• How to lead like a Zen master
  When someone presents you with an idea, you should take a deep breath and wait 24 seconds before letting yourself criticize it, Cue Ball CEO Tony Tjan says. If you can manage 24 seconds, then try 24 minutes. "Then if you become a Zen master of optimism, you could wait a day and spend that time thinking about why something actually might work," he says. The New York Times (tiered subscription model) (12/8)      

• P&G needs to find its real purpose
  Procter & Gamble's mission statement -- "to touch and improve lives" -- is so vague as to be meaningless, argues Elaine Dundon, and that lack of clarity is making it harder for the company to innovate and execute effectively. "It's clear to me that P&G needs meaning, as well as meaningful innovation, and they need it now," she writes. Fast Company online (12/7)      

• Amazon's love of Luxembourg has tax benefits
  Amazon is channeling huge amounts of money through a small Luxembourg-based unit, largely to avoid paying hundreds of millions of dollars in U.S. and European taxes, a Reuters report suggests. There's no commercial reason for the creative-but-legal accounting, which is attracting scrutiny from U.S. officials. "The IRS shouldn't be happy about this. It sounds like they're not," says tax expert Michael McIntyre. Reuters (12/6)      

• How lobbyists are killing American innovation
  American businesses are increasingly using their lobbying muscle as a substitute for innovation, giving cash and urging legislation aimed at stifling rival companies and technologies, writes James Allworth. "Given how hard it can be to survive a disruptive challenge, and how effective lobbying has proven in stopping it, it's no wonder that incumbent firms take this route so often," Allworth writes. Harvard Business Review online/HBR Blog Network (12/7)      

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

• 6 reasons that women make great leaders (SmartBrief/SmartBlog on Leadership)

• Good bosses don't waste time on distractions (TerryStarbucker.com)

• Smart bosses take their enemies to lunch
  Every business professional winds up making enemies, so the real test is how you respond to conflict, writes Mike Figliuolo. It's usually better to take the high road, responding to workplace slights by inviting your enemy for lunch or buying them a beer. "You kill them with kindness. ... [I]f you're being nothing but professional, it's hard for you to look bad," Figliuolo writes. ThoughtLeaders blog (12/3)

• Turn off your computer and go talk to someone (The New York Times (tiered subscription model))

• The CEO who started in a gang (Bloomberg Businessweek)

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

• Inside India's leading B-school
  The Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, the nation's premiere business school, is climbing the global B-school rankings despite having a tiny fraction of the income of top-flight U.S. schools. That's only the beginning, says S.K. Barua, the school's boss, with a research strategy likely to boost its profile further. "In another five to seven years, we ought to be in the top 20 schools," he says. The Economist (12/8)      

• U.S. businesses bring franchising to Afghanistan
  American brands such as RadioShack and Hertz Equipment Rental are bringing franchises to Afghanistan, a move that experts say could boost their profit while also developing the Afghan economy. "There is a vast culture of young [Afghans] who are very tech savvy, Internet savvy. Everyone's got the latest Samsung or iPhone, and there is disposable income," says Beth Solomon of the International Franchise Association. Bloomberg Businessweek (12/7)      

• Give your employees the gift of leadership development
  The best bosses know when to step back and let their employees take the lead, writes Jennifer V. Miller. Leadership development shouldn't be reserved for people with a formal title, Miller explains. "When you provide your team members with an opportunity to exercise their leadership muscles, you're giving them a tremendous gift," she writes. SmartBrief/SmartBlog on Leadership (12/6)      

• Parrot gets robot "bird buggy"
  A University of Florida graduate student has created a robotic "bird buggy" to help his flightless African gray parrot, Pepper, get around. Pepper uses a small joystick to steer his motorized perch, allowing him to navigate his home without fear of being stepped on. The Guardian (London)/GrrlScientist blog (12/7)      

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The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams." --Eleanor Roosevelt, former first lady, as quoted by Cue Ball CEO Tony Tjan in the New York Times