How women can position themselves for leadership roles | Companies should focus on strategy to boost productivity | Why generosity is now the top trait for leaders
How women can position themselves for leadership roles Women seeking a leadership or C-suite roles need to first ensure they are comfortable speaking to their accomplishments, embrace new challenges that can help them grow professionally and have a long-term vision for their organization's future, writes Jenny Mitchell, chief visionary officer of Chavender. Women leaders must also be wary of blurring the lines between their professional and personal lives and understand that being a "last chance" candidate for a top-level job is an opportunity to learn and grow, Mitchell writes. Full Story: CEOWorld Magazine (4/20)
Companies should focus on strategy to boost productivity Employees should focus on strategic tasks instead of working around the clock to boost productivity, says Stefania Mallett, co-founder of ezCater. "Americans often use exhaustion as a yardstick for productivity, but the pile of work doesn't materially diminish whether you work until 5 p.m., 9 p.m., or midnight," Mallet says. Full Story: MIT Sloan Management Review (tiered subscription model) (4/23)
Why generosity is now the top trait for leaders Strong leaders are generous, genuine, inclusive, able to listen and customize growth opportunities for their team, writes Joe Davis, a managing director and senior partner at the Boston Consulting Group and author of "The Generous Leader: 7 Ways to Give of Yourself for Everyone's Gain." "Leaders must be highly effective managers with exceptional core business skills. But they must also bring their hearts front and center into their leadership: they must be generous," Davis writes. Full Story: Next Big Idea Club Magazine (4/23)
The Landscape
Noncompete agreements became nonexistent The vast majority of workers in the US can say goodbye to noncompete agreements. New guidelines, which will be challenged in court, deem existing noncompetes unenforceable. There are some exceptions for some people in senior positions with existing noncompete agreements. The move is aimed at paving the way for entrepreneurs to create more startups and is also seen as a way to boost upward job mobility and income potential for workers. Full Story: The Associated Press (4/23)
The US government has issued new rules that require airlines to give passengers a full refund -- not a travel credit or voucher -- when flights are canceled or significantly changed, when baggage return is delayed significantly, or when customers do not receive in-flight amenities they paid for like Wi-Fi. Crucially, the refunds must be automatic, meaning passengers don't have to navigate customer service queues to get their money back. Another aspect of the new rules requires more transparency around various fees airlines like to charge. Full Story: CNBC (4/24)
Your Next Challenge
"Love it or leave it" can be tricky way to view your job Now that noncompete agreements might be a thing of the past, more people might be tempted to adopt a "Love it or leave it" attitude about their current job. But before you tell your boss to take this job and shove it, check out this podcast/article. Sometimes the desire for a career change leads to improved long-term job satisfaction. However, under circumstances like a personal or societal crisis, a desire to make a career change can end up being fleeting. Full Story: INSEAD Knowledge (4/23)
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New leaders may suffer from overwhelm or an urge to prove themselves, which can lead to being overextended, ignoring difficult situations or underestimating the amount of empathy and other emotional skills they'll need, writes business growth coach Zándra Bishop. Some best practices for success Bishop offers include setting clear expectations, being transparent and setting "a sustainable pace for yourself and your team" to avoid burnout. Full Story: SmartBrief/Leadership (4/19)
There has been some doubt about whether water quality in the River Seine will reach the level needed to support swimming during the Paris Olympics this summer, but Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo remains confident everything will go according to plan. A new water treatment facility near Paris was inaugurated this week and officials are preparing to launch a new storage basin that will help capture runoff. Full Story: The Associated Press (4/23)
SmartBreak: Question of the Day
"We're on a mission from God," said the Blues Brothers in the eponymous film. What mission?
I'm sometimes baffled by the number of readers who believe that cartoons should be lightweight and entertainingly 'funny.' Humor has a lot of relatives -- wry, subtle, slapstick and even black ...
Don Wright, editorial cartoonist, Pulitzer Prize winner 1934-2024
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