Recess! All work and no play makes leaders less sharp

Recess! All work and no play makes leaders less sharp | practice (split each time) | Want results? Make sure you're asking powerful questions

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January 26, 2024

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Leading the Way

Recess! All work and no play makes leaders less sharp

(Pixabay)

Recess, when you were a kid, was a time to take a break from hard work for play, something leaders still need, writes Fred Jones, the creator and curator of Meanwhile Studio, who recommends ringing the recess bell for activities such as reflecting on your day -- what went right, what went wrong and what to do differently. Moments of renewal can also provide a refreshing break, including taking a walk or striking up a conversation with a colleague, Jones suggests.

Full Story: Cultivating Leadership blog (1/25)

Put it into practice: Daily moments of recess are helpful, but Jones also suggests taking more prolonged periods of rest through a sabbatical or taking time to pursue a personal "quest." "While it may be more difficult to work this in while also keeping up jobs, family life, and more, it is possible with enough structure and the support of others."

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Smarter Communication

Want results? Make sure you're asking powerful questions

(Pixabay)

Chatting with a team isn't enough to get results -- you need to prompt action and change by asking them powerful questions that "invite, engage, inspire, motivate, provoke, challenge and encourage," writes leadership expert Dan Rockwell. "Questions create attention. Attention translates to direction," Rockwell says, noting that the goal should be taking positive action.

Full Story: Leadership Freak (1/25)

Put it into practice: Whether the initial question relates to new people, skills or opportunities, your next question should ensure action is pursued, Rockwell of the Leadership Freak website says. His examples include: Where do you intend to adapt today? Who do you intend to connect with today? What opportunity do you intend to seize today?

5 ways to rein in the rush for better email productivity

Do you get -- or, worse, send -- email replies that suggest a need for reading the initial email thoroughly? That inattention could point to rushing through work, which may result in mistakes or poor (or forgotten!) decisions, and Lisa Kohn of Chatsworth Consulting Group recommends five ways you can slow down and produce more effective emails, such as not multitasking while tackling them.

Full Story: Chatsworth Consulting Group (1/25)

Put it into practice: Take a breath and pause between emails. Read important emails twice -- don't skim -- to ensure you absorbed all the points, Kohn advises. Don't only dedicate a specific time for email; include that information in your email signature.

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Smarter Strategy

Focus on customer, employee satisfaction to make strategy effective
Harvard Business Review (tiered subscription model) (1/24)

Why improving experiences should be a key part of company strategy
Fast Company (tiered subscription model) (1/24)

Use these key strategies to generate business growth
Entrepreneur (1/17)

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Smarter Living

Get your mind and body right each Friday

Study links nasal breathing to health benefits

(Pixabay)

Breathing through the nose rather than the mouth was linked to lower blood pressure and a more relaxed body, which could lower heart disease risks, according to a study in the American Journal of Physiology-Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology. Researchers said nasal breathing induces a rest and digest state, which has cardiovascular benefits when a person is at rest, but no significant difference was found during exercise.

Full Story: HealthDay News (1/22)

Daily Diversion

Macaque and a tea party win underwater photo contest

A photo of a crab-eating macaque diving for dinner in Thailand won photographer Suliman Alatiqi the top prize and two other categories in the Ocean Art Underwater Photo Competition, organized by the Underwater Photography Guide. Other top images included a group of sharks resting in a reef, a pygmy squid dining on a shrimp and a whimsical underwater restaging of an Alice in Wonderland tea party.

Full Story: My Modern Met (1/23)

SmartBreak: Question of the Day

Of the 22 operas composed by Wolfgang A. Mozart, most were in Italian and German -- except for one. "Apollo and Hyacinth" was written in what language?

About The Editor

Candace Chellew

Chellew

I'm enjoying my chocolate stevia-flavored black coffee this morning as I read over yesterday's replies about how -- or whether -- you enjoy the bean or not.

I didn't drink coffee until I was in my 30s and decided to give up soda, but I still needed some manner of caffeine delivery system. My then-partner introduced me to iced coffee, and I have never looked back. Tammy E., however, says she's been drinking coffee since age eight. She drank the cheapest kind until she visited with a co-worker's brother on the way to a conference and got her first sip of Dunkin' Donuts brand coffee. She says she's "splurged on Dunkin' ever since" and buys "real cream to go in it."

Sue M. gave up caffeine for health reasons and now enjoys decaf coffee with a cinnamon stick.

Mary Beth B. wrote in to represent the morning tea drinkers among us, cozying up each morning with some hot raspberry or chai-flavored tea. But, she says, "On a real, real day, white mocha double shot from wherever I am."

Jim C. is also a tea lover, preferring mint or orange spice drinks. He says he never drinks coffee, calling it "horrid, bitter stuff!" Adding: "I hope you accept differing opinions."

Of course! Coffee isn't everyone's cup of tea, right? Thanks to everyone who took the time to share their preference. Enjoy the weekend. Cheers!

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