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Keep fighting!

Some weeks are best left behind in the rear-view mirror. From a stock market swoon that was impressive if not unsettling, to the loss of some cultural icons: glam rocker David Bowie and actor Alan Rickman, you had to look hard to find good news. Of course, depending upon your own political views, President Obama’s final State of the Union address and/or the most recent Republican Debate may have offered some relief. (Or not.)

With no claims on predicting the future, last week’s “Don’t Fall Victim to Gloom and Doom,” might have been my internal alarm foreshadowing events to come.

For this week, I served up the following articles and ideas to support our mutual drive to grow as professionals and strengthen  in our careers.

  • The January Leadership Caffeine e-news, offering a variety of features on succeeding as a leader this year; an overview of some great reads and the usual fare of sound-bites and interesting links intended to prompt thinking and promote positive action.
  • I added the second of my posts in the Difficult Conversations series, offering guidance to help reduce stress and improve your chances of success with the actual conversation. Here are some well-practices tips for Conducting Difficult Workplace Conversations”

Enjoy the articles and use the ideas in great health. The year is young and while none of us individually can control the big events, we can all make a difference in our firms and with our teams by focusing on succeeding one encounter at a time.

Yours in great leading and managing!

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See more posts in the Leadership Caffeine™ series.

Read More of Art’s Motivational Writing on Leadership and Management at About.com!

Art Petty serves senior executives and management teams as a performance coach and strategy facilitator. Art is a popular keynote speaker focusing on helping professionals and organizations learn to survive and thrive in an era of change. Additionally, Art’s books are widely used in leadership development programs. To learn more or discuss a challenge, contact Art.