How employees can master strategic silence Employees who practice strategic silence -- that is, keeping ideas and concerns to themselves until the time is right to share them -- are regarded by managers as more valuable to the company. Research shows that strategic silence works when the employee has collected all the relevant data and understands that speaking up would align with the nature of the situation. Full Story: Knowledge@Wharton (2/21)
When leaders choose to step into their "psychological sense" and speak and act in optimistic and empowering ways, they will unlock the high-level thinking that's needed to solve problems and make effective decisions, writes Susan Fowler, CEO of Mojo Moments. "Your leadership capacity to encourage choice, deepen connection and build competence can help transform psychological sense into common sense," Fowler writes. Full Story: SmartBrief/Leadership (2/22)
College students can bolster their professional networks starting freshman year by cultivating meaningful relationships in internships and research opportunities, staying active on LinkedIn and taking advantage of the college career center, experts suggest. Developing existing relationships and staying in touch with professional connections is also a crucial aspect of networking, they say. Full Story: U.S. News & World Report (2/21)
Hire Smart
Is your recruiting sensitive enough to spot a winner? If you think the word "sensitive" describes someone who takes offense easily, you could be at risk of passing on the chance to recruit a high-performing, conscientious colleague, writes Andre Solo. Solo, who founded an online resource for sensitive people, says people with this personality trait are likely to be innovators and creative thinkers with a fine eye for detail. Full Story: Fast Company (tiered subscription model) (2/22)
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Some corporate tax breaks clash with remote work Some cities and states have tax-incentive programs for companies that require their employees to be in the office at least some of the time. Jurisdictions are reevaluating these agreements, and the approach they take could affect companies' remote-work policies and the future of urban areas. Full Story: Bloomberg (2/21)
Your Next Challenge
3 guilt-free ways to say "no" Turn down requests effectively by thanking the person for asking, then either requesting more time to consider your reply or giving a gentle but firm "no" and offering some action you feel you can do, writes Shari Harley. If the request is a nonstarter from the beginning, politely decline without explanation because people "aren't interested in why we can or can't do something; they just want to know if we will do it," Harley writes. Full Story: Candid Culture (2/20)
A group of 11-month-old babies outperformed state-of-the-art learning-driven neural network models on the Baby Intuitions Benchmark -- six tests of commonsense psychology and perceiving the motivations and goals behind people's actions. "If [artificial intelligence] aims to build flexible, commonsense thinkers like human adults become, then machines should draw upon the same core abilities infants possess in detecting goals and preferences," said Brenden Lake, co-author of the study in the journal Cognition. Full Story: The Jerusalem Post (free registration) (2/22)
SmartBreak: Question of the Day
POLL QUESTION: Queen Victoria issued a patent to Major Walter Clopton Wingfield on this day in 1874 for a sport called sphairistike. Today, we know it as what? Check your answer here.
