Hello, new CEO: Here are the challenges you'll face

A leader is like a lifeguard | Hello, new CEO: Here are the challenges you'll face | Amazon's threat prompts wholesaler to become a retailer Created for {EMAIL} | [Web Version]( August 23, 2017 CONNECT WITH SMARTBRIEF  [LinkedIn]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Google+]( [SmartBrief on Leadership]( [SmartBrief on Leadership]( Innovative Ideas. Ahead of the Curve. [SIGN UP]( ⋅ [FORWARD]( [] Leading Edge [] [A leader is like a lifeguard]( [A leader is like a lifeguard]( (YouTube/S. Chris Edmonds) Like lifeguards, leaders always need to be present and stay on the lookout for potential dangers, notes S. Chris Edmonds in this blog post and [video](. For business, this means monitoring workplace culture and interactions to ensure a respectful, safe and productive environment that helps employees be their best selves. [SmartBrief/Leadership]( (8/22) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Google+]( [Email]( [] [Hello, new CEO: Here are the challenges you'll face]( Becoming a CEO means more scrutiny, diminished empathy from others, less feedback and difficulty showing vulnerability, writes Ed Batista. "First, recognize that every interaction, formal and informal, is likely to feel significant to the other party and that they will invest it with meaning," he writes. [Ed Batista blog]( (8/21) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Google+]( [Email]( [ACA Repeal: Dead for Good, or Just for Now?]( Get the inside scoop on the future of health care reform in this on-demand webcast from Benefitfocus. Hear from health policy expert Chris Condeluci, as he outlines what's next for the ACA - and how it will impact HR leaders and the people they serve. [Get the latest update from Capitol Hill!]( ADVERTISEMENT [] Strategic Management [] [Amazon's threat prompts wholesaler to become a retailer]( The Apparel Group, known as TAG, has long been a private-label wholesaler of apparel but started selling directly after seeing its products show up on Amazon. TAG is simultaneously selling its Enro brand on its own website and on Amazon while competing to be a third-party logistics provider for other retailers. [The Dallas Morning News (tiered subscription model)]( (8/18) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Google+]( [Email]( Is Employee Engagement Important to You? Did you know ONLY 29% of the workforce are engaged? Increasing employee engagement provides strategic benefits to employers and is important to organizations. [Download]( XpertHR's whitepaper to learn key steps on how to increase employee engagement and performance in your organization. ADVERTISEMENT [] Smarter Communication [] [How to smooth over tough conversations]( Having difficult conversations with team members is inevitable but can be handled well with respect and empathy, writes John Manning. Concentrate on the problem rather than how the person failed, and be sure to hear out the other person while having a plan for wrapping up the conversation. [The MAP Blog]( (8/21) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Google+]( [Email]( [] [Find opportunities to practice giving speeches]( Acceptance speeches, toasts and TEDx talks are all opportunities to give speeches and get better at public speaking, writes Jim Anderson. These speech-making opportunities are also a time to try out new styles or types of talks. [The Accidental Communicator]( (8/22) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Google+]( [Email]( [Four Places to Start Measuring What Matters]( You've instituted an employee engagement program to address deficiencies in business critical areas, but how do you know it's working? Furthermore, how do you demonstrate ROI to executives that might doubt engagement is business critical? [Read this guide]( for 4 ways to start measuring the results of your engagement programs and how to use this data to drive desirable business outcomes. ADVERTISEMENT [] Customers First A weekly look at serving customers better [] [Tesla executives have added customer service to their jobs]( Tesla executives have added customer service to their jobs Tesla (Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images) Tesla has designated an executive to handle customer questions and complaints about their vehicles, and CEO Elon Musk has been tackling suggestions and issues directly on Twitter. More than nine in 10 Tesla customers would buy again from the company, according to a Consumer Reports survey. [Inc. online]( (8/18), [CNBC]( (8/21) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Google+]( [Email]( [] In Their Own Words [] [Hearst executive looks for "the best outcome" every time]( Kate Lewis of Hearst Magazines Digital Media emphasizes listening to others and looks to start off interactions with positivity. "I am sure those who have worked with and for me would say that I can be tough as needed, but I assume the best outcome in every room I enter," she says. [HuffPost]( (8/22) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Google+]( [Email]( [] Daily Diversion [] [How the highwayman beetle tricks ants into giving it food]( The highwayman beetle lives up to its name by waiting at the entrance of jet ant colonies and stealing food from returning foragers' mouths, [according to Arizona State University researchers](. The beetles secrete a compound meant to distract the ant and encourage it to offload more honeydew than usual. [Atlas Obscura]( (8/21) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Google+]( [Email]( [] [] A battle lost or won is easily described, understood and appreciated, but the moral growth of a great nation requires reflection, as well as observation, to appreciate it. Frederick Douglass, social reformer, abolitionist and orator [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Google+]( [Email]( [Sign Up]( [SmartBrief offers 200+ newsletters]( [Advertise]( [Learn more about the SmartBrief audience]( Subscriber Tools: [Manage Subscriptions]( [Update Your Profile]( [Unsubscribe]( [Send Feedback]( [Archive]( [Search]( Contact Us: Jobs Contact - jobhelp@smartbrief.com Advertising - [Laura Engel](mailto:lengel@smartbrief.com) Editor - [James daSilva](mailto:leadership@smartbrief.com) Mailing Address: SmartBrief, Inc.®, 555 11th ST NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20004 © 1999-2017 SmartBrief, Inc.® [Privacy policy]( | [Legal Information]( Â