Do you make cross-functional leadership a priority?

Giada De Laurentiis: Learn what you need to sweat over | Handing off CEO reins gives chef more time in the kitchen | Wetzel's Pretzels' DEI program sees 1st woman franchisee Created for {EMAIL} | [Web Version]( January 17, 2024 [WFF Leadership SmartBrief]( Advancing and Empowering Women Leaders [SIGN UP]( ⋅ [SHARE](  [] Women and Innovation in the Workforce [] [Giada De Laurentiis: Learn what you need to sweat over]( [Giada De Laurentiis: Learn what you need to sweat over]( De Laurentiis (David Livingston/Getty Images) Flexibility on the job and mentorship of employees is key to good leadership for Giada De Laurentiis, chef, author, TV personality and founder of Giadzy, who says she looks for ways to help her staff balance life and work and emphasizes collaboration and not sweating "the small stuff." "We need to start prioritizing what we really think we need to sweat over," De Laurentiis says. Full Story: [Fast Company (tiered subscription model)]( (1/13) [LinkedIn]( [X]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [Handing off CEO reins gives chef more time in the kitchen]( Hiring a CEO for her eponymous restaurant group last fall has allowed chef Katie Button to relinquish many operations duties and return to what she loves: cooking and teaching others to cook. Thirty-year corporate veteran Susan Aplin handles business functions so Button can focus on creative aspects of the Asheville, N.C., company, which includes two restaurants, a travel business and a media enterprise. Full Story: [Asheville Citizen-Times (N.C.) (tiered subscription model)]( (1/11) [LinkedIn]( [X]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [Wetzel's Pretzels' DEI program sees 1st woman franchisee]( Daintry McFadden is the first woman franchisee participating in Wetzel's Pretzels Access to Equity program, a diversity and inclusion initiative offering mentorship and financial support to candidates from underrepresented communities. "With Wetzel's feasible franchise model and strategic brand values, I knew I needed to take advantage of this opportunity," said McFadden, who is set to open her location at Macy's Oakbrook Center in Chicagoland. Full Story: [WLS-TV (Chicago)]( (1/13) [LinkedIn]( [X]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Career Progression: Developing Leaders [] [Do you make cross-functional leadership a priority?]( Leaders should learn to work together across their organization in addition to leading their own teams, write ProjectNext Leadership's Jeff Rosenthal and Molly Rosen, who emphasize leaders of different departments should form partnerships and focus on shared goals. "Are you putting enough time and intention into building the cross-enterprise relationships that matter most?" they write. Full Story: [Harvard Business Review (tiered subscription model)]( (1/11) [LinkedIn]( [X]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [Don't believe your own words? Your body will betray you]( [Don't believe your own words? Your body will betray you]( (Koh Sze Kiat/Getty Images) Leaders say a lot of words, but their body language says much more depending on such aspects as posture, eye contact and whether or not they smile and other facial expressions, writes author and body language expert Carol Kinsey Goman, who recommends leaders think about the image they want their body to project. "Using body language to project leadership presence is no longer a 'nice-to-have' skill, but rather an essential ingredient that affects your ability to gain trust, create relationships, and, ultimately, drive results," Goman writes. Full Story: [Forbes (tiered subscription model)]( (1/16) [LinkedIn]( [X]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Industry News & Trends [] [Circana: Chains win fans, repeat business with LTOs]( Limited-time offers are a draw for restaurants, with 91% of consumers surveyed saying they're more likely to visit an eatery that offers new dishes, according to Circana. McDonald's Grimace Birthday Meal campaign last year fueled an 11.7% jump in second-quarter same-store sales, and 80% of Chipotle Mexican Grill customers who bought the limited-time Chicken al Pastor burrito said they planned to make more visits to the chain. Full Story: [The Food Institute]( (1/12) [LinkedIn]( [X]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [Microgreen growers tout environmental, economic benefits]( Microgreen farmers from New York to Hawaii are finding success as the crop, popularized by San Francisco fine-dining chefs in the 1980s, has boomed in recent years because of the efficiency and consistency of controlled environment agriculture. Chefs and consumers are increasingly purchasing microgreens from local growers, who say microgreens are more profitable per square foot than other plants and use minimal resources and zero pesticides or herbicides. Full Story: [Modern Farmer]( (1/16) [LinkedIn]( [X]( [Facebook]( [Email]( Featured Content Sponsored Content from Workday Inc [Workday's Keith Pickens talks hospitality, automated finance]( In this Q&A with Keith Pickens, Workday's managing director, retail industry, addresses how hospitality firms face challenges when automating their finance departments, including how to optimize their workforce with automated, scalable tools. Learn how AI and other automated analytics technologies can enable real-time cost and profitability predictions and how Workday can help retailers and restaurants overcome challenges. [Watch now.]( [] Read the latest from SmartBrief [] - [Consumers' changing tastes heat up the spice aisle]( SmartBrief/Food (1/10) [] - [The cuisine to know for 2024 isn't a single cuisine at all]( SmartBrief/Food (1/9) [] - [What flavors should consumers expect in 2024?]( SmartBrief/Food (12/21) [] DEI and Company Culture [] [Many employers remain committed to DEI despite lawsuits]( Recent lawsuits filed against companies over diversity initiatives have prompted some employers to change their diversity, equity and inclusion programs, but many employers have doubled down on their efforts to maintain DEI. "Our enthusiasm and our commitment to all the prongs that we had with DEI, and our strategy, remains," says Jeff Gennette, CEO of Macy's, which is facing complaints about its DEI policies from the group America First Legal. Full Story: [ABC News]( (1/12) [LinkedIn]( [X]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [Companies re-strategize to protect DEI]( Starbucks and Disney are among companies that have prevailed in court against challenges to their diversity and inclusion programs from conservative groups like American Alliance for Equal Rights and Do No Harm. Other organizations are adjusting their initiatives to withstand potential legal scrutiny with changes that include opening fellowship programs to all applicants, dropping race-based eligibility and modifying grant programs. Full Story: [The Associated Press]( (1/14) [LinkedIn]( [X]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Work/Life Balance [] [Burned out? Stop optimizing time; sub-optimize instead]( [Burned out? Stop optimizing time; sub-optimize instead]( (Richard Drury/Getty Images) The go-go-go business practices of the past don't work well today—the burnout rate is soaring—and such time optimization can strip away your energy, joy and chances to connect with others, as well as to innovate and collaborate, leadership expert Julie Winkle Giulioni writes. Ditch the arrogance of your optimization drive for the disciplined practice of making space for the unplanned and for attentiveness and serendipity, Winkle Giulioni advises. Full Story: [SmartBrief/Leadership]( (1/11) [LinkedIn]( [X]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [Study: Wellness programs offer little mental health benefit]( A British study published in the Industrial Relations Journal suggests that workplace wellness programs may have little to no actual effect on people's mental well-being. The only exception noted was that employees who performed volunteer or charitable work appeared to experience a greater sense of well-being. Full Story: [The New York Times]( (1/15) [LinkedIn]( [X]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [Tactics for banishing the January Blues]( [Tactics for banishing the January Blues]( It is common for workers to experience a slog they return to their offices in the new year and wise business leaders implement tactics to get out ahead of this, Jonathan Weinberg writes. Weinberg outlines several ways organizations can battle the January Blues, including through regular wellness check-ins, team mapping and opportunities for upskilling and development. Full Story: [IT Pro]( (1/15) [LinkedIn]( [X]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] WFF News [] [Choose your own brand of confidence]( When you have a sense that your own abilities and qualities are sufficient to meet the challenges of the day, and that you can continue to build on those abilities, you experience a sense of confidence. It doesn't mean you always have the right answer, never make mistakes or never feel uncertain. [Read more](. 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