The best way to bust a rut: Grow as a leader

The best way to bust a rut: Grow as a leader | practice (split each time) | Increase your confidence without being corrosive Created for {EMAIL} | [{NAME}]( at [{NAME}]( [For more relevant content - Update Your Profile]( | [Web Version]( April 16, 2024 CONNECT WITH SMARTBRIEF  [LinkedIn]( [Facebook]( [X]( [SmartBrief on Leadership]( Innovative Ideas. Ahead of the Curve. [SIGN UP]( ⋅ [SHARE]( ADVERTISEMENT Leading the Way [] [The best way to bust a rut: Grow as a leader]( [The best way to bust a rut: Grow as a leader]( (PixelPop/Getty Images) An overwhelming sense of "been there, done that" in your job is a sign that you need to actively grow your skills, writes Jason Evanish, CEO of Get Lighthouse. Evanish recommends "supercharging" your growth in seven different ways, such as becoming a force multiplier for your team as well as reflecting on and learning from past failures. Full Story: [Lighthouse]( (4/13) [LinkedIn]( [X]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Put it into practice: [Becoming the master of your time management]( also can help smooth your rut into a groove, Evanish writes. The first step is a meeting audit, followed by managing and eliminating distractions, staying focused and ensuring a sustainable pace. [Private Markets: Rapid intensification]( Private markets face rapid change with opportunities in private equity, venture capital, real assets, and private credit. Long-term vision and strategic partnerships key for thriving amidst global shifts. [Find out more.]( ADVERTISEMENT: [] SmartBrief on Leadership [] [Increase your confidence without being corrosive]( [Increase your confidence without being corrosive]( (Thomas Barwick/Getty Images) Leadership confidence is about improving yourself, but not on the backs of others. Confidence comes from within and is "an unshakeable sense of self, which requires consistent and continued dedication to your values, goals and personal self-worth," writes executive coach Joel Garfinkle, who offers five ways to build your confidence without throwing your weight around. Full Story: [SmartBrief/Leadership]( (4/15) [LinkedIn]( [X]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Put it into practice: Understand that doubts and mistakes are normal, even for seasoned leaders. Look for places you can grow, [focus on motivating others]( and "stay true to who you are as a person" to grow your confidence, Garfinkle suggests. [] [Read more]( from Joel Garfinkle on SmartBrief on Leadership [] Smarter Communication [] ["Perspective-taking is at the heart of servant leadership"]( True, servant leadership is about giving, not taking -- but taking in a colleague's perspective before giving your own is the best gift for you both, writes Leadership Freak blogger Dan Rockwell. Silence your desire as a leader to fix things so you don't disempower colleagues, Rockwell suggests, while people skills coach Kate Nasser says that in order to connect, you must engage, inspire, manage and lead. Full Story: [Leadership Freak]( (4/15), [Kate Nasser]( (4/14) [LinkedIn]( [X]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Put it into practice: Connect and hear their perspective [by finding out how they learn]( (visual, auditory, written), how they handle stress and how they act when leadership is absent, Nasser writes. Ask questions to learn more about their views on the issue at hand, such as "What are you trying to accomplish when you…?" or ["What do you want me to understand?"]( Rockwell advises. Free eBooks and Resources Free eBooks and resources brought to you by our sponsors - [Nonverbal Communications Skills -- The 10 Skills You Need to Learn]( - [70+ Excel Keyboard Shortcuts for Windows (Free Cheat Sheet)]( - [Best Practices for Email Etiquette]( - [11 Habits That Will Give You A Complete And Successful Life]( - [Creating Positive Habits - The Ultimate Guide]( [] Smarter Strategy [] - [Follow your own compass when faced with big decisions]( Harvard Business School Working Knowledge (4/15) [] - [Why you need a change-maker's mindset to spot innovative ideas]( Digital Tonto blog (4/14) [] - [How CEOs can defuse conflict with boards]( Harvard Business Review (tiered subscription model) (4/15) [] SmartPulse [] How aware are you of your team's level of burnout? I'm extremely aware of when they're getting burned out 15.55% I'm very aware of them getting burned out 39.19% I'm generally aware but sometimes miss the signs 29.73% I'm not as aware as I need to be 11.48% I'm not aware at all of how burned out they are 4.05% [] Pay attention to the burn. If your team is burned out, it can destroy productivity, morale and ultimately lead to attrition when they leave to find less stressful jobs. It doesn't take much to check in on their well-being. Pay attention to what they're saying and not saying. If all they talk about is deadlines, projects and pressures but you never hear about relationships, colleagues, friends and family, they might be overly-consumed by their work. Watch their hours. Evaluate their physical presence and energy. It's not hard to pick up on burnout when you actually look for it. Help them prioritize and get low-value work off their plates. They may have a hard time saying "no" to work but you're in a position to help them do that. Investing a little time and effort into taking care of their stress levels is good for them, good for you and good for the organization. -- Mike Figliuolo is managing director of [thoughtLEADERS](, which includes TITAN -- the firm's e-learning platform. Previously, he worked at McKinsey & Co., Capital One and Scotts Miracle-Gro. He is a West Point graduate and author of three leadership books: ["One Piece of Paper,"]( ["Lead Inside the Box"]( and ["The Elegant Pitch."]( [LinkedIn]( [X]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] In Their Own Words [] [Amazon's Jassy sees generative AI as ripe for development]( [Amazon's Jassy sees generative AI as ripe for development]( Jassy (Thos Robinson/Getty Images) Amazon sees generative AI as a major tech innovation that could fuel the company's next era of growth, building on its past accomplishments in creating the ecommerce Marketplace and Amazon Web Services, CEO Andy Jassy said in his annual letter to shareholders. "There has never been a time in Amazon's history where we've felt there is so much opportunity to make our customers' lives better and easier," Jassy noted. Full Story: [The Seattle Times (tiered subscription model)]( (4/11), [The Wall Street Journal]( (4/11) [LinkedIn]( [X]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Daily Diversion [] [School of 7 can fool predators by sounding like single fish]( [School of 7 can fool predators by sounding like single fish]( (Mondadori Portfolio/Getty Images) A school of seven fish can be as quiet as a single fish if the animals flap their fins at alternate times rather than in unison, a behavior that also lets them use less energy and swim faster. "A predator, such as a shark, may perceive it as hearing a lone fish instead of a group," says mechanical engineer Rajat Mittal, an author of the study in Bioinspiration & Biomimetics that used 3D models of swimming mackerel. Full Story: [Physics World]( (4/14) [LinkedIn]( [X]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] SmartBreak: Question of the Day [] Which of these writers was once an owner of the Baltimore Orioles of Major League Baseball? [Vote]( [Tom Clancy]( [Vote]( [Dashiell Hammett]( [Vote]( [Laura Lippman]( [Vote]( [Edgar Allan Poe]( [] Editor's Note [] [Inside the side-by-side human/AI work experience]( A study of futurists from TATA Consultancy Services shows that 90% are optimistic about forthcoming AI changes, and 72% envision significant contributions to employee well-being. What does this mean for job loss? Remote work? Get TATA futurist Bill Quinn's insights about work experience transformations -- from potentially shorter workweeks to who owns AI's work -- and participate in an audience Q&A during SmartBrief's April 18 "AI Redefining the Work Experience " webinar. [Register now]( for the free event. [LinkedIn]( [X]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] About The Editor [] Candace Chellew Candace Chellew Chellew I am an information junkie. I love to learn new things. I love to read books, listen to podcasts, go to lectures and watch YouTube videos. If you've got new and exciting things to teach, I'm there. That's a good trait for a leader. However, learning is just the first step. Once you have all that information, the next step is to put it into practice. This is where I'm not so strong. This is where Jason Evanish's advice can come in handy. [You can learn from your "invisible council" and study the leadership chops of those you admire](, but when it comes to adapting those skills into your own leadership game, it can be challenging. The one thing that helped me when I needed to move forward was getting a coach or a mentor -- someone who could show me how to put my new knowledge to work and hold me accountable. Coaches and mentors are all around us -- it just takes a moment to reach out to someone you admire and ask them to coffee. The times when I have done just this simple step I have found ways to implement newfound ideas. Who can you reach out today? If this newsletter helps you, please tell your colleagues, friends or anyone who can benefit. Forward them this email, or [send this link](. What topics do you see in your daily work that I should know about? Do you have praise? Criticism? [Drop me a note](mailto:candace.chellew@futurenet.com). And don't forget to send me photos of your pets, your office and where you spend your time off. [LinkedIn]( [X]( [Facebook]( [Email]( Sharing SmartBrief on Leadership with your network keeps the quality of content high and these newsletters free. Help Spread the Word [SHARE]( Or copy and share your personalized link: smartbrief.com/leadership/?referrerId=japnABMSAp [] [] I think we helped create a place for a civil discourse and respect for complexity in a medium which often respects neither. ... Those aren't small things. [Robert MacNeil](, broadcast journalist, news anchor 1931-2024 [LinkedIn]( [X]( [Facebook]( [Email](   SmartBrief publishes more than 200 free industry newsletters - [Browse our portfolio]( [Sign Up]( | [Update Profile]( | [Advertise with SmartBrief]( [Unsubscribe]( | [Privacy policy]( CONTACT US: [FEEDBACK](mailto:leadership@smartbrief.com) | [ADVERTISE](mailto:lengel@smartbrief.com) [SmartBrief Future]( Copyright © 2024 SmartBrief. All Rights Reserved. A division of Future US LLC Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY, 10036.