Are you avoiding conflict or working through it?

Power corrupts -- and makes you less effective | Don't sugarcoat the truth to win employee loyalty | How miscalculations have jeopardized ExxonMobil Created for {EMAIL} | [Web Version]( May 4, 2020 CONNECT WITH SMARTBRIEF  [LinkedIn]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [SmartBrief on Leadership]( [SmartBrief on Leadership]( Innovative Ideas. Ahead of the Curve. [SIGN UP]( ⋅ [SHARE](  [] Leading Edge [] [Power corrupts -- and makes you less effective]( Accumulating power makes people less likely to trust others and more likely to severely punish infractions, argue researchers. Such leaders can be less effective because they embrace publicly seen "deterrence" punishments rather than "simply castigate the offender for the broken rule" and stop there, according to researchers. Full Story: [Rice Business Wisdom (Rice University)]( (4/29) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [Don't sugarcoat the truth to win employee loyalty]( When a crisis hits, people will follow leaders they trust to solve their problems, take care of them and tell them the truth, writes Willie Pietersen. "Picking out favorable data and leaving out or de-emphasizing negative information distorts truth and misdirects behavior," he writes. Full Story: [Columbia Business School]( (4/30) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Strategic Management [] [How miscalculations have jeopardized ExxonMobil]( How miscalculations have jeopardized ExxonMobil (Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) ExxonMobil has guessed wrong on the shale boom and other oil and gas exploration trends over the past decade-plus, turning the company from a stock market darling into a debt-laden giant that can't increase daily oil production. The coronavirus pandemic has sent the price of oil plummeting, aggravating these conditions and reducing its credit rating, as Exxon and everyone else play a waiting game. Full Story: [Bloomberg (tiered subscription model)]( (4/30) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [Why coronavirus is a phenomenon rather than an event]( The coronavirus pandemic will end when demand returns, and that won't happen for good until there's a vaccine that's been verified and implemented, writes Asif Saad. "The coronavirus pandemic we are seeing today is more like a ubiquitous phenomenon -- like the advent of the internet which has changed life over the last 30 years in more ways than we could have imagined," Saad argues. Full Story: [Pakistan Today]( (4/24) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( How to Engage & Lead Employees During COVID-19 Leading with heart and empathy is more important than ever during this unprecedented time. [Register for this free webinar]( on May 5 and get actionable tips, tools and leader-tested best practices to engage and motivate your teams for results as we navigate a changed world. ADVERTISEMENT: [] Smarter Communication [] [Are you avoiding conflict or working through it?]( Leaders need to view conflict as a catalyst for discussing problems without gossip and creating an environment where people feel comfortable delivering feedback, writes Mike Robbins in this book excerpt. "And, as important as asking for feedback is, people are going to be paying attention to what we do with their feedback," he writes. Full Story: [SmartBrief/Leadership]( (5/1) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Smarter Working A weekly spotlight on doing more without working longer [] [Be like Kobe and have a short memory]( Be like Kobe and have a short memory Bryant in 2008 (Gabriel Bouys/Getty Images) The late Kobe Bryant was able to take risks and move on from disappointments because he felt the unconditional support of his father and "had a very short memory" about things that went wrong. "The less you hold on to mistakes or painful experiences, the better you're able to adapt to what the situation requires and perform in order to achieve your goals," writes psychologist Benjamin Hardy. Full Story: [Medium (tiered subscription model)/Mind Cafe]( (5/1) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] In Their Own Words [] [Minkoff: Don't wait for the zombies to decide]( Rebecca Minkoff, founder and creative director of her self-named global lifestyle brand, says she's trying to look at what she can do during the pandemic rather than be "in the doldrums." "I need to stay on the positive; otherwise I may as well be Will Smith in 'I Am Legend' and board up my house and wait for the zombies to attack," she says. Full Story: [Ladders]( (4/30) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Daily Diversion [] [Eat like early hunter-gatherers with this recipe]( Humans were making small, portable, high-calorie energy foods nearly 5,000 years ago, including pemmican from felled bison. Some indigenous people still make the concoction today, and this article offers a simple recipe to create your own. Full Story: [Atlas Obscura]( (4/30) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Most Read by CEOs The most-clicked stories of the past week by SmartBrief on Leadership readers [] - [Why video meetings are exhausting and unsatisfactory]( Steve Blank [] - [Americans are working longer than ever from home]( BNN Bloomberg (Canada) [] - [The 4 styles of positive influence leaders]( SmartBrief/Leadership [] - [6 traits of leaders who can help during a crisis]( SmartBrief/Leadership [] - [How to make meetings worthy of people's time]( SmartBrief/Leadership Sharing SmartBrief on Leadership with your network keeps the quality of content high and these newsletters free. Help Spread the Word [SHARE]( Or copy & share your personalized link: smartbrief.com/leadership/?referrerId=japnABMSAp [] [] You have to say no to the old ways before you can begin to find the new yes you need. Betty Friedan, writer, women's rights activist [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