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 Fran Horowitz, Niki Leondakis, Marc Benioff, Judy Marks, and Gerald A. Dupre.

From Regan Walsh: A&F Co. CEO: Do Good And Find Balance

“Fast-forward to today, and with Horowitz at the helm, A&F has made an astonishing turnaround. The thoughtfully orchestrated about-face (shares are up more than 40% since the start of the year) completed what Horowitz calls ‘phase one’ of the journey.”

From Adam Bryant: Equinox CEO: Men used to ignore me in meetings—here’s the trick I use to get their attention

“Equinox CEO Niki Leondakis recalled the interaction from a meeting she attended about a decade ago. Even though she was the leader, she noticed the men in the room weren’t making eye contact with her, and they were talking to her male subordinates instead of her.”

From David Gelles: Marc Benioff of Salesforce: ‘Are We Not All Connected?’

“A billionaire tech mogul with a spiritual side, Mr. Benioff riffs on his early days at Apple and Oracle, and what’s wrong with Facebook.”

From Patrick Gorman: Otis Elevator’s Judy Marks Talks Leadership, The Future Of Manufacturing

“As president of the world’s largest elevator company, Otis Elevator Co.’s Judy Marks knows that standing pat isn’t an option in a world where technology shaping the future in all sectors of business—especially for an industry leader. In the year ahead, Marks told Chief Executive that Otis will continue to drive change through new technologies, including IoT and artificial intelligence solutions such as Otis ONE, the company’s connected elevator platform that personalizes the service experience through real-time, transparent information sharing, proactive communication tools and predictive maintenance insights.”

From Charlene Oldham: Gerald A. Dupre Explains Hallmark’s Innovative Approaches to Insurance

“Gerald A. Dupre explains how building a diverse team helps Hallmark Financial Services achieve the perfect mix of art and science that is crucial for innovative insurance underwriting”

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