shopping mallIf holiday shopping and end of year activities have you a bit beaten down, here are a few reads to inspire and energize and at least one shameless plug for my forthcoming e-newsletter.

For those of you wondering whether “Art has finally run out of ideas for new content,” I have at least three good excuses for sharing some other sites with you:

1. My post today is at my Building Better Leaders site. And yes, it is original content!

2. I love Susan’s post below and I am interested to read the new e-book from Seth Godin.  Both of these are worth sharing.

3.  And did I mention that half of my family has a birthday during the week surrounding Christmas.  I’m heading out in a few to do my part to support the economy.  And I’m keeping my shopping close to home this week to support our local merchants.

-Today at Building Better Leaders: “New-Leader? Six Suggestions for Closing the Context Gap.” Whether you are new to leading or simply new to your current team, it’s imperative that you work hard to quickly gain insight into your team’s culture and dynamics not to mention its role in executing your firm’s strategies.  I offer Six Suggestions to help you with this important task.

-At Random Acts of Leadership: 5 Ways to Lead the Way to Holiday Miracles.  If Susan Mazza doesn’t inspire you during this season, then you might be a good candidate for a Scrooge award.

-From Seth Godin and 70 other “Big Thinkers”, a free e-book entitled “What Matters Now.” I’ve just downloaded my copy, and I’m excited to mine the many ideas for some personal and professional gold.

-And for a fun time-out, check out the chart at Baldrige.com to determine if you or someone on your shopping list is a True Geek. It is disturbing to discover that I fit in several geek categories!

Oh, and I almost forgot…there’s still time to opt-in to the new Management Excellence/Building Better Leaders Newsletter and possibly win a book.  The promotion ends at midnight on December 16th.   See my post for the promotion rules. I’m looking forward to offering fresh, original content and featuring some great guest contributors as we move into the new year!