Editor’s Choices for Week Ending Aug 10, 2012

Article of the Week
Stop Fighting Your Culture (HBR Blog Network)
Big Idea: Because deeply embedded cultures change slowly over time, working with and within the culture you have invariably is the best approach. The overall change effort will be far less jarring for all concerned. Simply put, rather than attacking the heart of your company, you will be making the most of its positive forces as your culture evolves in the right way.

Editor’s Choice Articles
Five Coaching Strengths that Produce Champions (HBR Blog Network)
Big Idea: Our experience suggests that as a manager/coach, you can help your employees live up to their promise by adapting the five Olympic coaching principles in the following ways.

Best Practices for Leading via Innovation (HBR Blog Network)
Big Idea: What do General Electric (GE), Procter & Gamble (P&G) and IBM have in common? All three companies nurture and energize talent, carving out the necessary resources to invest in recruiting, selecting and growing the people who will become their future leaders. Read about five practices that any company can adopt to create a culture of innovation.

Creative Leadership: Introspection (Forbes)
Big Idea: Doug Guthrie, Dean of George Washington University School of Business, shares his story and realization about the role introspection plays in leadership. He writes about how trust is built when you practice patience, you connect with people, and personally convince them that you care. For Guthrie, leadership isn’t gained by browbeating colleagues with a good strategy and economic success -  it can only be achieved when you believe in your people and respect their opinions and input.

How Leaders Build Trust (Fast Company)
Big Idea: “Trust me.” When’s the last time you actually believed those words on the job? If your answer is a long time ago, you’re not alone. In fact, many people instinctively recoil from those two words–especially when uttered by business leaders or professional colleagues. A sign of the times, perhaps, but there’s a ray of hope–good news, in fact, for leaders looking to make quick progress in building trust in their organizations.

The Olympics’ Greatest Feat: An Unpaid, Highly Engaged Workforce (HBR Blog Network)
Big Idea: When people interact with an enterprise, they don’t want to encounter mere role-players—no matter how skillful they might be in their roles. They want authenticity, a sense that people are personally invested in their work.