Visibility aids career growth Maintaining visibility is a key component of leadership and can enhance recognition and open doors to new opportunities, former IBM CIO Kathryn Guarini and other IT leaders say. A visibility strategy may include public speaking, networking, participating in professional societies, writing white papers and commentaries, and seeking high-profile assignments. Full Story: CIO (3/25)
Future leaders are lurking in every organization, and they are often the ones inspiring those around them, creating change or offering innovative solutions, whether it's on the job or through activities outside the office, writes Mike Szczesny, the owner and vice president of EDCO Awards & Specialties. "By recognizing leadership in unexpected places, we broaden our understanding of what it means to lead while celebrating the diverse and dynamic ways leadership can manifest," Szczesny notes. Full Story: SmartBrief/Leadership (3/22)
How young professionals can win over interviewers A report from SHRM and Handshake found that those entering the workforce say they are well-prepared and have a strong willingness to learn and be part of a team, although employers are less confident. "Our research shows that employers are seeking stronger demonstrations of work ethic and reliability from emerging talent," says study co-author Casey Sword. "By providing specific examples of their capabilities in these areas during interviews, emerging professionals can help alleviate employers' concerns." Full Story: Society for Human Resource Management (tiered subscription model) (3/26)
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Making the Connection
Find the sweet spot of presentation preparation When preparing for a presentation or speech, aim for the sweet spot between over-preparing (which tends to focus you on content over the audience) and winging it (which sets you up for myriad disasters), writes speaking coach Gary Genard. "Your whole task as a speaker every time you speak is to serve the needs of the audience. That requires understanding listeners and their needs, and considering how you can deliver what you say in their terms," Genard notes. Full Story: The Genard Method (3/24)
The Landscape
Powell signals willingness to support unemployment action The Federal Reserve is still waiting for signs that inflation is easing enough to begin cutting interest rates, but Chair Jerome Powell has also indicated the central bank might be willing to act if it detects a surprising uptick in unemployment. This approach is "about not wanting the unemployment rate to get momentum," says Wendy Edelberg, a former Fed economist at the Brookings Institution. Full Story: Bloomberg (3/24)
Housing assistance becoming attractive benefit Companies are increasingly offering housing assistance as a recruiting and retention tool, with some employees saying in a new survey that they would exchange vacation time for help with their rent or mortgage. Food processor JBS Foods rents apartments to employees or negotiates mortgages on their behalf, and Elon Musk's Boring is building a 110-home subdivision outside Austin with lease-to-own houses below market value. Full Story: Business Insider (3/21)
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Turn off your notifications to get more work done Turning off email and phone notifications can sharpen focus and increase productivity, writes Matt Sonnen, chief operating officer at Coldstream Wealth Management and creator of The COO Society. He recommends designating a specific time to read and respond to emails and also creating a separate folder for industry publications. Full Story: WealthManagement (3/25)
Remember the condo building in Florida that partially collapsed in 2021? Well, it prompted a yearslong investigation that is still ongoing. If you're wondering why it's taking so long, you're not alone. But the National Institute of Standards and Technology -- the federal governmental entity carrying out the investigation -- has been looking at two dozen hypotheses with varying degrees of probability. And NIST wants to make sure its findings are ironclad, as its report has potential to reshape national building codes and the entire profession of structural engineering. A similar legacy was at stake when NIST explored the collapse of the World Trade Center buildings after 9/11. By most accounts, NIST got it right back then, and the government is leaving no stone unturned to get it right again. Full Story: SmartBrief/Infrastructure (3/25)
SmartBreak: Question of the Day
Suffragist Susan B. Anthony was arrested Nov. 18, 1872, for voting. How much was her fine at the time?
