Watch sports to get a new perspective on leadership

Watch sports to get a new perspective on leadership | practice | Ask proactive questions to uncover a team's diversity Created for {EMAIL} | [{NAME}]( at [{NAME}]( [For more relevant content - Update Your Profile]( | [Web Version]( February 27, 2023 CONNECT WITH SMARTBRIEF  [LinkedIn]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [SmartBrief on Leadership]( Innovative Ideas. Ahead of the Curve. [SIGN UP]( ⋅ [SHARE](  [] Leading the Way [] [Watch sports to get a new perspective on leadership]( [Watch sports to get a new perspective on leadership]( (StartStock/Getty Images) Watching sports -- from yacht racing where the boss is always in charge, to baseball where skilled professionals do their individual part to create a winning team -- can provide leaders with a study in which form of organization fits their company the best, writes Henry Mintzberg, a professor at McGill University in Montreal. A lesson Axios co-founder and CEO Jim VandeHei says he learned from Brad McCarty, the head coach of the men's soccer team at Messiah University in Mechanicsburg, Pa., is how focusing on excellence over success can push teams to hone their craft to produce sustainable skills and not be satisfied with mediocre results. Full Story: [Chief Executive]( (2/23), [Axios]( (2/23) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Put it into practice: When we strive for excellence in leadership, VandeHei writes, we're less tempted to cut corners to achieve success, and we set the parameters for what success looks like. "You make you your measurement -- not someone else's definition of success," notes VandeHei. [] SmartBrief on Leadership [] [Ask proactive questions to uncover a team's diversity]( [Ask proactive questions to uncover a team's diversity]( (FG Trade/Getty Images) Proactively asking colleagues and leaders about their range of diverse experiences and skills -- from cognitive to socioeconomic to ethnic diversity -- can help to uncover a whole new set of skills and perspectives team members can bring to the table, writes Larry Robertson. "Proactivity is the choice and commitment to replace the default and pigeonholing questions that shape many of our day-to-day routines, with more such diverse questions, ongoing and habitually," Robertson writes. Full Story: [SmartBrief/Leadership]( (2/24) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Put it into practice: We often want to categorize our co-workers as being this or that -- this ethnic group or gender, or that neurodivergent type or another -- but we all have a wide range of skills and identities. Asking those proactive questions to unearth them can deepen the diversity that's brought to the table, Robertson notes. [] [Read more]( from Larry Robertson on SmartBrief on Leadership [] Smarter Communication [] [Use ChatGPT to make your company more human]( [Use ChatGPT to make your company more human]( (NurPhoto/Getty Images) Artificial intelligence such as ChatGPT can be powerful aids to help us streamline work and use algorithms and computational models to quickly solve what seem to be intractable problems, but they will never be able to replace the human contributions of empathy, courage, trust-building and conflict resolution, writes Moe Carrick. "How effective would organizations be if the humans in them could focus on these things instead of the tasks that AI and deep learning could make easier and more efficient?" Carrick asks. Full Story: [Moe Carrick]( (2/24) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Put it into practice: Even though there have been some seemingly alarming encounters with AI-powered technology recently, Carrick makes the case that limitations on AI can work to our advantage if we'll use the technology wisely. "Use ChatGPT to make the boring, tedious, or distracting work you do easier to have more time to do more important work," Carrick writes. Free eBooks and Resources Free eBooks and resources brought to you by our sponsors - [Quick Reference Guide – Microsoft Excel 2021 Advanced Guide]( - [The Ultimate Guide to Developing Self-Discipline]( - [Public Speaking at Work]( - [Tips & Tricks Guide – Career Planning – Why It's Essential for Your Success]( [] Smarter Strategy [] - [How to create resilience in a time of uncertainty]( McKinsey (2/23) [] - [Use a quantum way of thinking to make better decisions]( Stern Strategy Group (2/23) [] - [How common terminology could improve management practices]( Forbes (tiered subscription model) (2/23) [] Smarter Working A weekly spotlight on doing more without working longer [] [Is it time to clear out the digital clutter?]( A digital decluttering strategy can help your devices run better, save space and make you more productive, write Jancee Dunn and Lando Loic, who offer a myriad of suggestions for offloading or deleting apps, files, email, data and photos from your devices. "By taking some time to clean up and organize your digital spaces, you will be able to stay focused on what matters and eliminate distractions," Loic writes. Full Story: [MakeUseOf]( (2/17), [The New York Times]( (2/24) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Put it into practice: Make digital decluttering a routine by scheduling regular purges. "Last Sunday, I did some digital paring while waiting for cinnamon orange rolls to bake," Dunn notes. [] Daily Diversion [] [Your next heart monitor could be made from kombucha]( Researchers at the University of the West of England in Bristol have successfully printed electronic circuits onto dried kombucha mats and experiments showed they endured water, bending and burning. Researchers say the mats could be used for heart-rate monitors and other functions and are lighter and more flexible than current plastic or ceramic devices. Full Story: [Ars Technica]( (2/22) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Most Read by CEOs The most-clicked stories of the past week by SmartBrief on Leadership readers [] - [How Lego's "leadership playground" connects employees]( Fortune (tiered subscription model) [] - [Smell smoke in the office? That's your team burning out]( Axios [] - [Dazzling underwater photos take top contest prizes]( My Modern Metropolis [] - [Female leaders are advancing, but still need support]( The Business Journals (tiered subscription model) [] - [85-year-long study finds the key to lasting happiness]( McKinsey [] A View from the Office [] A breathtaking office view A breathtaking office view Rachel Parker submitted this photo of the view of the Willamette River and the Hawthorne Bridge "from my office in downtown Portland," adding, "Can't get views like those working from home!" What's your view from the office? [Send me your photos](mailto:candace.chellew@futurenet.com). [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] About The Editor [] Candace Chellew Candace Chellew Candace Chellew Whether it's a [sports team or a work team](, there is always a diversity of thought, beliefs, life-experiences and knowledge we can access. When we fail to [ask the kinds of questions]( that can uncover the range and depth of the knowledge of the team, we limit [the excellence]( of the work that we can do. I invite you to examine not just your team structure to ensure it's the best one to be using, but to examine whether or not you're aware of -- and using -- all the skills, experience and excellence your team can bring to the table. Proactively discovering and developing the range of your team may be just what your company needs to rise to the next level of success. 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:candace.chellew@futurenet.com). And don't forget to send me photos of your pets, your office and where you spend your time off. [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 [] [] Our grandfathers and great-grandfathers had to run and run. This generation is plumb out of breath. We ain't running no more. [Stokely Carmichael / Kwame Ture](, civil rights activist February is Black History 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, a division of Future US LLC © Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY, 10036