Instead of studying leadership, why not spend some time studying leaders and strategies in the wild? You can learn a lot from leadership experts, but you always see the leader and what he or she does through the expert’s personal lens. Supplement that learning with studying real leaders in real life situations and draw your own conclusions. The posts in this series will help you.

Every week I’ll point you to articles by and about real leaders in real situations and to articles about how real companies are faring in the marketplace. Read them. Think about them. Draw your own lessons and conclusions from them. Then try to apply those lessons in your own real life.Watch Full Movie Online Streaming Online and Download

This week I’m pointing you to articles about Tien Tzuo, Sherman Avery, Multivac Inc., Uber, and Donna Shoff.

From Adam Bryant: Tien Tzuo of Zuora: ‘Don’t Expect Me to Manage You’

“If I have to do performance reviews with you, something’s wrong. We should be on the same page at all given times. We should have shared goals and shared accountability. And when the job is at a point where it’s gone beyond your capabilities, we’re both going to know, and we’ll work it out.”

From Josh Linkner: Barack O-Berry and John McCream saved soda business

Avery’s Beverages — a company founded in a red Connecticut barn more than 100 years ago — was struggling. When Sherman Avery started making handcrafted soda pop back in 1904, he wasn’t facing the crushing competitive pressure of industry giants like Coca-Cola and Pepsi. The root beer and ginger ale he made didn’t need a celebrity endorsement or a Super Bowl half-time sponsorship; customers loved it based on the simplicity of good old-fashioned cane sugar and natural flavoring.

From Robert A. Cronkleton: This fast-growing KC company helps put the bacon in your refrigerator

“You might not know the name Multivac Inc., but it’s likely the company has made its way into your kitchen. “There’s something that’s going to be produced and packed on a Multivac (machine) that’s going to be in your refrigerator,” said Jim Campbell, president and chief executive officer. Be it your ground beef, sliced cheese or bacon, there’s a good likelihood it was packaged on a Multivac machine. The growing Kansas City, North, company manufactures packaging machines that are used in the food, health and industrial goods industries.”

From Wharton: Growth vs. Profits: Uber’s Cash Burn Dilemma

“As global ride-hailing startup Uber heads toward a possible IPO this year, Wall Street’s eyes will be on its financials. Revenues have continued to grow quickly for the eight-year-old Silicon Valley company, but the bottom line isn’t pretty: Uber was on track to lose about $3 billion in 2016 on net revenue of $5.5 billion, according to Bloomberg News. That’s remarkable for a startup that has raised more than $11 billion with scant capital costs — it does not own a global fleet of cars or much of other hard assets. Uber itself is valued at more than $60 billion.”

From Chad Umble: H.L. Wiker president describes path to top job in family excavating business

“Without a college degree and not yet 30 years old, Shoff handled the basic office functions of the company whose name — H.L. Wiker & Sons — seemed to indicate her minor part in the business. But as the company grew, Shoff’s role grew with it, expanding beyond payroll and accounting to include budgeting, planning and strategic responsibilities.”

Thanks to Smartbrief on Leadership for pointing me to this story