You don't have to be a detective to uncover great leaders | Rejection stings, but remember it's not always personal | The only thing your elevator pitch needs
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In the Netflix movie "Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery," Miles Bron is assumed to be a great leader because he fits the "leadership prototype," while the true innovators are an ex-partner and his chief scientist, who are both Black and don't fit the stereotype, write Sy Islam, co-founder and vice president of consulting with Talent Metrics, and Gordon Schmidt, a professor at the University of Louisiana at Monroe. Using objective assessments, being aware of conscious and unconscious biases, and reviewing the talent pipeline can lead to more diverse leaders, they write.
Rejection can be a threat to people's self-esteem and self-worth, says licensed clinical social worker Anna Hindell, who offers advice for a variety of situations, including not getting a job. "Taking the rejection in stride and not taking it as a personal attack is key to moving through difficult feelings," Hindell says.
Founders should avoid trying to fit as much information as possible into their 30-second elevator pitch, writes Aaron Dinin, Duke University entrepreneurship professor. "Focus, instead, on sharing one thing that's going to get the other person interested in learning more," Dinin writes.
General Mills' rehire rate rose approximately 50% last year, as the company has turned to its retirees to help ease the labor shortage. Retirees often don't require training and serve as valuable mentors to other employees when they return, explained Chief HR Officer Jacqueline Williams-Roll.
Instead of over-burdening high-performers with extra work, employers should cultivate employees who "have the foundation to be extraordinary but lack the skills, knowledge, or experience to land a higher-paying role," writes Michelle Rhee, co-founder of BuildWithin. Structured apprenticeship programs give employees a defined path to higher pay in hard-to-fill roles, and government funding can be used to make upskilling programs more cost-effective than hiring externally, Rhee writes.
Starting in May, Amazon employees must be in the office at least three days a week, CEO Andy Jassy said in a message to the company's workers. Jassy pointed the benefits of in-person work, noting that "serendipitous interactions help [invention], and there are more of those in-person than virtually."
The NBA has developed an app that lets fans insert their own avatar into live games. Fans can assume the role of any player on the court and see themselves doing whatever that player does in real time. This video showing NBA Commissioner Adam Silver unveiling the app builds up slowly, but ends with Ahmad Rashad dunking in a game.