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 Domino’s, Spotify, Bojangles, Lily Robotics, and Chirrp

From Dale Buss: New Domino’s CEO Allison Will Face Challenges in Post-Doyle Era

“The incoming CEO of Domino’s has big shoes to fill and some examples of foundering peers to remind him that leadership in the quick-serve-food industry isn’t for the faint of heart. Richard ‘Ritch’ Allison will become CEO of Ann Arbor, Mich.-based Domino’s on July 1 in the wake of the just-announced departure of J. Patrick Doyle Jr. on June 30.”

From the Economist: Having rescued recorded music, Spotify may upend the industry again

“Its clout in streaming could allow it to sign new artists itself, challenging the major record labels.”

From Katherine Peralta: Bojangles’ is sputtering two-plus years after going public. What’s wrong?

“Investors salivated at the chicken-and-biscuits brand: Bojangles’ initial public offering raised around $147 million, with shares priced at $19. By the closing bell on the day of the IPO, the stock was up 25 percent. At the time, the company laid out a careful growth plan: Fill out its core in the Carolinas, then expand into adjacent markets. Some new areas that Bojangles’ has announced plans for include Washington, D.C., Cincinnati, Ohio; and Evansville, Ind. But more than two years later, things seem to have sputtered.”

From Jessica Pishko: The Drone Company That Fell to Earth

“Just a few months after this presentation, by January 2017, the headlines had changed. ‘Drone Startup Abruptly Shuts Down.’ ‘Is Lily Robotics the Theranos of the Drone World?’ Lily Drones was now ‘hyped,’ ‘collapsing,’ and ‘failed.’ Preorder customers bemoaned their losses on the internet. Those who hadn’t ordered gloated. In early 2017, the company declared bankruptcy and was sued by the San Francisco District Attorney’s office for false advertising based on claims that the promotional video—the same one that elicited applause less than a year ago—was fake. The DA’s office accused the founders of publicizing a product that they knew wasn’t possible to make in the timeframe advertised.”

From Nancy Dahlberg: Chatting with Chirrp: Miami company uses AI to engage with customers

“Chirrp is a conversational platform that harnesses the power of artificial intelligence to create engaging interactions with customers. Through Chirrp, companies can rapidly offer intelligent conversation that is engaging, personalized and targeted.”