Focus on context cues to boost career development

Are you giving mixed signals to your teams? Buckle up | practice (split each time) | Focus on context cues to boost career development Created for {EMAIL} | [{NAME}]( at [{NAME}]( [For more relevant content - Update Your Profile]( | [Web Version]( September 13, 2024 CONNECT WITH SMARTBRIEF  [LinkedIn]( [Facebook]( [X]( [SmartBrief on Leadership]( Innovative Ideas. Ahead of the Curve. [SIGN UP]( ⋅ [SHARE]( ADVERTISEMENT Leading the Way [] [Are you giving mixed signals to your teams? Buckle up]( [Are you giving mixed signals to your teams? Buckle up]( (pedrojperez/Getty Images) After a 10-hour flight with the "fasten seatbelt" sign on the whole time, Suzanne Lucas, the founder of Improve Your HR, writes that she learned a leadership lesson in "crying wolf" as passengers ignored the sign and left their seats, even after the pilot reiterated the message. "When you tell your employees there's an emergency, but it's actually not one, it's harder to convince them when you have a real problem," Lucas notes. Full Story: [Inc. (tiered subscription model)]( (9/12) [LinkedIn]( [X]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Put it into practice: If you have policies and procedures, [but there are no consequences for not following them](, don't expect your teams to comply, Lucas writes. "When you state one thing, but all the signs point to a different direction, your employees will lose trust in you." Lead HR's Future with SHRM25 Insights Join thousands of HR leaders at the SHRM Annual Conference & Expo 2025 (SHRM25). Gain insights, network with peers, and bring back solutions to drive your organization forward. [Register now!]( ADVERTISEMENT: [] SmartBrief on Leadership [] [Focus on context cues to boost career development]( [Focus on context cues to boost career development]( (10'000 Hours/Getty Images) Leaders should learn how to read context cues to steer conversations, writes Julie Winkle Giulioni, especially around the topics of career development and growth. "Reading the room is also when a leader recognizes the nearly limitless context cues in the workplace that offer opportunities for organic career development," Giulioni writes. Full Story: [SmartBrief/Leadership]( (9/12) [LinkedIn]( [X]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Put it into practice: Leaders should ask questions about what contributed to successful projects -- or what gaps in skills led to unsuccessful projects. "[Iterative conversations anchored in what's happening around them]( allow employees to layer awareness, insights and action more naturally," Giulioni writes. [] [Read more]( from Julie Winkle Giulioni on SmartBrief on Leadership [] Smarter Communication [] [How to give feedback while boosting autonomy]( Managers can handle the delicate task of giving employees negative feedback by first asking the team members to rate themselves, write David Rock and Chris Weller from the NeuroLeadership Institute, a technique that creates a sense of autonomy. "Feedback about someone's performance is sensitive, and the person can quickly feel out of control and judged in the conversation," they write. Full Story: [Fast Company (tiered subscription model)]( (9/12) [LinkedIn]( [X]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Put it into practice: Negative feedback can improve performance when the employee doesn't feel threatened. "The feedback can't always be positive, but often the constructive or [negative feedback conversations are the ones that lead to the most growth](," they write. Featured Job Listings When you click or apply to one of these jobs through the link in our newsletter, we may receive an affiliate commission. - [Human Resources Director at Encompass Health (In-Person) - Orange, VA]( - [Associate Director Customer Success Commerce & Retail Media at PubMatic (Hybrid) - Redwood City, CA]( - [Senior Product Manager at An undisclosed organization (Fully Remote)]( - [VP Creative Director at Betches Media (Hybrid) - New York, NY]( - [VP Regional Labor & Employment Counsel at Southern Glazer's Wine and Spirits (In-Person) - Dallas, TX]( [] Smarter Strategy [] - [Strategy is vital for leaders to be innovative, agile]( ThoughtLeaders (9/9) [] - [Q&A: Tanya Milbrath's strategy for L&D]( Chief Learning Officer (9/11) [] - [Strategies for CEOs to build senior management teams]( MIT Sloan Management Review (tiered subscription model) (9/10) [] Smarter Living Get your mind and body right each Friday [] [Should you be following the "Oatzempic" trend?]( New dietary social media trends of "oatzempic" and "ricezempic," which involve drinking a smoothie made with oats or rice, water, a squeeze of lime and a dash of cinnamon or other spice first thing in the morning, promise to have the same effect as taking a GLP-1 agonist like Ozempic. Registered dietitian nutritionist Emma Laing says no evidence supports those claims, adding: "In the long term, any restrictive fad diet likely cannot be sustained and increases the risk for malnutrition, metabolic rate slowing to conserve energy, depression, social isolation, or eating disorder." Full Story: [Medscape]( (9/5) [LinkedIn]( [X]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Daily Diversion [] [Study: Interaction can sync dog and human brain waves]( [Study: Interaction can sync dog and human brain waves]( (Pixabay) Interactions with a dog can result in our brain waves aligning with our canine companion's, a well-known phenomenon between humans known as neural synchrony or interbrain coupling, researchers write in Advanced Science, noting that synchrony is highest when humans pet dogs and gaze into their eyes simultaneously compared with only one of those activities. "The stronger interbrain coupling explains, at least partially, why we humans enjoy the companionship of dogs," says Yong Zhang, one of the study's researchers. Full Story: [Advanced Science News]( (9/12) [LinkedIn]( [X]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] SmartBreak: Question of the Day [] If you landed on the moon today, you'd find an assortment of things: American flag, some tools, rockets, rovers, spacecraft. What was the first human-made object to reach the moon in 1959? [Vote]( [Apollo 11, US lunar module]( [Vote]( [Luna 2, Russia spacecraft]( [Vote]( [Ranger 4, US spacecraft]( [Vote]( [Sputnik, Russia satellite]( [] About The Editor [] Candace Chellew Candace Chellew Chellew (Photo credit: Lester Boykin) One of the worst bosses I ever had believed in the "sandwich" method of feedback. He'd compliment me on something I did, then heavily criticize me for something else and end with, "Keep up the good work." The effect of this kind of feedback was that every time he complimented me on something, I braced myself for the criticism I knew was coming. Honestly, most of the time I never heard what he was congratulating me for because I was too busy waiting for the other shoe to drop. You can avoid this with your team [by following the advice from David Rock and Chris Weller from the NeuroLeadership Institute](. They recommend letting the employee talk first and give their thoughts about what they did well and what they might improve before you tell them what you think. As they state, negative feedback is valuable for employees, but they have to be ready to hear it. "They have to be able to compare their undesired current actions with the more desirable future actions. When threat is low, employees are able to engage in this important mental process," they write. I know my boss had some valuable advice to give me, but his approach always put me on the defensive. Put your team members at ease first, and they're more likely to hear and act on the advice you have for them. And they're more likely to believe that you care about them and want them to succeed. 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 any feedback you'd like to share? [Drop me a note](mailto:candace.chellew@futurenet.com). And while you're at it, please send me photos of your pets, your office and where you spend your time off so we can share them. [LinkedIn]( [X]( [Facebook]( [Email]( Sharing SmartBrief on Leadership with your network keeps the quality of content high and these newsletters free. Help Spread the Word [SHARE]( Or copy and share your personalized link: smartbrief.com/leadership/?referrerId=japnABMSAp [] [] Who Said It? And indeed there will be time / To wonder, "Do I dare?" and, "Do I dare?" 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