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 Rich Morales, Sharon Vinderine, Stephen Badger, L.L. Bean, and Vineyard Vines.

From Rich Morales: Integrity as an Organizational Foundation

“Integrity is often viewed as an individual virtue. But it is also a key component to creating efficient, high-performing organizations. We talked with U.S. Army Colonel Rich Morales ’99 about the power and complexity of integrity. He described how it plays a key role for him when navigating nuanced situations—when facts, feelings, mission, and wishes all mix together in critical moments that call for the utmost discipline.”

From Patrick Gorman: PTPA CEO Sharon Vinderine On Managing Growth, Leveraging Tech

“Sharon Vinderine is founder and CEO of Parent Tested Parent Approved (PTPA) — a seal of approval program where parents consult on the best products for kids and families— and has worked with iconic brands including Johnson’s Baby, Gerber; Philips Avent, Hasbro, eBay and Microsoft. But starting the organization from the ground up was no easy task.”

From Cadie Thompson: The chairman of the company behind Snickers and M&Ms reveals what’s next for the chocolate giant

“Mars Inc, the maker of M&Ms, Snickers, and Milky Way, was once one of the most secretive companies in the United States. But that has started to change during the last few years.”

From Pam Danziger: L.L. Bean: Consumers React to Broken Promises

“Reputations matter in life and in business, which is why the Reputation Institute’s annual study of the most reputable companies is important. In this year’s U.S. RepTak 100 study ranking companies across seven dimensions that comprise a company’s reputation among consumers, a total of 39 new companies made the Top 100 list, reflecting a high level of churn. And conversely, 39 companies fell off the list. Among the companies that fell hardest in 2018 was L.L. Bean.”

From Dave Sutton: How Vineyard Vines Uses Analytics to Win Over Customers

“When brothers Shep and Ian Murray cut their ties with Corporate America to start a little company on Martha’s Vineyard in 1998, their motivation was clear: ‘We’re making neck ties so we don’t have to wear them.’ Little did they know that the business they founded, Vineyard Vines, would become a darling of the fashion industry and a household brand name around the country.”

For some ideas about how to get more from this series of posts, check out “Studying Leaders in the Wild.“