Embrace the sting of failure to improve

Embrace the sting of failure to improve | Be honest with people about what their jobs mean | Cargill moves from trader to food giant Created for {EMAIL} | [Web Version]( June 12, 2018 CONNECT WITH SMARTBRIEF  [LinkedIn]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Google+]( [SmartBrief on Leadership]( [SmartBrief on Leadership]( Innovative Ideas. Ahead of the Curve. [SIGN UP]( ⋅ [FORWARD]( [] Leading Edge [] [Embrace the sting of failure to improve]( Human nature tells us to rationalize or ignore the pain caused by failure and mistakes, but we accelerate our growth if we try to learn from it, writes Shane Parrish. "The harder path is to embrace the pain and ask yourself what you could have done differently or better or what your blind spot was," he writes. [Farnam Street]( (6/11) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Google+]( [Email]( [] [Be honest with people about what their jobs mean]( Being entrepreneurial and innovative is what every manager talks about with new and prospective employees, but they should instead be honest about the jobs that are just meant to be busywork, argues Ted Bauer. The author and anthropologist David Graeber has classified such work as "paid employment that is so completely pointless, unnecessary or pernicious that even the employee cannot justify its existence even though, as part of the conditions of employment, the employee feels obliged to pretend that this is not the case." [The Context of Things]( (6/11), [The New Yorker (tiered subscription model)]( (6/7) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Google+]( [Email]( Embrace the Human Age of Talent Management Our 2018 Global Talent Trends Report offers a deeper understanding of the forces at play in our rapidly evolving talent market. Get expert analysis of the Top 5 talent trends, practical advice, success stories, key takeaways and more to help ignite the engine that runs your business – your people. [Download now]( ADVERTISEMENT [] Strategic Management [] [Cargill moves from trader to food giant]( Cargill finds playing the middleman is less lucrative now that producers are more informed and handling more of their financial management, so it's remaking itself as an integrated food company, write Mario Parker and Javier Blas. Cargill has become the world's biggest ground-beef supplier and is making deals in aquaculture and other forms of protein as consumer diets change. [BloombergQuint (India)]( (6/8) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Google+]( [Email]( Robots at the gate Jobs in all industries face varying degrees of automation, with an estimated 60% of retail jobs, 30% of finance jobs and 10% of healthcare jobs fully automatable. [Read Barclays' report, which examines the social and economic implications](. ADVERTISEMENT [] Smarter Communication [] [How to make one-on-ones better]( Managers will have more productive one-on-ones if they give employees a couple of days to review the conversation topics, writes Dan Rockwell. Prepare a quiet environment, free of distractions, and at the end of the conversation, ask for feedback on how you could do better as a manager, he writes. [Leadership Freak]( (6/8) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Google+]( [Email]( [] [The best way to use video during a presentation]( Video is effective when it doesn't overpower a presentation and you tell the audience what you want them to get out of it, writes Anett Grant. After the video ends, reinforce the message and move quickly to your next point, she writes. [Fast Company online]( (6/11) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Google+]( [Email]( [] Innovation & Creativity A weekly spotlight on making the next big thing happen [] [Resourcefulness helps you and others be more creative]( Innovation is a result of traits such as resourcefulness, purpose and a culture where asking for help is encouraged, says Amy Radin. "Much of anyone's resourcefulness comes from an ability to help everyone in their orbit to be more resourceful," she says. [Skip Prichard Leadership Insights]( (6/7) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Google+]( [Email]( [] SmartPulse [] How effective are you at using "found" pockets of time (10-30 minutes) to get work done? Somewhat: Sometimes I use it productively. Other times, I waste the time. 47.63% Very: I always have a ready list of tasks to do in these small moments. 32.81% Not very: Most of that found time goes to waste. 14.83% Not at all: I never get anything done in those pockets of time. 4.73% [] Make a list of small tasks. Most of you are somewhat -- or less than somewhat -- effective at using small time slots of "found time" to get things done. This occurs because when we find 15 or 20 minutes, we spend 10 of it trying to figure out what to work on and then 10 minutes saying we don’t have enough time to finish the task. An effective way to use this time is to maintain a list of small tasks that can be done in 15-, 30- and 60-minute spans. When you are given the gift of some found time because a meeting ends early or is cancelled, you can immediately turn to your list, pick a task and get it done. This small productivity enhancer will help you fill these times effectively and get a lot more work finished in a given day. -- Mike Figliuolo is managing director of [ThoughtLeaders](. Before launching his own company, he worked at McKinsey & Co., Capital One and Scotts Miracle-Gro. He is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. He's the author of three leadership books: "[One Piece of Paper](," "[Lead Inside the Box](" and "[The Elegant Pitch](." [] How often do you try to meet new people when you travel? [Vote]( [Very: Planes, lounges and hotels are great places to meet new people.]( [Vote]( [Sometimes: I'll occasionally make an effort to meet new people.]( [Vote]( [Not very: I'd rather keep to myself most of the time.]( [Vote]( [Not at all: Leave me alone.]( [] In Their Own Words [] [Leaders can't stop growing]( Getting a promotion means the hard work of growing into the role has just begun -- all while adapting to however the world is changing, says Paul Block of Merryck & Co. "The most valuable executive is the one who brings a combination of insight and inspiration so that they get the broader team to change course if they have to," he says. [LinkedIn]( (6/11) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Google+]( [Email]( [] Daily Diversion [] [Scientists explore why repeated words can sound like a song]( Research [suggests]( that a short string of words repeated in a loop can be heard by the brain as musical, and we focus more on the beat or rhythm than the words themselves. "These illusions give us a little glimpse into how much of the world we're not getting, we're not seeing, or we're not hearing," says researcher Michael Vitevitch. [The Verge]( (6/8) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Google+]( [Email]( [] [] You have to trust in something -- your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. Because believing that the dots will connect down the road will give you the confidence to follow your heart even when it leads you off the well-worn path, and that will make all the difference. Steve Jobs, entrepreneur [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Google+]( [Email]( [Sign Up]( [SmartBrief offers 200+ newsletters]( [Advertise]( [Learn more about the SmartBrief audience]( Subscriber Tools: [Manage Subscriptions]( [Update Your Profile]( [Unsubscribe]( [Send Feedback]( [Archive]( [Search]( Contact Us: Jobs Contact - jobhelp@smartbrief.com Advertising - [Laura Engel](mailto:lengel@smartbrief.com) Editor - [James daSilva](mailto:leadership@smartbrief.com) Mailing Address: SmartBrief, Inc.®, 555 11th ST NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20004 © 1999-2018 SmartBrief, Inc.® [Privacy Policy (updated May 25, 2018)]( | [Legal Information]( Â