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 Bob Sutton, Phil Knight, Edith Harmon, Ray Dalio, and three companies who failed to adapt.

From Shana Lynch: Work With a Jerk? Here’s How To Survive

“A professor shows how to recognize (and deal with) toxic people.”

Check out: The Asshole Survival Guide: How to Deal with People Who Treat You Like Dirt by Robert I. Sutton

From Jenny Luna: Philip Knight: “For an Entrepreneur, Every Day Is a Crisis”

“The co-founder of Nike discusses the business challenge that almost sank his company, and the charitable causes that make a difference.”

Check out: Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike by Phil Knight

From Vladimir Lukic: How New Balance Is Bringing Industry 4.0 to Shoemaking

“Edith Harmon, New Balance’s vice president of manufacturing innovation, explained how the company is deploying digitally enabled technologies, as well as what the current limits of those technologies are in shoe manufacturing, in an interview with BCG partner Vladimir Lukic and senior writer Pete Engardio. Prior to joining New Balance in 1991, Harmon worked with the General Electric Aircraft Engine Group. She has held a number of R&D and production innovation roles at New Balance and currently leads the company’s efforts to introduce the digital factory.”

From Alexandra Stevenson and Matthew Glodstein: Bridgewater’s Ray Dalio Spreads His Gospel of ‘Radical Transparency’

“Mr. Dalio has created an unusual and confrontational workplace at Bridgewater Associates, the world’s largest hedge fund firm. With a new book, he hopes to inject his ideas into the mainstream.”

Check out: Principles: Life and Work by Ray Dalio

From Rick Lepsinger: 3 Companies That Failed to Adapt, And Where They Went Wrong

“Even the most well-known companies made short-sighted decisions. Don’t make these same mistakes—learn from them.”