Yesterday, I wrote that Presentation Zen is one of two blogs that I presently enjoy reading.  The other is named Leading Blog - Building A Community of Leaders.  Keep in mind that my taste in business blogs is constantly evolving.

While Presentation Zen inspires the unleashed creativity within, Leading Blog offers grounded advice on relating to others.  Michael McKinney constructs a lofty monument to the importance of teamwork by convincing readers to elevate their own games and to bring others along for the mutual benefit of all. 

The drive to improve personally coupled with a clear and defined goal of inspiring others is the undercurrent of stellar performance in business ... and in every aspect of life.  It's clearly the foundation upon which the Active Rain community has been built.

In a recent post titled Are You Mature?, McKinney presents the following list of characteristics of mature decision makers:

• They are able to keep long-term commitments.
• They are unshaken by flattery or criticism.
• The possess a spirit of humility.
• Their decisions are based on character not feelings.
• They express gratitude consistently.
• They prioritize others before themselves.
• They seek wisdom before acting.

Get my point?  It's good stuff.  I've only shared bullet-points, but in the actual post, the information is presented extremely well with a great deal of insight and direction.

Here's an excerpt from Leading Blog that really spoke to me:

"When we find ourselves merely trying to survive the pressures created by limited time, money, and people resources, we tend to take as much as we can. This survival mentality eventually isolates us from a community that could otherwise provide us with everything we want."

I'm sometimes guilty of gathering as much as possible in the now, instead of taking only that which is truly needed to sustain.  The survival mentality is possibly core to the human condition, but nevertheless contrary to functioning within a community like Active Rain.  The key is to give more than you take and to take only that which you need. 

Communities, in a physical sense, have provided for the needs of man since the dawn of humanity. 

Virtual communities have the potential of nourishing the human drive to excel, in a personal sense, while motivating others to soar to heights that were once unthinkable. 

The ability to unlock the potential within ourselves, and within others, is the benchmark of leadership.

See: My new favorite blog.