How the Blue Angels create a culture of gratitude

The elite pilots who are part of the U.S. Navy Blue Angels have built a culture leaders can emulate that values trust, continuous learning, attention to detail, humility and gratitude, which each pilot expresses by saying, "Glad to be here," writes author and executive coach Don Yaeger. "It reminds each and every team member that what got them there was earned, not given to them and that keeping your spot should never be taken for granted," says Commander Alex Armatas.

Put it into practice: The Blue Angel pilots seek to continuously learn how to hone their skills and attend a debrief with the flight crew after every demonstration. "All of us are very, very comfortable with going out on a flight, completing the flight, coming back and then spending a couple of hours being told everything we did wrong," says Armatas.

Satya Nadella, the CEO of Microsoft, has united employees since taking the helm of the company in 2014 by creating a connected culture, write Michael Lee Stallard and Katharine P. Stallard of Connection Culture Group. Nadella makes empathy a priority by "listening to and understanding employees' needs and fostering a supportive environment where individuals feel valued and motivated," they write.

Put it into practice: Don't underestimate the power of connection, even at the office, as connected cultures can boost success. "A group with a culture of relational disconnection may see short-term success, but growing disengagement will hold it back," the Stallards write.

Bad moods at the office are contagious, especially if leaders are in a funk, but you can take steps to cheer up your boss by using hope and humor, writes Vanessa Van Edwards, founder of Science of People. "If you can get your boss to focus on the future, it's likely to get them out of their present bad mood," Van Edwards writes.

Put it into practice: There's no magic cure for bad moods, but you can take steps to "immunize" yourself by resetting your mindset. "Make sure your boss's bad mood, funk or slump stops with you," Van Edwards writes.

Research published in JAMA Network Open found that for each additional gram of sugar a woman consumed her cellular age increased, even when eating an overall healthful diet. Study co-author Barbara Laraia noted that "given that epigenetic patterns appear to be reversible, it may be that eliminating 10 grams of added sugar per day is akin to turning back the biological clock by 2.4 months."

Older individuals with "night owl" sleep patterns may have higher cognitive scoring than people who are more active in the morning, researchers reported in BMJ Public Health. "Given the ageing population and the rising prevalence of cognitive decline, understanding the relationship between sleep patterns and cognitive function could help develop better interventions and health guidelines to maintain cognitive health in older adults," they noted.

My spouse, Beth, has been off of sugar for many years now. She's the one who will, at a restaurant, quiz the server on whether the dish she's interested in has sugar in it or not. Often, it's a learning experience for the server, who has to check and will be better prepared for the next sugar-free customer.

For Beth, it's a matter of her health. Sugar causes her joints to ache, and avoiding it has dramatically improved her quality of life. It's nice to see some science backing up a sugar-free (or at least a low-sugar) diet. Studies show that sugar can actually shave time off of your life, but avoiding it could help you live longer.

I shared the story with Beth and told her, "You're going to live forever!"

"Unless I get hit by a Little Debbie delivery truck. That's the only way sugar will kill me," she replied.

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