How CEOs can navigate the evolution of their career | Study: How different genres of music affect productivity | Is your leadership feeling sluggish? Time for an upgrade
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Good CEOs aren't born; they go through a distinct journey in the job from aligning with their board's values, to facing the "buzzsaw" of challenging events, driving growth and avoiding complacency that can set in later in their tenure, write executive coaches Claudius Hildebrand and Robert Stark. "Even the most successful CEOs go through periods of doubt and failure and the feeling of being overwhelmed by the internal and external demands they face," they write.
Yiren Ren has been conducting studies at Georgia Tech to investigate how different types of music impact productivity. Traditional music with familiar tones supported memory retention, while atonal music, like improvisational jazz, posed challenges. Novel music, however, could enhance focus, according to the research.
Like software, your personal operating model as a leader needs regular updates to enhance your productivity and drive change in your organization, writes McKinsey's Arne Gast, who notes this involves reassessing priorities, roles and what you spend your time doing. "Top leaders focus on their most important work while allowing themselves the flexibility to handle emergencies, engage in strategic thinking and create space for personal time," Gast writes.
When scheduling a job interview, recruiter Carl Casis recommends offering multiple date and time options, five to seven days in advance, to allow candidates to prepare adequately. Giving too much notice can induce anxiety, and limited scheduling options might signal a rigid culture at the company.
Despite the temptation to engage with others by sharing experiences, career coach Madeline Mann warns that potential employers might view these posts negatively on various social media platforms, fearing public criticism of their hiring processes. Mann also cautions against sharing mental health experiences, generic resumes and political campaigns during the job search to avoid unnecessary judgments.
If you have a coworker who dominates the conversation, you can follow Joseph Grenny's example of a time when he politely warned a talkative friend that he had limited time for the discussion and walked away when that time had passed, even as the friend was still talking. Grenny says the tactic worked, noting: "In the future, he never expressed offense when I set and enforced my boundaries with him."
Proper nutrition and a balanced diet can enhance energy, cognitive function and immune support for nurses, many of whom report significant stress and symptoms of burnout, according to an American Nurses Association survey. "Consuming a diet rich in whole foods and avoiding processed and sugary snacks can help regulate stress hormones like cortisol," writes Amanda Winstead.
Chimpanzees are gradually enhancing their tool-using skills through the exchange of ideas facilitated by migrations between populations, according to a study in Science that combined genetic data with observations of foraging behaviors across various chimpanzee populations. While chimpanzees' cultural evolution is slower compared to humans, the findings highlight the importance of social interactions in technological progress.
While she worked toward a Ph.D. at Cambridge University, Jocelyn Bell, along with adviser Antony Hewish, in 1967 were the first to document a pulsar. Which of these musical groups has an album cover depicting a pulsar?
