How leaders can balance strengths and weaknesses Leaders need to have a clear vision and be a competitive, high performer, but they also can't neglect the skills of self-awareness and empathy, says John Schlifske, CEO of Northwestern Mutual, who admits he struggles with those latter traits. "You have to balance the notion of empathy with the notion of the greater good and what you're trying to accomplish," Schlifske says. Full Story: LinkedIn (8/2)
This is an excellent analysis of why people are often rewarded by organizations -- and wider society -- for behavior that is publicly disdained. Don't be surprised if you see this mismatch surfacing more prominently in the corporate world. Executives are often incentivized to deliver growth, but now that a decade of low interest rates has come to an end, that growth might prove more elusive. Will those same executives be able to pivot and focus on things like improved margins and enhanced business resiliency even though their compensation might not be linked to improvement in those areas? Full Story: Harvard Business School Working Knowledge (8/1)
Don't be afraid to deflate your own ego as a leader Allowing your ego to be taken down a few notches by soliciting honest feedback from clients, direct reports and trusted advisors can help you inoculate yourself against what Todd Ordal calls "big-shot-itis." "You don't want so much that you lose confidence, but you want enough that you lose certainty," Ordal writes. Full Story: Applied Strategy (Todd Ordal) (8/1)
Making the Connection
6 strategies to make big gains from small talk Small talk "may seem inconsequential" but "can have a big impact on your business relationships and your professional success," communication coach John Millen writes. When small talk is a regular part of your routine, ongoing relationships and deeper connections can be made when listening to or sharing quick stories and information. Full Story: John Millen blog (7/29)
Only 33% of corporate travelers are happy to be resuming business trips, according to a World Travel Protection Survey, with many people facing flight delays and interruptions and feeling more stress and anxiety than before the pandemic. Safety is also a major concern, particularly for women and LGBTQIA+ employees who fear danger and harassment when traveling to areas of the US and around the world that don't protect their rights. Full Story: Fortune (tiered subscription model) (7/27)
ADP: Private payrolls gained 324K jobs in July US private payrolls added 324,000 jobs in July, according to the ADP National Employment report, exceeding the 189,000 estimate of economists surveyed by Reuters. Meanwhile, June's numbers were revised downward to show that 455,000 jobs were added during that month. Full Story: Reuters (8/2),CNBC (8/2)
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Universities developing ChatGPT courses The excitement and anxiety around generative AI programs like ChatGPT prompted Andrew Maynard, a professor at Arizona State University, to develop a course, Basic Prompt Engineering With ChatGPT. Vanderbilt University also has developed a course aimed at professionals that is available on Coursera and a new cross-discipline class for students this fall. Full Story: Inside Higher Ed (7/31),TechRadar (7/31)
Many local municipalities in France have a vested interest in what happens to old churches. And by "vested," I mean an actual financial interest. Municipalities own more than 42,000 churches. Around 15,000 of those churches qualify for government aid because they're classified as historical monuments, but the municipalities that own the rest of the churches are on their own when it comes to how to manage the properties. Some are getting rather creative by turning the structures into office buildings and hotels. One church has even been converted to a mushroom farm! Full Story: The Christian Science Monitor (7/31)
SmartBreak: Question of the Day
In a Life magazine article from 1965, who was Frank Sinatra referring to when he said this person was "the best singer in the business"?
