Leaders should wait to enter debates during meetings until they can focus on building a consensus, says journalist Richard Stengel, who helped Nelson Mandela with his autobiography. According to Stengel, Mandela would listen to other opinions and summarize them at the end of the meeting while adding his own as a way to subtly steer the other participants. Ladders (1/8)
Making the Connection
You don't need business cards to network Social networking has replaced business cards as the best way to launch positive networking relationships with new contacts, writes Chris Skaggs. With smartphones, professionals can easily add new contacts on the spot instead of exchanging business cards that will likely be lost or forgotten. Glassdoor (1/9)
James Damore, an engineer fired from Google for writing a memo about female programmers and the company's diversity programs, has filed a lawsuit alleging Google discriminates against white men and supporters of President Donald Trump. Damore wants class-action status to include other workers who think they have been discriminated against for holding conservative views. The Associated Press (1/8)
Your Next Challenge
Negotiate even if a job listing specifies a salary It's possible to negotiate a salary even if a specific amount is noted in the job listing, writes Emily Liou. If you're polite and perceptive during the process, you can ask if there's any wiggle room in the salary range or negotiate extra vacation days, training allowances and other perks. The Muse (1/8)
It's time to slow down your workload if you find yourself dwelling on negative thoughts more often at work, writes Robin Madell. When you need to trim your workload, segment activities into tasks that must be done right away and those that can be done when you have more time. U.S. News & World Report (1/8)
The Water Cooler
Amazon CEO Bezos is the richest person ever Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos now has a net worth of $105.1 billion, making him the richest person in history, according to Bloomberg. The runner-up is Microsoft founder Bill Gates, whose net worth is listed at $93.3 billion. CNNMoney (1/9)
