Why you need to address employee shortcomings head on | R/GA meets changing work needs with The Associates | Women's labor participation hits high water mark at 77.8%
A workplace that avoids honest and clear communication, such as addressing employee shortcomings and failures directly, can lead to a toxic environment, says Guru co-founder Rick Nucci. You can avoid doing this by celebrating failures and embracing radical candor, Nucci says. Full Story: CNBC (7/26)
Recruiting & Retention
R/GA meets changing work needs with The Associates R/GA is meeting the demand for more project-based work with The Associates, a fractional workforce program that promises former freelancers and employees a minimum of 20 weeks of work each year. The same benefits will be available to Associates as full-time employees and R/GA's Tiffany Rolfe says, "We actually think this is an approach that the whole industry needs." Full Story: Ad Age (tiered subscription model) (7/27)
Over 3.7M people dropped from Medicaid in 37 states A KFF analysis showed more than 3.7 million people have lost their Medicaid coverage during the redetermination process in 37 states plus Washington, D.C., as of July 25, and about 73% were dropped from the program due to procedural reasons. The disenrollment rates vary widely among states, ranging from 10% in Michigan to 82% in Texas. Full Story: Kaiser Family Foundation (7/25)
The HR Leader
Want to get more done? Do nothing more often Leaders can regain a sense of balance and creativity by making time for thinking and resting, taking time off and starting the day more leisurely before the task-oriented part of the brain kicks in, writes executive coach Ken Blanchard. "Surprisingly, when we step away from the relentless pursuit of tasks, we're often able to see our vision more clearly and feel newly inspired by it," Blanchard writes. Full Story: How We Lead blog (7/26)
Workplace Chatter
Photo: Bear naps in massive bald eagle nest A black bear was captured in a photograph snoozing in a bald eagle nest in Alaska that recently contained an egg. It's not clear how often bears enjoy the safety of such nests, which sometimes can span 8-feet across and weigh at least 2 tons, though the behavior usually has "predictably bad results for the nesting eagles." Full Story: Live Science (7/26)
SmartBreak: Question of the Day
Who wrote Sinead O'Connor's "Nothing Compares 2 U" as well as The Bangles' "Manic Monday"? Check your answer here.
Coach Edwards was frustrated. His guys were losing to a team they had beaten several times before. He wanted to move from a man-to-man defense to a zone defense, but the other coach was calling the plays and wanted to stay with a zone. The team wound up losing by 10. I talked to Edwards about the situation later. I was curious about why he favored the man defense. He was adamant that his team, though bright and talented, was not cut out for that strategy. “You can’t teach a person to play man-to-man defense,” he said. Defense can be taught, but executing a man defense calls for a different physical and mental investment, he explained. He gave the example of basketball legend Dennis Rodman, a two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year winner. “Rodman was willing to put his body on the line to keep someone from scoring -- taking charges, denying the player the ball, gettin’ steals,” Edwards said. “You have to have that dog in you. It’s born in you. You can’t learn that.” I’m know “the dog.” Another word for it is “resilience,” the topic of our Leadership & Development story today from Fast Company. This word -- this character trait -- became increasingly important over the last 2-3 years, as the world navigated an uncertain and unpredictable economy. Companies and individuals who had it did well; they thrived. Those who did not got run over by their competition and floundered. Resilience is toughness -- the ability to endure crises, adapt to change and recover from failure. Toughness -- that dog! -- enables you to find solutions; create original ideas; motivate your team; develop fresh revenue streams; and believe in programs when others are skeptical and reluctant. Resilience leads to wins. Why? Because the dog never stops. How can I serve you better with this brief? Let me know! And if you enjoy this brief, tell others so they can benefit also.
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