I am browsing my blog today. I have been blogging about leadership and motivation since June 2008. I decided to look back to find the old dusty posts that’s all forgotten. I am walking down memory lane shining light into the darkest places of my blog. Looking back at these old posts is refreshing my memory. I hope you will enjoy this day at the museum as much as I did today. I found five blog posts with a lot of dust on them.

Lift the Spirit

I was for sure experiencing a great time at work in June 2008, I can still remember the day I wrote this blog post, I was so happy that the mood was so good. It was summer, it was fun.
http://www.nevermindthemanager.com/2008/06/lift-the-spirit/

The True Motivation

I love this blog post about motivation, I have referred to these homemade graphics many times, and I use them all the time at work. You will find a good way to add value at work by following these instructions.
http://www.nevermindthemanager.com/2008/06/the-true-motivation/

Vision By Memo

This blog is about receiving the vision statements from the CEO by memo. A vision for the company should start at the floor and move up the ranks. Unfortunately most companies round up their leaders and send them to Vision Boot Camp to find directions, not asking the locals about direction to the cabin. The locals equal the people on the floor.
http://www.nevermindthemanager.com/2008/07/vision-by-memo/

I Offer You 22.000 dollars…

Ok, I was probably in a bad mood when writing this criticism of my local grocery store. I am very focused on customer care and this bite when I am the customer. Read this about the consequences of bad customer support.
http://www.nevermindthemanager.com/2008/07/i-offer-you-22000-dollars-in-value-if-you-open-the-door-for-me/

Do You Know the Cost of Employee Turnover

In August 2008 I wrote about employee Turnover Costs. This is a topic that is still very close to my heart. It is expensive to have a high turnover among employees. There is also a link here to turnover calculators.
http://www.nevermindthemanager.com/2008/08/do-you-know-the-cost-of-employee-turnover/

I will stop at five blog posts for now. The dust is making me sneeze. It is easy to see that my blog have had progress over the past few years as the headliner now have more readers in a few days than these all have together. I hope you will have fun reading, and I think you are awesome! Remember to subscribe to my blog

Motivation is within, and being able to motivate other is impossible. You can find inspiration in others, but you must be able to find motivation by yourself.

According to Wikipedia:
Motivation is the internal condition that activates behavior and gives it direction; energizes and directs goal-oriented behavior.

Motivation is a very interesting subject so the 5 Gems I have chosen today is all about motivation. I hope you might find some inspiration in them.

What if you visit TheHappyself.com today?
This is an amusing and surprisingly thought-provoking list of what ifs. Dayne’s blog is also worth exploring and his search for happiness might inspire others as well. The first gem of the day is What If…

I am always inspired and amazed by creative people, and Arswino Sonata’s 85 ways to motivate yourself. I just love to read this post one line at the time, and taste each line. And I am amazed that someone can make such a list. Great job Arswino Sonata.

Flip the coin again.
I just love this post. I have made big decisions in my life based on the flip of a coin; I once turned down a great job because the coin said I should stay put. I did not take the new job, and got my first ever promotion weeks later. Maybe I would have a great life if I decided to take the job, but I am happy with the results so far, so why bother. This is truly one great gem today. Raghav’s blog is a truly fresh blog as well with just a few visitors and just a few articles. And I am already looking forward to read more.
You do not need to flip a coin to read this great blog post.

Are you getting in your own way?
This question is amazing. It could have been one single blog post with just this question and that’s it! It gets you thinking. Unfortunately this blog is not frequently updated, but this single blog post is amazing. Just think of any challenge you might face and ask, are you getting in your own way! If this blog updates seldom but with this quality I will still follow.

So this brings us to the fifth gem about motivation, and what is more perfect then ending it with twist: Why Motivation doesn’t really matter. I like this article, and it is something that I find myself agreeing on maybe motivation is more drive and energy, and if it’s gone, you might be doing something wrong?

I tried to mend a set of rules for my five gems. I wanted to find 5 unknown blogs with high quality, but I found it hard to find five such blogs. Those I found was not great, or they were quite frequently visited or I could not find them at all, probably because they would not just appear in search engines. So I need to do a twist to my gems, and try to find blogs according to a predefined topic. Today I started with motivation. And it was much easier to find good juice when squeezing this orange.

I hope you will enjoy these five gems as much as I did. Please do e-mail me or give me a tweet if you find a gem I should know about.

I love reading other blogs, and I do love it when I find a blog that I manage to spend some time at. I do actively seek out blogs I have never read before, as there is a lot of good stuff I do not know about out there. I suggest that you also try to spend an evening trying to find yourself a new blog now and then. Well I have collected some new posts that I want to share with you today. Ok, I have one of these blogs in my RSS reader from before, but four out of five is brand new to me. I hope you enjoy these blog post from other hard working bloggers.

Ian’s Messy Desk
A messy desk is a sign of a good leader, not getting caught up in trivial tasks such as cleaning. I have never seen Ian McKenzie’s blog before and I like it. I found many great articles in his archives. His blog is now in my RSS reader, and I am looking forward to reading more of his great content. I know I have never heard of this Canadian blogger before, but he have more then 3000 readers, maybe many of you have read his blog before. His latest post is about asking the right questions in order to solve a conflict.

Management Craft
I have a strong feeling that I have seen this blog before, but I can’t quite pin it. So it is on the list this time. This blog is written by Lisa Haneberg. According to Alexa Page Rank this site have to little visitors in my opinion. Great content, and it fill one of my requirements, I feel the need to learn at least one thing while spending my time at the blog. And I do at Lisa’s Management Craft. I did like her 10 ways to handle complaints But I recommend you to read more of her archived posts as well. Lisa, your blog is now enlisted in my RSS reader.

Noel Bellen
This was a fresh breath of air to me. This Belgian blogger is writing mostly about marketing and sales, not as much about leadership and management, but hey, as a leader you should know more than just leading and drinking coffee. I did enjoy his post about achieving your sales goals. So to become a better sales person, read his blog. Tip, do also check out some of his other recent blog posts and you will find some creative ways to use a printer. Noel, your blog also made it to my RSS list this week.

Knowledge Jolt with Jack
For some strange reason I thought Jack’s last name was Bolt… But no, Jack Vinson is his name. I did enjoy his post about a very short but difficult word, no. I found more interesting stuff on his blog, luring me to return to his blog and read more later on. Jack, I am a new subscriber and a returning reader.

The Practice of Leadership
This is the one blog already in my RSS reader, but George Amblers blog deserves it’s spot among today’s five gems because of a fish bowl. This blog post is a good reminder to people in leading positions. Leaders Live in a Fish Bowl read on and I hope you enjoy these five gems.

So this was my five gems of the week. If you know of any new blogs or a blog with few readers/visitors, but with great content? Give me a heads up!

I have spent the last few days reading a lot of blogs, and I want to share some of my recently discovered gems. There are an unknown numbers of blogs out there, and I discover new great blogs all the time. I have selected five blog posts that I really enjoyed reading this week; they are all “fresh” and recently posted by their authors. Today I want to share what I have found with you.

Gina Abudi
I just found Ginas Blog. And found a lot of interesting reading here. Gina Abudi is the Vice President, Strategic Initiatives, for the Boston University Corporate Education Center. And her blog is a breath of fresh air. I would like you to read: “Make the training stick” – Two thumbs up.

When the heat is on
It is summer and we all know how the heat can make us slow. Here are some ice cold tips to enjoy while eating your well deserved ice cream. Read How to stay cool by Tara Craig

Delegation for Growth
Delegating is a great tool for success. This blog post from Malcolm O. Munro gives you a hand on solution on how to handle employees that do not like that you delegate tasks to them. Read Malcolm’s words on delegation here.

What leaders focus on
I found this article on the leadership coach blog. It is a great reminder about focus. Well worth reading.

Positive Leadership
Finally I would like to recommend this great article from Dr. N. Elizabeth Fried. It is a good article, providing a problem and a solution.

“Conflict can lead to opportunity. Conflict that is managed effectively can lead to growth for individuals and teams. Organizations that have a culture of handling conflicts in a positive manner often reap the benefits.”
Read her Leadership Lesson: Leading Positively

Hope you all enjoy these few recommendations.

Are you a blogger? I would like to challenge you to find five gems to share with your readers. I would recommend that you try to find five (for you) new blogs, and challenge your own readers to do the same; maybe we will be able to find great blogs that deserve some light. And it is a great way to find new great content on the web. You have been challenged!