I think that one of the best ways to learn leadership isn’t studying “leadership” at all. Instead, study individual leaders in their natural habitat and decide what they do that you want to try. Articles by and about leaders and interviews with them are mini-case studies that show you an actual leader in a real situation.

That’s why, every week, I bring you a selection of post about individual leaders. This week I’m pointing you to posts by and about Nathaniel Ru, Phil Libin, Gurbaksh Chahal, Tom Falk, and Lynn Good.

From Wharton: Sweetgreen’s Nathaniel Ru: ‘Everything You Do Should Last Longer Than You’

“During their senior year at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., Nathaniel Ru and some friends always had trouble finding healthy places to eat that were also ‘fun and easy.’ They wondered if the answer lay in a 560 square-foot tavern on M Street in the middle of the downtown area. It did. Six years later, the eatery they started in the space on M Street has become the 21-store farm-to-table style restaurant chain sweetgreen.”

From BBC News: BBC News – Evernote’s Phil Libin: The modest $1bn boss

“Phil Libin, a self-confessed nerd and geek, does not have the personality of a typical chief executive. For while most bosses of major companies have a hard-edged, go-getting confidence, the top man at US technology firm Evernote freely admits that he is ‘not particularly good’ at many facets of his job.”

From Chief Executive: Why It’s Better To Be The Best Rather Than The First

“So many entrepreneurs want to have first-mover advantage. You feel compelled to get your breakthrough product into the marketplace ahead of the competition. You want the bragging rights of being the first and, of course, you know that because you’re ahead of the pack you will easily establish a dominant position. Right? Except, it’s not that easy. Here, a San Francisco entrepreneur [Gurbaksh Chahal] shares lessons he learned the hard way.”

From Amy Gallo : The CEO of Kimberly-Clark on Building a Sustainable Company

“Companies across the globe are tackling some of the world’s greatest societal challenges — water scarcity, climate change, and even the rights of women and girls in the developing world. Tom Falk, the CEO of Kimberly-Clark Corporation since 2002, talks about how the paper company is taking on environmental issues and has been practicing sustainability for 140 years.”

From the Charlotte Observer: Duke Energy CEO, the “2013 BusinessWoman of the Year,” cites value of mentorship

“Duke Energy CEO Lynn Good spoke about the power of mentorship at a luncheon Friday, after accepting the 2013 BusinessWoman of the Year award from Queens University of Charlotte.”