• THE MOST EFFECTIVE BUSINESS LEADERS EXHIBIT THE SAME ATTRIBUTES AS THE BEST FOLLOWERS, excelling at listening, learning and adapting rather than ‘commanding’ from the top. ”Better leaders master the capacity to follow well, even from a position of power, with capacity to persuade a group of people to become a high-performing team or organization… Core ‘followership’ capabilities involve (1) Active listening to understand, more so than interpret, reality; (2) Prioritizing purpose and what works best for the team versus who gets the applause; (3) Reliably turning plans into realities; (4) Questioning and speaking up to expose unfairness, inefficiencies, or problems before they become worse; and (5) Seeking feedback to constantly learn and improve… Unfortunately, research shows that many leaders are too focused on seeming smart or displaying competence to engage in effective listening and learning. When they fail, it’s because they can’t accept that the fundamental skill underpinning leadership is to make others want to follow them, which requires exhibiting humility, curiosity, receptivity to feedback & dissent, and loyalty to purpose rather than personal ego.” The DCG team conduct training programs that can optimize leadership skills for your business. [HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW]

 

  • MANY COMPANIES TODAY EMPLOY WORKERS COVERING FOUR GENERATIONS who speak in very different ‘slang’ language, but effective communication is less about speaking their specific language than about understanding it. Generational slang acts as a shortcut to how people signal trust, skepticism and engagement in the workplace, stemming from the cultural norms as they were growing up. Around three of every ten employees are GEN X, who joined the workforce when corporations were downsizing and adopting digital transformation, using vocabulary like Chill/ Lame/ Whatever. As the internet and social media evolved, GEN Y MILLENNIALS, who now comprise about 36% of workers, built connections in less rigid hierarchical organizations with slang like OMG / Fam (trusted, belonging)/ and Lit (exciting). Then came GEN Z, kids entering business during the pandemic and a fully-digital social landscape, using emotionally efficient slang like Sus (suspicious, lack of trust)/ Bet (commitment, ‘on board’) Rizz (confidence, influence). The Baby Boomers, still around 18% of workers, use of deliberate, measured and emotionally controlled, purpose-driven slang, like Bummer/ Mellow/ Wannabe find those words now pretty useless. Strong leaders today do not awkwardly mimic slang, they listen for meaning and respond with respectful but direct language, since trust is built when employees feel understood, versus leaders trying to sound cool.  [FORBES]

 

  • WINTER MONTHS BRING ‘WINTER BLUES’ TO MUCH OF THE COUNTRY’S WOMEN who are affected by Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) – a distinct mild form of major depressive disorder which develops mostly from biological clock change, with absence of morning daylight disrupting circadian rhythm. As production of melatonin & serotonin – key neurotransmitters that regulate mood – are diminished, key symptoms resemble common depression: fatigue, lack of energy, feeling irritated or agitated, oversleeping, carbohydrate craving, loss of interest in pleasurable activities, and social withdrawal. Women are four times more likely to experience SAD, stemming from differences in hormones, social role expectations, and coping mechanisms, but some men also experience the disorder. Basic treatment involves basking in strong artificial light for 30 minutes each morning, increasing vitamin D intake, and, for some, antidepressants. It’s a condition uniquely predictable among depressive disorders which involves uncomfortable stress and anxiety, but only temporary during winter months.

 

  • RE: BUSINESSES EXTENDING OR ENTERING NEW COMMERCIAL LEASES? In many such leases, waivers buried in the verbose paragraphs can create greater liability and serious exposure for a Guarantor than for a Co-Signer, by extending liability and time windows for enforcement with fewer protections — such waivers and defenses that would otherwise: (1) Protect California’s 4-year Statute of Limitations and landlord’s responsibility to relet premises; (2) Maintain Guarantor’s liability even if the lease is amended/ extended/ renewed/ or changed; (3) waive notice requirements in event of a demand letter or lawsuit. [ATTY BRYAN MASHIAN]

 

THOUGHTS FOR THE WEEK

  • CONFUSION ABOUT ‘WHAT A.I. ACTUALLY MEANS’ IS COMPLEX AND WIDESPREAD. Today’s version of Generative AI are tools which serve as doorways into collaboration with AI, a first step to clarify ideas, answer questions, develop forecasts & predictions, stress-test logic, improve writing – essentially training wheels which answer questions on the way to artificial intelligence. AI is the next step, becoming valuable when it can do work, not just answer questions, and for a small business can indeed run daily operational tasks, marketing, finance, even strategy in areas like quoting, scheduling, ordering parts, determining cut-off points. Next up AI models will translate capability into clarity, workflows and judgement.”  [FORBES]

 

  • “AI WILL NOT END WORK, IT WILL EXPAND IT. Just as the calculator made higher-order math accessible at scale, the spreadsheet transformed finance, and Google rewired how knowledge workers solve problems, each collapsed the cost of certain tasks to nearly zero, while elevating the value of human oversight and interpretation… The future is not Man versus Machine, but (in part) Man With Machine versus Man Without, as augmentation gives people sharper tools for judgment, creativity and presence, while providing the freedom to focus on what only they can do – not replacing us, but reshaping how we work and what it feels like… Technology won’t define the future of work, Leadership will, such that AI will make things cheap and people precious, pushing us toward new ways of creating, connecting, and adding value that is invisible to us today.” [BIG THINK]