What Michael Ovitz learned from years dominating an industry

How to engage individuals with organizational goals | Does mindfulness work? Sort of | Amazon has only one goal: Win in business Created for {EMAIL} | [Web Version](   January 15, 2019 CONNECT WITH SMARTBRIEF  [LinkedIn]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [SmartBrief on Leadership]( [SmartBrief on Leadership]( Innovative Ideas. Ahead of the Curve. [SIGN UP]( ⋅ [FORWARD]( [] Leading Edge [] [How to engage individuals with organizational goals]( Managers connect people to an organization's goals by following a modified version of the SMART criteria, writes Burl Stamp, a consulting firm president. Project goals should be specific, meaningful, agreed-upon, realistic and tracked, and he offers an example of each quality. [SmartBrief/Leadership]( (1/14) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [Does mindfulness work? Sort of]( Mindfulness studies have found its practice can be helpful against anxiety, depression and physical pain, but there's no indication it's a better alternative to other treatments, writes Chadwick Matlin, who is a skeptic. While mindfulness might be overstated by its enthusiasts, Matlin says studying the issue reminded him "that one can overcommit to skepticism, just as one can overcommit to certainty." [FiveThirtyEight]( (1/5) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( Job Description Checklist In the competitive world of hiring and recruiting, well-crafted job descriptions will help your company reach the right candidates but also attract high-quality applicants. [Download XpertHR's Guide Now]( ADVERTISEMENT [] Strategic Management [] [Amazon has only one goal: Win in business]( Amazon has always been a company focused on winning at business rather than touting some broader societal purpose or slogan, which Matt Quinn says has helped the company avoid controversy over its creative destruction, government contracts and relative lack of philanthropy. "There are no indications that its influence will wane anytime soon, which should only bring a harsher spotlight on the role it plays in our lives and society," he writes. [Quartz]( (1/11) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( Take Advantage of 360-Degree Feedback 360-degree feedback involves key coworkers and partners in the review process to give a more complete view of an employee's work while eliminating one-sided feedback. [Learn why]( this holistic approach is the review process of choice for top companies. ADVERTISEMENT [] Smarter Communication [] [Are you stuck in your way of thinking?]( [Are you stuck in your way of thinking?]( (YouTube/Chicago Booth Review) It's important we resist an attachment to a singular way of performing tasks, says University of Chicago Booth's Ronald S. Burt as part of [a series of videos](. Without seeking outside from others, we might never intellectually challenge ourselves to find better approaches to problem-solving, he says. [YouTube/Chicago Booth Review]( (1/11) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [Help the audience become part of your speech]( Audience members who become directly involved with your presentation have a better likelihood of responding to your message and retaining it, writes Caitlin McGuire. Invite input with a show of hands, take questions or ask the audience to close their eyes so they can feel and hear you tell a connective story, she writes. [The Ethos3 Blog]( (1/11) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [10 tips for growing businesses]( Think growing your business means losing the culture that makes it special? Good news: it doesn't! In MOO's new ebook, "Scaling Up," we show you how to have it both ways. [Download now]( ADVERTISEMENT [] Innovation & Creativity A weekly spotlight on making the next big thing happen [] [Incumbents should apply startup thinking to innovation]( Established firms should consider creating small, independent units for experimentation and innovation that focus on fulfilling a mission rather than scaling quickly, writes Jeanne Ross. "By funding startups rather than strategic initiatives, the investments can be small enough to allow time for profits to accumulate," she writes. [MIT Sloan Management Review online (tiered subscription model)]( (1/11) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( Earn a free year of digital access to NYT Cooking Get cooking with The New York Times. You'll receive unlimited access to over 19,000 Times-tested recipes, helpful guides, and the wit, wisdom and inspiration of Times food writers. Refer SmartBrief to 5 colleagues and enjoy a free year of unlimited access to NYT Cooking. Your Referral Link: smartbrief.com/LEADERSHIP/?referrerId=japnABMSAp&campaign=ad_referral_NYTcook ADVERTISEMENT [] SmartPulse [] How productively do you use slow periods at work to catch up on important projects? Somewhat: I get some things done but also chill out a bit. 53.78% Very: I take full advantage of slow periods to catch up. 36.89% Not very: I end up wasting the opportunity slow times present. 7.55% Not at all: I get virtually nothing done during slow periods. 1.78% [] Using slack times effectively. It's rare that we get a slowdown at work. What matters is how well you use that gift of time when it presents itself. A few suggestions for making better use of that time are to put blocks on your calendar dedicated to specific tasks. If you leave a slot open, you're more likely to lose focus on a specific task. Also keep a handy list of important but not urgent projects. When you do get a free moment, the list is already made and you can just dive in rather than waste time figuring out what project you should tackle during the slowdown. The better prepared you are for the inevitable slow period, the more catching up you'll be able to do when it presents itself. -- 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-defined are your people's personal development plans for this year? [Vote]( [Very]( [Vote]( [Somewhat]( [Vote]( [Not very]( [Vote]( [Not at all]( [] In Their Own Words [] [What Michael Ovitz learned from years dominating an industry]( What Michael Ovitz learned from years dominating an industry Ovitz (Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images) Time has taught Michael Ovitz, a pioneer in Hollywood's talent industry before leading Disney, that his relentless drive was successful but burned bridges along the way. "I discovered after the fact that we could have gotten just as big and still let a few others take some wins," he says. [Harvard Business Review (tiered subscription model)]( (January-February 2019 Issue) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Daily Diversion [] [Microchip leads to homecoming for cat found over 1,100 miles from home]( A 2-year-old tabby cat who went missing from his Dearborn, Mich., home in October was found in Tampa, Fla., about two months later. The cat's microchip allowed veterinarian hospital personnel to locate his owners, but no one knows how he made the 1,100-mile trek. [Tampa Bay Times (St. Petersburg, Fla.)]( (1/10) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [] No art or learning is to be pursued halfheartedly ... and any art worth learning will certainly reward more or less generously the effort made to study it. 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