1. A well made slideshow describing why some people get stuck and advice on how to get unstuck.

2. Title says it all: 7 employees you should fire now.

3. Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has retired this week. Here are his 7 secrets for CEOs.

4. Don’t bore your employees. Keep it short and entertaining.

5. A few alternatives to PowerPoint worth looking into.

6. Interview gaffs you really shouldn’t be making.

7. 13 “timeless” lessons from David Ogilvy, the father of advertising. Copywriters, managers, and leaders can learn much from his observations.

8. A good review of Jonah Berger’s new book Contagious. Learn how to make your ideas contagious.

9. The hardest leadership lesson you’ll ever learn.

10. Lastly, are you a East Coast or West Coast type of leader? An interview with David Steinberg.

1. Do you talk about TV too much? Perhaps it’s time to curb your TV musings while in the office…or when hiring new employees.

2. Prospect magazine polled over 10,000 people to find out who the biggest intellectuals of 2013 were. Leaders should be familiar with the results.

3. The 6 types of bosses. Which are you?

5. A list of weird habits from literary greats. Leaders take note: there’s no need to be normal. Climb a tree naked or own a mongoose.

6. How will ‘Big Data‘ change your industry? Your leadership?

7. Perhaps being too busy is hurting your leadership ability. A good, thoughtful article.

8. Are you a good boss or an amazing one?

9. Make sure that you aren’t the roadblock to your own success. Here are 3 ways great leaders hold themselves back.

10. A detailed info-graphic explaining how to motive your employees.

A humorous bonus: The power of intuition…or is it guessing?

Without further ado, here are this week’s BEST leadership links:

1. Why engagement is so important, critical, and valuable to your organization.

2. Leaders take note: people are “drenched in anxiety.” Welcome to the age of nervousness.

3. A simple, effective way to delegate tasks better.

4. Watch this hour and a half lecture on how to be happy at work. You won’t be disappointed. [video]

5. Here are 8 things you shouldn’t do everyday to increase your productivity.

6. In a world of “top ten lists” it’s always a pleasure to see a more ambitious list: 51 ways you can become world class.

7. Word to the wise: don’t check your email before you go to bed if you want a decent night’s sleep.

8. Would open book management work for you?

9. Dysfunctional partnerships can work. Just look at Rodgers and Hart.

10. North Korean missile tests delayed because of Windows 8.

There is little we can add to the compelling, moving obituaries.

However, there is one Thatcher anecdote that I think leaders can make use of and learn from.

Paul Johnson writes a chapter on Margret Thatcher in his book, Heroes. He applauds Thatcher’s heroism and ability, but he says Thatcher had an “irritating habit of feeding you back your own ideas.”

He remembers that while she was PM he told her a clever phrase about the government’s roll within society.  Thatcher stopped him, took out a pen and notebook from her purse, and wrote the line down. Weeks later Johnson was watching Thatcher on the news and without missing a step Thatcher repeated Johnson’s phrase verbatim.

Johnson found this to be “annoying” and we can see why he feels slightly miffed by the whole ordeal. However, the anecdote teaches us a valuable lesson about Thatcher’s character and leadership style. She had a tremendous ability to listen and, more importantly, to learn. Though Johnson wasn’t happy with the phrase theft, he admits, “No one was ever keener on acquiring knowledge, and correcting her faults and deficiencies.”

Like Thatcher, leaders should carry around a notebook to record ideas and lesson. It helps leaders listen and learn key concepts. However, I’d recommend not repeating phrases word-for-word.