Looking for success? Go fly a kite

Looking for success? Go fly a kite | 5 ways to inspire and engage your team | Read more from Weaving Influence authors on SmartBrief on Leadership Created for {EMAIL} | [{NAME}]( at [{NAME}]( [For more relevant content - Update Your Profile]( | [Web Version]( December 16, 2022 CONNECT WITH SMARTBRIEF  [LinkedIn]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [SmartBrief on Leadership]( Innovative Ideas. Ahead of the Curve. [SIGN UP]( ⋅ [SHARE]( ADVERTISEMENT Leading Edge [] [Looking for success? Go fly a kite]( [Looking for success? Go fly a kite]( (Pixabay) The old-fashioned expression to "go fly a kite" is actually great advice, since kites can fly against the wind, which is the key to success, writes Steve Keating. "There is a tremendous amount of success happening in the world everyday ... almost all of it because someone decided to go against whatever headwinds happened to be in their way," Keating writes. Full Story: [LeadToday]( (12/15) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [5 ways to inspire and engage your team]( Leaders can inspire -- and thus retain -- their top team members by making it clear how their work fulfills the company's purpose, showing enthusiasm and making sure they are facing appropriate challenges, writes Reiner Lomb, founder and CEO of BoomerangCoach. "Setting challenging yet achievable goals helps to overcome apathy that can lead to 'quiet quitting' and to inspire more engagement," Lomb writes. Full Story: [SmartBrief/Leadership]( (12/15) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [Read more]( from Weaving Influence authors on SmartBrief on Leadership   [] Strategic Management [] [How to make innovation a way of life, not just an event]( Companies should make innovation a way of life instead of an event by constantly seeking new ideas and making failure part of the process to gain valuable insights, says Jeremy Utley, co-director of executive education at the Stanford d.school. "The question is: is your ego so shattered that you can't learn from a failure, or are your expectations properly set so that you can learn quickly from it?" Utley asks. Full Story: [McKinsey]( (12/15) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Smarter Communication [] [Strategies to make effective, not awkward, eye contact]( Making eye contact can increase your effectiveness in meetings, one-on-ones and when speaking to an audience, but avoid lingering too long by slowly looking sideways or alternating your gaze between another person's eyes and mouth, say body language experts. It's important to remember that much of the research applies to Western settings and did not account for members of the neurodivergent community, notes Valerie Cantella. Full Story: [Science of People]( (12/13) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] [5 ways to get comfortable speaking before an audience]( Easily get back into the swing of giving presentations before an in-person audience by writing out your speech the night before so it's fresh in your mind, practicing keeping your hands by your side and arriving early to meet audience members you can later connect with while speaking, writes Amira Barger, the executive vice president of health DEI at Edelman. "Many times, the simplicity of having a ritual is what gets us through hard things, like public speaking," Barger writes. Full Story: [Ragan]( (12/15) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( Free eBooks and Resources Free eBooks and resources brought to you by our sponsors - [How Technology Can Help you Get a Good Night's Sleep]( - [10 Ways to Manage Stress in the Workplace]( - [10 Secrets For Managing Your Time]( - [The Life Changing Manage of Tidying Up Book Summary]( - [Microsoft Excel 2021 Basic - Quick Reference Guide]( [] Smarter Living Get your mind and body right each Friday [] [Not sleeping well? Try these tips to drift off quickly]( Not getting enough sleep makes us more than tired, it affects our cognition as well our physical and mental health, according to Russell Foster, a professor of circadian neuroscience at the University of Oxford, who has many recommendations, including no TV or cellphone use 30 minutes before bed and retiring to a dark, cool bedroom. "It should be quiet, and if it isn't, you could use white noise or some relaxing sound such as the sea," Foster says. Full Story: [Next Big Idea Club Magazine]( (12/14) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] In Their Own Words [] [Why executive buy-in is key for DEI success]( Senior leaders can play a key role in the success of diversity, inclusion and equity programs by providing resources and training that measures outcomes and empowers managers to ensure ongoing success, says Stephanie Creary, an organizational behavior scholar at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. "We want to feel like our work makes an impact and that we have the power and authority to drive any change that is for the better," Creary says. Full Story: [Betterworks]( (12/14) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] Daily Diversion [] [How did the poinsettia become a Christmas flower?]( In 1825, Joel Robert Poinsett, the first US ambassador to Mexico, encountered what Aztecs called cuetlaxochitl or "leathered flower," and sent a sample back to the US, where it was introduced at an 1829 flower show. The plant was patented in the US in 1930 and sold as a Christmas flower, causing problems for Mexican growers, who are now working on new varieties to obtain international protection. Full Story: [Axios]( (12/13) [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email]( [] SmartBreak: Question of the Day [] POLL QUESTION: Which actor/comedian was born on this day in 1965? Choose an answer to see how many other readers agree with you, then [check your guess here](. [Vote]( [J.B. Smoove]( [Vote]( [Bernie Mac]( [Vote]( [Eddie Murphy]( [Vote]( [Chris Rock]( [] Answer to Thursday's quiz: What building is currently the world's tallest? The [Burj Khalifa](, a mixed-use skyscraper in Dubai, UAE, has 163 floors and a height of 2,717 feet. [See how your fellow readers answered](. 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? Obstacles are challenges for winners, and excuses for losers. Dorothy Pitman Hughes or Marijane Meaker [Check your answer here.]( [LinkedIn]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Email](   SmartBrief publishes more than 200 free industry newsletters - [Browse our portfolio]( [Sign Up]( | [Update Profile]( | [Advertise with SmartBrief]( [Unsubscribe]( | [Privacy policy]( CONTACT US: [FEEDBACK](mailto:leadership@smartbrief.com) | [ADVERTISE](mailto:lengel@smartbrief.com) SmartBrief, a division of Future US LLC © 1100 13th St. NW, Suite 1000, Washington, DC 20005