Is it possible for a single innovation to address many of the cost, quality and data gaps in our fragmented medical system, providing real-time, evidence-based answers at the point of care based on everything that is known about a patient? Yes, according to Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, chairman and CEO of NantHealth. At Institute 2015, the annual gathering of America’s Health Insurance Plans, he described a vision for a highly connected, highly secure system that drives optimal care in real time, and an operating system designed to support that vision. It’s not just the electronic health record, or the patient’s lab data, or financial and operational processes, or pharmacy or FitBit or biometric data. It’s all of those things pulled from existing, legacy silos as well as new sources, powered with real-time connectivity and translated into useful information in the right hands exactly when it is needed, built around a single patient, at any point of contact. "If we drive all of that together into a mobile platform, you then have real-time, actionable knowledge to provide the highest quality care at the lowest possible cost," Soon-Shiong said. It’s an "intelligent decision theater," he said. "True mission control." And mission control drives decision support, which he characterizes as essential in the rapidly evolving spheres of technology and health care. "We have to recognize that it is now impossible for us to keep up with the science," Soon-Shiong said. Decision support powered by multiple real-time data streams should put evidence-based, patient-tailored protocols with corresponding outcome and cost data in the hands of the clinician, driving care and yielding results, he said. Optimizing cancer care To demonstrate the power of these ideas, Soon-Shiong, a surgical oncologist, took attendees on a dive into cancer biology, explaining that the disease is far more complicated and varied than terms such as breast cancer and prostate cancer suggest. "Cancer is multiple clones, hundreds of clones. Some asleep, some awake," Soon-Shiong said. "As we treat those that are awake, those that are asleep awaken." One line of cancer cells is killed off, and another is poised to rise. In each patient’s body, a complicated mix of factors drives disease. The key to treating such a complex disease, he argues, is precision — understanding the unique ecosystem inside each patient to drive treatment. "The solution is to understand the complicated mix of DNA, RNA and proteins and how they interact with other molecules," Soon-Shiong said. That information can be interpreted to determine the best available treatment, but it must be done in real time at the point of care with all the contextual information needed to support clinical decision making. How does a payer organization covering thousands of patients begin to think about applying such precision? By harnessing the power of digital technology — the system underlying Soon-Shiong’s "mission control" concept. "We need to cross the chasm of scale [and] know the care in real time, know the vital signs of this patient in real time, know the images, the CT scans from the tissue, and know the cellular biology in real time." Soon-Shiong calls it "population health at the peptide level. … This is an infrastructure to now take us to 21st century medicine." It may sound prohibitively expensive, but the goal is to build efficiency. "If you can measure outcomes in real time and costs in real time, you can finally pay for value," said Soon-Shiong.       Related Posts: Laying the groundwork for the health system of the future Challenges and opportunities in health IT How machine-learning driven interventions can build value in health care One doctor’s view of the future of medicine Fostering innovation through collaboration Putting the power of peptide-level precision in every clinician’s hands originally published by SmartBlogs

SmartBlog on Education will highlight summer learning and enrichment for educators during June. In this post, education leader Fred Ende encourages educators to use the summer as a time to slow down, reflect and relax. As I write this, students in the Northeast are counting down the days until the end of the school year. Their counterparts in other parts of the nation are literally counting down the minutes. To be fair, we shouldn’t take this countdown personally. Some of us may be counting down the days too because, in the big scheme of things, it isn’t about dismissing the institution of school, but rather about inviting in new learning opportunities. Even for those of us who are in a district office or school building for twelve months, there is something special about the summer months Maybe it is the slower pace of our "normal" responsibilities. Maybe it is the additional "me" time that we end up with. Or maybe it’s just the weather. Maybe, quite simply, like the grass, the summer just encourages us to grow. I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how I learn as a person and as a professional. One thing I’ve noticed is that during the year, despite the number of great new ideas and wonderful pieces of information that come my way, I’m constantly struggling to find the time to reflect. So, it isn’t that I lack the opportunity to come across great initiatives. Rather, it appears that it is more the fact that education isn’t a "slow" profession, at least not during the school year. And, unlike chillaxing in that inner tube on the lazy river, where we have the time to watch the trees go by, learning during the year often feels like we’re strapped to that inner tube as it bumps down a white water river, where we literally, learn as we flow. What do most of us do when we’re learning as we flow? If I’m any indication (and I may not be), we tend to grab for the most innovative or important looking branches and hope we can hold on. If you’re lucky enough to work with a great supervisor and excellent team, then you all hold on together. If not, then you’re on your own. Needless to say, with so many needs to address, and so many great ideas out there, learning on the flow isn’t incredibly efficient (or effective). But, it is what we have to do to stay afloat. And that’s why the summer is so important. Much like the grass, we tend to grow most when we’re nurtured and provided with the resources we need (and note that time is one of them). Grass doesn’t grow just because you put down seed. It requires water, sunlight, solid soil and time. While some of us can give or take the soil part, it isn’t so different for humans. We don’t learn as deeply without the proper ingredients. Summer provides us all with an opportunity to enrich ourselves at the speed we need. I’m a firm believer in the saying, "We have to go slow to go fast." The idea is a simple and important one. If we want to eventually build up our effectiveness and strengthen our efficiencies, then we need to take the time to Do. Things. Right. And I don’t mean there has to be a right answer to how we do things. But rather, a way that feels right, that makes others feel right, and that sets us along a right path. Without the summer, or some time akin to it, we would never be able to slow down, we would never be able to reflect, and we would never be able to change course. To paddle against a river, the river has to be going slow enough to make ground. Too fast, and all we do is get carried away. So, how do we turn the torrent into a lazy river? How do we make sure we have the time to grow like the grass? Here are three thoughts: Stop the presses! One of the reasons plants grow so well in the summer? They use the winter to live life in the slow lane. In order to get into a growth mode, you have to take the time collect your resources. This means actually slowing down enough to stop. Own one new thing. Grass, in the general sense, isn’t particularly innovative on the surface. But all living things need to evolve in order to survive. Summer is a great time to try something new. With roughly 60 to se75 days, it serves as the perfect time period to set a "closed" goal, one that you set, and expect to achieve, in that time period. Trim the to-dos. Like grass, we grow best when we don’t let any one item cause us to get overextended. Like the regular mowing we give our lawns, we need to keep our to-do lists a trim in the summer, so when we return to the hustle and bustle of a new year, our brains, and our bodies, are rested. Use the summer to embrace your inner grass. In that way, come the new year, the grass will be just as green on your side, as the other. Fred Ende (@fredende) is the director of SCIENCE 21 (www.pnwboces.org/science21) and currently serves as Regional Science Coordinator for Putnam/Northern Westchester BOCES. Fred blogs at www.fredende.blogspot.com and at ASCD EDge.   Related Posts: Retreat to advance 4 R’s of summer school: Keeping the momentum going Channeling Goldilocks: Trying to get it "just right" Redefining smart Hybrid roles: Making a whole out of two halves Grow like the grass originally published by SmartBlogs

Health insurance industry executives gathered ahead of Institute 2015, the annual meeting of America’s Health Insurance Plans, to talk through and develop solutions to some of the biggest challenges in health care today at the AHIP and Nashville Health Care Council CEO Forum. The issues their companies face are well known: The health care system is built around addressing illness, rather than promotion of wellness. Consumer engagement is believed to be a powerful tool for prevention, but best practices for fostering that connection are evolving and not fully characterized. And the keys to improving health outcomes, enhancing the care experience and building a truly sustainable health system are believed to be buried in volumes of disconnected, difficult-to-interpret data. However, executives coalesced around some key concepts that show great promise, and a Executive Leadership Summit in February promises to build on those ideas. Here’s a snapshot of the conversations and conclusions: A focus on health and the whole patient Health insurance industry leaders are working on many fronts to reshape the health care system, but a common thread runs through them all: Looking at health in the context of life. That means giving people the tools to live healthier lives as well as helping ensure they have access to fresh produce and other resources in their own neighborhoods. It means fostering community, and giving members someone to talk to, learn from and connect with. It’s about working with patients as people. Taking on the hassle maps Hassle maps are graphical representations of the trouble consumers have navigating a given system, accounting for barriers and other pain points. True innovation looks at life through the lens of the hassle map and ultimately solves it. But health insurers have access to only a portion of the health care hassle map, making it difficult to fix alone. Partnerships and alliances have been key to some of the greatest innovations of our time, and they are a mainstay of disruptors like Google and Apple. It’s time for health care to embrace this model and form external alliances that will allow them to address old problems in new ways. Give the consumer something to care about Reaching consumers isn’t rocket science when you give them something to relate to, and companies can do just that by taking a critical look at their company’s DNA. What is a company’s purpose? How does an organization serve consumers? What are its values? Answering these questions, and then building those ideas into consumer touchpoints are key to truly building a sustainable relationship with customers and a sustainable future for the business. True digital innovation prioritizes people The iPhone was just the beginning. Today, consumers are increasingly able to track and quantify every piece of their lives, but to what end? As life becomes increasingly digitized, consumers are beginning to lose control over their own data - and maybe even themselves. Transformational technology for consumers and the health care industry will recognize that people are the digital interface of the future, but devices and digitization should be a means to an end: freeing people to live happier, healthier lives, which is key to the transformation of health care.   Related Posts: One doctor’s view of the future of medicine Fostering innovation through collaboration Putting the power of peptide-level precision in every clinician’s hands Challenges and opportunities in health IT Q-and-A: Ed Marx on innovation, industry changes and advice for CIOs Laying the groundwork for the health system of the future originally published by SmartBlogs

With an audience size on social that rivals some media outlets they pay to advertise, EA’s David Tinson says it makes sense for the brand to become a media company. As the senior VP of global communications, David says his job is to help create a newsroom that’s centered around an opportunity to connect with customers. In his presentation at SocialMedia.org’s Member Meeting, David shares how they created an internal structure to support listening, content creation and distribution for EA’s media. Here are some key points from his presentation: Standards and policies at an enterprise level are crucial. David explains how they created governance around a common set of tools, invested in creative resources, and formed alignment across teams. That meant creating a consistent voice and staying on the same page with paid, advertising, product marketing and customer-support teams. Listen first, then create content. David says, "So often marketers and communicators start creating content and then figure out where it should go after. It has to start with listening." With a socially savvy and vocal fan base, EA monitors about 8 million conversations a month. Distribute with a multi-channel strategy, not multiple strategies for different channels. David’s team invested in a consistent set of content management tools to reach wider audiences. They also partnered with their paid media team to boost posts in a strategic, thoughtful way. Watch David’s full presentation here: Download his slide presentation. Related Posts: Andy’s Answers: How Toyota launched the new Camry through social media Andy’s Answers: How Keurig earns its customers’ love Andy’s Answers: How Dunkin’ Donuts learned to celebrate its fans Andy’s Answers: Why EMC had to rein in its "Social Sprawl" Andy’s Answers: Olive Garden’s 5 steps to turn around their social customer service Andy’s Answers: How EA puts social at the center of their media newsroom originally published by SmartBlogs

The Young Entrepreneur Council is an invite-only organization comprised of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. YEC recently launched StartupCollective, a free virtual mentorship program that helps millions of entrepreneurs start and grow businesses. Read previous SmartBlogs posts by YEC. If you enjoy this article, join SmartBrief’s e-mail list for our newsletters on small business and entrepreneurialism. Q. When learning how to manage better, what is one resource an entrepreneur should utilize (ex: a book, website, course, etc.) to strengthen their management skills? 1. Read "A Year With Peter Drucker" This fantastic book provides 52 weeks of coaching focused on driving effective leadership. From management to innovation, this read covers all the themes that Drucker identified as most important to leadership development. Our team at AirPR is currently reading a chapter per week and members take turns leading group discussions applying Drucker’s words to our business. — Sharam Fouladgar-Mercer, AirPR 2. Join or create a mastermind group A mastermind group, as popularized by Napoleon Hill’s "Think and Grow Rich," can be tremendously helpful in improving one’s self. If you can surround yourself with a few peers facing similar challenges — ideally peers who are a step or two ahead of you, in this case — you can tap into a wealth of knowledge and experience. I’ve personally had opportunities to learn and improve through multiple groups. — Erik Reagan, Focus Lab LLC 3. Read "Mastering the Rockefeller Habits" This book gives you a detailed guide on how to manage your entire business using a simplified plan and a set routine. In the startup world, routine and process is key to manage the endless fires that come up each day. In my previous startup, everyone in the company read this book and we standardized our goal setting and meeting schedule accordingly. — Faraz Khan, Go Direct Lead Generation 4. Write something I was once an aspiring screenwriter in L.A. After going through that grinder and learning how to edit myself down to the comma, I never feared starting my own business. There’s nothing harder than bulletproofing a script, and those skills led me to pitch well and execute like an unpublished writer eager for a credit. We’re all selling a story. Wordplayer.com was my bible, and it still is. — Michael Portman, Birds Barbershop 5. Circulate surveys I have implemented a "Rate Your Manager" survey, which employees complete anonymously. Each employee can rate and comment on their direct manager and their CEO. The anonymity allows subordinates to be honest and speak their mind without fear of retaliation. Then, each of my managers is encouraged to read the comments, analyze their statistics to see how they are doing, and spend time reflecting on the feedback. — Joshua Waldron, Silencerco LLC 6. Ask your employees It’s hard being at the top. Getting candid feedback from your employees takes trust and time, so set the tone from the beginning. Employees need to know from day one that honest feedback is not only encouraged, it is required. There is no greater resource for improving your management skills than asking those who are affected by it — no book, website or course can beat that.— Alex Riley, MeritHall 7. Surround yourself with excellence I find it invaluable to surround myself with friends and acquaintances who are excellent at a wide range of skills so that I am able to constantly learn from new and interesting perspectives. I set up my entire social structure to avoid mistakes before they happen. But when trouble arises — it always does — I am equipped with a group who is willing and capable of supporting and guiding me. — Dario Meli, Quietly 8. Get a leadership coach There is a lot of leadership advice out there; some good, some trash. But nothing from a book or website will provide the customized advice each entrepreneur needs to thrive. I found the best way to grow as a manager was to put down the books and hire a leadership coach. Face-to-face personalized coaching and advice is powerful, and worth every dollar. — Joel Holland, VideoBlocks 9. Try StandOut So much of management is about communication and listening — learning about yourself and the people around you. I use StandOut to inform others about my strengths and learn about theirs. StandOut unveils your top two strength roles and offers specific, practical ideas that leaders can use to lead, communicate with and manage others. — Brendon Schrader, Antenna 10. Listen to audiobooks I once heard Brian Tracy refer to his car as a university on wheels. I have to agree, as I find that time spent in the car commuting to the office can be utilized best by listening and learning. You can download audiobooks from iTunes or Audible for under 10 bucks. Alternatively, consider borrowing audiobooks on CDs from your local library. — David Ciccarelli, Voices.com 11. Become a Little League coach Children have no filter and will rarely do something unless they want to. If you really want to motivate adults, you should try coaching children in a sport. They’ll tell you immediately if you’re being unkind, or if they just don’t care about what you’re saying. If you can stay with one team through an entire season, you’re ready to manage a team of adults. — Jared Brown, Hubstaff Related Posts: Common mistakes leaders make during periods of fast growth What would you change about your company’s 2014? How do you motivate your team after an unexpected setback? How can leaders help defuse an employee outburst or stressed-out reaction? What makes a piece of performance feedback useful? What resources can help entrepreneurs be better managers? originally published by SmartBlogs

It’s remarkable to see huge companies go up in flames due to managerial failure. And yet it happens regularly. Why? Frequently, the cause of managerial failure is rooted in corporate culture. Managerial failure often springs from a lack of humility, curiosity, and open-mindedness that is reflected in the attitudes, language and behavior — the culture — of the people in a company, and in particular, the company’s leaders. For example, a company fails to notice and respond to the changing marketplace or to opportunities to bring about disruptive innovation in its industry. The failure leads to declining revenue and profit. Costs must be cut in order to survive. People lose their jobs. The company fails to recover and sells itself or closes its doors for good. Are there "red flags" that might indicate the effect your current corporate culture is having? Ask yourself the following: Are our leaders consistently seeking the opinions and ideas of others then considering what they hear before making decisions? Is it safe for people who are not in positions of power to speak up if they have something important to share? Is information freely shared among people throughout our company? When the answers to the three questions are "yes" there will be a high degree of "knowledge flow" in your company’s culture. When the answers are "no," your company will be accumulating "knowledge traps" that will eventually sabotage performance and put your company at a higher risk for managerial failure. Knowledge traps are like cholesterol Knowledge traps represent relational breakdowns that prevent knowledge that exists in your company from reaching a decision-maker who needs it to make an optimal decision. Absent a piece of knowledge flowing to the right decision-maker, there is a higher risk that a sub-optimal decision will be made. Knowledge traps are like cholesterol in the human body. Too much cholesterol build up leads to a heart attack and risk of death; too many knowledge traps lead to managerial failure and risk of corporate death. Several types of knowledge traps exist. The manager who lacks humility to seek and consider the ideas and opinions of others is a knowledge trap. The employee who withholds information from a colleague is a knowledge trap. This goes for managers and departments that are rivals and withhold information from one another too. A company with an isolationist culture that is out of touch with customer and competitive developments is a knowledge trap. Below are three ways to increase knowledge flow and reduce the risk of knowledge traps that lead to managerial failure. 1. Put your cards on the table On a regular basis, get in front of the people you lead and share the issues you are working on and thinking about. First, tell them what you are thinking. I call this "putting your cards on the table." Next, ask people what they think is right, wrong and/or missing from your thinking. Let them speak. Just listen. Don’t criticize. Resist the temptation to be defensive if your view is challenged. I also recommend having someone else take notes so you can give your full attention to each speaker. Thank people when they share their opinions and ideas. You will be surprised what you learn from a knowledge flow session and how it will improve the quality of your decisions. It will also improve the way people execute your decisions because you’ve given them a voice. Follow up in writing to tell people what you heard and what you’ve going to do about it. 2. Encourage creative friction In a culture that values knowledge flow people will disagree and they need to be able to work through their disagreements. Let people know that this creative friction is part of every great company and that it should be encouraged, not suppressed or avoided. It is wise to set ground rules. Everyone’s attitude should be to focus on getting to the right solution and not on being right for reasons of personal pride. General George Washington, for example, had terrible judgment when it came to military decisions. He made it safe for his war council to say what they believed. He took their advice and it contributed to his success as a military leader. Another ground rule is that communication should be constructive and respectful, and that uncivil communication is not acceptable. 3. Let the sunshine in Many companies are stingy when it comes to sharing information with employees-at-large. It’s better to let the sun shine on information so that decision-makers are more likely to be aware of it and factor it into the decisions they make. Industry research reports, and articles on customers and on competitors should be shared broadly. There are several ways to do this. Post as much information as possible on your company’s intranet and write about it on internal blogs. Encourage people in your organization to comment on these posts. The more knowledge flow, the better. When you put your cards on the table, encourage creative friction and let the sunshine in, you will be creating knowledge flow and an internal marketplace of ideas that will improve the quality of decision-making and reduce the risk of managerial failure. This post was adapted from "Connection Culture: The Competitive Advantage of Shared Identity, Empathy and Understanding at Work," by Michael Lee Stallard. He is president of E Pluribus Partners, a leadership consulting and training firm based in Greenwich, Conn. Follow Stallard on his blog, Twitter, Facebook, Google+ or on LinkedIn. If you enjoy this article, join SmartBrief’s e-mail list for our daily newsletter on being a better, smarter leader. Related Posts: How to keep remote employees enthused, energized and engaged How to save a dying company like "The Shack" Microsoft: Good news and bad news. Which first? Summertime quotas: When sales quotas are delivered late, the business suffers 3 ways to tap the power of community 3 ways to reduce risk of managerial failure originally published by SmartBlogs

Path to Workforce is SmartBrief Education’s vision of college and career readiness, encompassing K-12, adult learners, career changers, non-traditional students and those who forgo a traditional four-year college experience. Stay tuned for ongoing #Path2W coverage, including expert insights and reader feedback. I love any and every American Dream story. Give me a "rags to riches" tale, or the iconic story of the lowly mailroom clerk working his way up the company ladder to become the CEO, and I will give you a juicy, single-head nod of affirmation. Even American car commercials that equate buying cars with our personal level of ambition rev me up sometimes, as does Drake’s song, "Started From The Bottom." But somewhere along the road, this narrative takes a detour to la-la-land, and nowhere is this better witnessed than in our schools. So the time has come for me to pump the brakes on this commercial media propaganda machine, and help clarify the issue, because so much is at stake. First, let’s talk about stress. Take a walk in the shoes of the modern student. Sure, they may lack in the advanced time management skills and maturity helpful in coping with their stress. But the increasingly hyper-judgmental college selection process (their words) forces them to work at unprecedented levels compared to previous generations. For a detailed examination of the shrinking "middle-class" student, please see my previous post here. In the throes of their overwhelm, especially now during final-exam and SAT season, a significant cohort of students will cite how "so many billionaires" are college dropouts- including the likes of Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg and the late Steve Jobs of Apple. My oh my, aren’t those stories so appealing? Here’s why: Each of us resents at least portions of the system at large. We all have felt the need to begrudgingly jump through flaming hoops not of our own design, and the harrowing Pac-Man game of getting into college is certainly one of those societal hoops. Except that Pac-Man is immensely more fun by comparison. The media loves these anecdotes. It lures in viewers who fantasize of blazing their own trail and "unplugging from The Matrix" that is their current life. It certainly sells at the box office, evidenced by recent major motion pictures depicting the two aforementioned billionaires. But what the media does not do is dwell on the unquestioned truth that for every dropout success story, scores of untold dropout failure stories exist as well. In his fascinating TED talk, Dan Gilbert discusses a comparable scenario of the media’s coverage of lottery winners. If the media were to devote 30 seconds to each of the 100 million lottery losers for every one winner, he argues, then we’d witness a nine and a half year streaming marathon of people saying how it could NOT be you. The same can be said about people who undervalue the importance of school, in the face of all these apparent dropout success stories, both near and far. I’m talking directly to you, beloved Gen-Y members, who came into adolescent consciousness in a post-2008 economic crash landscape. On one hand, you see your sister graduate from college and then immediately return home and can’t find work to pay off her six-figure student loan debt. Then on the other hand, on Instagram you see an acquaintance you went to high school with run a successful "Kickstarter" campaign for her personal project and subsequently appear to propel forward in her budding career. We need to be very careful with how our young ones consume this media narrative, because if it goes unchecked, sooner or later they will question the need to commit to advanced education, thinking that walking away will be in their best interest. We need to remind them that American workers with a college degree are paid 74% more than those with only a high-school degree, according to the OECD. We need to remind them that higher learning is not only about gaining knowledge, but also about the pursuit of wisdom, self-discovery, and the personal responsibility to always become a better human being. Having said that, I’m not against the notion of the irrepressibly passionate few "going for it" their own way, non-traditionally. If my own child one day were to proclaim her desire to go rogue and forgo college to instead pursue her passion, it wouldn’t be right for me to slam the door on her. Rather, I would work to understand her core belief system, what her underlying goals are, and constantly pepper her with reality-based, non-agenda questions, which begin with some variation of, "Have you considered…" (e.g. Have you thought about what the business plan for your idea would look like? Have you considered how you would raise the initial capital for such a pursuit, or how much you would need? Have you thought about what you’ll do to support yourself while you build your program? Have you considered the possibility that you can do this will also in school learning how to do what you love even better, perhaps at a trade school?") I would walk the line between cultivating both her sense of empowerment as well as her common sense, with ample room to dream and question reality. And above all, no matter whether the path includes college or not, our young ones must be ready to grind it out in order to position themselves to wherever they wish to go. Author Malcolm Gladwell believes that expertise in a craft requires 10,000 hours, or five years of dedicated time. Those five years shouldn’t be torture by any means, but we all must take our inevitable lumps on the path to mastery and eventual prosperity. Working through the grind teaches patience, resilience and humility, all invaluable marks of successful and happy living. So I urge anyone reading this to bear in mind the following. If you ever witness someone in the middle school to college age years of their life scorning the idea of education as valuable, remind them about reality. After all, it’s called the American Dream, not the American Pipedream. Robert Ahdoot is a high-school math teacher and founder of YayMath.org, a free online collection of math video lessons filmed live in his classroom, using costumes and characters. Robert has been teaching high school math for 10 years, has given two TEDx talks, and travels to schools promoting his message of positive learning through human connection. He is author of the upcoming book One-on-One 101, The Art of Inspired and Effective Individualized Instruction. If you enjoyed this article, join SmartBrief’s email list for more stories about education. We offer newsletters covering educational leadership, special education and more. Related Posts: How is the U.S. faring in the great #skillsrace? How making expands students’ visions of themselves Raising a ready workforce: The missing curriculum component How to go from "teacher" to "teacherpreneur" All’s well that ends well? Why we shouldn’t glorify billionaires who dropped out of school originally published by SmartBlogs

Sheryl Sandberg is best known for being chief operating officer at Facebook and as the author of "Lean In" and founder of the subsequent movement. On June 3, at 11 a.m., she showed us a side we had not seen as much of before: her human and vulnerable side. Her Facebook post about losing her husband, Dave Goldberg, was one of the most raw, moving and touching pieces of the human experience I have read in a while. Moreso than her book every single leader needs to read this piece on being human. I am inspired to write about her post because so many of us have lost touch with our own humanity and that of others in our workplace. It leaves us disengaged and disconnected from each other and the work we do. Here are the leadership lessons I took away from her post. Recite.com Our leadership and our workplaces need our humanity. Sandberg writes about how uncomfortable it is for many people at work to acknowledge the passing of her husband, to allow themselves to get connected with the grief she’s feeling. Most of us are afraid to acknowledge emotion in the workplace and most workplace cultures discourage emotional expression. Many of my executive coaching clients fear being judged as lacking "executive presence" or, worse, "being emotional." Many of us believe we need to leave our feelings at the door when we enter the workplace. We can’t really leave our feelings at the door. What happens is that they go underground and affect our behaviors in ways that can derail us. Our discomfort with our own humanity makes our workplaces inhumane and our people disconnected from one another. Our workplaces desperately need people who can bring their hearts to the table while making tough decisions like restructuring organizations and firing people. It is our own ability to be touched and moved that creates a space for cultures where people thrive, engage, connect and innovate. Life-shaking events happen as part of the human experience. Be kind to yourself and others during these times. Sandberg writes that, until this tragedy, she never really knew what to say to others in need. She would try to reassure them that things would be OK. In our discomfort with our emotions, we often rush to have others shift their emotions to being happy (and dare I say productive) again. Sometimes, it is wisest to listen with an open heart, be with the person in a shared moment of humanity, and then allow what wants to be expressed from that place of empathy. Often, it is not what we say but the feelings we share that communicate what needs to be communicated. Choose life and meaning during times of trial. A common part of the human experience is the trials we each face, our personal form of hell during those moments. None of us are exempt from that, even the most powerful like Sandberg. Her post reminds us that we can choose to be resilient. A big part of that choice is to find something meaningful — a lesson, a purpose, an experience that can be gained and shared from the times of trial that can serve others. Our vulnerabilities connect us to one another rather than separate us. Most of us are afraid to show any sign of weakness in the workplace. Sandberg’s post has nearly 900,000 Facebook "likes" as of this writing. Her raw sharing of her experience has struck a powerful chord. She realized that to restore the closeness she wanted with her colleagues, she had to let them in, to be more open and vulnerable than she ever wanted to be. Vulnerability is a trait we greatly admire — in others. It is hard to practice, but once we let ourselves get there, we almost always find an opening that creates possibilities that were not available before. Ms. Sandberg, thank you for sharing your human side with us and creating what I hope will be a path and a movement for us to be more real, more authentic, and more human with each other in our workplaces. A movement for greater authenticity at work is my movement. Thank you for showing us the way. I salute your courage, resilience, and humanity. Henna Inam is the CEO of Transformational Leadership Inc. and the author of "Wired for Authenticity." She is a leadership coach, global speaker, and often plays junior philosopher on her Forbes and company blog. Follow Inam on Twitter, Facebook or her blog. If you enjoyed this article, join SmartBrief’s e-mail list for our daily newsletter on being a better, smarter leader. Related Posts: Showing empathy in your leadership The role of empathy in business success Doing the right things In business — what that looks like Let us all praise the quiet leader Become a great listener Sheryl Sandberg’s insights into workplace empathy originally published by SmartBlogs

When marketers monitor social conversation, it’s difficult to determine if a spike in post volume is worthy of attention or simply a fluke. For instance, Dairy Queen’s marketing team may notice a sharp increase in social posts that mention their brand. Getting to the bottom of a conversation spike normally requires digging through hundreds of posts to get the complete picture. What caused the spike to occur? It could be something in the news, a shout-out from a celebrity or a customer service issue gone viral. Either way, Dairy Queen needs to go beyond post volume to understand the reason mentions spiked at all. What’s important to note, however, is that a sub-topic that spikes around your brand is truly only valuable if it deviates from the norm. For instance, if posts about Dairy Queen rise at the beginning of the summer, no one should be surprised. People are spending time outside, are warming up and desire an ice cream snack. This is a routine rise in conversation from a predictable event. On the other hand, if Dairy Queen were to see a spike in posts in December, they would need deeper insight as to why — what stimulus has become a common enough connection to my brand that it is a driver of a major conversation spike? Is this an opportunity to develop new content, innovate a product or optimize media? When brands have this information, they can react quickly and connect with customers on a new level. For instance, FIFA sponsors like McDonald’s and Budweiser recently got a shock on social media when high-ranking FIFA officials were arrested on corruption charges. Fans spoke adamantly on social media to demand these brands abandon their sponsorship, and the media buzz only increased when Last Week Tonight host John Oliver demanded the end of these brand sponsorships on his show, greatly increasing the issue’s visibility. The problem is that these brands see massive amounts of social posts about them every day. During this public relations crisis, it was crucial that the brands be able to understand why people were posting about their brand and when in order to determine an appropriate response. The way consumers use social media to discuss brands changes rapidly. From product reviews, social event planning or sharing content, the ways your customers chat about your brand vary and it’s important to understand the reasons behind these changes to remain relevant in their lives and conversations. When you understand the why behind a conversation spike, you bridge the gap between social reaction and proactive social conversation generation. Jaime Brugeras is vice president of analytics at Networked Insights. Related Posts: Does social media change your agency relationships? How Del Monte Foods finds social-media success 5 steps to sharing other people’s content Social marketing success begins with a strategy A step-by-step guide to social direct response Know why your customers are talking about you originally published by SmartBlogs

Photo: Flickr user Larry Specialty food sellers are set to make their annual trek to the Javits Center in New York City for the Summer Fancy Food Show this month. The three-day show starts June 28 and, for the first time this year, the Specialty Food Association has launched an ad campaign and partnered with grocery retailers Kings Food Markets, Morton Williams and FreshDirect on promotions designed to raise awareness of specialty foods. Each year, the trade show floor bursts with booths filled with new treats, innovative twists on traditional favorites, indulgent goodies and healthful snacks. This year’s lineup will include 2,400 exhibitors from around the world, sampling about 180,000 products, 100 of which are part of the retail promotion, the association said in a press release. The retailers will promote food and beverages from companies including Brooklyn Brine Co., Cypress Grove Chevre and Tate’s Bake Shop, with in-store signage, sampling, discounts and online messaging. In another first, the week of the show will be declared Specialty Food Week in New York City. Specialty foods — from Italian holiday cakes to culinary matcha to artisan chocolate — saw their sales top $100 billion for the first time last year, up from $88.3 billion in 2013, according to the association. The group, which launched in 1952 when a band of cheese importers joined forces to fight tariffs, has hosted the growing show for more than 60 years. The sweet and savory treats come with a menu of seminars, chef demonstrations and speakers including former Trader Joe’s President Doug Rauch, who launched a new not-for-profit grocery concept called Daily Table in Dorcester, Mass., earlier this year. Rauch made news in 2013, when his plan for the new concept — which would turn food that’s past its expiration date but still good into affordable prepared meals, with the dual goals of curbing hunger and cutting down on food waste. Rauch’s speech, set for Monday, June 29 at 9 a.m., will focus on "How to Do Good While Doing Well in the Marketplace." Career trend-spotter Suzy Badaracco will take the same time slot on Tuesday morning, with a talk titled Beyond the Millennials: Generational Differences and the Future of Specialty Food. Other sessions on this year’s agenda include: A daylong session dubbed The Basics: The Business of Specialty Food, to give newbies a primer on brand building, selling to supermarkets, marketing and pricing. Speakers will include Specialty Food Association President and former Kraft executive Ann Daw, Renfro Foods President Doug Renfro and Native Kjalii Foods founder Julie Jeremy. Start Right, Grow Strong: 9 Critical Steps, with Blackpoint Management founder John Roberts The Theater of Retail: Understanding Consumer Experience with Kevin Kelley Non-GMO: Go or No Go? A roundtable discussion __________________________________________________ If you enjoyed this article, join SmartBrief’s email list for more stories about the food and beverage industry. We offer 14 newsletters covering the industry from restaurants to food manufacturing. Related Posts: Global goodies and hot trends from the Summer Fancy Food Show A new generation of entrepreneurs turn their talents to healthier food Summer Fancy Food Show to serve up local, global treats New York City braces for the latest in fancy food Can companies cut food waste and feed the world? Foodies celebrate summer in the city with specialty foods originally published by SmartBlogs

Difficult people are everywhere. They’re in line in front of you at the bank, shopping with you in the supermarket, and next to you on the highway in rush hour. In most circumstances, the best way to deal with the troublesome people around you is to ignore them, especially if they have little to no bearing on your life. Unfortunately, it’s not quite so easy to ignore the difficult people in the workplace. Whether you work directly with challenging individuals or experience them in passing, few things are more frustrating than sharing a professional domain with individuals who are not an active, willing part of a team. As a hardworking employee, it can be very challenging to see a drain on the system in an area where productive team members are standard. Identifying difficult people in the workplace Difficult people come in many forms, all of which are counterproductive in a workplace setting. They may be lazy, late, slow or slackers, but the imposition they create in a professional environment can be troublesome, if not toxic. Rather than contributing to an endeavor, these individuals are a drain on resources and productivity, bringing the strong employees down to a troublesome level. They tend to be negative, cynical and unwilling to take responsibility for job performance. They may also be critical of a company’s vision or of the positive work other employees are demonstrating. Many leaders may find looking the other way to be the easiest solution in managing difficult people, but this is generally a poor strategy. In a workplace environment, even one difficult personality can negatively affect other team members, turning what should be a positive situation into one that may threaten the performance and productivity of the workforce in general. Credit: unsplash.com Approaching solutions for difficult people Identifying difficult people in the workplace is often quite straightforward, but working to transform a struggling team member may take an inspired approach. The first instinct of many professionals may be to simply let these individuals go, cutting dead weight to create room for new up-and-comers. While this can be and often is an effective strategy, a better approach is to create an environment where people can flourish. That is because, while some difficult employees are born that way, many others are created by a work environment that stifles employee enthusiasm and creativity and frustrates them along the way, making them feel they are simply not valued by the organization. The ideal scenario is to build teams of leaders where everyone is involved, engaged, committed, well developed and valued. Under this design, difficult people are not created; rather, they are elevated and often become productive employees who are leaders, because of the design under which they operate. As a result, instead of devoting resources to get rid of them, the organization is working as an integrated unit to pull them up. Meanwhile, for the few remaining employees, if any, who remain difficult, they will become the responsibility of the team to deal with. It will no longer be management versus the employees. Everyone will be in it together to deal with a problem person. Building a Team of Leaders The Team of Leaders concept operates under the idea that working in a team is so much more than simply making peace with the people around you. Instead, the most effective team is made up of professionals with cultivated leadership qualities who embrace the opportunity to own their collective and personal success. Creating a team of leaders in your organization may not be simple, but it’s one of the most important strategies a company can implement. To create a company culture that embraces those who work independently as effective team members, it is important to ensure every employee has a voice. Rather than simply delegating and communicating news from executives, you develop a work design that gives team members input on all key decisions affecting them. This design also provides them with a way to voice concerns, ideas and constructive criticisms. With an outlet through which frustrations can be addressed, it’s easier for difficult people to set their qualms aside. In order for an individual to prove his leadership abilities, it is also important to provide opportunities for all individuals to exert authority. Whether this means allowing a team member to follow through on a suggestion or project, or rotating prestigious or powerful responsibilities, the only way an employee can see himself as a leader is to prove to himself that he can handle the challenge. Transforming difficult employees The transition from difficult person to effective team member does not happen overnight. The right design and implementation, however, can help formerly burdensome employees become enthusiastic and productive team members. By creating an employee culture that supports career development, allows each individual to contribute and emphasizes the importance of properly demonstrated authority, it’s much easier to facilitate an environment in which every team member is valued. Difficult people are everywhere, and they aren’t going to go away any time soon. When you’re faced with difficult people in the workplace, however, it takes the right strategy to turn a difficulty into a success. By tailoring your work design and internal culture to cultivate a team of leaders within your organization, you and your employees can benefit from an environment designed to empower every member. Stewart Liff is an HR and visual management expert and the president and CEO of the consulting company Stewart Liff & Associates. He has written articles for Government Executive Magazine, American Management Association, and Talent Management Association. He recently co-authored a book with Paul W. Gustavson, "A Team of Leaders: Empowering every member to take Ownership, Demonstrate Initiative." Liff’s other books include "Deliver Results," "Seeing is Believing: How the New Art of Visual Management will Boost Performance throughout your Organization," and "98 Opportunities to Improve Management in Government, The Complete Guide to Hiring and Firing Government Employees, Managing Your Government Career: Success Strategies That Work. " Connect with him on Twitter and LinkedIn. Paul W. Gustavson is a leading expert in organizational design, author, speaker and consultant, as well as president of Organization Planning & Design Inc., a California-based consulting firm. With over 30+ years of in-depth study high performance teams and design of work systems, Gustavson has devoted to helping creating great places for people to work. Connect with him on twitter or LinkedIn. If you enjoyed this article, join SmartBrief’s e-mail list for our daily newsletter on better recruiting, retention and human resources management. Related Posts: Harnessing the power of your hidden leaders If not the annual performance appraisal, then what? Battling the bulge: Handling the expectations of too many employees for too few promotions 3 ways managing millennials will make you a better leader Are your employees people managers or subject-matter experts? How do you decide? How Team of Leaders helps deal with difficult people originally published by SmartBlogs

SmartBlog on Education will highlight summer learning and enrichment for educators during June. In this post, English teacher Starr Sackstein shares some of her favorite summer professional development events and resources.  No longer confined to the inside of a classroom, now the world is the learning canvas. Teachers from all over the country use the summer to extend their learning and relax as they recharge and prepare for the next year. With a variety of learning opportunities both face-to-face and virtual, teachers can plan a plethora of experiences to change their practice and network with folks who can become a vital support system in the future. Edcamps and other Edcamp style conferences If you haven’t tried an edcamp yet, no better time than the summer. These "unconference" meet ups, seek to put the learning in the educators’ hands, trusting that when you put a room full of teachers together, people will make the most of that time. Attendance is free to all who come and the schedule of sessions is determined on the day based on the needs of the attendees. Whether participating as a session leader or participant, the opportunity to share ideas is abundant. Because of the laid back nature of the planning, teachers are free to "let their feet do the judging" of the success. No one is expected to stay in a space that isn’t working for them; attendees are encouraged to go where they need to be, independently making decisions. After you’ve attended an edcamp it is recommended that you reflect on the experience, either micro-blogging on Twitter and sharing as you go or by writing about it your experience on your own blog to share the learning and more importantly how you plan on applying it in the future. Face to face national conferences If edcamps aren’t your thing, and you’d like something a little more organized, there are many learning opportunities like ISTE2015 or EmpowerED conferences, planned by major organizations, providing an impressive line-up of educational thought leaders to share information on the most important trends in education. Attendees pay to go to these conferences, but expect to bring back new ideas for practice. They are more structured in their approaches to sharing information; schedules are pre-prepared. Sometimes schools will even pick up the cost of attendance. So if you read a great book that has inspired you to try something new, check out the programs of these major conferences and see if your favorite educational leaders are in attendance. Sometimes the informal face time can be more valuable than the sessions. Twitter, online conferences and books Not everyone can afford to travel to conferences, so perhaps virtual conferences operated by teachers are a better alternative. Teachers can attend live webinars addressing particular skills or topics they are interested in learning more about. Want something less formal even than that? Consider participating in a Twitter chat for an hour on any given day or night. There is a formal list of current chats here: Twitter chats address all kinds of topics and some are regionally located. New topics every week allow you to interact and get ideas from educators from around the world. They have something for everyone. In addition to great online chats, teachers can find great books that address their individual needs. Want to learn about becoming connected, there’s a book for that, an entire series (Corwin Connected Educator Series). Want to give up grades or change assessment, there’s a book for that. Depending on what you want to accomplish, there are great lists of teacher reading to consider at your leisure. Just because teachers aren’t in school, doesn’t mean the learning has to end. Get invigorated, network and grow to get ready for the fall. What will you do to gear up for next year? Please share. Starr Sackstein currently works at World Journalism Preparatory School in Flushing, N.Y., as a high-school English and journalism teacher. She is the author of Teaching Mythology Exposed: Helping Teachers Create Visionary Classroom Perspective and Blogging for Educators . She blogs for Education Week Teacher on "Work in Progress" in addition to her personal blog StarrSackstein.com where she discusses all aspects of being a teacher. Sackstein co-moderates #jerdchat and #sunchat and contributes to #NYedChat. In speaking engagements, Sackstein speaks about blogging, journalism education, throwing out grades and BYOD, helping people see technology doesn’t have to be feared. Follow her @MsSackstein on Twitter. If you enjoyed this article, join SmartBrief’s email list for more stories about education. We offer newsletters covering EdTech, Higher Education and more. Related Posts: How libraries can support summer-reading programs How exam review prepares students for success Grow like the grass Retreat to advance Channeling Goldilocks: Trying to get it "just right" Summer is a great time for self-paced learning originally published by SmartBlogs

Davidson (Photo: Kellogg) Wendy Davidson has almost 25 years of experience as an executive in the food and beverage industry, and she successfully balances her professional responsibilities as president of the Kellogg Company with volunteer work and her role as a mother of two. She is a member of the company’s Global Leadership Team, the Kellogg North America Leadership Team, the Global Snacks and Global Breakfast Operating Councils, the Women of Kellogg network and serves as executive sponsor for the Global Talent Management Advisory Team. SmartBrief interviewed Davidson about how she defines work-life balance and what advice she has for women who want to become leaders in the industry. What advice do you have for women who want to become leaders in the industry? I’ve been very fortunate in my career to have a network of industry colleagues who have provided invaluable coaching and advice as I explored opportunities to stretch and grow. They’ve given their time to share their experiences and insights to help me as I transitioned into new roles both personally (as a mom!) and professionally. For women aspiring to play a larger leadership role in the industry, my advice is to seize opportunities when they present themselves, build authentic connections and learn something new every day. Don’t be afraid to take risks. With every new opportunity comes great learning which will build your skills and experiences as you move forward in your career. Equally important, take every opportunity to give back to others as an advocate, mentor and coach. Just as others have supported me in my growth, I have a responsibility to provide the same for the future of our industry. I’m a firm believer it is important to be yourself and be authentic. Whether you are at a customer meeting or an industry event, embrace each learning and networking opportunity that comes your way. When you make connections your world gets bigger, and your perspective gets broader. You build friendships, find mentors, collaborate with customers and brainstorm with colleagues. How did you balance the responsibilities of your career with volunteering and raising a family? What is your definition of work-life balance? Over the years, people have often asked me that question and I don’t believe there is right answer. I think it’s unique to the individual and achieving balance is something you have to focus on every day. What balance looks like for me on one day may not be the same the next. I am very fortunate to have a fantastic husband and two beautiful children who, as my "home team", have been very supportive of my career. We work to make sure that we prioritize our time with a focus on enjoying the journey together. For example, when I joined Kellogg and we were planning to move to Chicago from Baltimore, I knew I would be commuting for a long period of time, so I asked the kids about activities or events that were most important to them that I attend. While I knew I wouldn’t be able to be at everything, we agreed that I would do everything possible to move my schedule to be present at the things that were most important to them. There are many nights when I leave work early to attend a school function or sporting event, and then power up the laptop later in the evening. Those aren’t the hours I expect my team to work, but those are the things that work for me and my family. For me, it’s all about communication with those closest to me to ensure clear expectations and managing the give-and-take on a daily, almost hourly basis. Kellogg was named one of NAFE‘s Top 50 Companies for Female Executives again this year. What does Kellogg do to help women succeed in the industry? Kellogg strongly believes in investing in talent development, building a pipeline of future leaders and fostering a diverse and inclusive environment. Our internal employee resource groups Women of Kellogg and Women in Supply Chain continue to drive positive change in the organization through professional development and by fostering stronger engagement across the business. This helps women build on their leadership skills, drive organizational excellence and create strategic connections with peers across the industry. We are also a corporate sponsor of the Women’s Foodservice Forum, where I am currently chair-elect and a member of the Executive Committee. WFF offers resources for individuals to build their skills, expand their knowledge and make meaningful strategic connections to reach their full potential and accelerate their career growth. We encourage our employees to leverage all of the resources available to them to help enhance their skills as they develop and grow within the company. You have held leadership positions in the industry for almost 25 years. How has the industry changed since you began your career? I think one of the greatest changes I’ve seen is how consumer preferences have evolved. The food industry continues to serve as the backdrop for some of the most memorable experiences for individuals and families. Whether eating meals in the home, at restaurants, or on the go, consumers are demanding more convenience and greater variety. Over the last 25 years, I’ve watched the adoption of niche foods make their way into the mainstream, with global foods and flavors becoming available locally more than ever before. In the workplace, we have seen a greater emphasis on diversity at all levels with more women being elevated into leadership positions across the industry. Companies, like Kellogg, are implementing workplace initiatives and employee resource groups to help increase employee development and engagement. Of course, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the changes in technology. It has enabled us to become better connected to the consumer and allowed us to evolve with them over the years. It’s an exciting time and I am looking forward to seeing where the industry will be in the next 25 years. __________________________________________________ If you enjoyed this article, join SmartBrief’s email list for more stories about the food and beverage industry. We offer 14 newsletters covering the industry from restaurants to food manufacturing. Related Posts: 5 ways to balance family and leadership-fueled travel Overworked and overwhelmed? Your answer starts with what you can control How the right routines (for you) help you show up at your best Feeling rushed? Break the habit of hurry and overwhelm Are you suffering from "rush" syndrome? Take this 7-point quiz Q&A: Kellogg President Wendy Davidson on how women can become leaders in the industry originally published by SmartBlogs

SmartBlog on Education will highlight summer learning and enrichment for educators during June. In this post, veteran educator Ed Bates shares how his school works with local libraries to support student learning during the summer. Our middle school has implemented a summer-reading program to reinforce and maintain the reading skills of students during the summer months. These reading skills constitute a major portion of their ELA work, which takes place in the upcoming year, but more importantly, attempts to foster an environment where reading and library usage can be enjoyable. Students are asked to read two books during the summer — one of their choice and one from a grade-level appropriate list. It’s our hope that we can advance literacy and academic performance by engaging students in reading during the summer months. We call upon the assistance of the public libraries to help foster a love of reading. There’s an attempt made to make reading fun and to take full advantage of what the public libraries offer in the summer, besides air conditioning. Researchers often refer to the "summer slide" — learning loss that kids encounter from June through August. School breaks can cause the average student to lose up to one month of instruction, with disadvantaged kids losing even more. It’s our hope that students can take advantage of what public libraries have to offer and hopefully lead to better academic performance when they return to school in the fall. Kids have to have access to books. Too many of them spend summers with no books to read. It was our hope that we could get books into the hands of kids during the summer months. In our building, when we closed the doors, the opportunity to read was also closed with them. We knew that kids who read more, read better, wrote and spelled better, and would have increased vocabularies. So we needed help. Enter the public libraries. With the help of our public library, we were able to bring kids and families together for reading and activities. Children were encouraged to discuss, write about and report on the books they read. The library staff was very helpful in interacting with our ELA teachers to assist students in selecting reading materials. They would often go above and beyond in providing literacy enhancing programs such as storytelling, music, and creative arts. We found that by providing the opportunity for all kids, regardless of their achievement levels, with as many reading experiences as possible, fostered a stronger climate in which the child read more on their own. This was, and is, extremely helpful with the students whose verbal abilities were in need of improvement. The activity of reading, in any form, built these capabilities. During DEAR time (Drop Everything And Read) the following year, it was found that kids were more apt to pick up a book or magazine (or even a newspaper!) and read without any prompting whatsoever. An additional benefit to the program was very evident in the number of families that would "field trip" it to the library. Families with kids of varying ages would walk to the library together, find a spot in a particular section they were interested in, and just sit down and read. The idea of summer reading involved the entire family and fostered a climate which encouraged our kids to become lifelong library users. Ed Bates has over 25 years experience in the classroom teaching young adults. As a certified National Trainer, he presents concepts to various school districts and universities throughout the country. He has extensive experience in implementation of NYS Common Core Mathematics Curriculum Modules, Annual Professional Performance Review (APPR), and Integration of Technology into the Classroom. Related Posts: Summer is a great time for self-paced learning Grow like the grass Retreat to advance Channeling Goldilocks: Trying to get it "just right" Tips for supporting instructional coaches How libraries can support summer-reading programs originally published by SmartBlogs

Bosses, CEOs, and strong leaders are commonly stereotyped as powerful, soulless and money-driven individuals. But great leadership requires much more than a desire for power and money; you also have to be empathetic, courageous, compassionate, caring and creative. Summed up: You need to be mindful. I recently had the opportunity to meet Jack Canfield, author of the "Chicken Soup for the Soul" books, and pick his brain. He stressed that the best leaders are ones who possess a mindful, big-picture outlook. So how do we find this deeper meaning in our work? And, as leaders, how do we guide our teams down this path of mindfulness? Before we answer these questions, let’s take a closer look at why mindfulness is so important. Being mindful of mindfulness Here are the three main reasons why being a mindful leader is crucial to your professional and personal growth: It broadens your view. Mindfulness changes your perspective on the world. Once you view your personal and professional life through a macro lens, you realize that true success comes from contributing to larger, more universal purposes. Simple acts like donating to charities through company fundraisers or engaging in team-bonding activities provide great reminders that your company isn’t just a revenue generator. It creates peace. Being mindful as a leader not only brings you personal peace, but also encourages your co-workers to search within themselves for peace. A Google engineer created the Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute, which touts mindfulness, emotional intelligence and an overall positive mindset as crucial and contagious traits. In short: If you chill out, your entire team will chill out. It creates unity. In the working world, it’s easy to feel like you’re a cog in a machine. The broadened view of mindfulness allows you to realize that you’re never alone. Everything you do contributes to a larger cause and affects somebody. This realization will lead to a stronger, deeper camaraderie within your company. These are just three of the many benefits of mindfulness. Now let’s dive into how you can implement this mindset into your leadership. Minding the gap Follow these four strategies when incorporating mindfulness into your leadership strategy. Slow down to speed up. We have the tendency to rush through tasks to get as much work done as possible. A high-quantity output is nice, but the quality often suffers. Try slowing down and giving your tasks the attention they deserve. This has become a regular practice of mine that’s led to some incredibly creative moments. Practice daily. With almost any skill or talent, practice makes perfect. Whether it’s daily prayer, meditation, or deep breathing, make sure you devote time to practicing mindfulness and reflecting on how your actions affect others. Change locations. Sitting in the same spot every day leads to stale inspiration. Get up and move around. Changing your venue will change your mentality. Spread mindfulness. Mindful leaders empower others through sharing. Canfield invited me into his home and shared stories about his business struggles. In doing so, he not only increased his own mindfulness but also bolstered mine. My meeting with Canfield was life-changing. I now begin each day by reading something inspirational and writing a list of things I’m grateful for. This simple change has set a new tone for me as a leader and has had a positive effect on my company and staff. Mindfulness doesn’t happen overnight. But once you find your big-picture view and practice relentlessly, you’ll send yourself and your co-workers down a path of greater meaning. Rick Martinez is the CEO and founder of Project BINK, a community and platform that guides people to purpose-driven happiness. Find out more about how to remove the clutter and distraction in your startup, career and life from the new BINK book. If you enjoyed this article, join SmartBrief’s e-mail list for our daily career development newsletter. Related Posts: How exam review prepares students for success What would your best boss do today? How effectively do you recruit and hire outstanding talent? Q&A: Kellogg President Wendy Davidson on how women can become leaders in the industry How Team of Leaders helps deal with difficult people What I learned from Jack Canfield originally published by SmartBlogs

You understand the value of referrals. With the goal of attracting new business coming in so high on the list of firms’ marketing priorities, it’s no surprise that the desire to generate more referrals remains a key marketing initiative. But in today’s increasingly competitive marketplace, traditional referrals from clients alone aren’t enough to accelerate growth With this in mind, the Hinge Research Institute set out to rethink referral marketing and determine how successful firms are capitalizing on referrals today. After gathering responses from over 500 professional services firms, we found that 81.5% of service providers have received a referral from someone who wasn’t a former client. This suggests that truly effective referral marketing needs to include strategies for generating referrals from both clients and non-clients. But where do these non-client referrals come from? Well, we discovered that most non-client referrals are a result of your firm’s reputation and expertise. In fact, we found there are actually three types of referrals that firms can utilize to attract more new business: Experience-based referrals are traditional client referrals. They occur as the direct result of your firm’s work with a given organization or individual. Expertise-based referrals are made when an individual or organization (who hasn’t worked with your firm personally) is aware of your firm’s specialty or expertise in solving a particular problem. They may not have detailed knowledge of your reputation, but you’re on their "radar" as an expert. They may have encountered your expertise through hearing you speak at conferences, reading articles you’ve written, or interacting with you on social media. Reputation-based referrals are another type of non-client referral and occur someone knows your firm only by your reputation. They may know someone who has worked with your firm or have simply heard about your reputation in your community or industry. Expertise-based and reputation-based referrals are built on your firm’s brand. In order to generate more non-client referrals, firms need to increase their visibility and reputation in the marketplace. Here are steps you can take to build your brand—and generate more referrals.  Assess where you are now. Are your marketing efforts generating referrals? Who’s currently referring you and are those referrals resulting in new business? Determining where you are now will help inform what your strategy should be moving forward. Understand your target audiences. To build a truly powerful brand, you have to thoroughly understand the audiences you’re trying to reach. By understanding your audiences’ challenges and priorities, you’ll be able to better connect with them. Develop a strategy. Determine which direction you’d like to grow in and figure out which of your services can best address your audiences’ needs. Use these insights to develop a content marketing strategy for how you’ll increase your firm’s visibility and further improve your reputation in your industry. Demonstrate your expertise. Focus on educating your audiences and focus your marketing on techniques that will prove your expertise. These marketing efforts might include speaking engagements, blog posts and articles, email marketing, or writing the go-to book in your industry niche. Build your professional network. Making professional connections is a great way to position your brand as a trusted authority. Utilize social media networks — especially LinkedIn — to connect with other leaders in your industry and build a professional network. Build out your visibility. Think about how easy it is for potential non-client referrers to find your firm online. Use SEO strategies to make your website more visible on search engines and showcase your expertise across the platforms that your audiences are on. With a referral marketing strategy that takes into account both client and non-client referrals, your firm can stay more competitive and attract more new business. Rather than simply relying on current clients to provide the bulk of your referrals, your firm can use your brand to get referrals based on your reputation and expertise. Lee W. Frederiksen, Ph.D., is Managing Partner at Hinge, the leading branding and marketing firm for the professional services. Hinge conducts groundbreaking research into high growth firms and offers a complete suite of services for firms that want to become more visible and grow. Lee can be reached at LFrederiksen@hingemarketing.com or 703-391-8870. Related Posts: Live at #BMA15: Should B2B brands be on Pinterest? 2015 priorities for professional services marketers 7 signs you need a social media audit How to become a thought leader in your industry 5 ways to extend the life of your content Brand building: The path to generating more referrals originally published by SmartBlogs

SmartPulse — our weekly nonscientific reader poll in SmartBrief on Leadership — tracks feedback from more than 190,000 business leaders. We run the poll question each week in our e-newsletter. How effectively do you recruit and hire outstanding talent? Very — we consistently higher top performers: 16.24% Somewhat — we get high performers from time to time: 42.44% Not very — we struggle to find and hire top talent: 30.26% Not at all — it’s rare that we bring on a top performer: 11.07% Good People are Hard to Find. Top talent is difficult to find and even harder to get in the door. Once you’ve got them, it’s also hard to keep them. To increase the amount of top talent you bring in and hold onto, look for them in nontraditional settings. Recruit from sources that aren’t the well known ones. Look for "best athletes" versus someone with a ton of experience in that particular field. And be sure to hire them for their next role in your organization so they have room to grow. If you follow the rules for hiring and retaining top talent, your performance should improve dramatically. Mike Figliuolo is managing director of thoughtLEADERS, author of "Lead Inside the Box: How Smart Leaders Guide Their Teams to Exceptional Results" and "One Piece of Paper: The Simple Approach to Powerful, Personal Leadership." Related Posts: How quickly does your organization make decisions? How does your organization deal with "bad behavior"? How well do you differentiate performance in performance reviews? How well do you push your own thinking before involving others? How effectively do content marketing efforts (blogs, white papers, etc.) drive action by your customers? How effectively do you recruit and hire outstanding talent? originally published by SmartBlogs

Are you ready to increase creativity, collaboration and independence in the classroom? Incorporating digital tools into your small group instruction can go a long way toward achieving this. In my kindergarten class, I introduce technology during the small group rotations. The day begins with mini lessons for the whole class, introducing new content and reviewing different skills. After this, we break off into small group station work. The small groups enable me to differentiate instruction and better meet the needs of individual students. Devices and apps are incorporated into the activities of these stations. Here’s an example of the station rotations: Rotation 1: Guided teacher instruction. At this station, instruction varies based upon the needs of the group. Example activities include guided reading, intervention/enrichment work and introducing new apps. Rotation 2: Independent peer practice. Students work independently or in pairs/groups to reinforce learning. This may include learning games or collaborating on an iPad activity. Rotation 3: iPads. Students use iPads and different apps including Lexia, MobyMax, Raz-Kids, QR code scanning or other educational apps. I may also have them work on activities where they create projects using Educreations, Book Creator or Knowmia Teach. Rotation 4: iPads- We have two options for this station. I either 1) use a second technology station or 2) have the students use the writing wall, made of Plexiglass. Activities for these stations aim to reinforce writing skills (letters, numbers, sight words, number words/sets, sentence copying/writing). This model has been very effective for my students. They are more engaged with activities and take ownership of their learning. Working alongside peers also strengthens communication and social skills. The mix of teacher instruction and high quality digital content has brought together the best of both worlds. Tracey Dunn is a kindergarten teacher at Hopkins Elementary School in Mentor, Ohio. She has a B.A. from John Carroll University and an M.Ed. from Ashland University. Tracey was listed as one of the National School Board Association’s 20 to Watch in February 2014. She received the Teacher Innovator Award in January 2014 at the Ohio Educational Technology Conference, and was a part of the Ohio Trendsetter Award for Mentor Public Schools’ Catalyst Program.  ***** Tech Tips is a content collaboration between SmartBrief Education and GreyED Solutions. Have a tech tip to share? Contact us at techtips@greyedsolutions.com Miss a Tech Tip? Visit our Tech Tip archive.  ***** Related Posts: No Related Posts Tech Tip: Technology supports differentiated instruction in the elementary classroom originally published by SmartBlogs

If you could bring your best boss into your current team or organization right now, what would she do? What would she change or refine to ensure team members are engaged, serving, producing, and feeling trusted and respected every day? My best boss was Jerry Nutter. I spent 15 years in nonprofit management and enjoyed some good bosses, some lousy bosses and one really amazing great boss: Jerry. He created a work environment that was a joy to operate in. Team members knew exactly what was expected of us — goals were clear, formally defined, and aligned to our team strategy. Values were also clear. Team members knew exactly how we were to treat each other and our customers — those customers inside and outside of our team. Jerry held us accountable, in every interaction, for aligned performance and aligned values. And we thrived. We loved coming to work. We worked hard and were amazingly productive. We trusted each other. We helped each other. We respected our peers even if we disagreed with a decision or approach. This environment did not happen by default. Jerry crafted it, intentionally, and managed it kindly and responsibly. Our ground rules — behaviors that showed we were living our team values — were formalized. Our goals were formalized. Jerry kept us laughing through the hectic times and praised us daily for our efforts as well as our accomplishments. Jerry invested time every day in the quality of our work environment. He didn’t leave it to chance. Aligned, inspiring workplaces never happen by chance. You have, throughout your career, had similar experiences to mine. You had lousy bosses, good bosses, and a few great bosses. Your current team my not have been your creation. You may have inherited that team. You may not be a formal leader of your current team, but you have leadership impact no matter your title. If your best boss came in today and spent a week observing your team’s interactions, performance, service and engagement, what suggestions would she have to increase performance and values alignment? Would you be like most teams that I see across the globe today? If so, your best boss would likely see competing priorities: "I win, you lose" policies and behaviors; uncaring service interactions; hoarding of information, etc. On the surface, things look fine. Below the surface, team members are anxious, distrusting, selfish and cheer others’ difficulties. If your best boss was like Jerry, he’d direct you to make performance expectations clear and act daily to ensure team members deliver on their performance promises. He’d direct you to create values rules, in the form of valued behaviors, so team members would know how they are expected to treat each other and customers. And, he’d direct you to act daily to model those valued behaviors, praise aligned behaviors and redirect misaligned behaviors. We know what works best. We just need a little push from our best bosses to put those liberating rules into practice in our teams and organizations. What do you think? To what extent does your current team have clearly defined performance expectations and values standards defined in behavioral terms? If they do, how well do they deliver on both performance and values? Share your thoughts about this post/podcast in the comments section below. Subscribe to my free weekly newsletter. Subscribers enjoy free resources and insights plus details on upcoming events and books. My latest book, "The Culture Engine," helps leaders create workplace inspiration with an organizational constitution. Podcast - Listen to this post now by clicking the podcast link at left. Subscribe via RSS or iTunes. The music heard on these podcasts is from one of my songs, "Heartfelt," copyright © 2005-2015 Chris Edmonds Music (ASCAP). I play all instruments on these recordings. If you enjoyed this article, join SmartBrief’s e-mail list for our daily career development newsletter. Related Posts: Want front-line leaders and players to make great decisions? Clear the fog The performance-values conundrum Encourage and empower through contribution management The gift of time Leadership tough love: Never judge or budge What would your best boss do today? originally published by SmartBlogs

A middle-school English Language Arts teacher recently lost her job at the private school where she had been teaching for nearly 13 years. The school’s new superintendent had looked into the teacher’s file and discovered she didn’t have a teaching credential. He acknowledged her master’s degree in elementary education - and the considerable successes she’d had over the years, leading the English department and coaching the school’s academic teams - but said that without a credential, her contract would not be renewed. I spoke with this teacher shortly after her meeting with the superintendent. What discouraged her most was the thought of having to return to school - at substantial cost - and go through the motions of a credential program. "I have a master’s degree and more than a decade of classroom experience," she explained, frustrated. "How does that count for nothing? I’m fine going through training but a year? Plus the expense? There has to be a better way." This conversation struck a nerve with me. Her argument made sense. In the age of technology and new forms of education, such as MOOCs and competency-based learning programs, why do teacher training and development programs still seem stuck in the proverbial mud of tradition? Are educators ready for new, more efficient and effective, systems? We posed this question to the SmartBrief on EdTech readers this month to get their take. EdTech readers overwhelmingly support competency-based learning for teacher training and development. Eighty-four percent favor a competency-based system that enables teachers with advanced degrees and experience to fast track their way to a credential. Seventy-nine percent support competency-based learning for teacher professional development. Here’s a look at the full poll results: Is it time for a new system that allows you to earn credentials and certifications through MOOCs, professional learning networks and open educational resources? Yes, provided there are measures in place to ensure rigorous, high-quality instruction and assessment. 69% Traditional credential programs are the best way to train quality educators. 31% Many teachers have advanced degrees and classroom experience but no credential. Should there be a competency-based program that allows these seasoned professionals to fast track their way to a clear credential? Yes: 84% No: 16% Do you favor a personalized, competency-based learning program for teacher professional development? Yes: 79% No: 21% Technology has opened the door for us to create new teacher training programs that are effective and efficient—programs that will produce high-quality educators. And teachers seem ready for new opportunities. What say you? Let us know. Drop us a line or leave a comment in the space below. Related Posts: No Related Posts Pulling teacher training programs out of the mud originally published by SmartBlogs

SmartBlog on Education will highlight summer learning and enrichment for educators during June. In this post, science teacher and technology advocate Shantel Popp shares a model for exam review, including the tech tools she uses to support her efforts. During the last two weeks of the school year, my grade 7 and 8 classes gear up for their final exams. We use exam review in the middle school as a platform to prepare students for exam success before entering high school and beyond. However, in order to succeed on an exam, you need to know how to effectively write an exam. This is where I try and leverage technology tools for exam preparation and review. First, my classes learn about the different sections of their exam in each class. We spend an entire class on multiple-choice, fill-in-the-blank, true-or-false and short-answer question types. Using my multiple-choice exam review class as an example, I’ll explain what students can do to be effective in their study routine. First, as a class, we record an Explain Everything video that breaks down tips and tricks for how to properly answer multiple-choice questions. This is more than just "re-read the question" advice, it is centered on finding details, looking for answers you know aren’t correct and understanding what "all of the above" means when you circle it! When the Explain Everything video is completed, we post it to Google Drive. This gives the students a chance to review it later when they’re studying at home. The next thing we do is very student-centered. Students break into groups, and we use large white boards to create a variety of different multiple-choice questions based on the content of the units we studied during the year. Once these questions are completed, students go around and take pictures using their iPads of all the other groups’ questions. Then, they return to their original groups and use Notability to annotate correct answers onto all the multiple-choice questions. This same routine is continued for the other aspects of the exam, so students not only understand how to write an exam, but also are reviewing what to study at the same time. Quizlet is another app worth sharing. It is free from the App store and students can generate matching, flash cards or fill-in-the-blank questions using content from their lessons all year. The students can then add their classmates to their Quizlet, and they can practice on each other’s quizzes. It is a bit of "game theory" where I allow my students to exam review in a way that feels like a game and is inclusive and fun for all. Shantel Popp (@MsPoppScience) is a science teacher and technology advocate in Ontario, Canada. She has been a teacher at Holy Trinity School in Richmond Hill since 2012. With an avid interest in teaching with technology, Shantel continues to take courses, work with teaching partners and share ideas with other faculty. If you enjoyed this article, join SmartBrief’s email list for more stories about education. We offer newsletters covering educational leadership, special education and more. Related Posts: Grow like the grass Summer is a great time for self-paced learning How libraries can support summer-reading programs Retreat to advance 4 R’s of summer school: Keeping the momentum going How exam review prepares students for success originally published by SmartBlogs

Photo: Flickr user Joi Ito Increasingly adventurous restaurant guests aren’t settling for plain grilled cheese or the same-old Swiss on a sandwich, chefs say. Foodies and their ever-more sophisticated palates are in search of new flavors, and eateries are answering the call with innovative dishes that meld flavors from around the world. Rob and Karen Lawlor left restaurant careers when they bought Denver-based The Truffle Cheese Shop eight years ago and, in addition to selling retail and teaching cheesemaking classes, the shop sells its cheese to a long and growing list of local eateries. In recent years, Denver’s restaurants have gotten more innovative with their menus to feed the increasingly sophisticated palates of their guests, Karen Lawlor said. "The restaurants in Denver are more sophisticated than they were even five years ago, and they’re looking for European products as well as local," she said. These days, the shop stocks cheeses from a growing list of countries and regions including France, Italy, Spain, Croatia, Switzerland and Denmark. "There are some we sell as a seasonal product," said Karen Lawlor. "Right now it’s a lot of fresh cheeses, mozzarella, ricotta, fresca. Those are seasonal for us, the fresh milk cheese because animals eat grass and when the grass is in season and fresh, that’s when they are most likely to have fresh milk." Andrea Frizzi, chef and owner of Il Posto in Denver is a Truffle Cheese Shop customer. Frizzi grew up in Milan, the son of a sommelier who learned the culinary trade, first in school and then in a series of restaurant gigs that brought him to Washington, D.C. and eventually Denver. He worked as a consultant on the openings of scores of eateries before opening Il Posto in 2007. He’s all for local sourcing when it makes sense, but the Italian menu at his upscale restaurant requires imported Italian cheeses. "I’ve got to use Parmigiano Reggiano, I can’t use a cheese from Wisconsin or California." That authenticity is even more important as the foodie culture continues to grow, he said. "Before it was always the sames things, grilled cheese, cheese sauces or steak and a sharp cheese. Now the cheese course is a lot more complicated." The menu at Il Posto reflects the more sophisticated tastes, with dishes including Bufala mozzarella Affumicata made with imported burrata, and ricotta gnocchi with imported Grana Padano. "In Italy, there are a lot of small producers doing a lot of stuff that’s really cool. My job is to take whatever we have and be an ambassador for these beautiful cheeses," he said. Frizzi says he loves dairy cheese too much to ever give it up. Increasingly, though, guests who eschew dairy cheeses for health or ethical reasons have increasingly tasty plant-based options. The menu at Veganized Foods in New Brunswick, N.J., includes 14 items that have some type of house-made, cashew-based vegan cheese, said General Manager El Rachmani. The menu at Veganized includes a raw beet ravioli with herbed nut cheese and saffron cream, a tempeh reuben with cashew cheese and a vanilla cheesecake, all made with different versions of the cultured cashew cheese he said. "We’ve pretty much been using the same recipe since day one," he said. "My brother, the chef, has been making this kind of food for a very long time. We started in Brooklyn, were the more advanced vegan chefs have been doing it all over the city." __________________________________________________ If you enjoyed this article, join SmartBrief’s email list for more stories about the food and beverage industry. We offer 14 newsletters covering the industry from restaurants to food manufacturing. Related Posts: Cool beer, wine and cocktail trends to quench summer thirsts Prepared foods report: New consumer behaviors hone in on fresh, healthy and sustainable Beverage trends: Consumers gulp down coffee, natural, seasonal and premium How Newk’s Eatery sees fast-casual 2.0 Q-and-A: Fast-casual pioneer Aaron Kennedy What’s new on the cheese plates in restaurants? originally published by SmartBlogs

Given all of the pronouncements regarding the failing health of organic social media, we’re reminded of the peasant in "Monty Python and the Holy Grail," who cries, "I’m not dead yet!" only to be clubbed on the head shortly thereafter. Though the reach of organic social media has continued its downward spiral, there are glimmers of hope among best-in-class practitioners who are cleverly avoiding the death knell. 1. Celebrity engagement At the recent Social Media Shake-up, John Yembrick of NASA dazzled the crowd with myriad examples of opportunistic engagement. One involved Justin Bieber, who happened to mention on Twitter that he was interested in doing a concert in space. \NASA not only responded, "Maybe we can help you with that," but also added a clever wink to Biebers song "All Around the World." Needless to say, the "Beliebers" went crazy over this reply, which ended up generating millions of impressions among a young audience that NASA very much wants to inspire. 2. Real-time hijacking Yembrick also talked about how social media has helped generate broad-based interest in NASA activities by inserting NASA into other topical conversations. For example, NASA turned the biggest shopping day of the year into Black (Hole) Friday and the biggest football game into Super (Nova) Sunday. In both cases, NASA "hijacked" popular conversations in a fun and relevant way and delivered amazing photos from various spacecraft, thus encouraging further content exploration. 3. Extending content Former The Weather Channel CMO Scot Safon offered numerous examples of how organic social still works for TWC during a Shake-up panel discussion led by yours truly. "People love to share videos and pictures of weather," explained Safon, and social was particular effective at driving "people to severe storm coverage." Media companies like The Weather Channel, however, have a clear advantage when it comes to getting value out of organic social, Safon conceded given the fact that consumers seek out their content. 4. Boosting goodness Even brands with a large content-creation staff like The Weather Channel still rely on paid "boosts" to get the conversation started. Prior to making these investments, however, Safon and his team often conducted A/B tests to see which content encouraged the most sharing and drove the most traffic back to TWC site. Creating lots of content for testing was "not daunting," given their sizeable in-house production team, Safon reported. These paid boosts, with the right content, fueled significant increases in organic reach. 5. Embed social into the product Among the holy grails for organic social media is getting users to create content that references the brand. For Katharine Mobley, CMO at WeCareCard (also on my panel with Safon) this started by embedding social activity into the product itself. Describing itself as "cause funding meets prepaid MasterCard," WeCardCard encourages customers to develop their own fundraising campaigns via good storytelling and extensive use of their personal social networks. Concludes Mobley, "Social plays an enormous role in our company; it is the very being of web-based cause funding." 6. Event amplification At the recent Cvent Connect conference in Las Vegas, a confab that brought together thousands of event marketers from around the globe, the tables turned as I joined a panel on getting the most out of social media at events. Fellow panelist Joe Meehan of the Milken Institute shared how the strategic use of hashtags for each of their conferences dramatically increased awareness of these programs. Meehan encouraged fellow event marketers to seek hashtags that were as short as possible, relevant to the event and vetted in advance to make sure they weren’t in use or had alternative meanings. Drew Neisser is the founder and CEO of Renegade, a leading-edge social media & content marketing agency in NYC. For his complete interviews with Scot Safon and Katharine Mobley among others, be sure to visit TheDrewBlog.com. Related Posts: How to respond to Facebook’s declining organic reach 7 signs you need a social media audit How to create the 1% of branded content that engages The normalization of deviance: When saying "We’ve never had problems before" becomes a problem Create less content and drive more engagement with Facebook ads 6 ways to pump life into organic social media originally published by SmartBlogs

I remember once sitting around the table with my faculty advisory committee. The committee consisted of four teachers from different grade levels and disciplines within the school and was designed to offer me feedback on various programs and change initiatives as well as be my ears on the ground. At one point the conversation moved to hand written thank you notes that I had penned for each staff member over the summer and left for them on the first day of teacher meetings. The text was largely the same for each note, with one unique line for every staff member that highlighted a personal quality. It read: "I really appreciate the way that you…" and would focus on something like a teacher’s passion, creativity, contribution to the team, etc. One committee member commented on how much the note that she received meant to her. She had posted it on the wall above her desk and looked at it often for inspiration. It is not a secret that job satisfaction in this country is not where it should be. A 2014 Conference Board report says that the majority of Americans (52.3%) are unhappy at work. What makes our workers happiest? The CB report says that "interest in work" provides satisfaction to 59% of the workplace. Even more fulfilling was "people at work," which 60.6% said they liked. Similarly, an expansive study by Boston Consulting Group found that the No. 1 factor for employee happiness on the job is getting appreciated for work. (There are many other factors that contribute to workplace happiness, such as strong alignment between skills, passion and job description, as well as fair, if not robust, compensation.) The question for me is this: If interpersonal relationships and the expression of appreciation are so important to employees, why aren’t leaders spending more time doing it (as evidenced by the high rate of employment-related unhappiness)? It would appear that the following factors and mindsets are to blame: It takes too much time. Leaders are busy people with many responsibilities. Their days are filled with meetings, tasks to complete, and employees to oversee and evaluate. There simply isn’t the time to share praise and appreciation, particularly to craft words that are sincere and personal. I really need to get to know my people. It’s really hard to express such feelings to people that you don’t know all that well, particularly on a personal level. Getting to know people takes time, effort, and a genuine desire to connect with others. Easier said than done. If I praise one person, I need to do so for everyone else. So often, we get stuck in the mindset of equality leadership, meaning to say that if we demonstrate approval of one employee we must do so for all. We fear that it may come across as preferential treatment to only acknowledge some of our colleagues. And, as we noted above, who has the time to praise ‘em all? I don’t need it, why should they? Leaders are typically hard working folks who earned their posts in part because of their deep levels of commitment and self-motivation. They think that their people should be similarly motivated, and that praise and other external influences are to be avoided. I don’t want to create smugness and complacency. Perhaps some leaders worry that excessive praise will lead to slacking and other adverse effects. People who think that they are succeeding often take their foot off of the gas pedal, and fail to achieve to previous levels. Is it really such a big deal? While research clearly demonstrates the connection between recognition and job satisfaction, it may not be clear that satisfaction at the workplace really matters. Who cares if they’re happy, so long as the work gets done? Without question, such thinking is both narrow and counterproductive. Logic dictates that satisfied, appreciated employees make for happy, productive workplaces. They are likelier to be engaged in their work, to convey positivity to others, and to remain focused and determined when things get tough, because they know that their efforts aren’t going unnoticed or appreciated. They will also likely stick around when other opportunities present themselves, cutting down on recruitment and training costs, not to mention the impact of losing a key player in the middle of an important project. And, to those leaders who think that they did not ever need some support and appreciation to get the job done, I ask how much more they could have achieved with more fuel to fire their engines. The implication for leaders is that appreciation has to be expressed, even if it means taking from something else or delegating some current responsibilities. Donald Peterson, former chairman of Ford Motor Co., said the most important 10 minutes of his day were spent boosting the people around him. He understood that his people needed to be stroked, and used a few minutes each day to get his employees charged up for success. So take the time to get to know everyone well. This way you can offer targeted, meaningful, personal feedback to everyone in your employ. If you do not oversee someone, ask their supervisor about their performance and special qualities. And then find ways to express them. Orally is good. In writing is even better, because they can show it off and refer back during tough moments. Don’t worry about smugness or complacency. Continue to set goals with them and hold them accountable. That will keep the honest, focused and growth-oriented. Mark Twain famously said that he could go for two months on one strong compliment. If Twain, with all of his success, notoriety, and acclaim, was so dependent on others’ opinions, think about how much your well-delivered and considerate comments can do for the people who you are paying to help you grow and advance your business. Naphtali Hoff (@impactfulcoach) became an executive coach and consultant following a 15-year career as an educator and school administrator. Read his e-book "Core Essentials of Leadership" and his blog at impactfulcoaching.com/blog. If you enjoyed this article, join SmartBrief’s e-mail list for our daily newsletter on being a better, smarter leader. Related Posts: What would your best boss do today? Are you the wrong type of "engaged" leader? The new one-minute manager The performance-values conundrum What’s the best performance advice you’ve received from an employee? Make your feedback personal originally published by SmartBlogs