How a lateral move can ultimately lead you upward

If your team is looking a little tired these days, they may be spending their evenings worrying that AI will take their jobs, feeling overworked or burned out, fearful for their financial well-being or afraid they're not meeting expectations, writes executive coach Lolly Daskal. "By being transparent, supportive, and proactive, you can create a work environment that fosters growth, belonging, and well-being," Daskal notes.

Put it into practice: Help your team rest easy by creating a culture that supports them, reduces their stress and gives them opportunities to learn new skills, Daskal advises. "By creating a culture that values growth and development, leaders can help employees feel more confident in their abilities and motivated to succeed."

Moving into a lateral role that challenges you in new ways can make you a better leader, reposition you to take on a new role and build new abilities that can help you expand your career possibilities, writes executive and team coach Jenny Fernandez. "If you position it well, taking a lateral 'stretch' role will help you stand out among your peers by showing that you are curious, open to learning and growing and challenging yourself by going outside your comfort zone," Fernandez notes.

Put it into practice: Lateral moves can build on skills you already have and widen your range of experience, keeping you ahead of the curve as your industry or market changes, Fernandez writes. "If you can learn and adapt quickly, you are likely to be more successful because you can keep up with the rapid pace of change and take advantage of new opportunities."

Taking brief pauses during your speech or presentation when you're transitioning from one segment to another or allowing your point to sink in with your audience can boost engagement and bring power to your message, writes speaking coach Gary Genard. "Pausing is a vitally important way to keep your audience with you -- engaged, informed and enjoying the experience," Genard writes.

Put it into practice: Research shows audiences retain less information if a speaker does not pause during their talks, Genard writes, calling such pauses an "oasis" for the audience. "Without these stopping places, your narrative may begin to feel like a long trek across a featureless desert."

Adam Wright, the CEO of Pilot and a former NFL player, starts his day at 3 a.m. and lives by the company's purpose statement, "Showing people they matter at every turn," by focusing on employees and helping them succeed. "My leadership style, I think, is to get folks in alignment, to get hearts and heads aligned, and to help people see why we have to do something," Wright says.

When the "Eau de pup" aroma of your favorite canine makes you say "pee-ew," you can now spritz them with Dolce & Gabbana's "Fefé" fragrance, named for founder Domenico Dolce's dog of the same name. The perfume, which comes in a green glass bottle that sports a 24-carat gold-plated paw, includes hints of sandalwood and musk and sells for just over $108.

When I led a spiritual community for 14 years, I had to prepare and give a talk almost every week. That's about 728 (give or take for vacation Sundays) of what our community called "meditations." I got a lot of practice speaking in front of people and I got plenty of opportunities to use many of the tips speaking expert Gary Genard offers, including the power of the pause.

There are points in any presentation -- be it business, religious or a TED Talk -- where silence, even if it's for a moment or two, can have an incredible impact on your audience. Whether you're letting a point sink inor you're signaling a transition to a new segment of your talk, giving it some space can provide what Genard calls "an oasis" for your listener. It's a stop along the way to collect themselves, absorb what they've heard so far and anticipate what's coming next.

One of the ways I marked transitions in my talks was to tell the congregation to "breathe deeply." Taking even one deep breath sends a message of relaxation and calm to your parasympathetic nervous system, slowing your heart rate and leaving you feeling less stressed. This is the power of the pause. Whether you're giving a speech or just feeling stressed out during your day, take a moment to pause, breathe deeply and reset your nervous system. You'll find that even those simple steps can give both your words, your thoughts and your actions more power.

If this newsletter helps you, please tell your colleagues, friends or anyone who can benefit. Forward them this email, or send this link.

What topics do you see in your daily work that I should know about? Do you have praise? Criticism? Drop me a note. And don't forget to send me photos of your pets, your office and where you spend your time off.