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According to Samuel Langhorne Clemens, better known as Mark Twain, “Really great people make you feel that you too, can become great.” This well-kept secret is the key concept of effective leadership and team management. Bringing the best out of others through inspirational leadership, team building, and effective communication will catapult you to the ranks of history’s greatest leaders.

Invest in your team members and they will in turn invest in your company. Inspirational leadership is inspiring your team members through active engagement by helping them to connect the dots between the work they do and the mission of the organization or company for which you work for. By bridging the gap for employees, you help them understand where they fit in the company and how that company fits into the outside world. Helping employees understand where they fit into the company is only half of the battle. An inspirational…

Sometimes I am working with a client and it hits me; although an individual holds the top position at their company they have not consciously accepted the role of “leader”. And as I’ve touched on here before, there’s a big difference between being a manager and a leader. A manager can oversee the operational side of a business – and often do it well. But, that’s only half the battle. Businesses require a visionary. They need someone who can envision what the future will look like and how the business will get there. And just as important is the skill to get share that vision and keep the business moving in the direction of the long-term destination.

The other truth that I’ve seen is that many business leaders are thrust into that position sometimes without asking for it or desiring it or even being ready for it. All of a…

After yesterday’s post Investing in 100 Startups, several people asked me about the lessons learned from the 26 startup investments I’ve already made. Generally, startup investing is much harder and less glamorous than it sounds, but I really enjoy it — entrepreneurs have such great energy and enthusiasm.

Here are 26 lessons learned from investing in 26 startups:

1. Entrepreneurs are always overly optimistic
2. If anything seems fishy or out of the ordinary, immediately pass
3. Any signs that the entrepreneur isn’t self-starting and resourceful, immediately pass
4. Everything takes twice as long and costs twice as much
5. Look for a pattern where the entrepreneur had already started a prior business, failed, and is at it again
6. Lean startups are better than heavy startups
7. Expect regular investor updates
8. More traction reduces risk
9. Lack of liquidity is one the biggest challenges
10. Exits are few and far between
11. Plan for 7-10 years before seeing a…

By Oula Kassir MPH

Michigan State University School of Public Health, East Lansing, MI

 Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. was a man who offered an inclusive vision for racial equality. He healed the division of society and built communities. He is vividly remembered as a great leader who believed that there are laws created by higher authority and others created by man and justice will not be served till both laws are even.

 MLK made me realize that leadership could be interpreted and approached differently. I came to understand that leadership involves “inside out” awareness while individuals often think from the “outside in” aspect. In other words, individuals tend to know “what” they are doing but very few know or understand the“why” in relation to the purpose. Leaders, however, begin by understanding “why” and move toward what they need to do to fulfill their purpose. The civil right…