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.

This week I’m pointing you to articles about Kristen Campos, Jamie Candee, Howard Schultz, Wawa, and Steve Allan.

From David Grossman: Q&A with Mars Wrigley Confectionery Senior Director of Strategic Business Communications Kristen Campos

“Kristen Campos, Senior Director of Strategic Business Communications for Mars Wrigley Confectionery, has an undeniable superpower: she’s a master at navigating change. For that reason and several others, Kristen is definitely Someone to Know. The integration of the Mars Chocolate and Wrigley segments over the past year has brought a great deal of change to the organization, with more than 34,000 associates coming together under one global entity. Kristen has been at the center of the communications and strategy discussions for the newly formed business, and she has many insights into how communicators can best work with company leaders to carry forward a new strategic direction.”

From Patrick Gorman: Edmentum CEO Jamie Candee On The Importance Of Taking Risks

“Jamie Candee was named president and CEO of online learning program provider Edmentum last year, but she was no stranger to the company. Between 2005 and 2014 Candee held positions in nearly every department n the company, from human resources and product development to sales and marketing before joining Questar Assessment as its president and CEO in 2014.”

From Aakash Kumar: As Howard Schultz Retires, Will His Impact On Labor Be One Of His Core Legacies?

“Howard Schultz announced his retirement today as executive chairman of Starbucks, capping off a remarkable entrepreneurial journey building a tiny coffee-shop chain into one of the most recognized and loyally followed brands in the world. Schultz had joined the company in the early 1980s and purchased the chain in 1987, scaling it over the next three decades into the global coffee behemoth it is today with a footprint of 27,000+ stores and over 250,000 employees (or partners in Starbucks parlance).

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From Maria Aspan: How Wawa Became the Beloved $10 Billion King of Convenience Stores

“54 years old. $10 billion in revenue. This family-owned business is rapidly expanding–and ditching gas and cigarettes for kale salads and nerdy coffee.”

Thanks to Smartbrief on Leadership for pointing me to this story

From Karen Gilchrist: When I got my first leadership role at 30 I hid myself away for a month. Here’s why

“For most people, scoring a promotion is an opportunity to step forward and raise your profile. But for MediaCom Worldwide Chairman and CEO Steve Allan, bagging his first major leadership role was a chance to hide himself away — for a whole month.”

Thanks to Smartbrief on Leadership for pointing me to this story

For some ideas about how to get more from this series of posts, check out “Studying Leaders in the Wild.“