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 pieces by and about Sundar Pichai, Jeffrey Immelt, Bob Farrell, Rodney McMullen, and Christopher Lofgren.

From Brad Stone: Google’s Sundar Pichai: King of Android, Master of Mobile

“Ten years ago, the Indian-born Pichai, 42, was a product manager at Google, and his domain consisted of the search bar in the upper right corner of Web browsers. He then persuaded his bosses to wade into the browser wars with Chrome, which in time became the most popular browser on the Internet and led to the Chrome operating system that runs on a line of cheap laptops called Chromebooks.”

From the Economist: General Electric: A hard act to follow

“It has taken GE’s boss, Jeffrey Immelt, 13 years to escape the legacy of his predecessor, Jack Welch, and to steer the industrial colossus in a new direction.”

From Adam Bryant: Bob Farrell, C.E.O. of Kewill, on Collaboration

“This interview with Bob Farrell, chief executive of Kewill, a transportation software company, was conducted and condensed by Adam Bryant.”

From Alexander Coolidge: How Rodney McMullen took Kroger to the top

“At the Kroger Co., executives often learn the business from the ground up – starting as clerks or cashiers before getting the attention of middle or senior managers and ascending the corporate ladder. On Thursday, 36 years after he started as a stock boy, Rodney McMullen will be the face atop that ladder – presiding at his first annual meeting as the CEO of the $100 billion corporation.”

From Rick Romell: CEO of Schneider National Inc. talks success, industry, infrastructure

“On any given day, Christopher Lofgren oversees a complex business with thousands of moving parts that move, collectively, over millions of miles. Schneider National Inc. — the firm now does business simply as Schneider — is among the biggest companies in an intensely competitive sector of the U.S. economy.”