• ONE IN FIVE ‘HIGHLY ENGAGED’ U.S. WORKERS EXPERIENCE ‘BURNOUT’ IN SOME FORM, and “obsession with work is largely to blame,” according to a 2018 Yale University study. The symptoms to be aware of are predominantly: (1) Chronic Exhaustion – feeling tired, getting sick more often, and/or weeks of intense anxiety; (2) Becoming overly cynical – detached from work, or easily annoyed by co-workers and friends; (3) Feeling unproductive or incompetent, even at the small things. Life Balance is not just a random millennial phrase. If Burnout symptoms occur, it’s time to take a break! [FAST COMPANY – 2/27/19]
  • “AMERICAN POLITICS ARE DANGEROUSLY POLARIZED, WITH COLLEGE-EDUCATED WHITE LIBERALS LEADING THE CHANGE – people who occupy the commanding heights of media, academia and pop culture… who suffer from a ‘white savior’ complex, likening anyone who opposes their views on Medicare-for-all, religious liberty, or border security to slave-owners or supporters of Jim Crow,” to a point where, today, Bill Clinton’s views on illegal immigration and crime “would render him a racist bigot… Obama would be a moderate and a bigot… and even Hillary’s pledge to ‘protect our borders’ combined with interventionist policies are completely at odds with the liberal platform.” As the most culturally powerful people on the planet keep rapidly shifting the goalposts, with zero toleration for opposing perspective of any kind, the likelihood for achieving any national consensus continues to deteriorate and head towards an unravelling of American heritage, culture and society. [NATIONAL REVIEW – 2/19/19]
  • ADDITIONALLY, “THE U.S. IS A REPRESENTATIVE, NOT A DIRECT, DEMOCRACY and Americans don’t expect their leaders to base every decision strictly on constituents’ opinions… But leaders do have a responsibility to help shape public opinion, and this is especially true on questions of foreign policy in which wise choices depend on highly specialized knowledge, versus ignoring public opinion in favor of an elite consensus that lacks sustainable public backing.” With current polls indicating that less than half of Americans support “global economic integration, free trade, or promoting & defending democracy around the world… the reality is that foreign governments increasingly perceive the U.S. as a less dependable and predictable partner, while foreign enemies see potential divisions to be exploited.”  This adds further fuel to the polarization issue.  [TIME – 3/4/19]
  •  EMPLOYEES WHO FEEL UNRECOGNIZED OR UNCHALLENGED are often motivated to job-jump, especially when confident in their own potential. A growing trend in larger companies is to identify these as Hi-Potential (Hi-Po) workers and develop programs for ‘special’ coaching & mentoring, in expectation of developing superior performance and leadership as well as retention. However, the success of such programs is mixed for reasons including: (1) Lack of clarity & consensus among managers in defining expectations; (2) Inconsistent criteria in identifying Hi-Po candidates – often prioritizing current performance above degree of prior track-record success (in other business cultures & climates); (3) Ineffective communication which can “create divisiveness and undermine teams, when employees not selected feel demoralized, while ‘chose ones’ can feel embarrassed or undeserving”; (4) Resentment of Millennials who, in general, “view Hi-Po programs as inherently biased and inequitable… Simple succession planning practices and targeted leadership development are proven alternatives, also more cost-effective and less time-intensive to develop leaders and increase morale.” DCG can help. [GENERATIONAL INTERCHANGE – 3/5/19]
  •  NEARLY HALF OF AMERICAN CFOs FORECAST “THE END IS NEAR for the near-decade-long burst of global economic growth… resulting in sub-3% GDP growth and a non-cataclysmic recession” by the end of 2019; over 80% expect this to happen by close of 2020. The recent Duke University Business Survey of more than 500 CFOs attribute this likelihood to “a waning expansion that began mid-2009 which heightened market volatility, the impact of growth-reducing protectionism, and the ominous flattening of the yield curve, which has predicted recessions accurately over the past 50 years.” [CFO MAGAZINE – Feb/Mar 19]

       Four families have controlled California for eight decades. Fascinating and sad:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epyIYc_7hbM&feature=youtu.be

       Crazy Stats: The average full-time American worker spends over 2½ hours daily reading & answering email; Over 88% of federal income taxes are paid in by the top 20% of households, with the top 1% covering nearly half; Americans lost over $1.7 billion last year trading Bitcoin.

       Would a husband rather be right or be happy?  https://biggeekdad.com/2019/02/the-wifes-code/