Keep apologies short and sincere

Are you overlooking great leaders in your company? | Culture change requires data and role models | Focus on the forecast to guide strategy Created for {EMAIL} | [Web Version]( April 16, 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 [] [Are you overlooking great leaders in your company?]( Some of the best potential leaders in your organization could be the quiet ones, those who lack confidence or those who appear disorganized but just need training and coaching to become executive material, writes Joel Garfinkle. "Don't seek new talent until you've invested in the underutilized members of your existing team," he writes. [SmartBrief/Leadership]( (4/15) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [Culture change requires data and role models]( Executives and influencers need to be role models of the desired behaviors and culture, and people who work against the culture need to be let go, writes Joe Dettman of EY. Culture shifts also require data-driven planning and an understanding of the networks within the organization, he argues. [Chief Executive online]( (4/12) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( Employee Experience is now Engagement Employee engagement is evolving. Gone are the days where companies try to "drive" employee engagement. You can't force people to pour more heart and passion into their work. All you can do is become a workplace that people want to engage with. [Get the white paper](. ADVERTISEMENT [] Strategic Management [] [Focus on the forecast to guide strategy]( Forecasting is an essential part of strategy and resource allocation, even for nonfinancial departments, write C. Fritz Foley of Harvard Business School and Mark Khavkin, finance chief at Pantheon Platform. Companies should strive for accuracy while understanding that even inaccurate forecasts can provide insight and opportunity, they argue. [Harvard Business Review online (tiered subscription model)]( (4/15) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( Where should you automate? With so many companies running towards automation, the challenge is “getting it right.” The Automation Diagnostic can help you quickly identify where, and how, to automate. [Learn where to start.]( ADVERTISEMENT [] Smarter Communication [] [Keep apologies short and sincere]( Instead of making excuses, own up to your mistakes and deliver an apology that is short, specific and in person, if possible. "A sincere apology can start the process of rebuilding a relationship," says Stacey Hanke. [Fast Company online]( (4/11) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Innovation & Creativity A weekly spotlight on making the next big thing happen [] [Walking around creates space for breakthroughs]( Going for a walk -- with your phone off -- can be good for your physical health and also enable the formation of creative ideas and solutions, writes former CEO Willie Pietersen. To make the most of walks, Pietersen suggests creating a habit and keeping a journal of any insights. [Columbia Business School]( (4/8) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [Patience and persistence are key to innovation]( Amazon needed multiple attempts over four years to refine what eventually became Amazon Marketplace, which accounted for 68% of Amazon's total sales in 2018, writes Lauren Eve Cantor. She describes early iterations of Marketplace and how Amazon adjusted its model for success. [Strategyzer]( (4/8) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] SmartPulse [] Do you enjoy negotiating? I like it especially for important things 31.22% It's OK, but it doesn't really excite me 25.61% Not really. I find it uncomfortable. 23.41% Not at all. I hate every aspect of it. 10.00% I love it! I'll negotiate over everything 9.76% [] Let's make a deal. A reasonably large number of you enjoy deal-making. For those who find it uninteresting or distasteful, consider the implications of that stance. Recognize everything is negotiable -- salary, time off, times to hold meetings, office locations, etc. It's not just about negotiating contract terms. When we dislike an activity, we avoid it. In this case, it might mean you avoid preparing for a negotiation or even paying attention to the fact that you're in a negotiating situation. That can be disastrous. The party who comes to the table better prepared is significantly more likely to achieve the outcome they desire. Many times that will be at your expense if you're unprepared. So while you might find negotiating distasteful, look at the cost of not doing it well. That might change the way you approach all the day-to-day negotiations you might be involved in without even realizing you're negotiating. -- Mike Figliuolo is managing director of [ThoughtLeaders](. Before launching his own company, he worked at McKinsey, Capital One and Scotts Miracle-Gro. He is a graduate of the US 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](." [] If you're assigned prework for a meeting or training event, how do you approach it? [Vote]( [Rigorously: I do all the prework to the best of my ability.]( [Vote]( [Seriously: I do the work, but I don't overexert myself.]( [Vote]( [Minimally: I do the bare minimum required of me.]( [Vote]( [I don't do it: I have enough to do without adding more work to the pile.]( [] In Their Own Words [] [MSNW CEO: Trying to "have it all" can burn you out]( MSNW CEO Janelle Bruland discusses her leadership beliefs, her upbringing and why women business owners have to be careful about not overburdening themselves. "You can 'have it all' but it means making the right choices along the way, and not sacrificing your sanity in the process!" she says. [Forbes]( (4/15) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Daily Diversion [] [This snailfish makes a living in the Mariana Trench]( The Mariana snailfish lives so deep in the ocean that the pressure should crush it, but [scientists say]( several anatomical features, such as a skull with gaps and bones largely made of flexible cartilage, allow it to survive and thrive. The fish also lacks functioning eyes, which aren't needed in the darkness of 23,000 feet below sea level. [National Geographic online]( (4/15) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [] Every attempt to reach new milestones holds opportunities for us to learn, adjust and progress. Jim Bridenstine, NASA administrator, after Israel's Beresheet spacecraft crashed on the moon [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