Below I’ve compiled the top 10 posts of 2017. You can also view the Top 10 list from past years.

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How Leaders Learn to Lead

How do people learn to become great leaders? The answer may surprise you.

Stress Test Your Leadership

If your leadership role is stressing you out, this is probably a good place to start. Better yet, use these tips to limit the amount of stress you let in.

5 Ways to Take the Pain Out of Giving Feedback

Giving feedback might put a knot in your stomach, but it’s one of your most important responsibilities as a leader.

Dealing in Hope

“It’s the size of your hope that will determine how far you will go in life.” – John Johnson. Grow your hope, grow your effectiveness.

12 Crucial Questions to Better Decision-Making

Decision-making is a mental muscle. The more you use it, the stronger it gets.

When to Coach… and When Not To

Sometimes coaching can make all the difference. Other times it’s counter-productive. Here’s how to tell.

Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word

Apologizing is never easy. It’s also the key to new levels of effectiveness, both for you and your organization.

Simplify or Petrify

In an increasingly complex environment, simplicity is becoming an art form. The easier it is to follow you, the more people will.

Leading Older Employees with Confidence

Do you care, can I trust you and can you get the job done? Age aside, that’s what team members really want to know.

The Person on the Other End of Your Leadership

Leadership causes a ripple effect – or in some cases a tidal wave. How are the people in your wake?

Nathan Magnuson is a leadership consultant, coach, trainer and thought leader. Receive his ebook Trusted Leadership Advisor by subscribing to his website or follow him on Twitter.

Below I’ve compiled the top 10 posts of 2016. You can also view the Top 10 list from past years here. And don’t forget to download my free ebook Trusted Leadership Advisor if you’re looking for a good place to start.

Becoming a Coaching Leader

Coaching sounds so easy but is somehow so elusive to concretely learn and practice. Get the rundown here: quick, easy and concise.

12 Ways to Make Your Teammates Look Good

Somewhere along the way, being a great teammate fell off most people’s professional priority list. Newsflash: teamwork is the next great competitive advantage.

Get More Initiative From Your People

Not all employees are equal – they don’t have equal experience, talent or motivation. Regardless, here’s what you can do to raise the bar.

Be Known Positively

You can’t give yourself credibility – only other people can. If they think negatively about you, it’s already over.

12 Books That Shaped My Leadership

People keep asking me for my book recommendations. I love to share them so much that I wrote this post to make it even easier.

How to Host a Positive Generational Conversation

You’ve probably noticed that different generations think and behave differently at work. Don’t fall in the group that sweeps it all under the rug. Have a strong, productive discussion.

5 Phrases Successful Leaders Use

In a very real sense, leaders speak their own common language. Here is a preview.

How to Be a Good Dictator (or Not)

If dictators can lead sweeping change for decades, what’s the excuse for those more altruistic leaders? Here are a few lessons we can learn.

What it Really Means to “Empower” Your People

You are only as good as your team. When they win, you win. Here’s how to win (and it’s not as easy as it looks).

The Best Leadership Education You Can Get for Free

You do not need to get an advanced degree or attend an expensive seminar to learn to be a leader. Here are 8 shortcuts.

Nathan Magnuson is a leadership consultant, coach, trainer and thought leader.  Receive his ebook Trusted Leadership Advisor by subscribing to his website or follow him on Twitter.

Below I’ve compiled the top 10 posts of 2015. You can also view the Top 10 list from past years here. And don’t forget to download my ebook Trusted Leadership Advisor for free if you’re looking for a good place to start.

How to Influence When You’re Not in Charge

John Maxwell said, “Leadership is influence – nothing more, nothing less.” Here’s how to lead when you don’t have authority.

9 Reasons Your Leadership Development Program is Failing

Just because you have a leadership program doesn’t mean it’s working. Here’s how to make sure.

Put Fear in Its Place

If you’re not experiencing some kind of anxiety as a leader, what you’re doing may lack significance. Learn to dance with the fear that comes your way.

Get a Handle on Your Millenial Employees

If you’re going to lead Millenials, it’s best to be able to understand and relate with them.

Be a Millenial Who Shines at Work

As a Millenial, you can stand out in a positive way. Here’s how.

Do You Have a Royal Culture?

The Kansas City Royals’ World Series championship was preceded by a major organizational culture overhaul that was years in the making.

What Should I Get Mentoring For?

Don’t be the mentee who shows up without a clue (or a plan). Here are some good ideas to make the most of the partnership.

Organizational Problem-Solving Made Simple

Every leader is expected to solve organizational problems, but many lack a blueprint. Try this one.

Thank God for Bosses!

When you stop to think about it, having a boss is one of the biggest organizational blessings.

Handling Unexpected Setbacks Like a Winner

When things don’t go according to plan, that’s life. Here’s how to bounce back.

Nathan Magnuson is a leadership consultant, coach, trainer and thought leader.  Receive his new ebook Trusted Leadership Advisor by subscribing to his website  or follow him on Twitter.

Here are the top 10 posts from 2014. And incidentally, you can also see the top 10 posts from every other year as well. See you in 2015!

How to Tell Who the Real Leader Is

I used to think you could tell the real leaders by their charisma, looks and ability to maintain a high profile. Now I know what to look for.

Where Credibility Comes From

You can’t give yourself credibility. It can only be given to you by others. Here’s how to get it.

What Coaching Leaders Do Differently

People throw around the term “coaching” like it’s the flavor of the week. But true coaching is a set of skills.

How to Bounce Back from Adversity

Everyone gets knocked down. You only lose if you stay down. Here’s how to get back up.

Catch People Doing Something Right

Do people behave a certain way because of you or in spite of you? If you change your perspective, you can change what you reinforce.

The Fear of the Finger

No one wants to be the one left holding the bag. Not everyone can muster up the courage it takes to lead. Can you?

What Young People Need to Hear About Leadership

The next generation won’t wait. Here’s what we need to tell them.

Leadership Myth: You Need a Title to Be a Leader

If you can’t lead without authority, you’ll never be able to lead with authority.

How to Respond to a Mistake

Mistakes can be painful. They can also provide an opportunity for growth that we’d otherwise miss.

How to Get Great Feedback

Feedback is important. Good feedback is crucial. But we can’t use it if we don’t get any.

Nathan Magnuson is a leadership consultant, coach, trainer and thought leader.  Receive his ebook Trusted Leadership Advisor by subscribing to his website or   follow him on Twitter.

Here are the top 10 posts from 2013.

What a Leadership Coach Won’t Do For You

If a leadership coach won’t solve your problems or tell you what you should do, what’s the point in having one? Read more to find out!

Who Cares About Your Strengths?

If you care about your own strengths, do something 8 million other leaders have done – take Gallup’s StrengthsFinder 2.0 assessment.

What People Want: 8 Things Money Can’t Buy

We all know that some things are priceless. But what are they exactly? Learn the 8 things Zig Ziglar identified that ALL people want.

What a Rock Star Taught Me About Perseverance

Whether you want to be a rock star, a better leader, or simply more successful, you’re getting nowhere without perseverance. This article was picked up by the Ziglar Newsletter and Personal Excellence Magazine.

What the Communist Party Got Right About Leadership

You probably already know what you think about Communism. What you may not know are the impressive leadership methods they used.

It Doesn’t Matter How Much You Care

Someone has a problem. You have a solution. You care. They don’t. So what do you do? Don’t be a hero. Take these 3 suggestions instead.

But What If I Can’t Delegate?

Just when we think we have delegation down, things fall apart. Isn’t there a way to manage a project without micro managing each person?

3 Simple Ways to Determine Hiring Fit

When was the last time you hired a new person to join your team? Did you find the right person? If not, use these questions next time.

Mentoring 101

Unless you know everything about everything, it might be a good idea to spend time with a mentor. Mentors help us go further faster.

The Main Reasons Strategic Planning Fails

If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. So why doesn’t everyone have a strategic plan? Here are the reasons many strategic plans fail.

Nathan Magnuson is a leadership consultant, coach, trainer and thought leader.  Receive his new ebook Trusted Leadership Advisor by subscribing to his website  or follow him on Twitter.

New Employee Onboarding: The Honeymoon Phase

Apparently many folks have either been starting new jobs or preparing for new employees to join them because this post quickly became the most viewed post on the site.

Favorite Books on Leadership

Who doesn’t love a good book list? This post continues to get new visitors nearly every day. Each book includes an outgoing link to check it out on Amazon.

Three Keys to Sustaining Culture Change

I had so much fun working on this that I had to write about it.

What’s the Big Deal About Employee Engagement?

I still believe that if you give employees what they want most, they’ll give you everything they have in return. Here are some tips on how to do that.

The Cost of Unclear Expectations

This was the very first post of this site – a short idea, but one I have been committed to for quite some time.

The Felix Baumgartner Guide to Living on the Edge

Did you get to see Fearless Felix’ dive from 128,000 feet in October? If not, relive both the event and the life-lessons.

Resilience and the Pan Am Flight 73 Hijacking

Tragedy impacts every leader at some level over the course of a lifetime. From the words of the psychologists to the survivors of the PanAm flight 73 hijacking, “you have the power to overcome.”

How to Complete an Individual Development Plan

Corporate America is investing more and more money and effort into official individual development planning programs. Here are the IDP basics.

The Courage to Lead

This post highlights the leadership lessons I’ve learned about courage both in the military and consulting national security and intelligence agencies. Courage isn’t for the special few, it’s for everyone. We need courage now more than ever.

The Three Leadership Questions I Always Ask

Where do you start when you get into a leadership conversation? This is what I do.

Nathan Magnuson is a leadership consultant, coach, trainer and thought leader.  Receive his ebook Trusted Leadership Advisor by subscribing to his website or   follow him on Twitter.