Increased business acumen is an important component of any strategic initiative for developing leaders — i.e., the specific literacy around business fundamentals and the key functions of an organization that drive business results. Lately, I've been thinking that there's a parallel to business acumen that's equally important for achieving strong results. Let’s call that "collaborative acumen."

Well, this has been quite the World Series – a Fall Classic showdown between Texas and St. Louis that even a die-hard Red Sox fan like me has enjoyed. Around Red Sox nation these days, anything to do with baseball is a sore subject – after the Sox suffered such an epic collapse in September.

But the film Moneyball has me thinking about the cliché that "baseball is a metaphor for life." And as the 2011 season winds to a close, I'm struck by how that movie offers a definite lesson in leadership that I want to explore here briefly.

In October's LeaderLens online conversation, Ashley spoke with Karlin Sloan: author, speaker, and CEO.

September's LeaderLens online conversation featured Brooke Deterline, Director of Corporate Programs for the Heroic Imagination Project.  Brooke has spent most of her career working with executives to create “best practices” to positively affect corporate culture and reputation. She has lately moved into the arena of corporate social responsibility, a field that combines her strategic focus with her passion for sustainability, leadership, empowerment and social and environmental justice.

This time of year, a lot of my conversations with friends, colleagues, and clients began with the question: "How was your vacation?"

Typically, I hear a wistful recounting of highlights followed by comments about the shock of re-entry into the daily routine. It seems that memories and feelings from even the most inspiring vacations fade fast.

I spoke with Carol Sanford, author of the recent book, The Responsible Business, about her experience working with Fortune 500 companies all over the world. Carol's own passion has led her to help businesses integrate responsibility into all aspects of a business as an engine for innovation, profitability and purpose. Carol explored a framework for a holistic approach to business, and reflected on what guides her and other leaders in an integrated approach to leadership.  

"Can you develop and lead a global expedition for our high potential leaders to study water scarcity and develop leadership capacity?" the head of corporate social responsibility of a large hotel asked me this week. And then she added, "We want to invite hotel guests, too."

As the U.S. economy strengthens, however unevenly, business leaders are facing a central challenge with important implications: How are you bridging the trust gap with employees — the answer to this has broad implications for your business results.

What trust gap, you might ask?

Becoming and Belonging: the Underpinnings of Sustainable Change

In June, Ashley Welch spoke with Danny Martin: thought leader, environmentalist, facilitator, and inspirational speaker. Ashley and Danny discussed how to deepen and widen understanding within a group or organization so that change can take place.

Two conversations this week with leaders from large companies reminded me again about the value of context in meeting business challenges, and how social entrepreneurs address challenges with context front and center.