Why do the world’s smartest and busiest people find one hour a day for deliberate learning, while others make excuses about how busy they are? The answer is simple: Learning is the single best investment of our time that we can make. Or as Benjamin Franklin said, “An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.” The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who … [Read more...]
4 buzzwords we need to ban
Buzzwords – we all use them from time to time. They’re still meaningless, according to author and CNBC contributor Suzy Welch. She recommends immediately getting rid of: Let’s take this offline. Empower Ownership Bandwidth Source: CNBC, October 16, 2018. Link. But according to bestselling management author and CNBC contributor Suzy Welch, this indirect and … [Read more...]
Coffee breaks don’t boost productivity after all
Citing the results of her own research on productivity at work, Charlotte Fritz says the findings on microbreaks is counterintuitive but real. Nearly across the board, microbreaks that were not job-related, such as getting a glass of water, calling a relative, or going to the bathroom, didn’t seem to have any significant relationship to people’s reported energy (what we called … [Read more...]
Policing women’s anger
Gathering knowledge and experiences from a female star athlete, an NFL coach, a governor and conference speakers, Katie Sanders writes about defining a strong female lead. . . . speaking out . . . can be a challenge in the workplace, where women are disproportionately penalized for expressing emotions, especially when they are perceived as angry. Source: Fast Company, October … [Read more...]
4 ways busy people sabotage themselves
Self-sabotaging patterns maintain a cycle of always having too much to do, or at least feeling like that’s the case, writes Alice Boyes. She examines the problems and proposes solutions. You’ve left an important task undone for weeks. It’s hanging over you, causing daily anxiety. And yet instead of actually doing it, you do a hundred other tasks instead. Source: Harvard … [Read more...]
Sorry for the delayed response
You will find this satirical look at our communication challenges amusing. Whether purposefully or accidentally, the challenges of delayed responses will remain. You’ll recognize some of Susanna Wolff’s examples. After reading this, review previous posts and consider options to improve email and text communications. Source: The New Yorker, March 16, 2017. Link. Also see: … [Read more...]
Stop doing 7 things found in the worst managers
Animal health pros often lead projects, work in groups and work as managers. Marcel Schwantes reviews counterproductive behaviors that destroy team morale and performance. His perspective is focused on new hires. However, these examples are equally consistent with team and group performance. Source: Inc., September 18, 2018. Link. These behaviors are recognized as toxic: … [Read more...]
Appreciate the art of thoughtful disagreement
Ray Dalio believes we must appreciate and develop the art of thoughtful disagreement. In thoughtful disagreement, your goal is not to convince the other party that you are right. It is to find out which view is true and decide what to do about it, he says. It’s challenging because most people are instinctively reluctant to disagree. . . . it’s pointless when people get angry … [Read more...]
6 most read posts from the last 6 months
Providing you a way to quickly sift through industry media is the main objective of Animal Health Digest. We believe informed animal health pros create more opportunities when you’re up to speed on what’s out there. With reading in decline, readers have a comparative advantage in today’s business, Michael Hyatt. Link. We’ve captured a few of the most read posts from Q1 and 2Q … [Read more...]
10 Excel functions everyone should know
The title says it all. Take a look to see if you can add to your spreadsheet skills. Harness just a few of these ten items, and you can transform your typical work day. Source: Harvard Business Review, October 10, 2018. Link. Whether you want to help justify data-driven business decisions at a high level, or simply get home to your family earlier, mastering the right Excel … [Read more...]
Career peaks can happen at any time
If you think you may have peaked in your career or worry that you may already have, take heart. A recent study published in Nature shows that we can peak at any age. Researchers examined the careers of 30,000 scientists, artists and directors and found that almost everyone is likely to experience a hot streak, but its timing is completely unpredictable. Source: SLATE, … [Read more...]
New resources can help handle negative conversations
Three resources about dealing with negative interactions from HBR caught our attention. It’s not easy to stay cool and engaged when things get heated in meetings, negotiations, or difficult conversations. We’ve all been there. Consider using these three quick reads at a team meeting before the holiday season heats up and tensions rise. Source: Ascend from Harvard Business … [Read more...]
Go ahead. Talk to yourself; its normal and good for you
Our AHD team members are remote. We occasionally reference times when we catch ourselves talking to ourselves out loud. Talking to yourself is normal and is good for your mental health. That is, if you have the right conversations, writes Wendy Rose Gould. If we speak out loud, it forces us to slow down our thoughts and process them differently because we engage the language … [Read more...]
Failures are essential to success
One of the hardest things for effective managers to do is to let one of their direct reports fail. The natural inclination is to jump in and save the day. But, you would never learn to ride a bike if you didn’t fall off a few times. So, failure is an essential part of success. Source: LinkedIn Pulse, October 1, 2018. Link. Success is important as it tells you that, what you … [Read more...]
Opinion – Harassment is common at meetings, yet most men are not sexual predators
The curation functions of AHD bring published information to animal health pros to increase awareness and, more importantly, help start new discussions or change behaviors. Since the media has spent considerable time recently focusing on misconduct, a study released by Meetings and Conventions in January provides an insightful backdrop for our industry to consider. It stated … [Read more...]
Effective leaders have the right questions
A popular misconception is that effective leaders always have the right answers. Nothing could be further from the truth. However, they do have the right questions that stimulate the conversation where the right answers often emerge. As a starter, try these questions at your next staff meeting. Source: Inc., September 24, 2018. Link. No leader is perfect. However, the only … [Read more...]
7 things Tiger Woods can teach us
Whether you’re a golf fan or not, you’re likely aware of Tiger Woods’ comeback during the Tour Championship late last month. He took the game to new heights for a decade and hit a rough streak that brought him down. But, he got up and beat it. Golf blogger David MacKenzie shares seven reasons Tiger – and us – can make a comeback if we go down. Source: Golf State of Mind … [Read more...]
Understanding customers and decision makers
Two posts featuring Pat Malone, AHD’s weekly contributor, were opened at exceptionally high rates. Malone's focus on leading a customer to decide is evident in his writing and in his daily interactions with colleagues, customers, seminar participants and friends. These posts and the associated articles are relevant in today's business environment. Source: Understanding the … [Read more...]
Stop saying um, ah and you know
Filler words quickly become crutch words that we habitually use. They “ah” diminish our credibility and “um” distract from “you know” our message. Animal health pros routinely interact with animal owners and other animal health pros. Noah Zandan shares how to replace the crutch words with pauses. Source: Ascend, September 2018. Link. Used sparingly and effectively, filler … [Read more...]
So, a Jewish dietician walks into a pig farm. . .
Leia Flure writes about her experience of learning about swine production. She had no knowledge about raising pigs and had questions of her own. They included: What’s a “factory farm” really like? How are the animals treated? How sustainable is animal agriculture? And, of course, are piglets as cute in person as they are in the movies? (note the anthropomorphic … [Read more...]
Boehringer-Ingelheim forum focuses on well-being, not welfare for farm animals
The 11th Boehringer Ingelheim Expert Forum on Farm Animal Well-Being recently convened in Australia. Delegates from around the world focused on the intersection between animal well-being and international trade. The discussion centered on how to recognize and measure well-being, and how this relates to introducing standards in a global market where appetite and capacity for … [Read more...]
The Bridge Club ends September with ageism topic
Stacy Pursell with The Pursell Group returns to The Bridge Club for insight on landing a new job opportunity when you are older than 50 years of age this Friday September 28. Register here. The October calendar is full of more opportunities to connect and share during these unique virtual community discussions. Source: The Bridge Club. Link. Click the link to see the events … [Read more...]
What kind of thinker are you?
Technologies for collaboration are improving faster than people’s ability to learn to use them. . . . in today’s marketplace, the smartest companies aren’t those that necessarily out-produce the competition . . . it’s the organizations that outthink them. After a lot of co-creation and trial-and-error, Elisa Steele and Mark Bonchek developed a three-step method that … [Read more...]
Emotions that sabotage sales
Managing disruptive emotions is the primary meta-skill of sales. The art and science of getting past NO begins with self-control. This skill is not reserved for just bag-carrying sales persons. Most interactions with other persons are transactional at some level. Whether selling a widget, explaining an invoice or answering a question, learning how to recognize and manage your … [Read more...]
Put your why to the test
Stephen Shedletzky reprises his discussion of why. Pat Malone wrote, “The answer to why,” AHD, September 2017. Link. Shedletzky has upgraded the language of WHY to a Just Cause. A Just Cause is your noble purpose for being. For a Just Cause to be a Just Cause, it must be: Resilient Inclusive Service oriented Source: LinkedIn, September 14, 2018. … [Read more...]
Provide negative feedback in the morning
Almost half of managers find giving negative feedback stressful. One-fifth avoid it completely. Research now confirms that if managers wait an appropriate amount of time, consider an employee’s personal situation and deliver feedback appropriately, doing so during morning hours is most effective to optimize learning. Source: Quartz at Work, September 16, 2018. Link. For many … [Read more...]
Crying at work doesn’t need to be a big deal
Crying at work is like the kiss of death for professional women, writes Jeneva Patterson. . . . to cry in front of colleagues, especially male peers or bosses, ranks as one of the most humiliating professional experiences. Patterson explains the crying response rates between men and women and the likelihood that women in the workplace will naturally react to some situations … [Read more...]
Be your own best advocate
Why advocate for yourself? Because, only you know what you really want and need. You are your own best advocate. And, cold hard truth here: If you don't do it, no one else will. Source: Bright Blue Consulting, August 31, 2018. Link. Smart, savvy women are forced to walk a tightrope between their authentic self, the skills they need to deploy to “play in the big leagues” and … [Read more...]
As CWD spreads in cervids, states also monitor humans
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a disease that kills deer, elk, reindeer and moose or, cervids. Misfolded prion proteins can spread among cervids through saliva and excrement. These proteins may remain viable in environments for decades. The parallels to Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease has scientists monitoring CWD more closely as it has spread to 20 or more states in the wild deer … [Read more...]
Opinion – Experiencing dogs as economic animals
Portia Stewart, DVM 360 editor and team channel director, deserves respect for her initiative to see another side of the canine world at a dog auction. It is where the dogs are bought and sold like livestock without the fuss and prim that are part of family member paradigms. For some of us reared in rural areas, animal auctions are part of reality. For Portia, I’m pleased this … [Read more...]