Your managers are exhausted. Here are 4 ways to help

Why CEOs shouldn't choose their own successor | How changing your mindset can help your reach your goals | Read more from Naphtali Hoff on SmartBrief on Leadership Created for {EMAIL} | [{NAME}]( at [{NAME}]( [For more relevant content - Update Your Profile]( | [Web Version]( December 15, 2022 CONNECT WITH SMARTBRIEF  [LinkedIn]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [SmartBrief on Leadership]( Innovative Ideas. Ahead of the Curve. [SIGN UP]( ⋅ [SHARE]( ADVERTISEMENT Leading Edge [] [Why CEOs shouldn't choose their own successor]( The failure of Disney CEO Robert Iger's hand-picked successor is a cautionary tale for CEOs involved in choosing who succeeds them, writes Scott Warren, a fellow at the SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University, who advises departing leaders to follow his example and give that power to their board. "[T]he fact that the board made their own decision, through their own process, has led to a transition in which they have ownership, my successor feels empowered, and the organization remains solvent," Warren writes. Full Story: [The Baltimore Sun (tiered subscription model)]( (12/13) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [How changing your mindset can help your reach your goals]( Changing habits and behaviors can often be a struggle, but Naphtali Hoff suggests changing your mindset first to become the kind of person who reaches personal and professional goals. "Once you've embraced a new identity, each action you perform will be driven by a fundamental belief that your goal is possible, and your results will improve dramatically," Hoff writes. Full Story: [SmartBrief/Leadership]( (12/14) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [Read more]( from Naphtali Hoff on SmartBrief on Leadership [] Strategic Management [] [Want to succeed in business? Learn from Sears' missteps]( The decline of the once-powerful retailer Sears holds lessons for companies on how to keep their competitive edge, emphasizing the need to sustain a healthy paranoia along with the motivation to try new things, writes Morgan Housel. "Being locked into a single view is fatal in an economy where reversion to the mean and competition constantly dismantles old strategies," Housel writes. Full Story: [Collaborative Fund]( (12/13) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [Your managers are exhausted. Here are 4 ways to help]( Middle managers are being squeezed by both the C-suite and employees, and leaders can help by auditing their current responsibilities, eliminating or delaying certain tasks and talking with them about their needs, writes Denise Hamilton, CEO and founder of WatchHerWork. "Perhaps hold an offsite event for them, in which they are honored and given a chance to brainstorm about how to make their work lives better," Hamilton writes. Full Story: [MIT Sloan Management Review (tiered subscription model)]( (12/12) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Smarter Communication [] [Are you getting team recognition wrong?]( Leaders often mean well when they come up with ways to reward their workers, but as The Clemmer Group's Jim Clemmer writes, they often fall into the trap of thinking that flattery, random bits of recognition or money alone will motivate employees. "This is not how we build highly engaged teams who feel emotional connections and partnership with each other and their leaders," Clemmer writes. Full Story: [The CLEMMER Group]( (12/14) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( Free eBooks and Resources Free eBooks and resources brought to you by our sponsors - [How Technology Can Help you Get a Good Night's Sleep]( - [10 Ways to Manage Stress in the Workplace]( - [10 Secrets For Managing Your Time]( - [The Life Changing Manage of Tidying Up Book Summary]( - [Microsoft Excel 2021 Basic - Quick Reference Guide]( [] In Their Own Words [] [How one CEO puts people ahead of the bottom line]( MindHandle CEO Eric Harris says his dad's constant support throughout his childhood taught him "that work is to propel a happy life, not the other way around," and he prioritizes the needs of his people ahead of the company's bottom line. "You never really have to choose between one or the other, but I bring it back to that often," Harris says. Full Story: [Texas CEO Magazine]( (12/13) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Daily Diversion [] [Some really odd Guinness World Records fell in 2022]( Some strange Guinness World Records were set this year, including by Vermont teenager Ariana Wunderle, who set a new record for the longest walk on a tightrope in high heels, Lim Kai Yi of Malaysia, who put a Mr. Potato Head together in 5.43 seconds, and David Rush, who earned his 250th Guinness World Records title by blowing a pea more than 84 feet in one breath. Rush had held that title previously but reclaimed it after others broke his pea-pushing record. Full Story: [United Press International]( (12/13) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Editor's Note [] More insights from SmartBrief SmartBrief publishes original analysis and insights in addition to its more than [200 free email newsletters](. Here's what you might have missed: - [CFTC's Mersinger Discusses Regulating During Times Of Uncertainty]( - ["Plant-based" has not peaked, but rather grown into a lifestyle]( - [Top 4 changes that made 2022 Singles Day different]( [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] SmartBreak: Question of the Day [] POLL QUESTION: What building is currently the world's tallest? Check if your answer is right [here](. [Vote]( [Empire State Building]( [Vote]( [One World Trade Center]( [Vote]( [Burj Khalifa]( [Vote]( [Shanghai Tower]( [] Answer to Wednesday's quiz: "Excuse me while I kiss this guy" is a misheard lyric in what song? In "[Purple Haze](," Jimi Hendrix sings, "Excuse me while I kiss the sky," but it is often misinterpreted as, "Excuse me while I kiss this guy." [See how your fellow readers answered](. Sharing SmartBrief on Leadership with your network keeps the quality of content high and these newsletters free. 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