Sustaining an Entrepreneurial Spirit in Your Family Business
The idea of generational decline in family businesses is nothing new. The old adage “shirtsleeves to shirtsleeves in three generations” seems to exist in one form or another in many cultures and languages. The common assumption is that the decline is driven by a generation gap of sorts, where successive generations become less motivated, and less capable of leading the business. But a decline in the entrepreneurial activity of a family business across generations is not inevitable. Rather than focus on significant issues (gaps) between generations, families should focus on correcting misalignments in expectations and needs. An emphasis on increasing the entrepreneurial ability of the next generation combined with efforts to provide opportunities for the next generation to act entrepreneurially will increase the willingness of the next generation to take action. There are many differences between each consecutive generation, but an entrepreneurial spirit does not need to be one of them. Continued here |
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The Secrets of Great Teamwork
Over the years, as teams have grown more diverse, dispersed, digital, and dynamic, collaboration has become more complex. But though teams face new challenges, their success still depends on a core set of fundamentals. As J. Richard Hackman, who began researching teams in the 1970s, discovered, what matters most isn’t the personalities or behavior of the team members; it’s whether a team has a compelling direction, a strong structure, and a supportive context. In their own research, Haas and Mortensen have found that teams need those three “enabling conditions” now more than ever. But their work also revealed that today’s teams are especially prone to two corrosive problems: “us versus them” thinking and incomplete information. Overcoming those pitfalls requires a new enabling condition: a shared mindset. Continued here |
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How to Survive a Recession and Thrive Afterward
According to an analysis led by Ranjay Gulati, during the recessions of 1980, 1990, and 2000, 17% of the 4,700 public companies studied fared very badly: They went bankrupt, went private, or were acquired. But just as striking, 9% of the companies flourished, outperforming competitors by at least 10% in sales and profits growth. Continued here |
The Psychological Toll of Being the Only Woman of Color at Work
Systemic bias and discrimination at work can take a mental health toll on women of color. And due to a variety of factors, including a lack of mental health providers of color, women of color aren’t getting the mental health help they need. It’s a crisis where individual women of color begin blaming themselves for systemic bias. The author spoke with Danielle Jenkins Henry, licensed marriage family therapist associate (LMFTA) and founder of a psychotherapy practice for Black women, who offers four ways for women of color to take care of their mental health first and foremost. Continued here |
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To Avoid DEI Backlash, Focus on Changing Systems -- Not People
The enemy of well-intentioned DEI initiatives is backlash — and not just from people from privileged groups. Backlash from all directions is often due to DEI initiatives being framed as solutions to individual problems to be fixed rather than to correct for systemic issues at play in an organization. To reframe the conversation the author recommends five steps to implement in your DEI strategy: 1) Collect data to diagnose specific inequities in your organization, 2) communicate about initiatives using a systems-focused framing, 3) as change-making efforts begin, appeal to “fairness,” 4) clearly lay out expectations for change alongside resources and support, 5) sustain momentum by affirming effort and celebrating wins. Continued here |
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Moving a Family Business Beyond the Founder's Vision
To sustain a long-term family enterprise, it’s clear that having a founder who builds a great business is only the first step. As the legacy business and the entrepreneurial leadership of the founding generation gives way to the next generation, the business enters a transition to a new era where there are several related family owners, who often need to create a path to reconsider what business they are in, which goals to develop, and how they will do that. They must redefine the business and develop new opportunities for a new era. This transition requires members of the second and third generation to become entrepreneurs and pioneers in their own right. Their leadership is often less visible than that of the founder, but no less important. Continued here |
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How Black Women Can Navigate Pay-Gap Gaslighting
This year, Black Women’s Equal Pay Day is almost a full two months later than it was just last year thanks to an ever-widening wage gap. While the burden of achieving equal pay remains on leaders, policymakers, and people in power, the author recommends strategies for Black women to fight the gaslighting that so often accompanies self-advocacy: call it by its name, embrace the discomfort, map what you’re making up for, fight fire with facts, let them tell you, and give yourself grace. Continued here |
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Designing an Inclusive Metaverse
The metaverse will offer new opportunities for the way we work and play, how we interact with brands, and much more. Companies planning to participate in the metaverse have an opportunity to remedy some of the mistakes of Web 2.0 and a responsibility to shape an inclusive space where everyone feels represented and that they belong. Three strategies, rooted in the 10 principles of the design justice network, offer a path of how we can get from here to there: 1) Assess the diversity at your table; 2) Frame the problem you’re trying to solve; and 3) Listen and probe with empathy. Continued here |
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What Has (and Hasn't) Changed About Being a Chief Diversity Officer
In the wake of George Floyd’s murder, corporate interest in DEI is higher than ever. But has this increased attention racial justice and inequity led to real, meaningful change? The authors conducted interviews with more than 40 CDOs before and after summer 2020 and identified four major shifts in how these leaders perceived their companies’ engagement with DEI: First, the CDOs confirmed that interest in DEI surged post-summer-2020. Second, the CDOs shared that they were increasingly expressing their personal values, rather than always resorting to the “business case” for diversity. Next, they shared that while their organizations had made a lot of promises, leadership often failed to live up to those commitments, and that a lack of strategic commitment and accountability stymied real progress. Finally, as a result of this and other challenges, they found that CDOs were more exhausted than ever. To address these issues, the authors argue that organizations must empower CDOs to drive long-term change not only by offering words of support, but by investing substantial time and resources into DEI, ensuring leaders across the organization are aligned and held accountable for DEI goals, and helping DEI professionals cope with the intense fatigue and burnout that often comes with the job. Continued here |
Why Economies Become Less Dynamic as They Age
Covid-19 revealed the limits of the U.S. economy and the ways it wasn’t as dynamic as many had thought. For years, the U.S. has struggled to build new things, from roads to railways to housing, but analysts have struggled to explain why. But a canonical book by the political economist Mancur Olson offers an answer: As economies age, lobbyists and interest groups slow everything down. Olson’s book The Rise and Decline of Nations is being republished this year, with a new introduction. And it’s sparking a new debate over what went wrong with the U.S. economy. Continued here |
How Sustainability Efforts Fall Apart
Sustainability has become the new corporate imperative. Companies have begun doing their homework, diligently setting up a number of initiatives. This is a good starting point, but too often, firms are unable to systematically scale these efforts to achieve a more transformative outcome. This is because internal hidden enemies act as antibodies and resist the change. Unless a company tackles the enemies early on, it will never be able to achieve sustainability at scale. Defeating the enemies is possible, as shown by the success stories in different industries. It’s time for firms to put in practice concrete countermeasures to fight back against the hidden enemies and unleash the full potential of sustainability. Continued here |
How Diversity of Thought Can Fit into Your DEI Strategy
Fawn Weaver started a distillery using her own money to honor the life of Uncle Nearest, a former enslaved man who was Jack Daniel’s first master distiller. The company took off to become the fastest growing spirits company in the world, winning many awards for its whiskeys. Weaver, a Black woman, also was deeply intentional about building in DEI best practices in from the start, which surprised some people who thought a company with a female, African-American leader wouldn’t have to think as much about DEI. Wrong, Weaver says and she demonstrates the ways the company focuses on inclusion to avoid common pitfalls other companies face when building up their diversity efforts. Weaver focuses not just on demographic diversity, but also diversity of thought, a tricky concept that’s sometimes used as a scapegoat to avoid hard conversations about DEI. Weavers says you need both. Her journey is not over, though, as she continues to work on her company’s diversity, and her industries, partnering with Jack Daniels to build a pipeline of diverse talent in the spirits business. Continued here |
How to Prepare the Next Generation to Run the Family Business
Why don’t more businesses pass down through the generations, and conversely, why aren’t younger generations more interested in taking on significant responsibility in their family businesses? Younger family members may be woefully unprepared to take on leadership roles when the business needs them, or may not wish to take on the burden of responsibility — either for managing the business or for “reporting” to other family shareholders. Several challenging familial conditions may exist, often in combination. And yet so many of these obstacles could be remedied with some forethought and openness. This article covers several approaches that can familiarize younger members of the family with the ins and outs of today’s business, and get them ready to feel comfortable taking the reins in the future. Continued here |
Is Your Board Inclusive -- or Just Diverse?
In recent years, many boards have made substantial progress when it comes to increasing diversity. But the authors’ research suggests that simply increasing representation of women or ethnic minorities isn’t necessarily enough to achieve true inclusion in the boardroom. Through an analysis of director diversity and financial performance of the FTSE 350 as well as a series of in-depth interviews with global board members, the authors identify common benefits and challenges associated with moving beyond representation on the board. They then offer several research-backed strategies to help boards become not just diverse but truly inclusive, including adopting an intersectional approach, challenging assumptions around status and experience, and proactively investing in board culture. Continued here |
Visualizing the Rise of Global Economic Uncertainty
Researchers have documented a rise in economic uncertainty in recent years, using text-based measures that track descriptions of economic conditions by the Economist Intelligence Unit. Not only does that work show that uncertainty is rising, it points to five crises that are driving it — including, most recently, the invasion of Ukraine. The researchers also suggest strategies for dealing with uncertainty: Pay more attention to geopolitics as it will continue to affect your business. Be willing to pay for flexibility, so you can change course more easily in the future. And invest in contingency planning to gain practice responding to economic and political shocks. Continued here |
The UK Economic Crisis Might Not Be a One-Off
Markets have reacted poorly to the UK government’s new “mini-budget” combining energy price caps with tax cuts for the well off. The government’s search for a quick fix to economic growth is a mistake. In fact, restarting productivity and growth is as important as the Truss government says. But getting there will require a long slog of thoughtful supply-side reforms. And the crisis has lessons beyond the UK. Much of Europe faces the same lackluster productivity and the rise of counterproductive political populism. To keep Europe economically vibrant, politicians and businesses need to address the world’s most important problems head on—by making the right public and private investments. Continued here |
How to Disagree with Someone More Powerful than You
How exactly do you voice dissent with your superior? And is it always worth it to do so? Communication experts say that while just agreeing feels easier, it’s not always the best decision to make. First, weigh the risk of pushback or a negative reaction from a boss against the risk of not speaking up. If you do decide to voice your opinion, there are some best practices to keep in mind. State your opinions as facts, avoiding using judgment words. In addition, ask permission to dissent instead of offering an unsolicited opinion. Keep in mind that the final decision is still in the hands of your boss, but being honest and respectful will show them that they have more options. Continued here |
How to Write a Cover Letter
Perhaps the most challenging part of the job application process is writing an effective cover letter. And yes, you should send one. Even if only one in two cover letters gets read, that’s still a 50% chance that including one could help you. Before you start writing, find out more about the company and the specific job you want. Next, catch the attention of the hiring manager or recruiter with a strong opening line. If you have a personal connection with the company or someone who works there, mention it in the first sentence or two, and try to address your letter to someone directly. Hiring managers are looking for people who can help them solve problems, so show that you know what the company does and some of the challenges it faces. Then explain how your experience has equipped you to meet those needs. If the online application doesn’t allow you to submit a cover letter, use the format you’re given to demonstrate your ability to do the job and your enthusiasm for the role. Continued here |
How to Answer "Why Do You Want to Work Here?"
Of all the interview questions job applicants prepare for, the most obvious ones sometimes get the least attention. Yes, you came ready to share your biggest flaw, your greatest strength, a moment when you shined, and a concept you learned, but what do you do with a broad but direct question like “Why do you want to work here?” In this piece, the author offers three strategies for answering this common interview question and provides sample answers for you to use as a guide. Continued here |
38 Smart Questions to Ask in a Job Interview
The opportunity to ask questions at the end of a job interview is one you don’t want to waste. It’s both a chance to continue to prove yourself and to find out whether a position is the right fit for you. In this piece, the author lists sample questions recommended by two career experts and divides them up by category: from how to learn more about your potential boss to how to learn more about a company’s culture. Choose the ones that are more relevant to you, your interests, and the specific job ahead of time. Then write them down — either on a piece of paper or on your phone — and glance at them right before your interview so that they’re fresh in your mind. And, of course, be mindful of the interviewer’s time. If you were scheduled to talk for an hour and they turn to you with five minutes left, choose two or three questions that are most important to you. You will always have more time to ask questions once you have the job offer in hand. Continued here |
To Keep People from Procrastinating, Don't Give Them a Deadline
Maroš Servátka of Australia’s Macquarie Business School and three coresearchers—Stephen Knowles, Trudy Sullivan, and Murat Genç, all from New Zealand’s University of Otago—invited 3,276 people to take a short online survey in exchange for a $10 donation to charity. Some participants were given a one-week deadline, some were given a one-month deadline, and some were given no deadline at all. Members of the last group returned more surveys than those in the other two groups did, and they also responded more quickly. The conclusion: To keep people from procrastinating, don’t give them a deadline. Continued here |
Life's Work: An Interview with Jerry Rice
Rice first played organized football as a high school sophomore. By senior year he was an all-state receiver recruited by several colleges. He opted for a pass-reliant program where he could showcase his strengths and performed so well that the San Francisco 49ers made him a first-round pick in the 1985 NFL draft. He went on to win three Super Bowls with the team, play in 13 Pro Bowls, and set dozens of league records. Since retiring, he has worked in media, supported charitable work, and launched a natural-energy-drink company. Continued here |
The Surprising Benefits of Work/Life Support
To succeed, almost every employee needs work/life support at some point. Women and people of color need it the most, research shows, because they face greater challenges and have fewer resources available to them. They are also the least likely to receive it, however, and as a result often are forced to change or leave jobs and lose out on opportunities for advancement. Continued here |
Case Study: What's the Right Career Move After a Public Failure?
Whitney laughed. The two had been close friends since they met their first year at Columbia Business School. They texted pretty much every day, but Whitney had called to make a case for why her friend should fly up to New York City from Atlanta, where she lived with her husband and teenage daughter, to attend their 25th reunion. Continued here |
Don't Let Cynicism Undermine Your Workplace
Some company cultures are marked by mistrust and paranoia, which leads to a slew of negative outcomes: poor performance, burnout, turnover, and cheating. People who worry about the behavior of others spread gossip and are prone to backstabbing. That brings out the worst in their colleagues, leading cynics’ suspicion and distrust to become self-fulfilling prophecies. The good news is that cynicism has antidotes, according to the author, who shares research findings—his and those of others—to help leaders understand how people fall into a “cynicism trap,” how their organizations’ policies and practices may be pushing them into it, and what they can do to escape it. Tactics include redirecting the organizational culture toward collaboration and trust and making sure that all managers—not just those at the top—are modeling trusting behaviors and combating cynicism in their interactions. Continued here |
How to Tell If a Prospective Employer Values Psychological Safety
How can you assess whether a prospective employer offers psychological safety? In this article, the author outlines concrete strategies to help you screen for red flags: 1) Look and listen for inclusive vs. exclusive language. 2) Stay attuned to clarity in answers to your questions 3) Determine if the employer will meet your requirements 4) Ask open-ended questions about the culture during your interview. One example of a good question to ask: “Can you tell me about a time a person or team messed up? What happened?” This question gets to the heart of psychological safety. Organizations that allow mistakes and don’t penalize employees for failure provide the psychological security workers need to take risks. Continued here |
How to Deal with Layoff Anxiety
Living in fear of a layoff can be crippling. Proactively confronting your layoff anxiety is the best way to keep fears from getting the better of you. The author offers strategies for managing your mind when facing layoff anxiety: 1) separate fact from fiction, 2) take constructive action, 3) deploy defensive pessimism, 4) rally your resilience, and 5) invest in self-complexity. Continued here |
The New Rules of Work Clothes
After two years of hastily throwing a business jacket over a T-shirt and sweatpants while letting people into our homes during the Covid-19 pandemic, our tolerance for conformity — and discomfort — has changed. The business dress code is evolving. Have you been rethinking your work attire as you transition back into the office, but you’re worried about what others will think? In this piece, the author offers practical steps to try if you’re considering changing things up. Continued here |
How to Build a Career in a New Industry
Deciding to switch career paths can feel daunting. Where do you even begin? In this piece, the author offers four concrete ways to ease the transition: 1) Start by mapping the terrain. Read the bios and LinkedIn profiles of senior leaders or fast-rising colleagues and reverse-engineer the path they followed. This will enable you — if you wish — to craft a similar roadmap. 2) Recognize that you’ll need to take the lead. 3) Network to give yourself optionality. As a new entrant in your field, it’s possible you may have landed at a suboptimal company (for instance, one with a toxic work environment or declining fortunes) without realizing it, because it’s likely easier for outsiders to break into an industry at a firm that insiders are avoiding. So network widely, because if your initial landing pad isn’t a fit, you’ll want to change quickly. 4) Identify emerging opportunities. If you can become the “go-to” person around an area that’s growing in importance, you can often build a career path around it. Continued here |
The Costs of Being a Perfectionist Manager
Being a perfectionist does not mean that you are doomed as a manager. Organizational research on perfectionism is starting to provide new insights and practical evidence-based steps for managers and their network to breaking free from their perfectionistic compulsions. Fortunately, perfectionists are likely to be goal-focused and action-oriented and these strategies are aimed at helping them recalibrate their expectations. Continued here |
Emotions Aren't the Enemy of Good Decision-Making
Too often, when we need to make a difficult decision, we rush through it to avoid sitting with uncomfortable emotions. But channelling those emotions — a process the author calls “emotional bookending” — can help us ensure that we’ve correctly identified the decision we have to make and set us up to move forward with clarity and confidence. The process is as simple as taking the time to identify 1) the emotions you feel as you face your decision, and 2) the emotions you want to feel as you’re looking at your decision in the rearview mirror. What do you see? How is your life better for a satisfying decision outcome? Continued here |
In a Crisis, Great Leaders Prioritize Listening
Since 2020, leaders have had to navigate large changes and crises whose effects, especially without proper crisis leadership, are still being felt today. How did those that managed to succeed during this time do it? The authors argue that effective crisis leadership involves gaining perspective in uncertain times by listening to others. They offer three questions leaders can ask themselves to widen their perspective with input from a variety of other people: 1) Do you currently have access to diverse voices and sources of information within your team or organization, or even beyond its boundaries?, 2) Do you routinely build other team members’ ideas or feedback into your decision-making?, and 3) What systems or processes might you need to put into place to surface and capture multi-stakeholder perspectives? Continued here |
How to Help Primary Care Physicians Craft Sustainable Careers
Burnout among primary care physicians in the United States is an especially big problem thanks to changes that have made their jobs much more difficult. But there are four ways that health care organizations can improve PCPs jobs. They would revamp how PCPs perform their jobs and help them develop richer careers. Continued here |
What Is a Good Job?
Research shows that people consider a job to be a good one when it not only pays fairly and allows a worker to do what they’re good at but also makes them feel seen for being their best self. If you have a good job, you sense that your colleagues have your back; you don’t experience discrimination; you feel your position is secure; and you have confidence that you’ll get help navigating constant changes in the working world. Gender and race can affect whether you have these feelings, as does whether you’re on a team and how you experience stress. Continued here |
4 Tactics that Backfire When Dealing with a Difficult Colleague
When you’re at your wit’s end with a challenging colleague and it feels like you’ve tried everything, well-meaning friends and coworkers may tell you to “just ignore it” or to “suck it up” and move on with your life. But suppressing our emotions rarely helps. In this piece, the author outlines four tactics that are tempting to try — but often backfire — when dealing with a difficult colleague. Another one to avoid: waiting to see if your difficult colleague will just leave on their own. Your dream that they’ll walk out the door may come true, but there’s no guarantee that the culture will shift or that you’ll get along with their replacement. Ultimately you’re better off trying to create a workable situation with your colleague now. And remember: even small improvements can make a big difference. Continued here |
To Get People Back in the Office, Make It Social
There’s a strong desire among business decision makers (BDMs) to get people back into the office. Data from the latest Microsoft Work Trend Index research shows that 82% of BDMs say getting back to the office in person is a concern. But, two years of zero commuting time and an ability to more effectively manage work-life balance means employees are looking for a compelling reason to schlep back to the office — and 73% of them say they need a better reason than just company expectations. So, the question becomes, what is a compelling reason to come into the office? When asked what would motivate them to come into the office, employees had a resounding answer: social time with coworkers. The author presents three ways for leaders to prioritize building and rebuilding connections between people to fuel creativity, teamwork, and strong support systems that empower them to tackle challenges. Continued here |
How a bank branch in Bombay helped establish a financial relationship between Japan and India
The now-defunct Yokohama Specie Bank bankrolled the cotton trade between the two countries in the 19th century after Japan emerged from self-imposed isolation. Continued here |
The sleep advice no one tells you
If you’ve ever had a terrible, or even middling, night’s slumber — which studies and surveys suggest is a fair number of people — you’re well aware of the effects of poor sleep. Aside from the sluggishness and lethargy, lack of sufficient shut-eye can blunt thinking and reaction time and negatively impacts judgment. Long-term sleep deprivation has been linked with higher likelihoods of depressive moods, anxiety, diabetes, and obesity. Continued here |
Could the 'Don't Pay UK' Campaign Actually Work?
In September 1961, the Welsh philosopher, logician and anarchist Bertrand Russell was jailed (again). Russell, aged 89 at the time, was part of the anti-war group Committee of 100. After organising a campaign of mass civil disobedience against nuclear weapons – mostly sit-down demonstrations drawing crowds of up to 15,000, later followed by direct action blocking piers and Air Force runways – some members had been summoned to court for inciting the public to “commit breaches of the peace”. Rather than agree to 12 months of “good behaviour”, Russell spent seven days in prison alongside 31 others. Continued here |
A Lion Unleashed: The Enduring Legacy of Pearl Jam's "Jeremy"
In an excerpt from his new book, ‘Long Road: Pearl Jam and the Soundtrack of a Generation,’ author Steven Hyden looks at the band’s breakthrough video, how it helped reshape pop culture, and how it changed its creators in the process Continued here |
Fast cooking is about strategy. Use these 3 tips to make the most of your kitchen
Mark Bittman's spinach carbonara is a vegetarian twist on a classic Italian dish. He says spinach adds "a variety of different nutrients and just mixes things up a bit." Jim Henkens hide caption Continued here |
A Biryani Guide To India: All The Different Kinds And Where To Get Them
A magic of culinary art, the zenith of Indian cuisine, a mouth-watering platter and an all-time favourite of everyone, is the Biryani. A perfect blend of homegrown spices mixed with the flavours of the region, it has a smell that awakens the taste buds and the warmth that reminds one of ghar ka khaana. Continued here |
Super Mario Maker 2 creator releases 'Super Mario Bros. 5' after 7 years of work
It’s been 32 years since Nintendo launched Super Mario World — the last truly classic Mario Bros. platformer before the modern era — in Japan. Since then we’ve gotten numerous 3D Mario games, modern 2D “New” Super Mario Bros. games, and even Mario games where you can make other Mario games. Continued here |
An Indian Video Game Studio Bringing 'Indofuturism' Into The Cultural Zeitgiest
As the world of artificial intelligence is expanding, tech and design are being incorporated by cultures around the world in order to explore their heritage in the space of futurism. This has especially been true since the pandemic made it abundantly clear that digital spaces can tremendously benefit us as a community. Young creatives from around the world are now championing AI (Artificial Intelligence) and making progress in areas like diversity, accessibility, mental health, uniting communities and more. Continued here |
Stop worrying about what happens if we let kids transition. Worry about what happens if we don't.
When Mae Sallean was a teenager, her body and mind began to slip away from each other. Her body and face began to sprout thick hair, her voice dropped, and she felt dissociated from her physical form. Something had gone wrong, and she could not reconcile the person she was with the person the world perceived her as. The disconnect left her profoundly depressed and deeply lonely. Continued here |
Is Your Job Toxic? Or Is It Just a Job?
1) Evaluate yourself. Before you can really know what a healthy work environment feels like, you must first understand what you value at work and what you actually want out of your career. Reflect on your strengths, values, and interests. Also make an effort to understand the way you typically react emotionally to situations. Continued here |
How Employers Can Set Formerly Incarcerated Workers Up for Success
A growing number of U.S. businesses have committed to employing some of the tens of millions of Americans with criminal justice records. The author has identified three distinct approaches to what’s known as second-chance hiring. The first approach, which he calls the disposable employee model, is typically found in low-wage/low-skill jobs. These companies are focused on keeping costs down. Because they’re not selective, these hires subsequently tend to be lower quality and have higher turnover. The second approach, the undifferentiated employer model, is when employers attempt to hire and support justice-impacted workers using the same processes as they do for workers from traditional backgrounds. These companies are seeking high quality employees and low turnover, but their efforts often fail in supporting employees from non-traditional backgrounds. The third model, the true second-chance model, have a different approach to hiring and offer support programs tailored to the needs of the justice-impacted population. Continued here |
3 Hurdles that Trip Up Younger Generations in a Family Business
Most rising generation family members agree that growing up around a family business has many advantages. Less visible are the hidden tripwires of this often-complex family situation. An understanding of these common tripwires and the skills needed to avoid or overcome them can help individual family members thrive, and ultimately support the long-term viability of the family enterprise. New research from the field of positive psychology, with its focus on human strengths, has shown that we can provide a more ideal scaffolding for the rising generation to navigate their path. This article covers three of the most common tripwires for the rising generation, and antidotes for overcoming them. Continued here |
How Do I Get Promoted Without a Clear Career Path?
He’s a self-professed “natural finance guy” and has shown himself to be invaluable to his company. His long-term goal is to become a CFO, but he’s gotten little feedback on what to do to get to the executive level. Now he’s starting to feel stuck in middle management. Host Muriel Wilkins coaches him through managing his career, even when the plan isn’t always clear. Continued here |
Getting Along with an Insecure, Know-It-All Pessimist
Kim’s boss hired her to run operations and human resources at the company he founded, where he is one of four partners. Six months in, she’s baffled by his mix of behaviors, all of which have made her job much harder than it should be. He attacks nearly every modification or upgrade to a process, policy, or program she suggests. He refuses to listen to feedback. The other partners don’t dare to intervene. If it’s his (outdated) way or the highway, why did they bring her in? Continued here |
Competing in the New Talent Market
Organizations are reexamining how they recruit, develop, and retain talent. They have to, because the pandemic has accelerated three already existing trends among employees: the search for meaning; the desire for flexibility; and the pace of technological transformation. Employees increasingly are bringing a new set of values, needs, and desires to the workplace, and the worker-employer contract is changing as a result, fundamentally and permanently. In this new environment, companies need to make six changes to succeed if they want to attract and retain talent. This article describes what those changes are and suggests how best to make them. Continued here |
How a Company Becomes a Pillar of Its Local Community
How does a company become a tentpole for its local community? The answer involves validation, representation, wealth creation, and reinvestment. Together, they entail a company linking its success to its local community such that wealth spills over and the wider area benefits. Companies seeking to become a tentpole for their city or region can actively take steps to become one. Continued here |
4 Things to Do Before a Tough Conversation
Difficult conversations are, well, difficult. And we all crave tactical advice about how to handle them, what to say, and what not to. But the primary predictor of success in a crucial conversation has less to do with how you use your mouth, and much more to do with what you do before you open it. There are several things you can do to prepare for any type of tricky conversation, whether it’s delivering tough feedback or negotiating a new role. First, connect with your real motives. Ask yourself: What do I really want for me? For the other person? For the relationship? For other stakeholders? Then, recognize and challenge the stories you tell yourself. Turn yourself from a victim to an actor. Turn the other person from a villain to a human. Also, gather the facts about the situation and don’t by sharing your conclusion. Share the facts and premises that led you to your conclusion. Lay out your data. Explain out the logic you used to arrive where you did. Lastly, be curious. Think through your position enough to have confidence that it has merit. But also muster enough humility to be interested in any facts or logic that might improve your conclusion. Continued here |
What's this 'longevity' diet, and will it really make you live longer?
A new diet by an American biochemist claims to help you live longer. It’s not too dissimilar to the Australian guide to healthy eating, which if followed, could also prolong your life. Continued here |
New guidelines call for doctors to screen for anxiety: Why it matters, especially for women
Lanee Higgins, of Baltimore, remembers being labeled a "worrier" as a child, a label she said stuck with her all the way through this year, when, as a 30-year-old, she was diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder, a condition that "involves a persistent feeling of anxiety or dread that interferes with how you live your life," according to the National Institute of Mental Health. Continued here |
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