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 Joanna McFarland, Gretchen Rosswurm, Hamid Hashemi, John Leahy, and Carol Evans.

From Erika Brown Ekiel: Pushing Past the Naysayers

“When the cofounder of a ride service for kids kept hearing no, she channeled her unbreakable grandma.”

From Gretchen Rosswurm: The Mentor Who Shaped Me

“Since I started my professional life, I’ve worked with leaders from whom I learned so much. Some might call them mentors, but the leaders I’m thinking of didn’t sit down with me formally to tell me how things work around the office or how to get ahead. These mentors were exceptional leaders and managers who set an example I wanted to follow. They took an interest in my career and helped me establish goals and go after big things because they believed in me – even when I didn’t think I was fully ready.”

Thanks to Smartbrief on Leadership for pointing me to this story

From Adam Bryant: Hamid Hashemi: A Good Entrepreneur Is Never Happy

“Hamid Hashemi, C.E.O. of iPic Entertainment, who immigrated from Iran with $700 in his pocket, says dissatisfaction with the status quo drives success.”

From Elliot Begoun: KIND president: Build a great culture and protect it

“I received a phone call from a reader and a friend. She had just accompanied John Leahy, president and chief operating officer of KIND Healthy Snacks, on a call with a key retailer. ‘You have to interview this guy,’ she said. ‘He has so much energy and personality.’”

From Mary Johnson: Working Mother magazine’s Carol Evans on the evolution of the working mom

“Evans — herself a working mother her entire career; her kids are now 28 and 26 — was part of the launch of Working Mother magazine back in 1978, and she’s seen the publication through a time of tremendous transformation for working moms.”