog (@Beebole)
The management blog by Beebole is a useful resource for today’s managers, leaders and small business owners alike. Stay up to date on the latest business management trends, learn about the art of staying productive, and read frequent guest posts from experts spanning all sectors and departments. That means HR specialists who share their two cents when it comes to performance reviews in today’s world, CFOs commenting on their industry’s latest trends, spreadsheet gurus who create step-by-step tutorials that managers can easily follow and implement themselves, and so much more. If you’re looking for thoughtful, up-to-date information to make you a smarter, more thoughtful manager, the Beebole Management blog is not to be missed.
Michael Hyatt (@MichaelHyatt)
Leadership development guru Michael Hyatt is the author of the bestsellers Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World and Living Forward: A Proven Plan to Stop Drifting and Get the Life You Want. His blog—often ranked as one of the number one leadership blogs based on its high readership— is a good antidote to the forces pushing leaders to focus on short-term results at the expense of longer-term contributions. Consider what he says about character:
“In helping people build their platforms, I frequently meet people whose public image is better developed than their personal character,” says Hyatt. “They are one person on stage and another when the spotlight is off.
It is this fundamental lack of integrity that undermines their effectiveness and, left unchecked, can destroy their legacy.”
Daniel Goleman (@DanielGolemanEI)
Daniel Goleman, a psychologist, was ahead of his time when he put the topic of emotional intelligence on the map with his 1995 best seller Emotional Intelligence. Interest in emotional intelligence has escalated since then—and Goleman’s work on the subject hasn’t slowed down. He offers his latest insights in his blog.
One recent post looked at how effective leaders know the science behind their own behavior and practice self-management of their emotions to avoid “emotional contagion” with negative emotions. Another looks at areas where women leaders outperform men—such as coaching and mentoring, adaptability and focus on achieving goals. It’s worth a ready if you want to get into the nitty gritty of emotional intelligence.
Lolly Daskal (@LollyDaskal)
Daskal is the founder of Lead from Within, a leadership, executive coaching and consulting firm. Her popular blog touches on subjects like how to tell if your leadership is failing, what to do when you exceed your leadership limits and how ordinary people can become leaders. Daskal has a knack for pointing out subtleties that can undermine leaders. In one post, she notes, “If you are frequently late for meetings or calls or just constantly moving the schedule around, your leadership isn’t going to be taken seriously.” When you’re a leader, seemingly little things can have a big impact in the long run.
Managing a small business can take a lot out of you emotionally and mentally so make sure to take a step back to reflect on and explore advice from other leaders to give yourself perspective and to keep your business functioning effectively.