Zero-based budgeting is better than cutting costs

Emotionally intelligent leaders make their teams better | The world's richest person enters the spotlight | Zero-based budgeting is better than cutting costs Created for {EMAIL} | [Web Version]( January 16, 2018 CONNECT WITH SMARTBRIEF  [LinkedIn]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Google+]( [SmartBrief on Leadership]( [SmartBrief on Leadership]( Innovative Ideas. Ahead of the Curve. [SIGN UP]( ⋅ [FORWARD]( [] Leading Edge [] [Emotionally intelligent leaders make their teams better]( Traits of leaders with high emotional intelligence include being empathetic, positive and authentic, and they practice those traits whenever possible, writes Joel Garfinkle. "Beyond work, think of ways to apply yourself at home, in social and community situations," he writes. [SmartBrief/Leadership]( (1/15) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Google+]( [Email]( [] [The world's richest person enters the spotlight]( The world's richest person enters the spotlight Bezos (Presley Ann/Getty Images) Amazon founder and world's richest person Jeff Bezos is establishing a more public presence, whether politically, through his philanthropy or through his personal businesses The Washington Post and Blue Origin. "He's getting thanked at the Golden Globes and targeted by presidential tweet tantrums -- not even Steve Jobs had that kind of pop-culture currency," said Margaret O'Mara, a University of Washington professor. [The New York Times (free-article access for SmartBrief readers)]( (1/12) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Google+]( [Email]( See the Latest Employee Relations Trends In the latest Employee Relations Benchmark Study, a third of organizations reported some or a significant increase in employee relations issues. It’s time to look at employee relations trends and best practices to make strategic plans for the future. [Download the report now](. ADVERTISEMENT [] Strategic Management [] [Zero-based budgeting is better than cutting costs]( Cutting costs is a popular yet counterproductive method of improving margins, whereas zero-based budgeting allows for reallocating resources companywide, write Ronald Falcon, Kyle Hawke, Matthew Maloney and Mita Sen. "The point is to get everyone in the company to think about what spending they really need, unburdened by the inertia of previous years," they write. [McKinsey]( (1/2018) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Google+]( [Email]( [] [Banks shutter branches, look to bridge the digital gap]( Big US banks are reducing the number of branches while seeking to add digital services and improve the ability to switch between in-person and online channels. Because people still want an in-person conversation for certain bank transactions, the key is to combine the two spaces in the way Warby Parker and others do, says Matt Krogstad, founder of Root Banking. [Tearsheet]( (1/12), [American Banker online (free content)]( (1/10) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Google+]( [Email]( [] Smarter Communication [] [An inquiring mind helps break bad habits]( Offering your opinion too early or answering your own questions are bad habits that shut down input, writes Camille Fournier. People will listen to their bosses, but they will be wary of speaking up if they feel they won't be heard, Fournier notes. [Elided Branches]( (1/13) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Google+]( [Email]( [] Innovation & Creativity A weekly spotlight on making the next big thing happen [] [Innovation is shifting back to the fundamentals]( Coming innovation will solve fundamental problems rather than build upon current technologies, predicts Greg Satell. Such "grand challenges" should have tremendous upside while not proving fatal to the organization should they fail, argues Ron DePinho, former president of MD Anderson Cancer Center. [Harvard Business Review online (tiered subscription model)]( (1/8) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Google+]( [Email]( [] SmartPulse [] How willing is your organization to go above and beyond to take care of its associates? Kind of. We'll do special things in extraordinary circumstances. 33.89% Very. We'll go well above expectations for our people. 28.06% Not very. It's rare that we'd go out of our way for our people. 19.44% Extremely. We've done amazing things to take care of people. 9.72% Not at all. I'm surprised people are still willing to work here. 8.89% [] Putting people first. It's a tired old trope that "our people are our most valuable asset." What makes that ring hollow is the fact that we don't do all we can to help our associates. While a solid portion of poll respondents state that their organizations do a lot for their people, a scary number of you say that you don't go out of your way to take care of your team. While you don't have to take on [extraordinary gestures]( to make your team members feel important and valued, some gestures do help. Consider that your employees know there are other organizations out there that will take care of them. Factor that into your decision on whether to go out of your way to help that person. If not, they might not stick around. -- Mike Figliuolo is managing director of [ThoughtLeaders](. Before launching his own company, he worked at McKinsey & Co., Capital One and Scotts Miracle-Gro. He is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. He's the author of three leadership books: "[One Piece of Paper](," "[Lead Inside the Box](" and "[The Elegant Pitch](." [] How well does your organization translate qualitative measures into quantitative metrics? [Vote]( [Very. Every qualitative measure has hard metrics to support it.]( [Vote]( [Somewhat. Some qualitative measures have metrics. Others don't.]( [Vote]( [Not at all. We don't translate qualitative measures to metrics.]( [] In Their Own Words [] [NPR's Gross on the art of the interview]( NPR's Gross on the art of the interview Gross (Alex Wong/Getty Images) Terry Gross credits her endless curiosity in people and ability to create trust for her more than 40 years on NPR, writes David Marchese. "When you're talking to an artist, you can get insight into the sensibility that created his or her art and into the life that shaped that sensibility," says Gross. [Vulture]( (1/10) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Google+]( [Email]( [] Daily Diversion [] [Black maned wolf spotted for the first time]( Zoologists conducting a survey at a reserve in Brazil captured images of a black maned wolf, which had never been viewed by humans, writes Brian Switek. The maned wolf is typically reddish in color. [Scientific American online]( (1/10) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Google+]( [Email]( [] [] The reasonable man adapts himself to the world: the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man. George Bernard Shaw, playwright [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Google+]( [Email]( [Sign Up]( [SmartBrief offers 200+ newsletters]( [Advertise]( [Learn more about the SmartBrief audience]( Subscriber Tools: [Manage Subscriptions]( [Update Your Profile]( [Unsubscribe]( [Send Feedback]( [Archive]( [Search]( Contact Us: Jobs Contact - jobhelp@smartbrief.com Advertising - [Laura Engel](mailto:lengel@smartbrief.com) Editor - [James daSilva](mailto:leadership@smartbrief.com) Mailing Address: SmartBrief, Inc.®, 555 11th ST NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20004 © 1999-2018 SmartBrief, Inc.® [Privacy policy]( | [Legal Information]( Â