Managers, here's what your best people resent about work

How to skip a meeting without being irresponsible | Keep asking "Why?" to understand a project | How will you get better at handling critics? Created for {EMAIL} | [{NAME}]( at [{NAME}]( [For more relevant content - Update Your Profile]( | [Web Version]( October 12, 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 [] [How to skip a meeting without being irresponsible]( One real-life way for managers to delegate is to send people to meetings in their stead, provided that meeting benefits your substitute and that you brief that person and communicate to other participants ahead of time, writes Jacob Kaplan-Moss. "When you delegate, you're delegating your authority to some degree, and you need to outline where they can and can't make commitments on your behalf," Kaplan-Moss writes. Full Story: [Jacob Kaplan-Moss]( (10/6) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [Managers, here's what your best people resent about work]( High-level talent can be disgruntled because they don't believe their managers support their growth, seek their ideas or appreciate their output, writes HRPlus CEO Bryan Otte. "Instead of throwing more money at broad surveys, salaries and benefits, take the time to have real conversations to flesh out what really matters to your workforce," Otte writes. Full Story: [SmartBrief/Leadership]( (10/8) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( How to Inspire Your Team’s Success One of the most effective ways to develop leadership skills is through a master's degree in organizational leadership from a top-ranked school like Saint Joseph's, offering the convenience of online courses taught by industry experts. [Learn more](. ADVERTISEMENT: [] Strategic Management [] [Keep asking "Why?" to understand a project]( Projects ideally won't run past due or over cost, but the Sydney Opera House and Channel Tunnel are just two massive undertakings that remind us that project success is measured by more than the business case, writes Antonio Nieto-Rodriguez, chairman of the Project Management Institute. One way to investigate a project's true purpose is to ask, "Why are we doing the project?" several times, digging deeper each go-around. Full Story: [Harvard Business Review (tiered subscription model)]( (10/11) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Smarter Communication [] [How will you get better at handling critics?]( Criticism is a part of having responsibility, status and power, and we must learn to understand ourselves, filter through criticism and make changes when our critics have a point, writes John Maxwell. Understanding and processing criticism requires discernment, such as in knowing what criticism is about the institution and less about you personally. Full Story: [HarperCollins Publishers]( (10/8) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [Leaders must be clear who's really doing the hiring]( Many leaders like to seek employee input on hiring decisions but fail to sufficiently communicate how much power they'll wield over the final decision, Ed Batista writes. Give a veto or don't, but "make this choice only after careful thought and deliberation: A) The distinction may seem inconsequential to the leader, but it will have many implications for the employees, and B) switching mid-stream from Veto to Voice will result in wasted effort and lost trust." Full Story: [Ed Batista Executive Coaching]( (10/9) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( Free eBooks and Resources Free eBooks and resources brought to you by our partners - [Why Workers Are Calling BS on Leaders About Returning to the Office]( - [1,869 Leadership Quotes - Timeless Truths]( - [Google Chrome Quick Reference Guide]( - [101 Productivity Principles to Help You Work Less & Achieve More]( - [Free Guide: Practical Stress Busting Secrets]( [] SmartPulse [] How do you handle making decisions during times of uncertainty? I wait until the uncertainty is resolved, then make my decision 0.80% I proceed cautiously and gather as much info as I can before deciding 40.96% I make a decision based on the best info I have, then adjust and react later 58.24% [] A caution on caution. While the majority of respondents favor an act/learn/adjust approach to decision-making, a substantive portion of you like to be cautious and gather as much info as you can before making a decision. Typically, people do this with an eye toward reducing or eliminating risk. The more information you gather, the less risk you have, right? Not really. While that works in theory, you must realize that new sources of uncertainty and risk are being added to the system every day so your efforts to reduce it through information gathering are meaningless beyond a certain point. You can never eliminate all uncertainty. Consider trying the act/learn/adjust approach. Make smaller decisions faster and adjust them as the world plays itself out. Because the cost of inaction can be just as high as acting without proper information. -- Mike Figliuolo is managing director of [thoughtLEADERS](, which includes TITAN -- the firm's e-learning platform. Previously, he worked at McKinsey & Co., Capital One and Scotts Miracle-Gro. He is a West Point graduate and author of three leadership books: ["One Piece of Paper,"]( ["Lead Inside the Box"]( and ["The Elegant Pitch."]( [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] POLL QUESTION: Which best describes your organization? [Vote]( [We are meticulous planners, and things always run smoothly]( [Vote]( [We plan well but have an occasional crisis]( [Vote]( [We try to plan, but crises tend to run our lives]( [Vote]( [There's no planning, and we're in perpetual crisis]( [] In Their Own Words [] [How adversity has helped this executive move forward]( Ed Brenegar was influenced in high school by witnessing segregation and racism against his African American high school football coach, and he's been more recently influenced by a period when his marriage and career were upended. "With loss comes an opportunity to change, to be different, and to discover a new path towards a life of impact," he says. Full Story: [World Class Performer]( (10/6) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Daily Diversion [] [What if someone else could see into your dreams?]( About half of all people are capable of lucid dreams, or the state in which people realize they are dreaming and can somewhat direct what happens next. Scientists are at the earliest stages of attempting two-way communication -- effectively peering into the minds of sleeping patients to see what they see. Full Story: [BBC Science Focus]( (10/6) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Most Read by CEOs The most-clicked stories of the past week by SmartBrief on Leadership readers [] - [4 leadership behaviors that destroy team trust]( SmartBrief/Leadership [] - [Ready to join the Great Resignation? Try this first]( SmartBrief/Leadership [] - [If you're putting work before all else, keep reading]( Leading Well (Greg Carlson) [] - [Act like a boss regardless of your title]( Leadership Freak [] - [Why 7 years is ideal for succession planning]( SmartBrief/Leadership [] About The Editor [] James daSilva James daSilva Hi, it's your SmartBrief on Leadership editor! Thank you for reading and subscribing. Today's article by Bryan Otte on [top talent's top complaints](includes this line: "No one asks me what I want to do when I grow out of this position." This is at the heart of SmartBrief on Leadership, this question of whether we as leaders are helping our people grow. And why is that so important? Not just because we're trying to get better each day and help others do the same. It's also because many so-called managers view top talent "they manage themselves." This neglectful approach leaves money on the table, generates resentment when employees feel forgotten and, in the worst-case scenarios, allow bad or illegal behavior to flourish. 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? [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 [] [] Reality is a staircase going neither up nor down, we don't move; today is today, always is today. Octavio Paz, poet, writer, diplomat, Nobel Prize winner National Hispanic Heritage Month is Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 [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