When life delivers a gut punch, here's how to survive

When life delivers a gut punch, here's how to survive | practice (split each time) | If you don't have an email newsletter, start one now Created for {EMAIL} | [{NAME}]( at [{NAME}]( [For more relevant content - Update Your Profile]( | [Web Version]( July 9, 2024 CONNECT WITH SMARTBRIEF  [LinkedIn]( [Facebook]( [X]( [SmartBrief on Leadership]( Innovative Ideas. Ahead of the Curve. [SIGN UP]( ⋅ [SHARE](   Leading the Way [] [When life delivers a gut punch, here's how to survive]( [When life delivers a gut punch, here's how to survive]( (Fahmi Ruddin Hidayat/Getty Images) Whether it's a crisis in your business, personal life or society, cultivate resilience by allowing your emotions to ebb and flow (and be bottled up) when needed, finding social support, seeking reasons to be optimistic and looking for the silver lining in every cloud, writes author Eric Barker. "And when times are tough, friends are the emotional EMTs who might not always know CPR but can resuscitate your spirit with a well-timed joke or just their sheer, absurd presence," Barker notes. Full Story: [Barking Up The Wrong Tree]( (7/7) [LinkedIn]( [X]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Put it into practice: The good news, according to researchers, is that [resilience is our default mode]( when we face a challenge or setback, Barker notes, which makes it easier to find reasons to be optimistic. "We're like those wobbly inflatable tube men outside car dealerships -- flailing wildly, but you can't keep us down." [] Smarter Communication [] [If you don't have an email newsletter, start one now]( [If you don't have an email newsletter, start one now]( (grinvalds/Getty Images) An email newsletter is one of the best ways to engage your customers, writes business advisor David Baker, who advises you to never try and sell through it, but offer valuable insights and a unique point-of-view that builds a relationship with readers. The value of an email newsletter, Baker notes, is that you own it, it's easy to scale, everyone uses email and it's easy for readers to respond to you personally. Full Story: [David C. Baker]( (7/8) [LinkedIn]( [X]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Put it into practice: Baker says [he's serious about not selling anything in your newsletter]( or making company announcements. Instead, go deep into your company's specialty and become the go-to expert in your field to build trust so that when your readers need what you're offering, they'll come to you. [] [Give AI a human touch for employee recruitment, retention]( Companies can use AI to build talent pipelines to recruit new employees and use it to tailor responses to applicants as well as retain current employees through automated messages and meeting summaries, say experts. Leaders must create guidelines for AI's use, says David Quinones, senior vice president of editorial and content for RockOrange, who notes, "Anything that involves direct communication with candidates should remain in human hands." Full Story: [Ragan]( (7/8) [LinkedIn]( [X]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Put it into practice: Relying too much on AI generated messages [can erode trust with both applicants and employees](, Quinones notes. A human must still curate every message to make sure employees feel seen and heard by leadership. [] Smarter Strategy [] - [Study the strategy of soccer to create top performing teams]( Forbes (tiered subscription model) (7/8) [] - [Use this matrix to minimize risks in decision-making]( Psychology Today (7/8) [] - [4 questions to test the strength of your company's mission statement]( Management Blog (Tom Foster) (7/8) 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]( [] SmartPulse [] How well do your team members understand how other parts of your organization work? Extremely well -- everyone understands all other company functions 6.29% Very well -- they understand most of the other critical functions 23.68% Well -- they understand functions close to them but not most others 48.30% Not very well -- they lack a basic understanding of other functional team roles 17.39% Not at all -- I'm lucky they understand what our function does 4.34% [] Provide a broader understanding. It's great to see that 80% of you report that your team members understand the important parts of your organization outside their own team or function. That obviously improves coordination, helps them appreciate knock-on effects of their work and makes them better prepared to take on larger or different roles as their careers progress. For those of you reporting that your teams aren't familiar with other functions, put together a plan for how you can build their knowledge. Are there cross-functional projects you can put them on? Are there online courses they can take to understand other functions? Can you create mentorship opportunities with leaders from other areas? The better your team members understand what the rest of the organization does, the more their own roles make sense to them and the better positioned they are to grow in their careers. -- 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]( [] How would you describe your team members' expectations on getting promoted? [Vote]( [They are frustrated they haven't been promoted already]( [Vote]( [They believe they're ready to be promoted now]( [Vote]( [They believe they'll be ready for promotion in a year or less]( [Vote]( [They think they're more than a year away from a promotion]( [Vote]( [They have no idea when or how they'll get promoted]( [Vote]( [They expect they'll never get promoted]( [] In Their Own Words [] [Olympian Joyner-Kersee on what it takes to succeed]( [Olympian Joyner-Kersee on what it takes to succeed]( Joyner-Kersee (Arturo Holmes/Getty Images) Despite growing up poor in East St. Louis, Ill., Olympic gold medalist Jackie Joyner-Kersee says a positive attitude, overcoming self-doubt after an injury in 1984 and not paying attention to critics were the keys to her success. "There are 30 of us, and only one of us can get the gold -- that's my attitude," says Joyner-Kersee. Full Story: [BBC]( (7/8) [LinkedIn]( [X]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Daily Diversion [] [3 new plants could shield chocolate from climate change]( [3 new plants could shield chocolate from climate change]( (Pixabay) Three previously unknown plant species could provide more climate-resilient cocoa than their close relative Theobroma cacao, which produces the beans used to make chocolate. T. globosum, T. nervosum and T. schultesii grow in South American rainforests, and their discovery "shows how much more work there is to be done to catalog the vast amount of unknown biodiversity across our planet," says James Richardson, an author of the paper in the Kew Bulletin. Full Story: [Earth]( (7/7) [LinkedIn]( [X]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] SmartBreak: Question of the Day [] It's Wimbledon in 1957, and Darlene Hard is the finals runner-up on the ladies' singles draw. The person she lost to, Hard partnered with for ladies' doubles and won. Who was Hard's partner? [Vote]( [Shirley Bloomer]( [Vote]( [Althea Gibson]( [Vote]( [Ann Haydon]( [Vote]( [Dorothy Knode]( [] About The Editor [] Candace Chellew Candace Chellew Chellew Trauma is a real thing, but I'm relieved to learn that research shows that resilience is our default setting when bad things happen in our lives. [Eric Barker gives a comprehensive rundown on resilience]( and how we can cultivate it when things go sideways. Whether we're worried about political shifts, market shifts or economic shifts that directly affect our business, we have the tools we need to weather the storm. Recently, I've been leaning into the tools of optimism and community. I see these two as going hand in hand because when we're out in the world among friends or strangers, it feels good to make a connection with others, even if it's long enough to smile and say thank you to someone holding a door for us. It can be easy to get caught in our own heads, making up stories about how things could go wrong or how changing times and circumstances may affect our lives or our business. The tools Barker offers can help us break out of that trap by contemplating the good things that may come from the new situation or challenging ourselves to find the blessing in the moment. Either way, we should avoid the urge to repress our feelings. If we need to cry, we should. If we need to shout in frustration, we should. If we need to control our temper to avoid making a bad situation worse, we should do that, too. Being flexible in our emotions can help us avoid extending our suffering, Barker notes. "After big tragedies, it's common to wonder if you'll ever be happy again. The answer is a resounding 'yes,'" writes Barker. 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 [] [] You are the End and I am / what follows. Who should have mercy / on what follows if not the End? [Stanley Moss](, poet, publisher, art dealer 1925-2024 [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.