Leaders should take a page from Lighthouse Consulting founder Larry Robertson's neighbors, who assessed their current home and decided to build a new house to better meet their needs when they found it lacking. "In other words, deliberately take time to look at your organization -- not the physical, so much as the operational and the aspirational, and then ask yourselves: Is this how we should be living and doing, or do we need to make some serious adjustments?" Robertson writes. Full Story: SmartBrief/Leadership (1/5)
Find the sweet spot between the misery of rich and poor Neither being fabulously wealthy nor destitute will make you happy, writes Joe Procopio, the founder of TeachingStartup.com, who offers tips on how to find the "sweet spot" between the two where you can enjoy success, understanding that you won't always be happy. "You have to put on a stupidly happy face when you're staring down failure or frustration or pressure. That's what being a successful business leader means," Procopio asserts. Full Story: Inc. (tiered subscription model) (1/5)
The transition from a vacation or time off back to work can be difficult, but workers can make it easier by planning out the first day back, establishing healthy work habits and prioritizing the most time-sensitive tasks, writes career counselor Caroline Castrillon. It's also important to make time to socialize with colleagues and to surround yourself with items that boost your mood, like vacation mementos or family photos, Castrillon recommends. Full Story: Forbes (tiered subscription model) (1/7)
Making the Connection
How job hunting mirrors online dating Job hunting can sometimes feel like being on a dating app, where the connection can be fleeting or even cruel. Several terms can be applied to both scenarios: breadcrumbing, benching, imaginationship. As for ghosting: "Is this really a place you want to spend your time, before they're even paying you? They're already not showing you the level of respect you would want to have or you would expect to show them," says Matthew Bahl of Financial Health Network. Full Story: The New York Times (1/9)
The Landscape
US economy added 216,000 jobs in Dec., Labor Dept. says Employers continued to hire steadily in December, when the US economy added 216,000 jobs, surpassing November's gains and exceeding economists' expectations. The job market remained a highlight in a cooling economy, as unemployment held steady at 3.7% and wages increased 4.1% year over year, offering optimism for a soft landing. Full Story: CNBC (1/5),Bloomberg (1/5),The Wall Street Journal (1/5)
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What HR can do to prevent employees from getting bored Research suggests nearly half of employees are bored at work at least three days a week, but Paycor Chief HR Officer Paaras Parker says talking with employees about non-work-related issues and giving them opportunities to participate in new projects can alleviate the problem. "Strong relationships and clarity can help you manage a potential problem or behavior shift with an employee before someone even has time to reach a level of boredom," Parker says. Full Story: Society for Human Resource Management (tiered subscription model) (1/8)
The easiest job in the advertising industry now belongs to the team tasked with writing Apple's next ad about the durability of its iPhones. When a portion of the fuselage of an Alaska Airlines flight blew out last Friday, a passenger's iPhone was among the many things sucked out of the hole in the plane. After a 16,000-foot plunge to the ground, the phone was found by the side of a road ... in perfect working condition. Full Story: CBS News (1/8)
SmartBreak: Question of the Day
What did playwright Samuel Beckett cite as the inspiration for "Waiting for Godot"?
