Ask for focus time, and 8 other productivity tips

Be optimistic to succeed, but don't go overboard | The moments that create a great leader | Read more from Art Petty on SmartBrief on Leadership Created for {EMAIL} | [{NAME}]( at [{NAME}]( [For more relevant content - Update Your Profile]( | [Web Version]( October 3, 2022 CONNECT WITH SMARTBRIEF  [LinkedIn]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [SmartBrief on Leadership]( Innovative Ideas. Ahead of the Curve. [SIGN UP]( ⋅ [SHARE]( ADVERTISEMENT Leading Edge [] [Be optimistic to succeed, but don't go overboard]( Being positive and having a moderate amount of optimism can improve your career, according to studies, but extreme optimism can lead to overconfidence and potentially foolish decisions, writes Nir Eyal. "By letting go of past perceptions of what you can or can't do, you're treating yourself with kindness and giving yourself a better chance to thrive," Eyal writes. Full Story: [Nir & Far blog]( (9/29) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [The moments that create a great leader]( A great leadership career is forged in those moments when you consider the needs of others, identify your style and stand up for your convictions, writes Art Petty. "It's frightening to take a stand, but if you compromise, you will be failing yourself, those who depend upon you and everyone who has inspired you to be a good person and leader," Petty writes. Full Story: [SmartBrief/Leadership]( (9/30) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [Read more]( from Art Petty on SmartBrief on Leadership Enhance your HR Team's Expertise with a SHRM Certification Your HR Team of Certified Experts can Transform Your Workplace. Through SHRM certification, your team will strategically drive innovation, apply best practices, perform competently, and contribute to an inclusive workplace culture. 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ADVERTISEMENT: [] Smarter Working A weekly spotlight on doing more without working longer [] [Ask for focus time, and 8 other productivity tips]( Minimize distractions during your work day by stowing away electronic devices, switching tasks occasionally to give your brain a break, moving to a different location if possible and telling others about your need for time to focus, writes Jones Loflin. "Don't assume that just because you look busy that your team will leave you alone," Loflin writes. Full Story: [Medium (tiered subscription model)]( (9/29) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] In Their Own Words [] [How CEOs can use crises to become more resilient]( When CEOs see crisis as an opportunity, learn from their failures and "combine growth and learning with a plan of action," they will be prepared leaders, says Simmons University President Lynn Perry Wooten. "Doing it over and over again for every crisis and asking these questions helps us to be more resilient as CEOs," Wooten says. Full Story: [McKinsey]( (9/30) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [Can vulnerability undercut your leadership power?]( Leaders who want power and influence should resist advice to be vulnerable and open with their reports, writes Stanford Graduate School of Business professor Jeffrey Pfeffer, whose new book, "7 Rules of Power," advises them to break conventional rules, advocate for themselves and appear confident. "By demonstrating power and the willingness to use it, by accomplishing things, and by establishing structures that institutionalize power, the use of power becomes self-reinforcing," Pfeffer writes. 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