Meetings don't have to be a waste of time

Meetings don't have to be a waste of time | How to be more than just a body at the office | What machine learning means for business and employment Created for {EMAIL} | [Web Version] January 17, 2017 CONNECT WITH SMARTBRIEF  [LinkedIn] [Facebook] [Twitter] [Google+] [SmartBrief on Leadership] [SmartBrief on Leadership] Innovative Ideas. Ahead of the Curve. [SIGN UP] ⋅ [FORWARD] Leading Edge [Meetings don't have to be a waste of time] [Meetings don't have to be a waste of time] (Benjamin Child/Unsplash) Many people claim to hate meetings, but if you set rules, expectations and a safe environment, meetings can suddenly become valuable, writes Lara Hogan of Etsy. Among her tips: Meetings shouldn't be held just because they're on the calendar, and it's important to know whether you are running a meeting or facilitating it. [Lara Hogan blog] (1/15) [LinkedIn] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Google+] [Email] [How to be more than just a body at the office] Being present every day means doing more than sitting at your desk, writes Dan Rockwell. Engage with your people, be transparent about your expectations, and use email to follow up and "encourage, reinforce, or clarify" your intentions. [Leadership Freak blog] (1/14) [LinkedIn] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Google+] [Email] Strategic Management [What machine learning means for business and employment] Machine learning offers the potential to take data and analytics far beyond our current understanding, say Michael Chui and Nicolause Henke. That means uncovering new strategies, improved efficiency, functionality and automation, but also the likelihood that people's jobs will be displaced. [McKinsey] (1/2017) [LinkedIn] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Google+] [Email] Smarter Communication [Learn to advocate for yourself] A little reflection on how your culture, background or gender influences your willingness to self-advocate can help you recognize and potentially overcome barriers, writes Joel Garfinkle. To break out of your comfort zone, he suggests volunteering for high-visibility projects that require you to speak up and ensuring your superiors know what you're working on. [SmartBrief/Leadership] (1/16) [LinkedIn] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Google+] [Email] [Overcome the tyranny of PowerPoint] PowerPoint is a default tool at many companies despite its ineffectiveness at facilitating natural conversations, write Shani Harmon and Renee Cullinan. They offer several alternatives for presenting information in ways that engage participants and foster discussion. [Forbes] (1/12) [LinkedIn] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Google+] [Email] Innovation & Creativity A weekly spotlight on making the next big thing happen [Innovation is there if you can find it] Any company can discover insights from its data as long as it has the right tools, write Michael Ringel, Andrew Taylor and Hadi Zablit. "Companies can combine insights from funding data with patents, social media, scientific publications, and a variety of other sources to make informed strategic decisions," they write. [The Boston Consulting Group] (1/12) [LinkedIn] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Google+] [Email] SmartPulse How comfortable are you being vulnerable with your team members? [Vote] [Very -- I have no problem being seen as vulnerable] [Vote] [Somewhat -- I'll occasionally make myself vulnerable in small ways] [Vote] [Not very -- It's rare that I make myself vulnerable] [Vote] [Not at all -- I play everything close to the vest and expose nothing] In Their Own Words [At Boatsetter, the team's mission comes first] Jaclyn Baumgarten, CEO of Boatsetter, says that her company's culture is centered on staying true to the larger value and vision rather than focusing on individual efforts. "At Boatsetter, every employee's chief goal is to make sure that their work makes their co-workers, and the whole team, more effective in providing our customers the best possible experiences," she says. [The Huffington Post] (1/13) [LinkedIn] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Google+] [Email] Daily Diversion [Remembering the dissident who created Pinyin] Zhou Youguang, who died Saturday at 111, was an economist and critic of China's Communist government who nevertheless was instrumental in developing Pinyin, a system that made the Chinese character system of writing more accessible and improved literacy. Zhou said a long tradition of orthography was key to his success, as he was only "the son of pinyin." [The New York Times (free-article access for SmartBrief readers)] (1/14), [The Christian Science Monitor] (1/16), [National Public Radio] (1/14) [LinkedIn] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Google+] [Email] The history of progress is written in the blood of men and women who have dared to espouse an unpopular cause, as, for instance, the black man's right to his body, or woman's right to her soul. Emma Goldman, activist and writer [LinkedIn] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Google+] [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 Thompson] Editor - [James daSilva] Mailing Address: SmartBrief, Inc.®, 555 11th ST NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20004 © 1999-2017 SmartBrief, Inc.® [Privacy policy] | [Legal Information] Â