The children's tale, "Goldilocks and the Three Bears," holds valuable lessons for leaders, writes Lida Citroën, the CEO and founder of LIDA360, LLC, including a good lesson on agility as she searches for the "just right" porridge, and two fails when it comes to wisely wielding her power and facing up to the consequences of her actions. "When things get tricky or scary, the leader needs to stay to see it through. Instead of running from danger, they should lean in and move through it," Citroën writes.

Put it into practice: As Goldilocks tried out the porridge, the chairs and the beds, she didn't settle for the ones that did not suit her, instead pivoting until she found what worked, providing a valuable strategy lesson, Citroën writes. "Agile thinking leads to a growth mindset, which leads to innovation, risk-taking, and entrepreneurial thinking."

Leaders can use the "4W's" approach to create a highly aligned culture that fosters employee engagement, productivity and retention, writes Manar Morales, president and CEO of the Diversity & Flexibility Alliance. Ask who are your key stakeholders, what are your mission and values, why you're in business and where you want to go to create a culture that becomes your "north star, guiding future actions and driving policies and practices," Morales writes.

Put it into practice: Connect your people to your culture by clearly defining it, making them all responsible for maintaining it, and constantly reinforcing it through meetings, rewards and ongoing communication, writes Morales. "Organizations that thrive align culture with practice and move beyond rigid or reflexive policies to create human-centered workplaces that drive both performance and possibility."

Employee handbooks are essential for communicating company policies, but getting employees to read them can be challenging, say attorneys, who recommend making handbooks user-friendly by using clear language, translating them if necessary and clustering related policies. Frequent updates and proactive communication, such as presentations during orientation and regular reminders, can help ensure employees understand and follow the policies, attorneys say.

Put it into practice: If you make changes to your company's handbook, clearly communicate what they are and how they will affect employees, says Christine Walters, an HR and employment law consultant with FiveL. "I find employees may still not like the message, but helping them understand the change is not one the employer is implementing unilaterally or without forethought can be helpful."

A study from Otago University suggests that short periods of light exercise before bedtime may improve sleep quality for some people, challenging traditional advice to avoid exercise right before sleep. Meredith Peddie, a senior lecturer involved in the study, offers tips on exercises to try and emphasizes the importance of reducing sedentary behavior during the day.

Dogs may blink in response to blinking by other dogs as a form of communication and bonding. Dogs blinked about 16% more when watching videos of other dogs blinking than they did while watching videos of dogs not blinking or licking their noses, researchers reported in Royal Society Open Science. However, some dogs watching the videos nodded off.

I think Lida Citroën proves that there are leadership lessons -- both good and bad -- just about everywhere you care to look. I had never thought to plumb the wisdom of "Goldilocks and the Three Bears," but Citroën's take is excellent.

In trying each bowl of porridge, Goldilocks shows that leaders should seek balance until they find the approach that's "just right." The porridge selection process also underscores the importance of testing and learning from trial and error.

Each bear, of course, has different preferences in the temperature of their porridge and the size of their chairs and beds. That means that leaders should understand the various preferences of their teams and tailor their leadership strategies to enhance performance and engagement.

On the flip side, Goldilocks is a cautionary tale for leaders to learn how to respect boundaries and ownership. Goldilocks invades the bears' home and uses their resources as her own. She also refuses to take responsibility for her actions when the bears find her sleeping in one of the beds. Leaders must be accountable for their choices.

However, good leaders know when to leave unworkable situations or when to abandon unproductive strategies.

While Goldilocks wasn't exactly a role model, her story offers valuable lessons for leadership in balance, decision-making, adaptability and respect.

If this newsletter helps you, please tell your colleagues, friends or anyone who can benefit. Forward them this email, or send this link.

What topics do you see in your daily work that I should know about? Do you have any feedback you'd like to share? Drop me a note. And while you're at it, please send me photos of your pets, your office and where you spend your time off so we can share them.