•  AN ‘AMBIVALENT’ RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN WORKERS AND LEADERS – a mixed relationship involving both positive and negative feelings primarily about level of supportiveness – can impact job performance even more so than disliking the boss. A study of working adults in America, UK and India found that “when people don’t get along with their leaders, they retaliate against both them and the organization… But in ambivalent circumstances, a social psychological process called ‘cognitive consistency’ translates to inconsistency causing discomfort with workers feeling more negative emotions such as anxiety (along with cardiovascular stress and increased blood pressure), leading to lower job performance.” To reduce ambivalence, leaders can focus on more positive interactions and on providing higher supportiveness if/when merited. [HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW – Jun 29, 18]
  •  THE SCHOOL SHOOTING CONTAGION IS ATTRIBUTED BY MANY EXPERTS TO “SATURATION OF MEDIA COVERAGE that follows shootings, which can act as a spur to other would-be killers… arguing that the media should refuse to name (and glamourize) mass shooters to deny the attention they desire… 95% of plotters have been men or teenage boys who share the same ideology – one that glorifies violent revenge against the society they feel has unfairly rejected or abused them – and often express admiration for how their predecessors achieved notoriety… Many aren’t simply inspired, they’re also driven by a desire to top those killers’ death tolls, as if playing a video game… Given the ubiquity of social media and the competitive nature of mainstream media, mass shooting can spread like a disease, with each massacre infecting more potential killings and inspiring new rampages.” [THE WEEK – July 6, 18]
  •  EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE (EI) IS ABOUT “self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy and social skill – arguably the most important factors an employer should be looking for” beyond relevant skills, experience and work history. To help assess this dimension of a candidate, the type of useful responses would come from questions like: What type of work conflicts leave you aggravated? When you’ve been criticized by a boss or colleague, how have you handled it? What job skills do you feel need improvement or experience you’re looking for? Candidate responses in these areas provide insight to their attitudes & behaviors regarding perceived offenses, defensiveness, acceptance of responsibility, assigning blame, curiosity, desire to learn, work commitment and potential for retention. DCG can assist you in candidate recruitment.  [ERE MEDIA – Jun 27, 18]
  • “80% OF THE TIME OF 80% OF THE PEOPLE IN MEETINGS IS WASTED… since after 80% of meetings, any decisions taken will be in line with the HIPPO – Highest Paid Person’s Opinion… and the time spent on any item of an agenda will be in inverse proportion to the sum (of money) involved.” The principal reasons that meetings don’t work better and accomplish more are: (1) The fact that many aren’t necessary in the first place, versus communicating efficiently through succinct messages via the “miracle of modern technology”; (2) Absence of a clear advance agenda which tackles the most important (often most contentious) matters first and ensures that people don’t get caught off-guard; (3) Absence of a limitation on participants’ commentary to a few minutes focused on relevant aspects of the agenda matter; (4) Clarity whether the meeting objective is to “persuade staff to go along with a management decision, or to learn about their ideas/problems – in which case, low-status employees should be encouraged to speak with a ‘no interruption rule’ so they can’t be intimidated.” [THE ECONOMIST – Jun 30, 18]
  • STATE INCOME TAX POLICIES ARE INCREASINGLY ‘DECOUPLING’ FROM FEDERAL TAX LAW, in efforts to grab revenue – and California, as usual, is leading the pack. A KPMG/Tax Executives Institute survey in May found nearly 40% of corporate CFOs “unclear” in understanding the net impacts of last year’s major federal tax reduction on 2018 tax rates. They ranked California 2nd (following only New York) in maintaining a “very unfair and unpredictable tax environment,” along with 4th in ranking corporate tax audits as “very unfair and not transparent.” [CFO MAGAZINE – Jun/July 18]
  •  THOUGHTS FOR THE WEEK: The MAN song – how the man-of-the-house really is!   https://biggeekdad.com/2013/06/the-man-song-2/

       The current crisis outcry about ‘rights’ threatened by a conservative Supreme Court majority is really about “policy ideas so unpopular that liberal legislators cannot pass through normal democratic processes… so they turn to judicial courts to win their ideas with only five votes. A realistic perspective:    http://humanevents.com/2018/07/11/kavanaugh-threatens-the-lefts-right-to-cheat/?utm_source=coulterdaily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=nl