5 steps to take now that we're in crisis

Restaurant owner uses pandemic to imagine a new future | Boards need to step up during the pandemic | Reiterate harassment policies for remote employees Created for {EMAIL} | [Web Version]( March 31, 2020 CONNECT WITH SMARTBRIEF  [LinkedIn]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [SmartBrief on Leadership]( [SmartBrief on Leadership]( Innovative Ideas. Ahead of the Curve. [SIGN UP]( ⋅ [SHARE](  [] Leading Edge [] [Restaurant owner uses pandemic to imagine a new future]( The restaurant industry's thin margins and lack of cash reserves have forced even well-known ownership groups such as Tom Colicchio's to lay off most staff, with producers throughout the food supply chain also hurting. "This is devastating for so many people, but on the positive side, it exposes the limits of our system and what happens when capitalism is unchecked," he says. Full Story: [Medium (tiered subscription model)/Marker]( (3/27) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [5 steps to take now that we're in crisis]( The pandemic-induced recession means leaders need to think about how they can control costs without losing the clients and employees they'll need to emerge from this crisis, writes James daSilva. "They need to hear from leaders -- especially CEOs and division heads -- what is happening, what they can do and what they shouldn't worry about," he writes. Full Story: [SmartBrief/Leadership]( (3/30) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Strategic Management [] [Boards need to step up during the pandemic]( Boards need to be ready to deal with the fallout of the coronavirus, including holding effective virtual meetings and being ready to act should executives be incapacitated by illness. "If a leader gets sick on one team, then we have a second team that is already up and running," says Jan Babiak, a board member for Walgreens Boots Alliance and the Bank of Montreal. Full Story: [NACD BoardTalk]( (3/24), [BNN Bloomberg (Canada)]( (3/29) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Smarter Communication [] [Reiterate harassment policies for remote employees]( Companies should review their harassment policies and videoconference security measures to prevent inappropriate messages, bullying and "Zoombombing" incidents. "Employers should go out of their way to remind employees of the strict policies that they already have in their workplaces," says Jeffrey Adelson with firm Adelson McLean P.C. Full Story: [Business Insurance (tiered subscription model)]( (3/27), [NBC News]( (3/25) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( Are Your Employee Surveys Strategic? Employee surveys are a critical tool to support a comprehensive people analytics practice, but many organizations fail to capture data that helps leaders make informed decisions. [Download our guide]( to see what survey questions drive business outcomes. ADVERTISEMENT: [] Innovation & Creativity A weekly spotlight on making the next big thing happen [] [Simple ways to encourage new ideas right now]( An "idea market," which collects and rewards ideas from employees, can be a helpful way to circulate ideas, while having an employee buddy system can offer other forms of support during this time, writes Alex "Sandy" Pentland. "Strong evidence shows that such sharing between people bolsters mental health and that having a specific person to turn to in a time of need or crisis is especially helpful," Pentland writes. Full Story: [MIT Sloan Management Review (tiered subscription model)]( (3/2020) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] SmartPulse [] When you find yourself with extra time on your hands, do you have a list of nonurgent projects you can immediately turn to? Yes. I know exactly what I'll do with newfound free time. 64.10% Kind of. I have a general sense of projects in waiting. 32.56% No. I have no idea what I'd do with free time. 3.34% [] Ready for free time. The vast majority of you have a plan for when you have that "found" free time. Bravo! There's no time wasted wondering what to start working on when you have a free minute, hour, day, or week. There's no need to spend time prioritizing either. You can just get to work. If you're in the 32% who are a little less rigorous on maintaining such a list, give it a try. Call it your back-burner projects. Break it into groups of things you can do in an hour, a day, or a week. List items in priority order. When the time frees up, jump to your list and dig in! Many folks are realizing right now how valuable such a list can be when they suddenly have a lot more time on their hands. -- 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](." [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] POLL QUESTION: What's harder: working from the office or working from home? [Vote]( [Office: lots of distractions. I focus better at home and doing things on my own.]( [Vote]( [Home: lots of distractions and temptations. I need the structure and social aspects of an office.]( [] In Their Own Words [] [NFL player-turned-doctor is on the coronavirus front lines]( Myron Rolle spent three years as an NFL player before going to medical school, and the Rhodes scholar is a third-year neurosurgery resident at Massachusetts General Hospital who uses his football experience to center himself. "I still wake up in the morning and think of the operating room like a game, like it's showtime, let's perform," he says in this [video](. Full Story: [YouTube/ESPN]( (3/28) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Daily Diversion [] [What you eat for breakfast depends on where you wake up]( While some Americans enjoy eggs and bacon for breakfast, many people in Ethiopia are enjoying porridge, Moroccans are feasting on "thousand-hole pancakes" and Germans lay out a buffet of sausages, cheeses and breads. Russians might be spreading caviar on crepes, while one Jamaican dish is a cod-based breakfast scramble and a sweet fruit called ackee. Full Story: [CNN]( (3/27) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( Sharing SmartBrief on Leadership with your network keeps the quality of content high and these newsletters free. Refer 10 new readers to receive one year of digital access to The New York Times. Experience groundbreaking reporting, commentary, documentaries and more. [SHARE]( Or copy & share your personalized link: smartbrief.com/leadership/?referrerId=japnABMSAp [] [] Courage is the commitment to begin without any guarantee of success. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, poet, playwright, writer, scientist, statesman, theater director, philosopher [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