Listen to Bedford's Managing Director Howard Pezim discuss on 680News why inspirational leadership is a key characteristic for CEOs to have during tough economic times. Pezim_680News.mp3

In this morning's Globe and Mail, Harvey Schachter reviews the book "Who" by Geoff Smart and Randy Street of ghSmart, strategic partners with the Bedford Group. Read the review on the Globe and Mail website here.

"A downturn is also a great time to snatch up new talent and get a head start on the war on talent, which will resume in full force once the economy picks up" says the CEO of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, Perrin Beatty, in this interesting article by Alexandra Lopez-Pacheco, from Monday's Financial Post. The article explores how having a positive outlook can increase the odds of small businesses surviving difficult times. Check out the article here.

"This is the exact time to invest- if you can- because not only is there opportunity, but there are lots of resources out there" says Founder and Co-CEO Mike Lazaridis. Check out the article here and see how RIM ( and other Canadian-based tech companies) are anticipating waves of hires as the broader Canadian economy sheds jobs.

Check out this interesting letter written by Gregg Thompson, President of Blueprint Leadership Development. The letter is written from the perspective of a President/CEO looking back at 2009. View the letter here.

In yesterday's Globe & Mail, a thought provoking article by Eric Reguly on true leadership in turbulent times, the man behind Italian auto maker Fiat's turnaround, Italian-Canadian Chief Executive Officer, Sergio Marchionne. Read the article here.

In the January 19th issue of BusinessWeek, Emily Thorton pens an interesting article on how leaders can effectively manage through the economic crisis, " The pie is getting smaller, and less nimble rivals are getting weaker. Don't wait for your competitors to fall to the ground. Hire away their best people while taking steps to make sure they don't grab yours." Read the whole article on the BusinessWeek website here.

In the November issue of Fortune magazine, Senior Writer Jennifer Reingold explores how the fallout from the financial crisis could very well breed a new type of corporate leader. Read the article in its entirety here.

"To those of you in leadership positions...It is truly time to lead, follow, or get out of the way" says Daniel Muzyka in todays Globe & Mail, where he pens a thought provoking piece on the quintessential value that strong leadership can provide during rough economic periods. Read the article here (subscription required).

Check out this interesting article from Harvard Business Review, which was originally published in 2001 after the dot-com bubble burst. The authour, Darrell Rigby, studied hundreds of companies and found that the recession winner placed counterintuitive bets to outperform slumping competitors. Read the article here.