As promised last Wednesday, here are some songs to help you get through the work week...

Maybe you need something to take the edge off of your daily commute, or some sounds to help you slog through a report (or two), maybe you're in need of some mood music while you work through lunch, or perhaps this track list can help you ease out of work mode at the end of the day. Regardless, take a look at the songs below (some new, some old, some you may be familiar with, others maybe not) and with a couple of quick clicks you can start your Monday with some good music (courtesy of the pixel ninjas at Spotify) and the inaugural edition of The HR Field Guide's Monday Playlist.


Be sure to check back next week for the latest Monday Playlist (and like any good DJ, I take requests). And while you're busy checking things out, here are some articles that caught my eye over the last week that you may have missed - so if you're inclined, get to clicking!

From LinkedIn: "What Makes a 21st Century Leader?" 
Josh Bersin of Bersin & Associated has a quick post up at LinkedIn breaking down the core competencies of leaders and the 21st century leadership competencies - "Our research shows that 21st century leadership competencies are different, but at its core leadership has not changed.  It's just very hard." - the gist of it all is that leaders develop leaders, it's not an easy road, and the rewards can be awesome. Not necessarily brand new insights, but a good approach and some interesting thoughts around the evolution of leadership and what it means today in our multigenerational, global workforce.

From Harvard Business Review: "When Good People Work for Bad Companies" 
This article treads a bit on the philosophical side, but rings true for me personally when I think about the organization I work for (an amazing public university), places I've worked previously, and if I were to ever leave my current organization what kind of place would I want to work for. The heart of the article focuses on culture and what it means to us as employees - great reading to say the least and certainly fodder for self-examination.

From Human Capital League: "5 Ways to Avoid a Workplace Zombie Apocalypse"
I probably know more about zombies than you do, don't take it personally, it's just reality. I'm an old school fan of Romero zombies and have been known to give lectures of digression in classes I've taught about the social commentary on display in film and books when it comes to the topic. Heck, there's a character named after me in one the most critically received zombie novels to come out in the last several years (you should buy it, it's sort of awesome). So, this article had me with its title and kept me with some great thoughts on employee engagement, culture, and team building - like a zombie it grabbed me without mercy and then went to work on my braaains. 

From Forbes.com:  "Your Employees are Engaged... REALLY?"
Meghan Biro is like a ninja of HR/Talent Management awesomeness, in this latest article for Forbes she tackles the why of employee engagement instead of the what (which is where the piece indicates most of us go down the rabbit hole on this topic). The article is short and to the point and probably one of the most insightful things you'll read all week.