Five years ago, I started blogging about leadership on a blog called LeaderTalk. Many of the bloggers on today’s list supported my early efforts. In fact, Dan McCarthy, who generously offered us the opportunity to host this month’s carnival, was one of the first bloggers to give me a shout-out. It’s not a stretch to say that I would not be where I am without the support of many of the folks included in this carnival; people who welcomed me to this leadership blogging community. Thank you! You have made my life better. I am a better leader today because of you.

Today’s carnival features some seasoned leadership bloggers with some excellent post as well as some new voices in the space. I hope you’ll take the time to read settle in and learn from all these contributions and then share these posts (and the carnival) with your online communities.

Big thanks today to Carrie Koens, who has worked with me for two years here at Weaving Influence. She did all the heavy lifting on this post, curating the posts and links. We highly recommend that you follow these talented leaders (if you aren’t already) on Twitter and add them to a leadership list.

Anna Farmery of The Engaging Brand is sharing a tip this month in her post Here’s An Easy Way To Become A Better Leader. Anna writes, “Leadership can be hard because we grow our busy-ness, yet our business growth doesn’t increase at the same rate.” Find Anna on Twitter @engagingbrand.

Annamarie Lang of Talent Management Intelligence shares What The Basketball Court Taught Me About Empowerment who says, “Empowering others wasn’t easy as a basketball coach — and it won’t be for leaders in organizations either—but when done well, there is the possibility of great things.”

Anne Perschel of Germane Insights asks in her article 3 Inspirational Leadership Types: Which One Are You. “As a leader, how do you inspire people to act, but how do you do that? Discover the three inspirational leadership types and learn which one you use best.” Follow Anne on Twitter @bizshrink.

Art Petty of Management Excellence shares with us Just One Thing: Cultivate Your Project Leadership Skills. “Given the import of projects in our workplace today, it’s essential for all of us to cultivate the skills needed to cultivate high performance with groups called together for temporary and unique (projects) endeavors.” Excellent points! Follow Art on Twitter @artpetty.

Beth Miller of Executive Velocity says, “Leaders can be crippled by their concern that sharing bad news will lead to panic among employees. A commitment to internal and external transparency, and the practice of sharing both the good and the bad, can prevent small problems from becoming full-blown crises.” You can find more in her post Why You Can’t Be Trusted Unless You’re Transparent. Find Beyj on Twitter @SrExecAdvisor.

Chery Gegelman of the Simply Understanding Blog shares, “This post contains a real example of a front-line employee that owned something way outside of his job title and made a lasting difference. Yes, you really can lead change, no matter where you sit. Who would you rather work with? People who choose to be a part of the solution or people who choose to be a part of the problem?” Learn more by reading her article Ignoring It, Fussing About It, Or Owning It. Follow Chery on Twitter @GianaConsulting.

Chip Bell of ChipBell.com recently posted The Pursuit Of Significance In Mentoring  on Careers in Government where he says, “Mentoring is not about the transmission of expertise or the conveyance of knowledge. It is about the fostering of insight — the light that goes on inside the mind of the protégé. Insight leads to understanding, not merely retention; wisdom, not rote competence.” Follow Chip on Twitter @ChipRBell.

Dan McCarthy of Great Leadership discusses what sets a great leader apart in his submission, You Can Be A Tough Leader & Not Be An S.O.B. Dan writes: “They can be demanding, have high expectations, and push their teams to their upper limits. But they do it in a way that a way that makes people feel valued. That their ideas and work matters, and enables people to achieve more than they thought was possible.” Find Dan on Twitter @greatleadership.

Dana Theus of In Power Consulting poses an interesting question to all leaders: “We often give the advice to leaders: Be bold! Why?” In Being Bold At Work Dana shares her reason for encouraging others to be bold. Follow her on Twitter @danatheus.

Erik Samdahl of i4CP submitted a post on behalf of Cliff Stevenson entitled The Keys To Successful Business Strategy Execution. He writes, “Make strategy execution an organization-wide effort. Too often, the strategic plan is considered the exclusive purview of the C-suite.” Follow @i4cp.

Frank Sonnenberg of Frank Sonnenberg Online offers a helpful Leadership Scorecard graphic for us this month. He asks: “What are the qualities of a great leader? How do you rate?” There are also lots of great links and information in this post. Follow Frank on Twitter @FSonnenberg.

Jeff Harmon of Brilliance Within Coaching says Leaders Must Ask For Their People’s Fine China. “A willingness to trust is critical to a relationship in which your shared work can thrive. As you work to lead a person, team or organization, what you really want is for them to place the fine china of their life in your hands.” Follow Jeff on Twitter @jeffdharmon74.

Jennifer V. Miller of The People Equation gives this summary of her post: “Jennifer recalls a watershed moment in her leadership journey when she discovered that her much-admired boss was capable of causing great disappointment.” Don’t miss reading about her experience in There Is No Such Thing As An Ideal Leader. Find Jennifer on Twitter @JenniferVMiller.

Jesse Lyn Stoner of the Seapoint Center says, “An emergent, non-hierarchical view of leadership makes the most sense in today’s complex world. But emergent leadership without supporting practices will spiral into chaos. These four practices provide the vehicle that enables leaders to move forward smoothly.” See what four practices she suggests in The 4 Practices Of Successful Flat Organizations. Follow Jesse on Twitter @JesseLynStoner.

Jill Malleck of Epiphany At Work asks an interesting question this month in Do You Pass The Sniff Test? She writes, “You may underestimate the long-term impact of failing the sniff test. Trust, once lost, is difficult to regain. Worse, you may not even know you’ve failed, losing your chance at recovery and adding to the level of cynicism on your team. Follow Jill on Twitter @epiphanyatwork.

Jim Taggart of Changing Winds has submitted Six Enablers To Building Organizational Change Adaptability. In it, he says, “One of the cornerstones of strong teamwork is interdependence among the team’s members. Without it, it’s impossible to have a team. Interdependence of effort is a necessary condition.” Indeed it is. Find Jim on Twitter @72keys.

Joel Garfinkle of the Career Advancement Blog shares 9 New Leader Essentials – Get Up & Running Fast. “If you have stepped into a new position, your leadership role needs to be up & running quickly in order to succeed. Here are essential qualities that will guide you in your new role.” Helpful advice for anyone at any level. Find him on Twitter @workcoach4you.

John Hunter of the Curious Cat Management Improvement Blog says, “What is beneficial is a management system that demonstrates how the organization maximizes the ability of people to contribute to continually improving the success of the organization.” Continue reading about this in his article Steve Jobs On Quality, Business & Joseph Juran. Follow John on Twitter @curiouscat_com.

Jon Mertz of Thin Difference asks an interesting question in his post. “Do you prefer a tested or inspiring leader?” And his response: “A blend may be required. Whatever quadrant a leader falls within, the goal is to strengthen our leadership skills and prepare ourselves to lead in any situation.” Learn more by reading the full article Tested Leader Or Inspiring Leader: What Is the Right Blend. Follow him on Twitter @ThinDifference.

Julie Winkle Giulioni of JulieWinkleGiulioni.com has shared, How Well-Populated Is Your Pipeline. She proposes, “Perhaps it’s time to evaluate leaders by the most crucial output for which they’re responsible: the quality of their followers.” Now there’s some food for thought. Follow her on Twitter @Julie_WG.

Kathy Cramer of DrKathyCramer.com) offers, “In order to inspire, leaders must be self-confident and optimistic. Your own emotion is what will move and touch listeners. They will feel what you feel.” Don’t miss her article Get Them Excited! 4 Best Practices for Enrolling Others. Follow Kathy on Twitter @DrKathyCramer.

Lisa Kohn of The Thoughtful Leaders Blog, presents 5 Ways To Take Back Your Power. “Giving your power away is not a good feeling. But it’s a feeling you can work through and hopefully avoid for the future. Take back your power now.” Find Lisa on Twitter @ThoughtfulLdrs.

Mark Miller of Great Leaders Serve says, “Hope, and the ability to generate it, is a big part of what we do as leaders. But the truth is, at some point, we must deliver. Hope without progress is unsustainable. It actually fades rather quickly.” Learn more by reading his the full article One Word…Hope. Follow Mark on Twitter @LeadersServe.

Mary Ila Ward of The Point Blog shares The Key To Motivating Others: Make Them Want To Be Better By Buying Them Bloomers. Mary writes, “You motivate other through demonstrating the actions you want to see take place. Not because you are trying to manipulate them into action, but because you care. People are first. You demonstrate this and your results are multiplied because they, in turn, take on the People First mindset as their own, turning to more and more action.” Follow her on Twitter @maryilaward.

Mary Jo Asmus – Aspire-CS is Inspiring Team Vitality in her post. “Can you imagine what it would be like if there were more positivity and vitality in your team? What would you see people doing and how might it impact your business? What can you do to lead your team to be more vital and energetic?” Follow Mary Jo on Twitter @mjasmus.

Meg Bear of Meg Bear’s Leadership Blog has submitted her post, Get A Plan To Increase Your Confidence. “Studies are pointing to a confidence gap as a reason for a lack of equality for women in Senior Leadership. In this blog I attempt to provide practical suggestions on how to increase your confidence.” Find Meg on Twitter @megbear.

Michael Lee Stallard of MichaelLeeStallard.com) joins up with his post on 6 Needs To Thrive At Work. “Are you performing at the top of your game at work? Or are you struggling, losing interest, or so stressed that you’d just like to walk away?” I’m pretty sure we’ve all faced this situation as one time or another. Follow Michael on Twitter @michaelstallard.

Neal Burgis, Ph.D. Practical Solutions says, “In order to create breakthrough results, leaders and their organizations must use their critical thinking skills for questions that spark their innovation of thriving beyond where they are now.” Continue by Asking The Right Questions To Create Breakthrough Results. Find Neal on Twitter @exec_solutions.

Nick McCormick of Joe & Wanda On Management shares his post, The I’s Don’t Have It. “If we remember that it’s not all about us we’ll be good leaders and we may live longer.”

Paul LaRue of The UPwards Leader shares What Jail Taught Me About Leadership on The Lead Change Group blog. “Every person needs someone to believe in them. Whether at work, home, or in your community, we can make a positive impact. The hard toil and emotional commitment are small sacrifices compared to the benefit is makes in one’s life.” Follow Paul on Twitter @paul_larue.

Randy Conley of Leading With Trust points out that, “Just like computers, our approach to leadership can become bogged-down and less effective over time.” In this fun article, Randy shares how you can reboot your leadership style by using Ctrl+Alt+Delete – 3 Steps To Reboot Your Leadership Style. Find Randy on Twitter @RandyConley.

S. Chris Edmonds of Driving Results Through Culture describes how great bosses make it easy for teams and members to perform well and behave well in Clear The Path. As Chris says, “Don’t try to address all the hurdles – simply create a formal pathway to high performance and values alignment.” Follow Chris on Twitter @scedmonds.

Steve Roesler of All Things Workplace explains that, “We live in a time where saying yes seems like participative leadership. But saying no leads to real trust.” Read more about how to Build Trust By Saying No. Follow Steve on Twitter @steveroesler.

Susan Mazza of Random Acts Of Leadership says, “There are a lot of things we take for granted, including our skills. There are also those talents and abilities that we take for granted, over-relying upon their presence, and it might just be costing us our effectiveness.” Find out more by reading What Skills & Abilities Are You Over-Relying On? Find Susan on Twitter @susanmazza.

Wally Bock of the 360 Degree Feedback Blog) is letting the cat out of the bag in Leadership Development at GE: It’s No secret. “Leadership development is something General Electric is famous for. They’ve been growing great leaders for over a century. The secret is that there is no secret.” You won’t want to miss this post. Follow Wally on Twitter @wallybock.