Why engagement strategies should focus on strengths Focus on employees' strengths and goals to keep they engaged, says Horizon Consulting Services CEO Davis Robinson, who emphasizes the importance of teaching them new skills and matching the job with their strengths. "Instead of organizations focusing on the inputs of the organization, we need to focus on the inputs of the individual," Robinson says. Full Story: HR Dive (4/21)
People who lead with grace and an attitude of abundance have an open mind, an open heart and don't let fears invade their interactions and management choices, leadership expert John Baldoni writes. Leaders with a spirit of abundance recognize that they have plenty to give while maintaining prudence, and they rely on data as well as instinct to avoid a scarcity mindset, notes Baldoni. Full Story: SmartBrief/Leadership (4/24)
Why incentive programs require careful planning Some employee incentive programs have been known to demotivate employees and lead to unethical behavior and high turnover, but they can be effective if companies keep them simple, make sure they're sustainable and combine monetary rewards with recognition, workforce researchers and consultants say. "At their core, incentive plans are a communication vehicle that lets employees know what's important for that performance period," says Lori Wisper, managing director of work and rewards at Willis Towers Watson. Full Story: Society for Human Resource Management (tiered subscription model) (4/22)
The Landscape
CFOs confront a number of workforce trends this year Chief financial officers face a number of workforce trends this year, as highlighted in this series of stories from CFO. Trends include the future of office happy hours and so-called "quiet" quitting. Full Story: CFO (4/19)
Half of US workers worried about layoffs in their industry Three-quarters of workers are concerned about widespread layoffs in the US, with 49% of them worried about layoffs in their own industry, according to a Morning Consult report released last week. There is a disconnect between the fear and the current reality, but it's never too early to prepare for a downturn at your company. Full Story: Kiplinger (4/24)
Your Next Challenge
4 ways to overcome a fear of failure Akintoye Akindele outlines four ways leaders can prevent a fear of failure from hampering success. Remember that failure is common, can spark personal growth, is simply a detour on your journey and can be overcome by perseverance, writes Akindele, CEO of Platform Capital Group. Full Story: Training magazine (4/18)
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This story opens by describing a new kind of wedding ring that lets the happy couple track each other's beating hearts. While that might be cute (as well as a wee bit creepy), having a chat bot write your wedding vows probably isn't as adorable. Many other tech-centric wedding trends prove just how reliant people have become on smartphones. So much so, that it seems possible to plan an entire wedding via phone. Full Story: BBC (4/23)
The data centers that power the technology that enables you do to things like read this newsletter give off a lot of heat. With energy scarcity and security creeping up the list of priorities for policymakers, more and more people are starting to realize data center heat should be put to good use. Listen and learn: My colleague Jaan vanValkenburgh did an excellent job of explaining this trend during a recent podcast. You can listen in here at the 13:04 mark. Full Story: TechRadar (4/22)
SmartBreak: Question of the Day
David Rush balanced a chain saw on his chin for how many minutes? Check your answer here.
