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 Nicola D’Elia, Carolyn Everson, Paul Polman, Neil Grimmer, and Lisa Gersh.

From Judge Business School: At home abroad: in tourism, there’s a big world beyond hotels

“Most tourists around the world, says Nicola D’Elia (Cambridge MBA 2009), tend to visit the same cities or districts because that’s where most hotels are located. And that means there’s a huge area that’s relatively untapped, and just ripe for a new type of accommodation. As general manager for Africa and the Middle East for online accommodation service Airbnb, which matches visitors with people seeking to rent out their homes, Nicola sees huge potential for smaller cities and rural areas to welcome tourists – helping the visitor, the host and the local community.”

From Deborah Bothun and Emmanuelle Rivet: Facebook’s Carolyn Everson on Connecting at Scale

“The company’s top marketing executive describes the social network’s ambitious efforts to forge enduring and meaningful relationships — with employees, industry partners, and everyone on Earth.”

From Bill Snyder: Unilever CEO: Refocus Your Ambitions

“Paul Polman explains why the CEO role can be a ‘stupid ambition.'”

From Fortune: Team Building Tips for Leaders in Business

“The Entrepreneur Insiders network is an online community where the most thoughtful and influential people in America’s startup scene contribute answers to timely questions about entrepreneurship and careers. Today’s answer to the question ‘How do you build a strong team?’ is written by Neil Grimmer, co-founder and chairman of Plum Organics.”

From Adam Bryant: Lisa Gersh of Goop: Treat Meetings Like Improv Sessions

“I was a pretty entrepreneurial kid. I always had a job in high school. I got a job at the Foodtown grocery store, and because it was unionized, I got time and a half on holidays and double time on Sundays. The work could be really boring, so I figured out how to make it more challenging. I memorized all the prices in the store. I was the human scanner. It almost became like a circus show. People would come in my lane just to watch me do it.”