How to make the end of vacation go smoothly Make sure your return from vacation goes smoothly by writing a to-do list before your first day back and limiting meetings for your first week to those that are absolutely necessary. You should also delete any email messages you don't need so you aren't overwhelmed by your inbox upon your return, writes Lydia Dishman. Fast Company online (12/29)PepsiCo CEO offers simple advancement tips
Nooyi (Bryan Bedder/Getty Images)
If you want to advance in your career, focus on succeeding in your current position instead of proving that you can do your ideal job, according to PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi. Develop a unique skill that helps you stand out and show courage in your actions at work. CNBC (12/28)
Get with the flow. How payment processing affects cash flow. Cash flow is the lubricant of business. Without a healthy cash flow, business dries up. It stops. It can't function. Which is why it is vital to keep the revenues coming in as the expenses go out. But there's one aspect of cash flow that many of us are not aware of. It is how managing credit cards and other such non-cash payments affect cash flow. Turns out it has a huge affect. Download the free guide today.
Female leaders help drive gender diversity and wage equality, lay off fewer employees, and foster improved working conditions, according to several studies. Researchers hypothesize that greater empathy and patience may play a role, as well as focus on community growth instead of personal gain. The Atlantic online (12/27)
Your Next Challenge
Use these traits to land your next job To succeed in your next job interview, try to show warmth and competence, which are the two key traits all hiring managers base judgments on, writes Jeremy Schifeling. Try to practice self-awareness to be more likable while using specifics in your stories and answers to display your competence. TheMuse.com (6/27)
Balancing Yourself
Limit interruptions so you have time to think You can limit your interruptions at work by using preventive problem-solving and deciding which tasks can afford to wait until a later time, writes Robin Madell. Doing so will allow you to set aside extra time during your workday to spend in thought, which will make you a more effective worker. U.S. News & World Report (12/27)
The Water Cooler
2016 will end with additional second A leap second is being added to 2016 by the International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service. The leap second, which does not occur regularly, is added to reconcile occasional differences between atomic time and astronomical time, which is based on the rotation of Earth. Los Angeles Times (tiered subscription model) (12/30)
Editor's Note
SmartBrief will not publish Monday In observance of the New Year's holiday, SmartBrief will not publish Monday. Publication will resume Tuesday.
