Kat Cole's guide to taking risks

WFF CEO: How taking a vacation can help you refocus | Kat Cole's guide to taking risks | What it takes to earn a board seat Created for {EMAIL} | [Web Version] June 8, 2016 [Â] [WFF Leadership SmartBrief] Advancing and Empowering Women Leaders [SIGN UP] ⋅ [FORWARD] A Leader's Edge [WFF CEO: How taking a vacation can help you refocus] It's easy to get caught up in the country's 24-hour-a-day work culture, but there is value in disconnecting once in a while, writes Hattie Hill, president and CEO of WFF. Leaders should allow for flexible work hours, schedule vacations and delegate responsibilities while they are away. "The stakes are especially high for women who take even fewer vacation days than men do," Hill notes of performance reviews and health. [The Huffington Post] (5/31) [LinkedIn] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Google+] [Email] Buffalo Wild Wings Success Story: How They Saved Time & Money Read a whitepaper to learn how they created: • Cost savings by preventing overtime • Improved overall communication • 75% less time creating schedules [Click here to access the whitepaper] ADVERTISEMENT Career Progression: Developing Leaders [Kat Cole's guide to taking risks] The key to taking a successful risk in your career is to stay focused on your goals, according to Kat Cole, a group president at Focus Brands. Be sure to learn from your failures and put in the hard work it takes to get ahead. "Say yes to things before you are ready," she advises. [Quartz] (6/6) [LinkedIn] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Google+] [Email] [What it takes to earn a board seat] With the right approach, it's possible for young people to find positions on company boards, writes Avery Blank. For example, Clara Shih, founder and CEO of Hearsay Social, got a spot on Starbucks' board when she was 29. You can raise the odds of earning a board appointment by determining your area of interest and how you can add value, Blank writes. [Forbes] (6/1) [LinkedIn] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Google+] [Email] [Should you turn down that big assignment?] If you're offered a big assignment you know you can't succeed in or that represents a continuing pattern of added work from your boss, consider turning it down, writes Molly Petrilla. You should also pass up tasks that are unethical, exceed the limit of your workload or don't contribute to your career goals. [Fast Company online] (6/1) [LinkedIn] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Google+] [Email] SmartBrief Exclusives Read the latest food and beverage coverage by SmartBrief in [SmartBrief Originals]: - [Chicago chef wins top prize with duck sausage at 19th Championship BBQ and Cookout] - [College, university foodservice operators look to distributors, manufacturers for help] - [5 eco-beer takeaways for your restaurant] Diversity and Inclusion [Fewer female CEOs on latest Fortune 500 list] Only 21 female CEOs lead Fortune 500 companies, down from a record of 24 last year. The shift is partly the result of a few high-profile departures. Carol Meyrowitz left her post as CEO of TJX Companies, and Ellen Kullman retired from DuPont. Still, the numbers have improved significantly since 1996, when there were no women on the list. [Quartz] (6/6) [LinkedIn] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Google+] [Email] [Women are faced with longer work hours] Teenagers, elderly people and certain groups of men are working less than they once did. However, the same is not true of women, who have seen an uptick in their work hours over the years. This could mean more stress and less leisure time for women, who also continue to handle the majority of household chores, Tyler Cowen writes. [The New York Times (free-article access for SmartBrief readers)] (6/3) [LinkedIn] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Google+] [Email] Women and Innovation in the Workforce [Preventing gender bias with big data] Companies that wish to eliminate bias need to really study the problem and use data to come up with solutions, author Iris Bohnet said. "There are a number of companies providing tools that allow companies to...blind themselves to [applicants'] demographic characteristics, or anything else that they would like to blind themselves to," Bohnet said. [Knowledge@Wharton] (6/2) [LinkedIn] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Google+] [Email] We know working harder and longer is not the same as working smart. Hattie Hill, president and CEO of WFF, writing at [The Huffington Post] [LinkedIn] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Google+] [Email] Learn more about the WFF: [About the WFF] | [Join the WFF] | [WFF Events] [WFF Programs] | [How to Partner with WFF] [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: Advertising - [Chris Warne] P: 646.462.4647 Editor - [Amy Sung] Mailing Address: SmartBrief, Inc.®, 555 11th ST NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20004 © 1999-2016 SmartBrief, Inc.® [Privacy policy] | [Legal Information] Â