Leadership longevity requires an open mind

Improve your mindset to improve your culture | Leadership longevity requires an open mind | How the NBA is preparing for the future Created for {EMAIL} | [Web Version]( May 1, 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 [] [Improve your mindset to improve your culture]( Certain leadership mindsets can damage morale, such as always having to be right or in control, writes John R. Stoker. "Determine project milestones and specific measures that you want people to meet, then allow them the autonomy to work and be accountable for their success," he writes. [SmartBrief/Leadership]( (4/30) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Google+]( [Email]( [] [Leadership longevity requires an open mind]( Great leaders know the idea that made their company great may become obsolete, writes Eric Torrence. Such leaders "know a revolutionary concept could come from a member of the cleaning crew, an administrative assistant, a spouse, a 'guy on the street,' or anywhere else," he writes. [Thin Difference]( (4/28) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Google+]( [Email]( Top 10 Executive MBA, one weekend a month in L.A. Advance your career; gain the mindset, skill set, and network to succeed. Classes held once a month, 21 months. Includes our signature Leadership Development Program, plus an immersion course solving real-world issues. Join our network of 50,000 alumni worldwide. [Reach your highest potential]( ADVERTISEMENT [] Strategic Management [] [How the NBA is preparing for the future]( How the NBA is preparing for the future Silver (Mike Stobe/Getty Images) NBA Commissioner Adam Silver says the league's growth can be credited to its players' personalities and an embrace of esports and technology, among other reasons. Silver said the league will continue to benefit from global talent, advanced viewing options such as mixed reality and making the at-home experience of watching a game more like being courtside. [Strategy+Business online (free registration)]( (4/30) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Google+]( [Email]( [] [Small cars are less popular, less profitable in N. America]( Ford's move to end production of its namesake brand's sedans in North America is indicative of demand for SUVs and trucks, as well as the slim margins on smaller vehicles. "A smaller Ford, with higher margins, will have fewer employees and much more scope for buybacks and dividends," Felix Salmon argues. [U.S. News & World Report]( (4/30), [Slate]( (4/27) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Google+]( [Email]( Choose the Right Employee Relations Solution Knowing what's happening in your organization starts with knowing which technology will be best for your needs. But with so many options, how do you choose the right one for your company? [Discover the questions you need to ask]( to find the best employee relations software for your organization. ADVERTISEMENT [] Smarter Communication [] [Changes at Nike demonstrate the power of surveys]( A simple survey set in motion the dismissal of several Nike executives after years of complaints to HR failed to change its culture, writes Minda Zetlin. "We live in a world that has new respect for data, especially since so many successful companies owe their success to their ability to quickly gather data and then use that data to make better decisions," Zetlin writes. [Inc. online]( (4/30) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Google+]( [Email]( . Featured Content Sponsored content from Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management - [Four Strategies for Developing Leaders]( - [How to Motivate Employees]( - [The Best Leaders Share This Trait]( - [Don't Wait to Be Asked: Lead]( - [Why You Should Avoid Toxic Coworkers]( Click [here]( to learn more about Featured Content [] Innovation & Creativity A weekly spotlight on making the next big thing happen [] [Sometimes the best solution isn't the easiest]( Tension and conflict within teams are not necessarily bad because the result can be a deeper, more creative approach to problems, writes Francesca Gino of Harvard Business School. "When there is tension, we also tend to scrutinize options and deeply explore alternatives, which leads to novel insights," she writes. [Harvard Business Review online (tiered subscription model)]( (4/27) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Google+]( [Email]( [] SmartPulse [] How is your year shaping up so far? As expected 36.74% Better than expected 28.12% Worse than expected 20.13% Much better than expected 9.90% Much worse than expected 5.11% [] A better year than expected. So far, most of you say, the year is meeting or exceeding expectations. Obviously, some of that is a function of prior difficult years tempering expectations. Perhaps some of it is natural pessimism. For those who are doing better than expected, ask yourself how you can sustain that performance without burning your team out. For those underperforming expectations, ask yourself what are the two or three focused priorities you can work on to shift performance. A leader's job is to always look ahead and ask how you can change the trajectory. Rather than looking at today's numbers, ask yourself how you can affect tomorrow's numbers instead. -- 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](." [] What's the biggest challenge in leading a high-performing team? [Vote]( [Dealing with their strong personalities.]( [Vote]( [Helping lower performers keep up.]( [Vote]( [Getting them to act as a team and not individuals.]( [Vote]( [Staying one step ahead of them.]( [Vote]( [Some other type of challenge.]( [Vote]( [There are no challenges. I love it!]( [Vote]( [I've never lead a high-performing team.]( [] In Their Own Words [] [Bezos talks about his life outside Amazon]( Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos discusses family, his thinking on philanthropy and why he's spending billions on his Blue Origin space startup. "The only way that I can see to deploy this much financial resource is by converting my Amazon winnings into space travel," he says. [Business Insider]( (4/28) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Google+]( [Email]( [] Daily Diversion [] [Mars mission seeks to uncover what lies beneath]( NASA's InSight spacecraft is scheduled to launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on Saturday with a mission to detect tremors beneath Mars' surface. If successful, the mission could offer the first look into the composition, size and history of the planet's core. [Nature (free content)]( (4/26) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Google+]( [Email]( [] [] It is doubtless impossible to approach any human problems with a mind free from bias. Simone de Beauvoir, writer, philosopher and activist [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