Networking is crucial for those facing job loss or career uncertainty, but just as important is networking while you have a job, says Jen Coleman, who leads Alumni Career Services at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business. Coleman suggests viewing networking as an opportunity to find mutual value rather than a one-sided request for help. "Think less about what you're asking for, and think more about what you have to give and practice being generous with that," says Coleman.
Leadership effectiveness is rooted in mastering people skills. There are three critical habits: developing emotional intelligence to read people, actively listening to understand and support others and building personal relationships to enhance collaboration. These strategies are presented as common sense yet uncommon in practice, underscoring the need for a human-centered leadership approach.
Building a career without a traditional mentor is possible through micro-mentoring, write Dorie Clark and Alexis Redding. Micro-mentorship provides short, actionable advice from from various people, including professors, family friends or past colleagues. They also recommend crowdsourcing advice from an extended network, such as LinkedIn or alumni databases, or even strangers to broadening your thinking.
Hiring employees based on their potential rather than their current skill set can address skills gaps, as these employees are nearly twice as likely to perform effectively, according to a Garnter report. Many organizations are moving too fast to find talent that has these new skills. "This puts more pressure on organizations to build skills internally, but unfortunately, most organizations are not building skills fast enough to fill critical roles," said Gartner's Meaghan Kelly.
The "pay-to-volunteer" trend, where nonprofits charge companies for volunteer participation, is gaining traction. While it provides financial benefits to nonprofits, it also poses challenges, such as potential exclusion of smaller firms. Some view it as a necessary evolution and others as a threat to the volunteering ethos.
Melanie Ehrenkranz launched the Substack newsletter "Laid Off" in August for individuals affected by layoffs to share their stories and experiences. The newsletter, which now has over 6,000 subscribers, aims to offer a supportive community and a space for candid conversations about the realities of being laid off.
The Tri-State Tornado devastated parts of Missouri, Illinois and Indiana 100 years ago today, killing 695 people and injuring over 2,000. The mile-wide tornado had wind speeds that exceeded 260 mph. It leveled entire neighborhoods and nearly wiped out some towns entirely, with no alert system yet in place amid a lack of reliable weather forecasting.
