If you have ever been a part of a fully engaged team, one that works in synch with each other and the purpose of the company, you know what a great feeling it is.

Starting the week off on a positive note is something everyone, in any role, wants to do. It doesn’t have to be a dream or a mirage; it can be a reality for you each week.

Do you aspire to have a well connected, highly functioning team around you? There are some core components of leadership that are necessary to achieve those desired outcomes. Listening is one of the foundational blocks for long-term successful leadership.

Do you remember when you were a toddler and your favorite question was why? Maybe fresher in your memory is *your* toddler asking *you* why a seemingly endless number of times. Children do this because they are curious, and they really do want to understand more.

If you are looking for a simple to use tool that can help organize almost any information across all of your different devices, then Trello may be for you. This web-based application is highly versatile and works well on every device. Since it is web-based, it does not matter whether you are a Mac or PC user.

Do you share your best ideas, or do you wait to see how they work out first? Perhaps you hold on to your ideas to ensure you have a bit of an advantage over your peers.

One Friday each month I dedicate the post to looking at some questions I have heard recently from developing leaders. Sharing those questions and my thoughts for them is a way for me to spread the information to as many leaders and future leaders as possible.

John Maxwell said, ‘Leadership *is* influence’. He explains that leadership is a verb and not a noun. It is not a position, rather the act of leading to grow and develop others. If you cannot influence others the ability to lead them will be lost.

Understanding why influence is important may seem obvious: you want other people to think or act as you do. But becoming an influential leader is much more than getting people to do what you want.

Leadership is influence. Influence is leadership. This is a conundrum that we all face when thinking about what influence is and what it means. Do you need to have influence to be a leader?