Happy Monday everyone. My family had nice little “stay-cation” right here in Houston. A weekend 
of hotel, restaurants, hotel pool, etc. I think everybody had a great time. Now back to business. And to start with, here’s my weekly summary of some great articles from the last week or so. Enjoy!
- How to make your startup more professional, more mature without killing its energy and creativity: bit.ly/2aA2EtB
- Remember these tips for how to use great content to drive website traffic: bit.ly/2ajRPLJ
- I thought this was very interesting. It turns out that brainstorming may be a bad way to come up with new ideas: bit.ly/2akDtrR
- Some good ideas for breaking through preconceived notions about you and crafting a solid message: bit.ly/2aKzIgn
- When presenting information, the colors you use can make a real difference. This article discusses how to choose the most effective colors: bit.ly/2auGcCh
- It’s always interesting o think about what makes a great company to work for a great company to work for. In short, this article says the offer employees a more meaningful, more engaging environment: bit.ly/2a4TVMk
- Trying to understand why Verizon is buying Yahoo? They’re building a new media empire. bit.ly/2aHlGMx
- I think this is a really useful article with tips on how to get the most from what you publish on LinkedIn: bit.ly/2arIuUj
- This article looks inside Tesla’s updated, broader, more mature strategy (and why it just might make sense). Agree with it or disagree with it, I like how it reflects a specific vision. bit.ly/2andYrW
- Does having a Plan B get in the way of you achieving Plan A? Sometimes by having a backup plan can be a hindrance. bit.ly/2asyOZc
- Who made the first drone deliveries? 7-Eleven! (and, yes, Slurpees included.) Sorry Amazon. tcrn.ch/2apBSFN
- This article outlined a good framework for a really solid marketing strategy to follow. entm.ag/2a09B3q
- Department stores are struggling. This article touched on how Nordstrom handling those struggles. lat.ms/2aeI9TD
______
As you also know I publish some of my own ideas. Last week I was really focused on the differences between leaders and managers – and how someone can successfully make the shift from manager to leader. A few tips I shared:
- As a leader, become comfortable being the outward “face” representing your organization.
- One way to transition from manager to leader is to become comfortable making decisions with incomplete information.
- Always make sure the operational decisions you make are aligned with the company’s long-term vision, strategic goals.
- A leader demonstrates vision in a way that others will want to help make it a reality. Are you sharing your vision?
And I dug into those issues a little deeper. I shared my thoughts about how to make that transition more smooth: 6 Ways to Stop Managing and Start Leading. I’d love to hear if you have other ideas. Please feel free to leave your thoughts!
______ . ______
Well guys that’s it for today. Enjoy your reading. Leave a comment on the blog. Be sure to share this post and the blog with your colleagues. Have an awesome Monday!
IDiscover Journal 