4 steps to make your next speech emotionally strong

4 leadership lessons from the Grinch | 3 steps to writing out your success stories | Read more from Joel Garfinkle on SmartBrief on Leadership Created for {EMAIL} | [{NAME}]( at [{NAME}]( [For more relevant content - Update Your Profile]( | [Web Version]( December 21, 2021 CONNECT WITH SMARTBRIEF  [LinkedIn]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [SmartBrief on Leadership]( [SmartBrief on Leadership]( Innovative Ideas. Ahead of the Curve. [SIGN UP]( ⋅ [SHARE](  [] Leading Edge [] [4 leadership lessons from the Grinch]( Leaders can grow their hearts three sizes just like the fictional Grinch by caring about their teams and allowing empathy to soften them, writes Dan Rockwell. "The heart of leadership is turning your focus toward the welfare of others," Rockwell writes. Full Story: [Leadership Freak]( (12/20) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [3 steps to writing out your success stories]( You'll describe your success most effectively if you use a story structure, writes Joel Garfinkle, who emphasizes the usefulness of focusing on the financial effects of your efforts. "Your example of your leadership and your success in completing the project, or overcoming the project is exactly the sort of story that interests your audience most -- it's a success story that involves them, too," Garfinkle writes. Full Story: [SmartBrief/Leadership]( (12/20) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [Read more]( from Joel Garfinkle on SmartBrief on Leadership   [] Strategic Management [] [Why your corporate plan is the key to overall success]( Corporate planning, such as how your organization will carry out its strategy, operations and projects, is essential to the success of your overall business plan, Casey Pechan writes. Pechan outlines three stages such plans should go through and the five key characteristics that make them successful. Full Story: [Betterworks]( (12/17) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Smarter Communication [] [How the stories you tell yourself are holding you back]( The incomplete stories we often tell ourselves, in which someone else is a villain, we are helpless or we are victims, ultimately undermine our success, writes Jantzen Pahl. "Challenging our stories with questions allows us to uncover important information so that our stories better represent reality, and this helps us engage in better dialogue," Pahl writes. Full Story: [Crucial Learning]( (12/19) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [4 steps to make your next speech emotionally strong]( Speakers truly connect with the audience when they use their body language, eye contact and vocal variations to convey their emotions instead of fixating on perfectionism, writes Gary Genard. "A solid punch to the gut is more productive than gently stroking someone's sensibilities," Genard writes. Full Story: [The Genard Method]( (12/19) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( Featured Content Sponsored Content from 1440 Media [Tired of being told how to think?]( Check out 1440 - The fastest way to an impartial point-of-view. The team at 1440 scours over 100+ sources so you don't have to. Culture, science, sports, politics, business and everything in between - in a 5-minute read each morning, 100% free. [Sign up now!]( [] SmartPulse [] How attractive is the employee benefits package offered by your organization? Extremely: It's best in class 8.61% Very: Our benefits are better than most companies 38.23% Somewhat: Our benefits are middle of the pack 32.15% Not very: Our benefits are lacking in a few key areas 12.91% Not at all: Our benefits are bare-bones 8.10% [] Benefits make a difference. 47% of you say you have a solid benefits package. Congratulations. Make sure your employees understand the value of those benefits when they evaluate other job opportunities. It's easy to focus on just cash compensation but benefits are a huge difference-maker and might help you retain your team members in a competitive market. For those with weaker benefits packages, is it a function of poor benefits or a lack of knowledge of what you have? Spend some time with your HR team and have them walk you through your entire benefits package. The better you understand it as a leader, the better you can take care of (and retain!) your people. If your benefits truly are weak, bring it to the attention of the HR team and let them know it impairs your ability to source and retain great talent. If enough leaders raise the issue, something might change. -- 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: When handing down responsibility, do you delegate or do you abdicate? [Vote]( [I delegate and make sure I stay in touch with the task to ensure it's done right]( [Vote]( [I abdicate and hand things off then hope for the best]( [Vote]( [I don't really understand the difference between those approaches]( [] In Their Own Words [] [How the pandemic has reshaped the role of leadership]( Leaders who place a premium on collaboration and focus on nurturing a shared purpose are overtaking the command-and-control model, which was already waning before the pandemic, says Heidi Brooks, a senior lecturer at Yale University School of Management. "This experience of talking with people about their needs, having curiosity about their career trajectory and their engagement at work, and understanding the dynamics of the team is part of the new face of the future of work," Brooks says. Full Story: [Charter]( (12/19) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Daily Diversion [] [Artist uses a single line to create intricate pieces]( Artist uses a single line to create intricate pieces (Tyler Foust/Instagram) Artist Tyler Foust's drawings include a half-moon, waves, a hummingbird and even a version of Edvard Munch's "The Scream," but each of them is created from one continuous, nonintersecting line. Foust says his creations began as doodles he would draw while listening to lengthy lectures in college. Full Story: [My Modern Metropolis]( (12/17) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Editor's Note [] [SmartBrief on Leadership's most-read blog posts of 2021]( Each year, James daSilva rounds up the most popular blog posts of the year to see what lessons we can learn. The top overall post of 2021 was [Emotional intelligence begins with self-awareness]( by [John R. Stoker](. The post contains 10 questions we can ask ourselves to become more aware of how our behaviors affect others. Take a look, and please check out any posts you missed! Full Story: [SmartBrief/Leadership]( (12/16) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] About The Editor [] Paula Kiger Paula Kiger Hello! I'm editing SmartBrief on Leadership this week while [James daSilva]( is off. The annual compilation of top blog posts fascinates me. One reason is that I will be revisiting those posts throughout 2022 as I share them on Twitter at [SBLeaders](. I have been struck throughout 2021 by the fact that the top posts from early 2020, such as [Why video meetings are exhausting and unsatisfactory](, are still relevant in late 2021. I am surprised our circumstances at work, school and home have changed so little. 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:paula.kiger@futurenet.com) or visit [SBLeaders]( on Twitter. [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 [] [] Wonder and knowledge are both to be cherished. Stephen Jay Gould, paleontologist, evolutionary biologist, writer [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