How this play can help leaders learn real-world lessons

How this play can help leaders learn real-world lessons | When there's no "I" in team, everyone has room to shine | How women CEOs can protect themselves amid uncertainty Created for {EMAIL} | [Web Version]( January 25, 2024 CONNECT WITH NEXTUP  [LinkedIn]( [Facebook]( [X]( €‰€‰[Tik tok]( [NEW SmartBrief]( Gender equity news from NextUp, Advancing All Women in Business [SIGN UP]( â‹… [SHARE]( [] Top of the week [] [How this play can help leaders learn real-world lessons]( [How this play can help leaders learn real-world lessons]( Theatre marquee unveiling for the Lynn Nottage play 'Sweat' on Broadway at Studio 54 (Walter McBride/Getty Images) Seeing the world of work through the eyes of those suffering job losses in the award-winning Broadway play "Sweat" can help leaders know that trust is built over time, that it's crucial to balance corporate and employee interests and why they should never succumb to extreme perspectives, writes Kellogg School of Management professor Brooke Vuckovic. "A deeper and more empathetic understanding of the issues is an invaluable tool for leaders -- especially given increased global competition, the impact of inflation on a living wage, and AI's disruption of both blue-collar and white-collar jobs," Vuckovic notes. Full Story: [Fast Company (tiered subscription model)]( (1/24) [LinkedIn]( [X]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Today's leadership [] [When there's no "I" in team, everyone has room to shine]( [When there's no "I" in team, everyone has room to shine]( (Kelvin Murray/Getty Images) Leaders want to hire top talent, but leadership and executive coach Veronique Bogliolo writes that if the focus shifts to creating winning teams based on common values, shared expectations and trust, they will enjoy more overall success in the long run. Switching from an "I" to "we" team mindset also prevents top talent from burning out while giving other team members the space to step forward and shine, Bogliolo notes. Full Story: [IMD]( (1/18) [LinkedIn]( [X]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [How women CEOs can protect themselves amid uncertainty]( Women CEOs are often tapped to take the reins at a company facing an uncertain future, whose board has fewer women directors, whose predecessor was prematurely dismissed, or who are in an industry with few women executives, writes Corinne Post, a professor of management at the Villanova School of Business. The incoming leader can use these conditions and job risks to negotiate better severance packages and dismissal outcomes and insure themselves against a premature firing, Post writes. Full Story: [Forbes (tiered subscription model)]( (1/19) [LinkedIn]( [X]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [Anxiety antidote: Shift your focus to the audience]( Businesspeople can control public-speaking anxiety by redirecting their focus from their own worries to the audience's needs, which consultant John Millen writes helps every time. "By centering your thoughts on delivering value and helping them, you can transform anxiety into a powerful tool for effective communication," Millen says. Full Story: [John Millen blog]( (1/20) [LinkedIn]( [X]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [Survey: Working women of all ages face similar issues]( Working women of all generations share a number of similar concerns and priorities including unclear salary structures, lack of women in decision-making roles and societal expectations, writes Amanda Herring, CEO of Fe league, which conducted the survey. Workplaces should create a space that supports diverse needs and mentorship programs that can facilitate cross-generational learning, and adopt more inclusive policies such as flexible work arrangements, Herring writes. Full Story: [Newsweek (tiered subscription model)]( (1/23) [] Read the latest from SmartBrief [] - [Reframing vs. a motivational shift: Which leads to success?]( SmartBrief/Leadership (1/24) [] - [Is this the year you build a respectful culture?]( SmartBrief/Leadership (1/23) [] - [Are you teaching your employees to resist change?]( SmartBrief/Leadership (1/22) 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]( - [Digital Minimalism: Tricks to Simplify Your Digital Life]( - [Ten Traits Of Successful People]( - [Inc.'s Productivity Super Book: A Definitive Consolidation of 25 Perspectives to Guide Your Future Success]( - [The Future of AI in Technology]( [] Diversity & Inclusion Trends [] [Why this Black founder originally hid her identity]( [Why this Black founder originally hid her identity]( Aki (Ralf Juergens/Getty Images) When Ajiri Aki founded her lifestyle brand Madame de la Maison, she didn't want anyone to know she was a Black woman, because she felt "that no one wants to see a Black woman in this space talking about joy," when the common portrayal was one of struggle and hardship. "I have to remember that my work and writings are just as helpful and necessary toward encouraging people to embrace joy in the midst of the challenges of daily life as well as pushing against discrimination and helping reshape how many people in the world visualize Black women," Aki says. Full Story: [Brene Brown]( (1/23) [LinkedIn]( [X]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [How mentoring has become vital to career development]( Mentoring arrangements have grown to include programs in which companies immediately match new hires with mentors, Black professionals receive one-on-one support, top leaders go outside their companies for their own mentoring and college students receive peer-to-peer guidance, say HR and mentoring program leaders, who offer specific program examples. "There's a transfer of institutional and professional knowledge, and mentors also have something to learn from mentees, who may bring new ideas or perspectives to them," says Diane Rosen, an executive coach and co-founder of HR and workplace consultancy Compass Consultants. Full Story: [Society for Human Resource Management (tiered subscription model)]( (1/20) [LinkedIn]( [X]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [Inclusive language is a muscle that needs training]( Many leaders are reluctant to talk about social issues or diversity, inclusion and equity matters because they are afraid of saying the wrong thing, according to diversity experts Heather Cairns-Lee and Alexander Fleischmann. They recommend creating a culture that assumes positive intent when people try to use the right language and instituting metrics and checklists to raise awareness. Full Story: [IMD]( (1/16) [LinkedIn]( [X]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [CEO: Replace DEI with commonality, equality, cohesion]( Employers should change their diversity, equity and inclusion strategies to focus on cohesion in the workplace, equality over equity and employees' commonality, according to Insperity CEO Paul Sarvadi, who has co-written a book about the approach. "These are higher goals than DEI goals, but they build on the original unifying objectives of DEI," says Sarvadi, who adds the strategy emphasizes better business performance. Full Story: [StrategicCHRO360]( (1/19) [LinkedIn]( [X]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [] The secret in the search for meaning is to find your passion and pursue it. 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