Note from Art: Almost every week, I offer a recap of some of the more thought-provoking management and leadership content that I’ve tripped across recently. The selections are eclectic and always intended to stimulate your thinking. This week’s selections include content on The Great Tech War of 2012, ideas for strengthening your coaching skills, insight into three critical leadership skills and a book that offers something for all of us as we try to escape the pull of the past in our organizations.

-From FastCompany, The Great Tech War of 2012, is must reading for any student of strategy and business. And yes, we’re all living in “interesting times” as the saying goes, but the shifting landscape for our eyes and wallets in the tech sector is fascinating to an extreme. The article provides a great view of the battlefield and the combatants.

From the article: “To state this as clearly as possible: The four American companies that have come to define 21st-century information technology and entertainment are on the verge of war. Over the next two years, Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google will increasingly collide in the markets for mobile phones and tablets, mobile apps, social networking, and more. This competition will be intense.”

 -From Scott Eblin: “How to Be a Really Useful Coach in Five Minutes or Less.” Scott is a true pro in the executive coaching world, and his book, The Next Level, is a must read for anyone seeking to climb to the next executive rank. His short post will take you less than five minutes to read and leave you armed with some timeless and time-saving good questions to use on the move. (For an added resource, check out my Leadership Caffeine Podcast Episode with Scott Eblin.)

-From HBR Blogs, Morton T. Hansen offers: “Three Leadership Skills that Count,” drawn from his work with Jim Collins for their new book, Great by Choice.

The focus is on leading and succeeding in chaotic times and Collins and Hansen identified three leadership skills: Productive Paranoia, Empirical Creativity and Fanatic Discipline, that in their opinion are critical. From the post: “You need all three leadership skills in an uncertain world: Fanatic discipline keeps you on track; empirical creativity keeps you vibrant; and productive paranoia keeps you alive.”

-Book Recommendation: Escape Velocity-Free Your Company’s Future from the Pull of the Past by Geoffrey A. Moore.

See my post and listen to my interview with Geoffrey Moore to understand why I’m a strong supporter of his latest work.

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About Art Petty:

Art Petty is a Leadership & Career Coach and Strategy Consultant, helping motivated professionals of all levels achieve their potential. In addition to working with highly motivated professionals, Art frequently works with project teams in pursuit of high performance. Art’s second book (an edited, annotated collection of the most popular leadership essays), Leadership Caffeine-Ideas to Energize Your Professional Development, was released at the end of September in 2011.

Contact Art via e-mail to discuss a coaching, workshop or speaking engagement.