How to confront a problem with a positive mindset Leaders needn't be either Pollyanna optimists or pessimists if they work on being positive thinkers who don't "expect their circumstances to change [but instead] change themselves to overcome their circumstances," business consultant LaRae Quy writes. Positive thinkers have "the ability to look at every situation, both good and bad, without losing hope," Quy explains. Full Story: SmartBrief/Leadership (4/19)
An "overwork culture" has taken over in companies where employees feel they must answer email outside of working hours, don't take time off and believe they must be available all the time, which leads to burnout, but also points to needed workplace reforms, writes author Anne Helen Petersen. By requiring time off, offering flexible work schedules and reducing workloads, leaders can change their culture to better meet employee needs, both on and, more importantly, off the clock, Petersen notes. Full Story: Substack/Culture Study (4/19)
Making the Connection
Preparing a global workforce includes working locally With a global workforce, it is necessary to tap into local cultures -- and that includes partnering with local businesses, benefits providers and sponsors, writes Jan Bruce, co-founder meQuilibrium. Use communication that reflects the local culture and emphasize how a program fits into the culture's social fabric, Bruce writes. Full Story: Chief Learning Officer online (4/19)
The Landscape
LinkedIn: Amazon remains No. 1 on places-to-work list Amazon again claimed the top spot on LinkedIn's annual list of best places to work, with Google parent Alphabet at No. 5, just ahead of AT&T. As its research finds that job-seekers' priorities are changing, LinkedIn is adding a tool to quantify how companies stack up in such areas as work-life balance and career growth. Full Story: TechCrunch (tiered subscription model) (4/19)
Changing times have increased the number of executives in many C-suites, with the addition of positions like CXO -- the chief change officer who oversees transformations that often include data. Other newer roles include chief digital officer, chief compliance officer and chief marketing officer, and this article explains how a company can decide which, or if, such executives are necessary. Full Story: The Economic Times (India) (4/18)
Your Next Challenge
Don't pooh-pooh this clever hiring technique Morey's Piers and Beachfront Water Parks needs 1,500 workers each summer for its Jersey Shore facility, and this year decided that instead of fliers on car windows, it would use peelable stickers that resemble seagull doo-doo. Once peeled, the stickers have a QR code for potential applicants to follow, and the hiring campaign has attracted attention from seniors as well as teens. Full Story: Fox Business (4/19)
The Great Green Wall initiative aimed to "re-green" 100 million hectares of degraded land across the Sahel south of the Sahara. The plan has enjoyed some success since it was launched in 2007, but even before the pandemic it was running into headwinds caused by politics, money and diverging national interests. Full Story: Nature (4/18)
SmartBreak: Question of the Day
Love or hate Spam, the meat product, you can visit a museum dedicated to it in what city? Check your answer here.
