Are your company's political positions in need of CPR?

Are your company's political positions in need of CPR? | practice | Love using sarcasm? It could be hurting your team Created for {EMAIL} | [{NAME}]( at [{NAME}]( [For more relevant content - Update Your Profile]( | [Web Version]( May 30, 2023 CONNECT WITH SMARTBRIEF  [LinkedIn]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [SmartBrief on Leadership]( Innovative Ideas. Ahead of the Curve. [SIGN UP]( ⋅ [SHARE]( ADVERTISEMENT Leading the Way [] [Are your company's political positions in need of CPR?]( [Are your company's political positions in need of CPR?]( (We Are/Getty Images) Companies have a responsibility to act ethically in the political arena and the Principles for Corporate Political Responsibility (CPR) outlined by the Erb Institute of the University of Michigan contains four guidelines companies can follow that highlight responsibility, transparency and accountability, writes Ed Dolan, a senior fellow at the Niskanen Center. "Although they are not a silver bullet, the principles have the potential to make a substantive contribution, both by clarifying the meaning of political responsibility and by providing a benchmark for determining who is acting responsibly and who is not," Dolan writes. Full Story: [Harvard Business Review (tiered subscription model)]( (5/26) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Put it into practice: CPR offers "a set of objective standards against which to judge corporate political activities," [Dolan writes](. Without an adherence to some form of responsible guidelines, Dolan notes, "then capitalism and constitutional democracy are effectively at war." UofL Master's in HR & Organization Dev. Now requiring only 30 credit hours, UofL's 100% online MS in HR & Organization Development can be completed even faster! Our SHRM-aligned curriculum will prepare you to sit for the SHRM-CP exam. Graduate and make a lasting difference! [LEARN MORE]( ADVERTISEMENT: [] Smarter Communication [] [Love using sarcasm? It could be hurting your team]( [Love using sarcasm? It could be hurting your team]( (Pixabay) We often use sarcasm in the workplace as a source of humor, but it can also be detrimental to communication when it becomes passive-aggressive, cynical or defensive, however it can be effective when team members trust one another, writes John Millen. "A room full of writers for a TV sitcom can fire sarcastic missiles endlessly without an issue, but a business meeting where trust is lacking is a different story," Millen notes. Full Story: [John Millen blog]( (5/26) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Put it into practice: We often see sarcasm as a harmless outlet for humor, especially in stressful situations, but be aware of your audience. If there isn't mutual trust, the other party, or parties, may find your comments hurtful, [Millen warns](. [] [How to soften the blow of hard conversations]( Before tackling a difficult conversation with a colleague or direct report, question your own assumptions, look at the situation from different angles and know that just one conversation may not be enough to solve the issue, says Brooke Vuckovic, a leadership professor at Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. "Managerial and conversational courage is the absolute backbone to improving performance, developing talent, aligning expectations, and to solving problems as they arise," Vuckovic says. Full Story: [Kellogg Insight]( (5/18) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Put it into practice: Have an exit strategy for the conversations, [Vuckovic recommends](, by knowing when to cut the discussion short and give yourself and the other person time to mull what's been discussed. "You have spent a lot of time preparing for this conversation; your conversation partner has not, necessarily. And so the idea here is to give them time to think," says Vuckovic. Webinar: Caregiving-friendly workplaces Did you know that in addition to full-time job responsibilities, 73% of U.S. workers are also home caregivers? Get insight on the impact of caregiving in the workplace, as well as tips and advice to support working caregivers. Attend a webinar hosted by AARP. [Sign up today.]( ADVERTISEMENT: [] Smarter Strategy [] - [How is innovation like Star Wars?]( Innovate on Purpose (5/25) [] - [Getting organizational change right for the long-term]( McKinsey (5/26) [] - [How do you innovate an already beloved product?]( MIT Sloan Management Review (tiered subscription model) (5/24) Free eBooks and Resources Free eBooks and resources brought to you by our sponsors - [Nonverbal Communications Skills -- The 10 Skills You Need to Learn]( - [70+ Excel Keyboard Shortcuts for Windows (Free Cheat Sheet)]( - [Best Practices for Email Etiquette]( - [11 Habits That Will Give You A Complete And Successful Life]( - [Creating Positive Habits - The Ultimate Guide]( [] SmartPulse [] How easily distracted are you and your team from pursuing key priorities? Not at all -- we consistently stay focused on top priorities and never get distracted 13.05% Somewhat -- we generally stay focused and on task but get distracted occasionally 59.14% Very -- distractions tend to be more frequent and hinder focusing on priorities 22.60% Exceedingly -- we truly struggle to focus on what's important 5.21% [] 115 responses [] Focus, focus, focus. Look at how many unfinished projects are sitting on your desk and in front of your team members. Distraction and diffusion of effort is an execution killer. Sure, priorities change and that's fine. Just maintain a focused priority list and drive execution on the items at the top of the list. Don't start anything new until you've completed something else and resources are freed up. The constant stop/start/stop/start dynamic drains energy and causes inefficiency. It's fine to put new ideas on the list and prioritize them as "not yet" then communicate and reinforce priorities to your team. This improved focus will actually accelerate completion of top projects which then enables you to pursue the next ideas on the list. And if something truly is a distraction and isn't aligned with core goals and priorities, the best thing you can do is quickly say "no" and move on to your real priorities. -- 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]( [] How good are you at taking all your vacation time each year? [Vote]( [Great! I never let a vacation day go to waste]( [Vote]( [Okay. I take most of my vacation days but a few go unused]( [Vote]( [Not good. I usually have a lot of unused vacation at the end of the year]( [Vote]( [Poor. What's vacation?]( [] In Their Own Words [] [Kellogg exec: Embrace the unexpected in your career]( Young people just starting out don't need to have their entire careers mapped out when they graduate and begin their first jobs, advises Lyndsay Rogers, Kellogg Co.'s vice president and general manager of salty snacks. "Some of my best career moves have been unexpected -- and those tend to be the most rewarding, personally and professionally," Rogers said. Full Story: [Ad Age (tiered subscription model)]( (5/21) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Daily Diversion [] [Beer byproducts bolstered famous Danish paintings]( Beer byproducts bolstered famous Danish paintings Self-portrait by Christen Schiellerup Kobke (Heritage Images/Getty Images) Artists of the Danish Golden Age of painting used byproducts from brewing beer to prime their canvases so paint would better adhere to them, according to a study in the journal Science Advances. Researchers analyzed the chemical makeup of canvases from 10 paintings by two Golden Age artists, Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg and Christen Schiellerup Kobke, using mass spectrometry and were able to identify beermaking components such as barley, wheat and rye in them. Full Story: [Popular Science]( (5/25), [Science (tiered subscription model)]( (5/24) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] SmartBreak: Question of the Day [] The Scripps National Spelling Bee starts May 30. So, what's a g-u-e-r-d-o-n, guerdon? Check your answer [here](. [Vote]( [Desert dwellers]( [Vote]( [Nocturnal animal]( [Vote]( [Mechanized musical instrument]( [Vote]( [Reward, trophy]( [] About The Editor [] Candace Chellew Candace Chellew Candace Chellew You know what they say about vacations -- often, you need a vacation to recover from your vacation. It was nice to get away for a week and enjoy the pursuit of doing not much of nothing! I'm glad to be back, though. Many thanks to Diane Harrington for carrying the SmartBrief on Leadership torch for the week. She did a great job, and it's always good to know the brief is in good hands when I'm gone. Speaking of vacations, take a moment to answer Mike Figliuolo's poll about whether you're getting enough break time! Trust me, a few days or a week to recharge your batteries can make a big difference. 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 [] [] I believe that if you'll just stand up and go, life will open up for you. [Tina Turner](, singer, performer, "Queen of Rock 'n' Roll" 1939-2023 [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