Leadership can often be a study in contrast. On one hand, you need the time and the distance to strategize on big ideas that move the organization forward. But, on the other hand, your team wants your personal mentorship and input on day-to-day activities.

How do you strike the right balance?  Harvard Business Review shares four strategies to protect your time while also letting your team know that you’re there for them.

One tactic to try is mentoring in hindsight by allowing employees to learn from their own success and failures and debrief with them later. “Try opening scheduled discussions with staff by saying, ‘What problems or challenges did you face this week, and how did you deal with them? … And how well did that work out for you?’” suggests Maura Thomas.

This may be difficult for some, but closing your “open door policy” will also help preserve some of your time. “Instead, reliably dedicate time on your calendar every week for each of your direct reports,” she says.

New Community Resource

Today we’re launching a database where you can explore 1300+ examples of successful brand communities and share your own efforts.https://t.co/FzTwPODKvt #cmgr #esn

— Richard Millington (@RichMillington) July 18, 2018

Do you ever wonder what’s going on in other online communities? Feverbee launched a new database that allows you to search 1,300-plus brand communities.

“Many people work in isolated silos with no ability to see what others like themselves are working on,” says the Feverbee site. “For the past 18 months, we’ve been gathering data, cleaning data, and working to find a way to display the best brand communities on the web.”

Other Links of Note

The right image can compel people to act. The Bloomerang blog shares four ways to make your group’s photography stand out.

Content marketing, with books. The tech-savvy payment processor Stripe opened its own book imprint, publishing books about technology and economics.

Do you over-rely on one person to come up with your group’s creative ideas? AdWeek shares ways to make your ideation process more efficient.

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