A layoff memo will be scrutinized. Here's what to say

Lee Yuan Siong, AIA group chief executive and president, took the helm in 2020 just as the pandemic began, requiring them to quickly transform their status quo of face-to-face to virtual, which is a skill leaders need even when not faced with a crisis. "One of the most common questions I ask my colleagues is, 'Why are we doing it in this way?' The answer I don't want is, 'Because this is the way we've been doing it for the past ten years.' I want my colleagues to constantly be thinking about how we can do things better," Siong says.

School lunches in US schools may serve "mystery meat" and floppy pizzas, but in France, children receive up to four courses, including a cheese course, while Brazilian schools have switched to all-vegetarian meals. The US is moving to make lunches healthier by adding grains and requiring lower amounts of sugar and salt, but it's a long way from how the French used to do it -- serving beer and wine in elementary schools until 1956 and ending the practice in high schools in 1981.

If you're seeking to move up in leadership, the Harvard Business Review podcast with Arizona State University's Suzanne Peterson is a must-listen (or read, if you prefer transcripts). She makes the point that while you may be good at task-oriented jobs, leadership requires many intangibles that make you both respected and likable.

Interestingly, it's not so much about the personality of up-and-coming leaders, Peterson says, but their behaviors. Personality can be challenging to change, but behaviors are malleable, and where you should put your focus. If, for example, you've been told you're too abrasive, changing behavior, such as not interrupting or asking more curious questions instead of making declarative statements, can change others' perceptions.

Peterson says people either give off "power" behaviors -- such as confidence --  or "attractive" behaviors -- such as being approachable. The key is to find that balance of both, where people listen to you and want to follow you. The trick is to find ways to improve both your power and attractive behaviors in ways that feel natural to you because if you force it, you -- and everyone else -- will know it.

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