3 Strategies for Making Better, More Informed Decisions

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3 Strategies for Making Better, More Informed Decisions   As humans, we tend to interpret information in a way that confirms our existing beliefs and serves our own self-interest. In situations that lack clarity, we often make assumptions that serve to bolster our egos and self-esteem. We selectively interpret information to support our own position, and overlook or dismiss information that contradicts our views. This is known as the self-serving bias, and it can lead to suboptimal decision-making or even contribute to conflict, as we become more entrenched in our own positions and less willing to consider alternative perspectives. The author offers three strategies to help you combat this bias: 1) Consider the source of the information you’re relying on; 2) Think counterfactually about previous decisions you’ve made; and 3) Seek out information that challenges your assumptions. Continued here

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Founders Are Getting Personal on TikTok. Here Are 3 Reasons You Should Consider Doing the Same   Your brand's TikTok account might not make nearly the same impact as a personal account. Continued here

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3 Ways to Figure Out if a Company Really Values Diversity   When we’re job hunting, we usually look at the work a company does, how successful it is, and how it will add to our experience. But, over time, I’ve learned that those things are not as valuable as we make them out to be. The roles we love, and the companies we stick with, are the ones whose values align with our own. Continued here

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The 1 Mistake Young Entrepreneurs Make Is Relying on Hope   If you want to succeed as an entrepreneur, you need strategy and action. Continued here

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Exclusive: Small Businesses Say They're Not Done Hiring   They also say they're turning to A.I. for help. Continued here

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Should You Fire a Bad Hire?   Everyone makes hiring mistakes. Even with the best recruiters, tools, and assessments at your disposal, it’s simply impossible to get it right 100% of the time. That’s because recruiting and hiring involves one very important variable that no algorithm or experienced hiring manager can fully predict: people. When you’re dealing with human beings — who not only possess valuable talent and skills, but also unique quirks, emotions, egos and, inevitably, flaws — results may vary. Continued here

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Break Your Bad Habits Before Starting a New Job   When starting a new job, we inadvertently drag some of our bad habits like procrastination, gossiping, or tardiness to our new job. These could hamper our growth or make us seem unprofessional. To truly start fresh, we have to commit to making some changes. A new job offers an excellent opportunity to break up with the past, leverage and build on our strengths, and chart a new course. Continued here

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A Step-by-Step Guide for Documenting Processes   An easy-to-use guide for businesses of all types that will enable you to streamline your processes and better prepare your employees. Continued here

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Building an Effective Cybersecurity Training Program   Just as sports teams practice and train for upcoming games, your organization should be constantly and consistently practicing and training for cybersecurity events, building the muscles and skills they’ll need to respond when a cyber-attack inevitably happens. Planning and scheduling training and exercise is crucial because it allows teams to assess their performance and readiness. Team exercises should be done regularly and with the same tools, techniques, and procedures used in daily operations, and simulations should reflect real-world scenarios that teammates are likely to encounter in their daily work. This helps to build confidence in responding to specific threats and ensures that individuals are prepared to act accordingly. After each exercise, it’s important to provide feedback and discuss what worked well and what could be improved. Helping teammates learn from their mistakes and improve their responses is one of the most valuable takeaways from any training event. Continued here

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Mellody Hobson on How to Communicate Your Way Out of a Crisis   In a new MasterClass, the Ariel Investments co-CEO discusses her strategies for navigating difficult situations. Continued here

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Summer Workers Could Still Be Scarce   Despite a rebound in labor supply, employers such as restaurants, pool clubs, and camps are still trying to increase headcounts for the summer season. They may need to get creative. Continued here

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20 Years From Now, the Only People Who Will Remember That You Worked Late Are Your Kids   How do you balance the tradeoffs between work, ambition, and success and the relationships that matter the most to you? Continued here

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People in Old Testament Jerusalem suffered from widespread dysentery, study finds   Last year, we reported on an analysis of soil samples collected from a stone toilet found within the ruins of a swanky villa, revealing the presence of parasitic eggs from four different species. Conclusion: The wealthy, privileged elite of Jerusalem in the seventh century BCE were plagued by poor sanitary conditions and resulting parasitic intestinal diseases. Now scientists have found evidence of a parasite that causes dysentery in soil samples collected from that same stone toilet, as well as a second stone toilet from the same region that is nearly identical in design. The results appear in a new paper published in the journal Parasitology. Continued here

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How Generative AI Changes Strategy   Strategy is about making the future happen, not just reacting to it, according to author Gary Hamel. And with generative artificial intelligence, senior leaders suddenly wield an awesome new tool to change the fortunes of their organizations. The promise of generative AI is more than just a sweet hack to boost productivity and streamline operations. Its deeper potential lies in companies that rethink what they do and conjure brand-new, AI-first products and services. Simply put, generative AI is blasting open new strategic paths to create novel business opportunities, even as it brings serious risks and heightened competition. Continued here

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Has Cynicism Infected Your Organization?   Burnout is a workplace syndrome characterized by three core attributes: 1) energy depletion or exhaustion, 2) a cynical or negative attitude toward one’s job, and 3) reduced professional efficacy. That second attribute, workplace cynicism, may be the least-understood aspect of burnout in part because of its complexity. In contrast to exhaustion and diminished efficacy, whose causes and effects are relatively straightforward, cynicism can be caused by a number of workplace factors, and it can be expressed in a broad range of emotional states and behaviors. Cynicism is dangerous to both individual and organizational health and can also spread rapidly throughout teams through a phenomenon known as “emotional contagion.” It’s possible to improve even deep-seated cynicism — and better yet, to prevent it from infecting your organization in the first place. The author offers strategies to help reverse existing cynicism and to create an anti-cynical culture at work. Continued here

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The DeSantis Question   Welcome to Up for Debate. Each week, Conor Friedersdorf rounds up timely conversations and solicits reader responses to one thought-provoking question. Later, he publishes some thoughtful replies. Sign up for the newsletter here.Do you want Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida to win or lose his Republican primary race against Donald Trump? Why? How does he compare, in your estimation, to Joe Biden? Continued here

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Are flours made with pulses better for us?   One of our most unhealthy collective eating habits in the West is not having enough fibre in our diets. A diet high in fibre is associated with numerous health benefits, including a decreased risk of heart disease and early death.You might worry that boosting your intake of fibre through whole foods, including fruit, vegetables, pulses and wholegrains, means having to sacrifice some of your favourite foods. But in recent years, manufacturers have introduced higher fibre alternatives to many of our traditionally low-fibre staples – including pastas, crisps, breakfast cereals and cereal bars. But are they any better than the foods they replace? Continued here

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5 "what ifs" that would have changed cosmic history   13.8 billion years ago, what we know today as our Universe began with the hot Big Bang. Filled with matter, antimatter and radiation in an almost uniform fashion, it expanded and gravitated in nearly perfect balance. As the Universe cooled, the matter and antimatter annihilated away, leaving a tiny, minuscule, but significant amount of matter behind. After 9.2 billion years, what would become our Solar System gradually began to form from a collapsing cloud of molecular gas, and after another 4.55 billion years or so, humanity first arose on planet Earth.When we look out at the Universe from our perspective here and now, we only get a snapshot of existence, defined by the properties of the light, particles, and gravitational waves that we observe at the moment of their arrival. Based on all that we’ve seen, combined with our theories, frameworks, and models that reflect the fusion of those observations with the underlying laws of physics, we’ve come to understand the cosmos around us. But if things had been only a tiny bit different, our Universe would have been dramatically different. Here are five things that could have happened to change the course of our shared cosmic history. Continued here

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Brain-Spine Interface Allows Paralyzed Man to Walk Using His Thoughts   A device provides a connection between the brain and spinal cord, allowing thought to control movementTwelve years ago, a cycling accident left Gert-Jan Oskam, now 40, with paralysed legs and partially paralysed arms, after his spinal cord was damaged in his neck. But these days, Oskam is back on his feet and walking, thanks to a device that creates a ‘digital bridge’ between his brain and the nerves below his injury. Continued here

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Do You Ever Second Guess Yourself?   A certain level of self-doubt is good. It can push us to work harder. But when it manifests as imposter syndrome — that nagging voice in the back of your head, clouding your mind with doubt and insecurity — it can backfire. If you’ve recently been promoted or found the job of your dreams but find yourself overtaken by imposter syndrome, there are a few ways to dial down the self-criticism and grow in your career. Continued here

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Our Shifting Understanding of Democracy Is Fueling Populism and Culture Wars   As with climate change, adverse changes in democratic practices require societal adaptation to avoid the worst scenariosFor more than a century, the idea of democracy has meant a liberal democracy, where we vote for our leaders and our government rests on a defining document like the U.S. Constitution. In a liberal democracy, there is also a separation of powers between the different arms of our representative government and rule of law. Continued here

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Congress Edges Closer to a Debt Ceiling Deal as Agencies Put U.S. Credit on Downgrade Notice   Even if the U.S. doesn't default on its debt, there could still be consequences for all this brinkmanship. Continued here

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How to Build Better Business Relationships   Tips on how to network and build strong relationships with other entrepreneurs and mentors. Continued here

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Abortion Bans Are Driving Off Doctors and Putting Basic Health Care at Risk   Many physicians say they are reluctant to practice in states with abortion bans, harming access to regular exams and screeningsThe rush in conservative states to ban abortion after the overturn of Roe v. Wade is resulting in a startling consequence that abortion opponents may not have considered: fewer medical services available for all women living in those states. Continued here

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A Computer Scientist Breaks Down Generative AI's Hefty Carbon Footprint   Is generative AI bad for the environment? A computer scientist explains the carbon footprint of ChatGPT and its cousins—and how to reduce itThe following essay is reprinted with permission from The Conversation, an online publication covering the latest research. Continued here

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Elon Musk Says Twitter's New CEO Got the Job After She Did This. It's a Lesson in Emotional Intelligence   New Twitter CEO Linda Yaccarino just taught a master class in how to manage conflict and work together. Continued here

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China's EV giant BYD is picking up speed in Jordan   Late last year, Jordanian car dealer Waleed Alheet ordered six BYD electric cars from a supplier in Jinan, China. He sold all six cars 10 days after they went on sale at his showroom in Zarqa, Jordan. So he ordered another six, then another 20, then another 10. This year, he plans to import more than 150 cars from BYD, China’s largest electric vehicle manufacturer — among the brand’s first passenger vehicles in the country.“The price is perfect, and the quality is perfect,” Alheet told Rest of World. “I think [BYD] will be the number one in Jordan.” Continued here

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You Can Probably Beat ChatGPT at These Math Brainteasers. Here's Why   The ChatGPT AI can ace an IQ test, but it can’t beat brainteasers like those devised by legendary math puzzler Martin GardnerChatGPT and other artificial intelligence systems are earning accolades for feats that include diagnosing medical conditions, acing an IQ test and summarizing scientific papers. But Scientific American wanted to see what would happen if the bot went head to head with the legacy of legendary puzzle maker Martin Gardner, longtime author of our Mathematical Games column, who passed away in 2010. I tested ChatGPT on a handful of text-based brainteasers described by Gardner or a 2014 tribute to his work by mathematician Colm Mulcahy and computer scientist Dana Richards in Scientific American. Continued here

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NASA Mini Satellites Will Help Track Hurricanes   Miniature satellites called CubeSats will collect meteorologic data that NASA hopes will help explain how and why some tropical storms intensify as they approach landTo help with that effort, the space agency on Thursday night plans to launch two small satellites, called “CubeSats,” into orbit roughly 350 miles above the Earth, where they should help scientists better understand what NASA calls “high-impact meteorological events,” or tropical storms. Continued here

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Think About Your Death and Live Better   Want to stay current with Arthur’s writing? Sign up to get an email every time a new column comes out.On September 18, 2007, Randy Pausch faced a packed hall at Carnegie Mellon University to give his last lecture. The popular computer-scientist professor, beloved by students and colleagues, was not retiring or moving to another university. He had terminal pancreatic cancer, and had been given just months to live. Continued here