Don't allow manipulators to influence you

Stop using buzzwords to describe yourself | How an old fable can help you avoid danger | What Does "World's Most Valuable Brand" Mean? VIDEO Created for {EMAIL} | [Web Version]( February 12, 2020 CONNECT WITH SMARTBRIEF  [LinkedIn]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [SmartBrief on Leadership]( [SmartBrief on Leadership]( Innovative Ideas. Ahead of the Curve. [SIGN UP]( ⋅ [SHARE](  [] Leading Edge [] [Stop using buzzwords to describe yourself]( Using words such as "guru," "influencer" and "change agent" to describe yourself on social media or in a resume does little to communicate your skills or experience, writes Aha CEO Brian de Haaff. He recommends better adjectives such as "bold," "flexible" and "innovative" to convey your characteristics and accomplishments. Full Story: [Aha]( (2/7) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [How an old fable can help you avoid danger]( The fable "The Boy Who Cried Wolf" can teach leaders how to make better decisions by setting a tolerance point on when a situation truly becomes a threat, writes James Lawther. "It is wise to decide before you have to make decisions in anger," he writes. Full Story: [SquawkPoint blog]( (2/10) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Video Insights on Leadership [] [] [How brand valuation can improve your strategy]( Companies can understand the value of their brand equity through methods such as third-party evaluation, price-premium research and royalty-relief calculations, says Denise Lee Yohn in this blog post and [video](. Knowing brand value can inform strategic decisions, resource allocation and fundraising, she says. Full Story: [SmartBrief/Leadership]( (2/11) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Smarter Communication [] [Don't allow manipulators to influence you]( Manipulative people may seek your advice, but they really want your affirmation for their sense of injustice or offense, writes Dan Rockwell. "When people refuse to confront their own issues, they want you to do it for them," he writes. Full Story: [Leadership Freak]( (2/11) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [Feed your audience strong words to satisfy them]( Approach your next speech as you would prepare a great meal, full of meaty verbs and nouns with only a side or two of adjectives and adverbs, writes Jim Anderson. "Our goal has to be to use words that will allow our audience to clearly picture the scene that we are trying to draw for them," he writes. Full Story: [The Accidental Communicator]( (2/11) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( The Keys Behind Great Employee Listening Continuous listening is more than a buzzword. It's an approach that organizations must take if they want to improve the employee experience and drive real results for their organization. [Download our guide]( and learn great strategies to get started. ADVERTISEMENT [] Customers First A weekly look at serving customers better [] [Empower employees to provide great customer service]( Empower employees to provide great customer service Nordstrom (Timothy A. Clary/Getty Images) Companies such as Zappos and Nordstrom set the bar high for customer service by empowering and training employees and creating a culture around stories, shared vocabulary and a sense of pride, writes Micah Solomon. "Employees are not, in other words, just interchangeable cogs, nor are they serfs to be exploited solely for their labor," he writes. Full Story: [Forbes]( (2/10) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] In Their Own Words [] [OrthoLite CEO: Treat international employees like family]( Companies that have a global reach must find ways to make employees feel like family and take time to learn the language and culture of those countries, says OrthoLite CEO Glenn Barrett. "We have employees in China that have been with us 15 and 18 years, which is pretty extraordinary," he says. Full Story: [Footwear News]( (2/10) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Daily Diversion [] ["Shoebox lunches" serve up soul food and history]( In honor of Black History Month, Detroit restaurant Beans & Cornbread has brought back its popular "shoebox lunches," which mimic those carried by African Americans traveling on trains during the Jim Crow era. "[There are] so many things we take for granted in respects to traveling, and these people didn't have the same opportunities -- they had to do what they had to do. So I wanted to tell the story of their resiliency," said Patrick Coleman, the restaurant's owner. Full Story: [Good Morning America]( (2/11) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Editor's Note [] Did you vote in this week's poll? Did you vote in this week's poll? (SmartBrief) On Tuesdays, SmartBrief on Leadership's SmartPulse features poll questions and analysis from ThoughtLeaders managing director [Mike Figliuolo](. Did you vote in this week's poll: What is your greatest fear when giving team members a task they've not done before? If not, check out [Tuesday's email]( and look at the [voting so far](. [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [] I can say what most conductors can't say -- I never ran my train off the track and I never lost a passenger. Harriet Tubman, abolitionist, political activist, Underground Railroad conductor February is Black History Month [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email](   SmartBrief publishes more than 200 free industry newsletters - [Browse our portfolio]( [Sign Up]( | [Update Profile]( | [Advertise with SmartBrief]( [Unsubscribe]( | [Privacy policy]( CONTACT US: [FEEDBACK](mailto:leadership@smartbrief.com) | [ADVERTISE](mailto:lengel@smartbrief.com) SmartBrief, Inc.®, 555 11th ST NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20004 Â