May 2023
New management role? Effective managers lay the foundation for success by spending time on the fundamentals rather than dashing to secure so-called low-hanging fruit. Here are my three fundamentals: In short, focus on team performance as much as individual performance. A GOOD READ Future Tense by Tracy Dennis-Tiwary. Professor of psychology and neuroscience Tracy Dennis-Tiwary reinterprets the “anxiety-as-disease” story. She points to research and her own life to explain anxiety as an emotion that feels bad but can be good for us when it activates action (think the flight or fight tendencies in the context of our every day). While Dennis-Tiwary recognizes that anxiety can be debilitating, most of us can do well by following these three principles: WORK WE ADMIRE The Poynter Institute is a U.S.-based training and resource center focused on journalism and an informed citizenry. Its MediaWise program helps young people, the workforce of the future, improve their digital media literacy and critical thinking.
April 2023
Hello there This is my first newsletter in a long time. I hope you’ll find it useful. See you next month, Rita WHAT WE’RE READING, LISTENING TO, WATCHING Finding-and becoming-great mentors and sponsors with Carla Harris. Adam Grant, professor of psychology and management, Wharton, researches motivation, generosity and originality. In this edition of Grant’s ‘ReThinking’ podcast, Morgan Stanley executive Carla Harris gives a crisp and inspirational guide to mentorship and sponsorship in the workplace. Among Harris’ insights – access to sponsors is easier than you think, and senior people want access to junior people. Start around the 6-minute mark if you’re short on time. How to do sponsorship right. To continue on this topic: Herminia Ibarra, professor of organizational behavior, London Business School, writes that while talking about beliefs and values might not feel natural or comfortable, it’s essential for growing a professional development relationship that is more than transactional in nature (Harvard Business Review). WORK WE ADMIRE Our World in Data is rich with research and data “to make progress against the world’s largest problems” as the site describes it. That’s true, and it’s a guilt-free procrastination activity for me.