In a recent Harvard Business Review article titled “Management is (Still) Not Leadership“, John Kotter explains (again) that management is very different from leadership.

Management is “a set of well-known processes… which help an organization to predictably do what it knows how to do well”.

Leadership is different.

[Leadership] is associated with taking an organization into the future, finding opportunities that are coming at it faster and faster and successfully exploiting those opportunities. Leadership is about vision, about people buying in, about empowerment and, most of all, about producing useful change. Leadership is not about attributes, it’s about behavior.

Why is this important? According to John Kotter:

There are very, very few organizations today that have sufficient leadership… Unless we recognize that we’re not talking about management when we speak of leadership, all we will try to do when we do need more leadership is work harder to manage. At a certain point, we end up with over-managed and under-led organizations, which are increasingly vulnerable in a fast-moving world.

Whatever your role is, it’s important to recognize that we need both managers and leaders:

We need superb management. And we need more superb leadership. We need to be able to make our complex organizations reliable and efficient. We need them to jump into the future — the right future — at an accelerated pace, no matter the size of the changes required to make that happen.

For more about leadership, make sure to read the full article at HBR.

If you haven’t seen the Pep Talk from Kid President, then you need to. Now.

Here are the top 9 quotes from this uplifting, inspiring, and humorous video:

1. “If there are two paths, I want to be on the one that leads to awesome”
2. “The world needs to stop being boring”
3. “Create something that will make the world awesome”
4. “If life is a game, aren’t we all on the same team?”
5. “This is life people… you got air coming through your nose… you got a heart beat… it’s time to do something”
6. “Don’t stop believing, unless your dream is stupid… then get a better dream and keep going, keep going, keep going…”
7. “What will you create that will make the world more awesome… nothing if you’re just sitting there”
8. “You were made to be awesome”
9. “If everybody’s good, then it gives the world a reason to dance… so get to it!”

Enjoy the full video here, and remember “you’re gooder than that”

If you’ve ever led people, you’ve had these questions:

1. How do you motivate people?
2. What’s the right attitude for a leader to have?
3. What will make you appear like a leader?
4. How can you inspire people?
5. How do you create change?

Eric Barker attempted to answer these questions in one of his latest blog posts… here is a quick summary:

1) How do you motivate people?

What’s the biggest motivator? Progress.

“facilitating progress is the most effective way for managers to influence inner work life.”

2) What’s the right attitude for a leader to have?

The best leaders are supportive, not controlling, even in the military:

“In the U.S. Navy, researchers found, annual prizes for efficiency and preparedness are far more frequently awarded to squadrons whose commanding officers are openly encouraging.”

3) What will make you appear like a leader?

Yes, appearances matter. To be perceived as a leader, speak first. Speak confidently. Speak often.

“…group leaders proved to be no more competent than anyone else. They became leaders by force of personality rather than strength of ability.”

4) How can you inspire people?

Remind them why their jobs are important.

“…workers often fail to live up to their potential because they’ve lost track of the significance and meaningfulness of their own jobs.”

What magic do both the speeches of Martin Luther King and the marketing of Apple have that move us to believe and act?

People don’t buy what you do. They buy why you do it… Start with “Why.”

5) How do you create change?

Leadership isn’t just systems and directions. Emotions are key. What strategies really improve companies?

“…the core of the matter is always about changing the behavior of people, and behavior change happens in highly successful situations mostly by speaking to people’s feelings.”

This post is inspired by Eric Barker’s post on better leadership, which offers a rich collection of articles  research, and anecdotes. For more on the topic, read “5 tips for being a better leader“

Creativity is the soul of innovation.

Here are some tips for you from a great article written on LinkedIn by titled “Boost Your Creativity With Simple Acts of Mindfulness”

1. Reward curiosity – Most companies tend to reward creativity. Instead, if they were to reward to curiosity, it can breed even more creativity. This is not just semantics. One sets the tone for the other;
2. Give employees time to think – It’s ok to be alone with your thoughts. Such mind breaks breed curiosity, create more alchemy and cross pollination. But don’t just hope that it will happen. Companies, she believes, should create the environment for mindfulness so that teams exercise their ability to concentrate.
3. Learn how to filter information – Data is powerful, but it also can be be smog too. The key to success is to become good at filtering. This starts with knowing what you’re looking for in a broad context and the why. Set goals beforehand and teach your colleagues and direct reports to do the same. Be intentional in how using the web.
4. Get into the flow – The modern day Holmes portrayed in the BBC program, Sherlock, never answers his cell phone. The reason: it would interrupt his flow. The message is simple. Set schedules, respect boundaries and get into flow.
5. Get closer to nature – Studies show that being in nature aids mindfulness. No time for a bird break? Then get a screen saver with trees and water. Even this can help you take a few moments to focus on the present moment without any distractions.

For more on creativity, read a previous blog post “4 Ways to Lead Your Organization to Breakthrough Creativity“

When you stand out, you risk everything.

• You might be blamed
• You might be judged
• You might be shunned

But you also have everything to gain.

• You might be cheered
• You might be revered
• You might be celebrated

Standing out takes gusts. It’s rewards are balanced with risk, but it’s the risk that makes it all worthwhile.

Fitting in is a short-term strategy that gets you nowhere.

Standing-out is a long-term strategy that takes guts and produces results

If you care enough about your work willing to be criticized for it, then you have done a good days work.

-Seth Godin

HelpingHelp has needed a makeover for quite some time. Not because we thought it did, but because our faithful readers have been asking for more.

As of today, we are excited to announce the new HelpingHelp which promises to do things better and easier.

1. More relevance: We’re focussing this blog on the topic of innovation. More specifically, how nonprofits can infuse and harness innovation to reach their missions, faster
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3. Get support: If you need help planning for innovation, we are offering new services just for nonprofits, by a not-for-profit group

And this is just the beginning. In addition to a better, easier to navigate website, we’re also planning on:

• Expanding the HelpingHelp team to improve the free content on this site
• Publishing free resources and toolkits
• Launching an online course

To be kept up to date, make sure to subscribe by email using the form on the right side of the page.