Weekends are time when things slow down a little. Your weekend shouldn’t be two more regular work days. That’s a sure road to burnout. Take time to refresh yourself. Take time for something different. Take time for some of that reading you can’t find time for during the week.

Here are choice articles on hot leadership topics culled from the business schools, the business press and major consulting firms. This week there are articles about becoming a more effective leader.

From Ed Batista: Don’t Wait

“A CEO asked me about the most common mistakes made by my clients, most of whom are also CEOs. I had to consider how my clients would answer that question, and I think the overarching theme would be: They waited too long.”

From Bill Barnett: The Secret

“I run into the myth of the special secret often because I am a teacher and parent. Children and executives often come to me in their search for one or another special secret, wanting to skip a rope, design a product, write an essay, throw a ball, run a company, or what have you. I remember when my son Willie wanted to be able to ride a bike. I removed his ’raining wheels’ and there he was standing out in the street, superhero flames on his helmet, two-wheeled bike in hand, waiting for me to tell him the special secret that all bike riders know.”

From Shane Parrish: Making the Most of Second Chances

“We all get lucky. Once in a while we do something really stupid that could have resulted in death, but didn’t. Just the other day, I saw someone who was texting walk out into oncoming traffic, narrowly avoiding the car whose driver slammed on the brakes. As the adrenaline starts to dissipate, we realize that we don’t ever want to be in that situation again. What can we do? We can make the most of our second chances by building margins of safety into our lives.”

From Patrick Litré, David Michels, Sebastian Walter and Melissa Burke: Soul Searching: True Transformations Start Within

“Going around the table, each member of the executive committee agreed that the firm’s plan to transform its multibillion-dollar retail business was ready to roll. It was make or break, and the organization’s people would determine the difference. The leadership team members thought they knew about the risks that could derail change. ‘We’ve got it covered,’ affirmed the chief transformation officer. But embedded in the work plans was a disaster waiting to happen: The bulk of the investments and resources were set up to manage things like costs, competitor moves and supplier relationships—the outside forces that can’t be overlooked, but also can’t compensate for winning the all-important inside game. Missing was a strong commitment to managing internal execution risks. That meant another transformation would fall short.”

From John T. Williams: How To Lead: One Longtime CEO’s Letter To His Children

“After 50 years leading in three different industries (newspapers, broadcasting and manufacturing) John T. Williams, CEO of Hagerstown, MD-based Jamison Door Company, decided to write down what he’d learned from his experiences to help his adult children make their way in business—and the world.”

Book Suggestions

The CEO Next Door: The 4 Behaviors that Transform Ordinary People into World-Class Leaders by Elena L. Botelho and Kim R. Powell

The 4 Disciplines of Execution: Achieving Your Wildly Important Goals by Chris McChesney and Sean Covey

Succeed: How We Can Reach Our Goals by Heidi Grant Halvorson

Peak Performance: Elevate Your Game, Avoid Burnout, and Thrive with the New Science of Success by Brad Stulberg and Steve Magness

Barking Up the Wrong Tree: The Surprising Science Behind Why Everything You Know About Success Is (Mostly) Wrong by Eric Barker

Every week I share some recommendations of business books that I think are worth a look. Follow this link to the most recent list.

Every Monday, I do a blog post about business reading and business books. Follow this link to the most recent post.