• The CEO who started in a gang
  ViSalus Sciences CEO Ryan Blair is an ex-gang member who spent time in jail before finding his feet in the business world -- and he says the experience has made him a better boss. Among the lessons he learned: Don't let people take small liberties with you, or they'll decide you're a pushover. "The same thing goes on in business. ... You have to stand up for yourself and your principles," he says. Bloomberg Businessweek (11/30)      

• Turn off your computer and go talk to someone
  Bosses need to get out from behind their computer screens and have face-to-face conversations with employees, says Sandra Kurtzig, CEO and chairwoman of Kenandy. This sets an example for younger workers that there's more to life than e-mail. "You need to interact with people and not just your computers," Kurtzig says. The New York Times (tiered subscription model) (12/1)      

• Let's party -- but not too hard, CEOs say
  Nine out of 10 companies plan to throw a holiday party this year, the most since the recession hit and up from less than 75% last year, according to a Battalia Winston survey. Still, many parties will be low-key, low-budget affairs, with almost half held at lunchtime rather than in the evening. "You can't be Scrooge forever," says Battalia Winston CEO Dale Winston. "It's not that business is booming; it's just that [firms] don't want to keep skimming everything down." The Wall Street Journal/At Work blog (11/30)      

• The 142-year-old startup
  After selling Airborne, entrepreneur Victoria Knight-McDowell decided to buy Pine Brothers -- a venerable 142-year-old throat-drop brand that had largely atrophied. She used her experience running a startup to revitalize and grow the brand, which is now distributed through CVS, Walgreens and other major retailers. Harvard Business Review online/HBR Blog Network (11/30)      

• Why every company needs a boss of innovation
  To create a culture of innovation, start by creating an innovation infrastructure, advises Rowan Gibson. Appoint an "innovation czar" to oversee your company's creativity, along with part-time "innovation mentors" and full-time "innovation consultants" to coach and support future innovators. InnovationExcellence.com (12/1)      

Top five news stories selected by SmartBrief on Leadership readers in the past week.

• Burger joints' obscene branding could backfire, experts say (Bloomberg Businessweek)

• Relationship-management tips for new executives (SmartBrief/SmartBlog on Leadership)

• How to build an indestructible brand (Fast Company online)

• Column: "Ruthless" leak leaves Groupon in an impossible situation (Business Insider)

• How leaders can overcome their fears (Aspire-CS.com)

• Results based on number of times each story was clicked by readers.

• "Avon ladies" model helps developing-world retailers
  Developing-world retailers are embracing the "Avon ladies" business model, with female entrepreneurs employing door-to-door saleswomen to hawk products including soap, medicine and solar lamps. "By having people at their doorstep from the local community, people they can relate with, telling them about this new product, they're more likely to consider it," says Shivani Siroya of InVenture, which uses the model to sell money-management services in India. The Economist/Schumpeter blog (11/29)      

• The cars that turn business leaders into road warriors
  Automakers are creating vehicles intended to serve as mobile offices, with built-in media hubs, Wi-Fi and other business-focused gadgets. The 2013 Bentley Mulsanne includes built-in video conferencing tools, drop-down iPad stations and a champagne chiller to help CEOs celebrate success. "People, when they're in the back of this car, they like to do business. ... They're not desperately interested in the scenery going by," says Kevin Rose of Bentley Worldwide. National Public Radio (text and audio)/All Tech Considered blog (12/3)      

Position Title Company Name Location Senior Vice President of Marketing Total Wine & More Potomac, MD Vice President, Network Development and Provider Relations Louisiana Health Cooperative, Inc. New Orleans, LA Senior Corporate Counsel Medivation San Francisco, CA Senior Director, Quality American Medical Systems Minneapolis, MN Senior Control Systems Engineer Marotta Controls Montville 07045, NJ Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Louisiana Health Cooperative, Inc. New Orleans, LA Chief Executive Officer Oklahoma Health Care Authority Oklahoma City, OK Click here to view more job listings.

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'Innovation process' is an oxymoronic phrase, believed only by morons with ox-like brains." --Tom Peters, business author, as quoted at Innovation Excellence