Kindling from the web:

Willpower Lost. One of the biggest—and most relied upon—ideas in psychology is about to be challenged. The catastrophic headline in Slate tells it all: Everything is crumbling. Recent research has been unable to replicate “ego depletion,” the concept that our willpower is finite and diminishes each time we use it. It may be a trying time for Dr. Roy Baumeister, whose research twenty years ago established this pillar of psychology. His decades of research and highly cited book, Willpower, (read my review) may suddenly be upturned. Talk about ego depletion.

Start-up killers. Before you jump-in to launch your own start-up, check out the Forbes list of the Top 20 Reasons Startups Fail. The infographic is suitable for taping to your wall as a daily reminder to be sure there’s a market, that you never run out of money, hire dolts, or lose to the competition. And, if that’s not enough, there’s 14 more such reminders.

Leaders on leadership.  An article in Harvard Business Review reports on the The Most Important Leadership Competencies, According to Leaders Around the World. A study of 195 leaders in 15 countries identified high ethical and moral standards as the top leadership competency to possess. Could it be that these leaders have seen this trait lacking in so many of their peers? Perfect reminder for an election year.

Latest personal kindling:

What it really takes to be a writer. This week on the podcast, Armin and I had the privilege to talk to mega-bestselling author Jerry B. Jenkins. This guy’s written 187 books, including 21 New York Times bestsellers, collectively selling over 70 million copies. Whew. Mind blown. Check out our interview, What it takes to be a writer.

“Vision without action is merely a dream. Action without vision just passes the time. Vision with action can change the world.”

— Joel Barker

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