Leadership

Surveys show that nearly 85% of employees have found or obtained their job via networking. Additionally, it’s estimated that referrals are associated with a 2.6% to 6.6% higher chance of an accepted job offer. However, all of these statistics are referencing external networking. External networking refers to broadening your network of industry professionals and other individuals for mutually beneficial purposes, including searching for a job or looking for a referral. Internal networking refers to reaching out and connecting with colleagues within your organization, even if your job doesn’t require you to do so. What is internal networking? Why is internal networking so important? Company culture has become increasingly important in the workplace, and part of that is having a strong team of employees who are comfortable collaborating and working between departments and disciplines. When you continually network with other employees within your company, you’re … [Read more...] about This is why it’s important to network within your company

Whether you have a formal leadership development plan in-house or not, there are some important ways those in supervisory and management roles can support developing leaders, says leadership development consultant Robb Holman, author of Lead the Way: Inside Out Leadership Principles for Business Owners and Leaders. Companies invest in leadership and personality assessments and other tools and programs, and may not follow through or revisit them consistently. But there are several ways that management teams can support developing leaders on a daily basis, he says. Know who they are Leadership development starts with understanding the individual, says Kim Turnage, PhD, director, leadership consultant with Talent Plus, Inc., and coauthor of Managing to Make a Difference: How to Engage, Retain, and Develop Talent for Maximum Performance. Get to know what motivates them, what their goals are, and what interests them both in their work and outside the office, she advises. “All of … [Read more...] about Bosses: This is how to inspire your employees to become leaders

When you need to shut someone down or you’re being taken advantage of, “No” is a complete and appropriate answer. But if you want to build a healthy relationship with a coworker, leader, or industry peer, you might want to rethink that one-word sentence. Relationships can involve give and take, and using the word “no” by itself can be dangerous, says Shaun Belding, author of The Journey to WOW. “The ‘no reflex’ instantly creates an argumentative position,” he says. “It’s a negative message that says you’re not interested in trying. You’re too busy—not a team player. I can’t imagine a worse message to send to a colleague or boss. The next time you need help, you may not get it.” While you won’t always be able to give people what they ask for or want, you can phrase your response in a better way. “The problem is when somebody’s default position is ‘no,'” he … [Read more...] about This is what you should say instead of “no” at work

In 2016, the National Network of Abortion Funds (NNAF), a network of 70 organizations supporting access to abortion, was putting together its annual fundraising Bowl-a-Thon, a coordinated nationwide series of games that featured a night full of drinks, gutter balls, and striped shirts—all in the name of reproductive rights. Women across the country gathered together to play and pick pun-heavy team names like Kiss Our Uter-Ass, Bowl V. Wade, and The Fempire Strikes Back. But in the weeks leading up the fundraising event, the Bowl-a-Thon suffered a devastating setback: It was hacked. Not by bored teenagers, North Korean hackers, or the Russians—but by pro-life activists. The tech-savvy attackers set up dummy accounts, orchestrated fake pages to gather donor details, submitted faulty donations totaling $66 billion, and sent anti-abortion messages to mailing lists. Some activists went so far as to send images of fetuses alongside messages like, “I hope I grow up big … [Read more...] about How tech is helping abortion providers overcome barriers to access

Recently, a company in New Zealand piloted a four-day workweek to see how their employees would perform. The results were so impressive and productive that they decided to change their culture completely. While it might seem like a foreign experiment that is a world away from the mind-set of the U.S. workplace, many companies and freelancers are adopting the shorter-the-better approach. In addition to this experiment, many studies stand by the concept of working smarter, but not necessarily the traditional, mandated 40 hours. Not only are the benefits found in more fruitful work, but in the health of employees, too. According to the Center for a New American Dream, employees who work more than 11 hours a day are 2.5 times more likely to develop depression and 60 times more likely to develop heart disease. If you’re tempted to pitch a four-day week to your manager, take a few talking points from these successful professionals who not only make it work, but meet—and … [Read more...] about How these professionals get everything done in a 4-day workweek