What one leader can teach about leaving a good legacy

"Slow is fast" is a leadership principle that can enhance team morale and performance by fostering trust and collaboration, writes David Finkel, CEO of Maui Mastermind. Leaders can implement this by prioritizing one-on-one conversations, being fully present, asking questions and celebrating small wins, Finkel writes.

Put it into practice: When a team member is facing a challenge, take time to ask them questions about their feelings, goals and ideas to help them come up with solutions instead of fixing it for them, Finkel advises. "This helps you gain a deeper understanding of the situation and encourages them to think critically."

Leaders want to leave a good legacy and reflect on their time without sorrow over missed opportunities or other regrets, writes Alaina Love, who holds up late colleague Ray Jefferson, a former assistant secretary for the Veterans Employment and Training Services within the US Department of Labor, as a model for such leadership. "Through his example, Ray taught me that nothing worthwhile is impossible to achieve, and betting on yourself is always a winning formula if you're willing to do the work," Love writes.

Put it into practice: What made Jefferson's leadership stand out to Love was his kindness and determination to make the world better. "In a culture that at times can seem so fraught with mistrust and division, he celebrated what is right about the world and sought to expand it."

The best way to advocate for yourself at work is to focus on your boss' goals instead of yours by outlining how your skills can help them improve profit, customer retention, team performance or other priorities, writes leadership coach Karin Hurt. "When you make it easy for them to say yes, you're closer to the raise, promotion, or opportunity you've been working toward," Hurt notes.

Put it into practice: If you give it your best shot at advancement but fail, Hurt recommends asking for feedback on what you can do to become a stronger candidate in the future and stay curious and proactive. "You're showing you're serious, resilient and forward-thinking."

Storytelling is a vital tool for leaders to drive meaning and engage employees by making visions tangible, giving them emotional appeal and making them easy to remember and retell, says Joel Podolny, the former head of Apple University and Yale's business school, who is now CEO of Honor Education. "It's not just that the leader tells stories, but the people are good at retelling the story that the leaders told," Podolny notes.

Rice Krispies Treats, a staple of American childhood, might not hold up to adult taste buds since the original recipe, created by Mildred Day for Kellogg's in the late 1930s, has evolved, with less butter in the modern version, leading to a "scratchy" texture, writes food writer Leah Koenig. Home cooks have adapted the treats with ingredients such as brown butter, salted caramel and miso paste, Koenig writes, noting "an entire generation of recipe developers and home cooks collectively acknowledged that our beloved childhood favorite needed a little help to live up to our sweet memories."

Electric vehicles are becoming increasingly competitive in terms of cost, and experts believe the gap is expected to close further in the coming years as production costs fall. Goldman Sachs Research expects battery prices to drop 40% by 2025 (compared to 2022 costs), while Gartner predicts the cost of producing EVs will fall below vehicles using internal combustion engines by 2027.

When I was in a university public relations job, I asked my boss if I could work from home a day or two each week. I was living a good 30 minutes or so away and mentioned my long drive.

She didn't miss a beat. "It was your choice to live that far away."

I winced, but it was a fair point. I had made the mistake Karin Hurt warns us about in her article. I had focused on my needs and desires instead of my boss's. I took a breath and reframed the situation as a way to help our ultimate goal. I lived in a county that our grant project covered and offered to attend more community meetings on the work-from-home days to get the word out about the program we were disseminating.

That's when she agreed it was a good idea and on those meeting days, I could work from home.

Whether it's a more flexible schedule or a promotion, Hurt's advice to frame your request to show how it helps your leader's goals goes a long way toward securing that yes you're seeking.

"The person making the decision isn't just thinking about you -- they're thinking about how your request impacts the bigger picture," Hurt notes.

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