A competitive EDGE!

That is why 100-plus young professionals attended the first AICPA E.D.G.E. Conference last week in New Orleans.

"Stop. Breathe. Dream." That was one of many nuggets of wisdom from these emerging leaders as we finished the conference with an interactive session on "How to Succeed in the New Normal."

Here is a copy of the closing keynote with the results of our leadership mindstretcher exercise in which they developed the top ways leadership is changing and the top things young professionals need to succeed as future leaders (slides 17 - 26):

AICPA Edge 2011 - Leadership in New Normal for Young Professionals View more presentations from Tom Hood Here were some of my favorites from the group:

• Stop. Breathe. Dream.
• Leverage collective knowledge of diverse teams to make better decisions (collaboration).
• Position does not (always) equal leadership. You can lead from any seat.
• Empowerment is more powerful than power.

And a world of the attributes of a leader in the new normal.

• Read through the tweet stream to see the insights from the group.
• Here are some photos from our closing session on Flickr.

And here is our recommended reading list for leaders by the best of the best:

The changing landscape of leadership:

• Leadershift: Reinventing Leadership for the Age of Mass Collaboration
• The Little Big Things: 163 Ways to Pursue EXCELLENCE
• Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose

Leadership -- personal development

• Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?
• Strengths-Based Leadership
• Love Is the Killer App: How to Win Business and Influence Friends

Network leadership -- social media

• Crush It!: Why NOW Is the Time to Cash In on Your Passion
• The Corporate Blogging Book [Updated Edition With a New Preface]

How do you find and keep your edge? Any favorite leadership books you recommend?