Launch your words with care so they land well

Why leadership is like crafting a guitar | 4 traits of open and authentic leaders | Read more from Lead Change authors on SmartBrief on Leadership Created for {EMAIL} | [{NAME}]( at [{NAME}]( [For more relevant content - Update Your Profile]( | [Web Version]( May 7, 2021 CONNECT WITH SMARTBRIEF  [LinkedIn]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [SmartBrief on Leadership]( [SmartBrief on Leadership]( Innovative Ideas. Ahead of the Curve. [SIGN UP]( ⋅ [SHARE]( ADVERTISEMENT Leading Edge [] [Why leadership is like crafting a guitar]( [Why leadership is like crafting a guitar]( C.F. Martin guitars (Daniel Knighton/Getty Images) Leadership can be thought of as making a good guitar: You need high-quality materials, careful attention to detail, and the process takes time. "Build your leadership skills foundation slowly so it's solid," Wally Bock writes. Full Story: [Three Star Leadership]( (5/6) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [4 traits of open and authentic leaders]( Leaders can boost morale, productivity and engagement by taking a personal interest in people's lives, being respectful of their time, recognizing success and communicating openly, writes Mike Horne. "Words and actions matter in organizations, and authentic leaders are at the helm of high-performing teams and organizations," he writes. Full Story: [SmartBrief/Leadership]( (5/6) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [Read more]( from Lead Change authors on SmartBrief on Leadership Tackling Burnout and Employee Mental Wellness When there is no line between work and home, how do you avoid the concept of living at work? How do we separate the two to create a healthy, positive work/life balance? [Register now for the May 18, 2pm ET SmartSummit](. ADVERTISEMENT: [] Strategic Management [] [How to judge the market potential of new ideas]( Customer interviews and pre-sale deposits offer some evidence of a product or service's eventual success, but they aren't the only ways to gather sufficient proof, writes Lucy Luo, who outlines the process. "Leaders can help these discussions, not by asking whether your hypotheses have been validated but rather, by asking teams what evidence has been collected and how confident they feel about that evidence," Luo writes. Full Story: [Strategyzer]( (5/6) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( 3 Reasons OKRs Fail Growing Organizations Will growing pains break your business this year? [Learn the top three reasons]( why midmarket companies are especially at risk of missing exponential growth opportunities, and how HR and the C-suite can better align to successfully execute on strategy. ADVERTISEMENT: [] Smarter Communication [] [Launch your words with care so they land well]( Conversations and presentations will go better when you cut words that make people feel defensive, avoid absolutes like "nobody" or "best," and stay away from idioms that could be culturally confusing, writes Laurie Cure, president and CEO of Innovative Connections. "Start paying attention to the reactions you receive when speaking and cut out the words and phrases that are spurring a negative response," she writes. Full Story: [Leadership Now]( (5/3) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [Make empathy the core of your next presentation]( Speakers can show empathy by acknowledging what the audience might be thinking, then showing them why your point matters to them, writes Amy Boone. Addressing the question "Why does this matter?" can "show that you have thought about your audiences' lives and about what matters to them," Boone writes. Full Story: [The Ethos3 Blog]( (5/5) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( Sick of biased news? 1440’s got you covered 1440 is the fastest way to an impartial point-of-view. The team at 1440 scours over 100+ media sources ranging from culture and science to sports and politics to create one email that gets you all caught up on the day's events in 5 minutes. It's 100% free, [so sign up for 1440 here.]( ADVERTISEMENT Sponsored content from The Wall Street Journal Free to read exclusively for SmartBrief readers - [How Being More Productive Starts With Doing Nothing]( - [Americans Can’t Get Enough of the Stock Market]( - [Why So Many Millennials Fall Prey to Imposter Syndrome]( - [Want That Job Offer? A Covid-19 Vaccine Is Now Required.]( - [How to Prepare Pets for Your Return to the Office]( [] Smarter Living Get your mind and body right each Friday [] [Here are 6 steps to living better for the long term]( Your better future can start by imagining what that looks like, then contrasting those circumstances and behaviors with what you're currently doing, writes Debi Silber, CEO of The PBT Institute (Post Betrayal Transformation Institute). "By making those slow, steady and intentional changes over time, before long you'll be living as your future self ... earlier than you expected," she writes. Full Story: [Thrive Global]( (5/5) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] In Their Own Words [] [Family culture is key for vintners The Family Coppola]( The family atmosphere working for The Family Coppola, a winemaker founded by filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola, is what makes the job special, says Allison Wetsel, the president of sales and wholesale operations. "I feel like a translator in a lot of ways, taking the idea, and asking 'How do we make this a reality in a way that's authentic and comes across as something meaningful?'" she says. Full Story: [Profile magazine]( (5/3) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Daily Diversion [] [Spanish chefs recreate Picasso painting in chocolate]( Pastry chefs in Spain recently used more than 1,100 pounds of chocolate to reproduce Pablo Picasso's 1937 work "Guernica." The replica is almost as big as the 25-foot-wide, 11-foot-tall original, and while made of chocolate, it is not considered edible. Full Story: [Zenger News]( (5/4) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Editor's Note [] [What are you reading today?]( What are you reading today? Every Friday, we chat on Twitter about the books that are making a difference in our leadership journey. Please [respond to this tweet with your #FridayReads fave](! [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] About The Editor [] James daSilva James daSilva Hi, it's your SmartBrief on Leadership editor! I've had the great fortune of editing this email for nearly 10 years. Before that, I was a copy editor, including at a small daily newspaper in upstate New York. I'll be moderating a webinar on burnout and employee wellness on May 18. You should join! [Learn more and register.]( Thank you for reading and subscribing. If this newsletter helps you, please tell your colleagues, friends or anyone who can benefit. Forward them this email, or [send this link](. What topics do you see in your daily work that I should know about? Do you have praise? Criticism? A favorite story from The Onion? [Drop me a note.](mailto:jdasilva@smartbrief.com) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( Sharing SmartBrief on Leadership with your network keeps the quality of content high and these newsletters free. Help Spread the Word [SHARE]( Or copy and share your personalized link: smartbrief.com/leadership/?referrerId=japnABMSAp [] [] I've always had the mind-set: 'No one can challenge me better than myself.' Troy Polamalu, professional American football player, philanthropist May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage 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