Simple questions can make you a better boss

Fear is a leader's worst enemy | Whole Foods woos young shoppers with new retail model | M&A secrets from private equity Created for {EMAIL} | [Web Version] June 21, 2016 CONNECT WITH SMARTBRIEF  [LinkedIn] [Facebook] [Twitter] [Google+] [Â] [SmartBrief on Leadership] Innovative Ideas. Ahead of the Curve. [SIGN UP] ⋅ [FORWARD] Leading Edge [Fear is a leader's worst enemy] Leaders need to be on guard against their fears and insecurities, which can lead to negligence, risk avoidance or toxic relationships, writes David Dye. "Don't let your fear of being seen as weak or inadequate keep you from getting the help you need to be effective," he warns. [LeadChangeGroup.com] (6/21) [LinkedIn] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Google+] [Email] [Simple questions can make you a better boss] Asking simple questions such as "How's it going?" and "What do you think?" can help make you a more accessible and effective leader, writes Joel Garfinkle. "Never underestimate the value of checking in," he adds. [SmartBrief/Leadership] (6/20) [LinkedIn] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Google+] [Email] Empower your employees with great apps Many employers are now offering internal customers the information they need to better do their jobs through custom apps on their mobile devices. Understand the opportunities and the challenges in this new ebook, ["Making Good on the Promise of Enterprise Mobile Apps."] ADVERTISEMENT Strategic Management [Whole Foods woos young shoppers with new retail model] [Whole Foods] (Whole Foods) Whole Foods has opened the first of its stores with the brand name 365 as the company seeks to win over young, budget-conscious shoppers. The company's success made shoppers appreciate fresh food, but now those same people are turning to Trader Joe's and Aldi, or on-demand services like Instacart. [Bloomberg] (6/20) [LinkedIn] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Google+] [Email] [M&A secrets from private equity] Most mergers fail, but companies can avoid many of the potential pitfalls by asking the same questions that private equity players ask before an acquisition, write Claudia Zeisberger and Graham Oldroyd. These include basic queries such as "What is the existing management team's track record?" and "What are the key assumptions underpinning the investment case?" [INSEAD Knowledge] (6/21) [LinkedIn] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Google+] [Email] Smarter Communication [For public speakers, details are the icing on the cake] Speakers are judged on their outward presentation much like a cake is judged by its icing, says presentation expert Doug Carter. Focus on getting the details right, such as perfecting slides or making sure the core ideas are conveyed. [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette] (6/21) [LinkedIn] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Google+] [Email] Innovation & Creativity A weekly spotlight on making the next big thing happen [How to rediscover your creative side] Leaders can benefit from having an innovative or entrepreneurial side project, writes Hootsuite CEO Ryan Holmes. "It's a reminder that business is about solving a customer's problem, something easily forgotten when you're sitting on top of the org chart," he explains. [The New York Observer] (6/20) [LinkedIn] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Google+] [Email] SmartPulse How effectively do you "manage up"? Kind of -- There are times I don't do it as well as I should 54.25% Very -- I lead my superiors just as effectively as I lead my team 29.08% Not very -- I find it difficult to lead and manage my leaders 14.38% Not at all -- I'm always the one being managed 2.29% Managing up takes effort. It's just as important to manage up as it is to manage your team. Investing the time in keeping your leader informed, setting expectations, and communicating what's going on goes a long way toward building a productive relationship with your boss and other key stakeholders. The [three keys to managing up] -- setting expectations, asking for help, and knowing their "update frequency" -- will help you build trust between you and your boss and get them engaged in your work in more meaningful ways. -- Mike Figliuolo is managing director of [ThoughtLeaders] and the host of the upcoming [Executive Insight 16], a leadership conference being held in New York City this November. How authentic are you as a leader? [Vote] [Extremely -- Everyone knows pretty much everything about who I am] [Vote] [Very -- My team knows the "true" me with a few exceptions] [Vote] [Kind of -- My team knows me but not as well as they could] [Vote] [Not very -- I tend to wear a "work face" most of the time] [Vote] [Not at all -- I'm a totally different person at work than who I really am] In Their Own Words [Viacom's CEO rebuffs his critics] Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman is fighting for his job amid a weak profit outlook this quarter and a scandalous legal battle over Sumner Redstone's competency. Dauman insists that investors will look beyond Viacom's current troubles and focus on its long-term potential -- and his place in the latter. [Fortune] (6/20) [LinkedIn] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Google+] [Email] Daily Diversion [Fish have rich inner lives, researchers say] Research suggests that fish can experience pleasure and pain, and that they have ways of communicating with one another and respecting territorial boundaries. That apparent sentience is potentially problematic given that humans kill hundreds of billions of fish a year, says author Jonathan Balcombe. [National Public Radio] (6/20) [LinkedIn] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Google+] [Email] Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will. Mahatma Gandhi, social reformer [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 Thompson] Editor - [James daSilva] Contributing Editor - [Ben Whitford] Mailing Address: SmartBrief, Inc.®, 555 11th ST NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20004 © 1999-2016 SmartBrief, Inc.® [Privacy policy] | [Legal Information] Â