B2B Reads: Why Decisions Aren’t Important, Building Conflict Capacity, and the Corporate Athlete

In addition to our Sunday App of the Week feature, we also summarize some of our favorite B2B sales & marketing posts from around the web each week. We’ll miss a ton of great stuff, so if you found something you think is worth sharing please add it to the comments below.

Keep Brainstorming—Your Best Ideas Are Still to Come
The common (and mistaken) belief that we generate our best ideas early can actually squash creativity. Most people assume that the ‘lightbulb’ moment will arrive right away, when you’re feeling freshest. But according to new research, we may have it wrong. Thanks for the insightful read, Susie Allen.

Why Decisions Aren’t Important
We perpetuate the myth of a solitary decision maker, working a data-driven process to arrive at the right decisions. But that picture is not true and not helpful to business decision makers seeking to lead thriving and lasting enterprises. Thank you for the great read, Jennifer Davis.

How Leaders Can Start Building Conflict Capacity 
No matter the technical or academic skills a leader possesses, there is an often-overlooked skill that’s essential: Conflict capacity. Do you know your level of conflict capacity? Thank you for the informational read, Marlene Chism.

Fixing Zoom Calls: Looking Better and Feeling Better
Now that it’s clear the nature of work and meetings has changed forever, perhaps this is a good moment to embrace what’s possible. Thank you for the great read, Seth Godin.

Chief Marketer Survey: The Biggest Marketing Leadership Deficiencies
Senior marketers say the biggest marketing leadership deficiency in their organizations is an understanding of the customer journey, according to recent research from the CMO Council and Chief Outsiders. Thank you for the informational read, Ayaz Nanji.

The Making of a Corporate Athlete
If there is one quality that executives seek for themselves and their employees, it is sustained high performance in the face of ever-increasing pressure and rapid change. But the source of such performance is as elusive as the fountain of youth. Thank you for the insightful read,  Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz.

Why The Tech-Enhanced Sales Rep Will Be Your Differentiator
Technology is permeating every aspect of our lives, automating tasks that are mundane, repeatable, and time-consuming. Yet without a clear vision of how each technology works alongside the next, technology’s chaotic chorus can be deafening and confusing. Thank you for the great read, Anne Slough.

Innovation Starts with Defining the Right Constraints
What drives big, breakthrough innovations? Surprisingly, often it’s constraints — limitations that force designers to rethink the whole problem and come up with something completely new to address it. But which constraints are the right constraints? Thanks for the insightful read, Fiona Murray and Elsbeth Johnson.

Is Proving Content Marketing ROI an Impossible Dream?
It may be impossible to compute the total value of a company’s content marketing in traditional ROI terms, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth doing. Thank you for the great read, Ann Gynn.

Why Procrastination Can Help Fuel Creativity
There’s strong evidence that creative insights need time to percolate – and that the right amount of distraction may be key to innovation. Thank you for the great read, Loizos Heracleous and David Robson.