Happy Friday,

How was your week? Did you meet your goals, make a difference, or learn something new? If you answered yes, congratulations! If you answered no, don't worry. In that case, you can make up for it today by taking a moment to consume an illuminating review of a segment from a book, a few quotes that will capture your attention, and a thought-provoking find from the internet - small bites of wisdom. Here is the Wise Bites memo for you to consider for the week.

Book Segment

This week, I decided to revisit a leadership book on a true American hero, Abraham Lincoln, that I had previously read and written about (Lincoln on Leadership: A Book Review for School District Leadership) a couple of years ago. With so much written about President Abraham Lincoln, it is sometimes hard to see him in a new way. However, Phillips presents the president's leadership traits from a fresh perspective in his book, Lincoln on Leadership: Executive Strategies for Tough Times. Phillips highlights several of Lincoln's letters and quotes throughout the book and uses Lincoln's actual words to illuminate and validate his claim that Lincoln possessed modern leadership traits applicable in today's business and workforce environments. His book organized Lincoln's leadership abilities and his book into four sections.

In the first section, Phillips outlines Lincoln's critical strategy for building meaningful relationships with subordinates. In his second section, he highlights how Lincoln's stringent policies of honesty and integrity won over many of the strong personalities he confronted. Phillip shares in his third section that Lincoln encouraged innovation and sought generals who craved responsibility and took risks. In the final section, he puts President Lincoln's charm and masterful communication style on display to emphasize the power and importance of Lincoln's effective communication.

You can never learn enough about Lincoln or leadership, and Lincoln on Leadership: Executive Strategies for Tough Times is one book you should read.

Quotes

Whatever you want to do, do it now. There are only so many tomorrows.

-Michael Landon

Life will only change when you become more committed to your dreams than you are to your comfort zone.

-Billy Cox

Internet Find

When was the last time you had a lollipop moment? If you don't know what I mean, you should watch the TED Talk video, Everyday Leadership, by Drew Dudley. In only 6 minutes, Dudley masterfully shares a story from his life that illuminates how everyone can be a leader and significantly impact others' lives if we stop making leadership an unobtainable concept. He employs the viewer to redefine leadership and resist the notion that it is only exhibited in grand fashions. Dudley posits that If we expect leadership from ourselves every day, we all can have the power to change others' lives and help them have lollipop moments. Here's to you passing forward a lollipop moment today.

Stay tuned for future Wise Bites memos; share it online; and tell a friend!