Theatre marquee unveiling for the Lynn Nottage play 'Sweat' on Broadway at Studio 54 (Walter McBride/Getty Images)
Seeing the world of work through the eyes of those suffering job losses in the award-winning Broadway play "Sweat" can help leaders know that trust is built over time, that it's crucial to balance corporate and employee interests and why they should never succumb to extreme perspectives, writes Kellogg School of Management professor Brooke Vuckovic. "A deeper and more empathetic understanding of the issues is an invaluable tool for leaders -- especially given increased global competition, the impact of inflation on a living wage, and AI's disruption of both blue-collar and white-collar jobs," Vuckovic notes.
Put it into practice: Using a play like "Sweat" or other human drama shows can give leaders a humanizing perspective on their workforce and the personal challenges they face, writes Vuckovic. Without that sense of empathy, Vuckovic notes leaders "run the risk of approaching layoffs, plant closures, offshoring, and similar actions as strictly business decisions."
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Reframing a situation -- often involving you getting negative feedback -- can be a good "mental tourniquet to the negative emotions, pressure and anxiety that threaten your performance," but stretching to achieve a motivational shift will lead you to better success, writes Susan Fowler, CEO of Mojo Moments. Fowler explains how to achieve the shift and cautions against ending up with a suboptimal, rather than optimal, game plan.
Put it into practice: View a motivational shift through a lens of three basic psychological needs: choice, connection and competence. "Optimal motivation is required to attain and sustain high performance, experience well-being and thrive simultaneously," Fowler explains.
Read more from Susan Fowler on SmartBrief on Leadership
Supporting pet ownership = happier employees Attracting, retaining and engaging quality employees of all generations are three leading challenges that companies face in today's employment landscape. Luckily, supporting pet-owning employees improves their work experience—and positively affects these key metrics for employers. Find out more.
The heads that weren't lopped off in Wayfair's layoffs last week are no doubt spinning, given CEO Niraj Shah bemoaning having "too many good people" on the heels of last month's companywide memo telling all employees to commit more and work longer hours. "Beyond the inconsistent reasoning and duplicity between Shah's comments, the messages also highlight the importance of harmonious alignment and collaboration between different comms teams," writes Sean Devlin of Ragan Communications, who shares ways to avoid similar situations.
Put it into practice: Ensure your communications team is coaching executives on consistent messaging across stakeholders and installing guardrails to avoid missteps, Devlin writes. If executives refuse to let the comms team screen messages, coach them to prevent tone deafness -- and explain that leaks happen when employees are unhappy and don't feel free to speak up at work.
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When Ajiri Aki founded her lifestyle brand Madame de la Maison, she didn't want anyone to know she was a Black woman, because she felt "that no one wants to see a Black woman in this space talking about joy," when the common portrayal was one of struggle and hardship. "I have to remember that my work and writings are just as helpful and necessary toward encouraging people to embrace joy in the midst of the challenges of daily life as well as pushing against discrimination and helping reshape how many people in the world visualize Black women," Aki says.
New details of Arabica coffee genetics could help scientists pinpoint genes responsible for desirable flavors or resilience amid climate change, researchers report in Nature Communications. The study could guide coffee growers' response to smaller yields caused by unpredictable rainfall and rising temperatures.
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