Step up to the challenge of management

Get to the root of problems to effect real change | Step up to the challenge of management | Q&A: Boards need someone focused on each core area Created for {EMAIL} | [Web Version]( April 9, 2019 CONNECT WITH SMARTBRIEF  [LinkedIn]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [SmartBrief on Leadership]( [SmartBrief on Leadership]( Innovative Ideas. Ahead of the Curve. [SIGN UP]( ⋅ [FORWARD]( ADVERTISEMENT  [] Leading Edge [] [Get to the root of problems to effect real change]( Leaders need to be self-aware and curious about how problems arise instead of simply treating the symptoms, writes Tony Gigliotti of UPMC. Listening, curiosity and learning are traits of the modern leader, not having all the answers, he argues. [SmartBrief/Leadership]( (4/8) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [Step up to the challenge of management]( Management can be demanding and draining, and it helps when managers meet the challenges with empathy and resolve, ask for help and strive to untangle complex issues, writes Art Petty. "They respond to new issues with an attitude of discovery and not resistance, and they imbue this quality in their team members," he argues. [Art Petty]( (4/8) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( Aligning HR strategy with business strategy Aligning the HR department strategy with the business strategy is critical to achieving your organization’s mission. [Download XpertHR’s Guide Now]( ADVERTISEMENT [] Strategic Management [] [Q&A: Boards need someone focused on each core area]( Effective boards have a range of personalities and subject-matter expertise, says Clayton, Dubilier & Rice Chairman and CEO Don Gogel. "The obvious areas are finance, sales, branding, digital marketing, and there should be someone on the board who thinks more than anybody else about the customer," he says. [LinkedIn]( (4/8) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( Digital-first companies show what modern finance looks like. The most data-driven companies are turning the finance function on its head. Literally. They're adding fewer people to run day-to-day operations and far more who can digitize the business and manage the opportunities and risks of emerging technologies. [Read more.]( ADVERTISEMENT [] Smarter Communication [] [Use post-change stories to drive innovation]( Organizational change has a better chance when facts are accompanied for future-focused stories that engage emotions and creativity, writes executive coach Brian Gorman. "After all, no matter what the struggles are, the story lets us know what it is like to experience life in the organization when the change is successful," he writes. [Forbes]( (4/5) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [Switch things up to make meetings more memorable]( Effective meetings should have an official host and switch up the presentation mode frequently to keep people focused and interested, says Andrea Driessen. Follow up after meetings with small group discussions, polls and prizes for participating to help the message stick, she suggests. [Public Words]( (4/4) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( . Career News and Advice from Ladders Sponsored content from Ladders - [The disconnect between Baby Boomers and Millennials when it comes to work ethic]( - [If you write your emails exactly like this, you will almost always get a reply]( - [This is what bosses find most appalling when it comes to employee etiquette]( - [How to make $1,000,000 doing nothing]( [] Innovation & Creativity A weekly spotlight on making the next big thing happen [] [Why doctors aren't using IBM's AI]( IBM has been working for years to get its Watson artificial intelligence technology into hospitals and doctor's offices, but the complexities of the field have tamped down initial excitement. Doctors and former IBM officials say the company's promotion got ahead of its product, and research has yet to support the claim that Watson can be more effective or cheaper. [IEEE Spectrum]( (4/2019) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] SmartPulse [] How likely are you to overcommit yourself and become run down from doing so? Somewhat. I try not to overcommit but it happens occasionally. 46.55% Very. I do it all the time. 42.13% Not very. I rarely find myself overcommitted. 7.43% Not at all. I manage commitments rigorously so I'm not stretched too thin. 3.89% [] Overcommit and underdeliver. Many of you report overcommitting, sometimes all the time. Those are alarming numbers. You’re not impressing people by taking on too much work and then either failing to deliver an expected standard or running yourself into the ground getting the work done. If you’re burned out, you’re worthless to the organization, your friends and family, and to yourself. Get comfortable with saying “no” or pushing back on deadlines. Take baby steps at first. When someone says they need something “right now” get clarity on the date. Oftentimes things can be pushed out. The more comfortable you get with pushing back, saying “no,” and delegating, the less likely you are to disappoint those around you and wear yourself out. -- 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](." [] Do you enjoy negotiating? [Vote]( [I love it! I'll negotiate over everything]( [Vote]( [I like it especially for important things]( [Vote]( [It's OK, but it doesn't really excite me]( [Vote]( [Not really. I find it uncomfortable.]( [Vote]( [Not at all. I hate every aspect of it.]( [] In Their Own Words [] [LBJ biographer: I write to reveal what power means]( Robert Caro, the famed biographer of Robert Moses and Lyndon Johnson, discusses what he's learned about writing, his opinion of critics and why he is so focused on the idea of power. "I believe that what I'm writing about are the rare individuals who can harness political forces and bring something out of them, either for good or for ill," he says. [The New York Times (tiered subscription model)]( (4/1) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Daily Diversion [] [The ump may not be blind, but he is error-prone]( The ump may not be blind, but he is error-prone (Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) An analysis of almost 4 million pitches over 11 baseball seasons shows that umpires get one in every five pitches wrong. Among the trends found: Two-strike calls are particularly inaccurate, and older and experienced umps are worse on average. [BU Today (Boston University)]( (4/8), [The Conversation (US)]( (4/8) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [] To achieve great things, two things are needed: a plan and not quite enough time. Leonard Bernstein, composer [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [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 © 1999-2019 SmartBrief, Inc.® [Privacy Policy (updated May 25, 2018)]( | [Legal Information]( Â