Research shows that 20 percent of the population finds it hard to be punctual. Time seems to work differently for us. We bend time; sometimes it stretches and sometimes it shrinks,” shares Grace Pacie, author and time bender. She writes about how time benders think, fit-in and offers ideas to mitigate the behaviors. Source: Fast Company, October 5, 2020. Link. … [Read more...]
Some perspective on drive-through or curbside services
COMMENTARY Louis Sullivan (1856-1924) helped pioneer and change the face of architecture. This quote is attributed to him, “form follows function.” In this context, writer Mark Wilson reviews fast food chains’ $290 billion race for the perfect drive-through. What does this have to do with animal health? Drive-throughs have been a staple of fast-food revenue for decades, … [Read more...]
Work-life balance gives way to work-life integration
Companies all over the world are realizing that working from home is not only more efficient, but more suitable for the wants and needs of today’s workers, writes Matt Klassen. He shares two big changes we can expect to see in the future: Businesses will embrace flexibility Automation will be increasingly essential Source: Fast Company, August 16, 2020. Link. Company … [Read more...]
Vulnerability can be a leadership asset
It is a given that no one is invincible. Even Achilles had a weakness. Business today is less of a war and more of a competition for minds and hearts. So, revealing what we already know – that you are vulnerable – can be an asset. Source: Fast Company, June 29, 2020. Link. Leaders gain invaluable respect and trust by asking more questions (and valuing the input) rather than … [Read more...]
Facing the heat in a face mask
Come on man! A face mask in this heat? Really?!?! Sound familiar? This common objection is not new territory per se’, but ideas for making mask wearing more bearable are timely. Molly Longman shares ideas learned from doctors to make wearing a mask on a 100-degree day worth it. . . . the fact is, face masks work. They reduce transmission, helping to curb the spread of … [Read more...]
Email and chat etiquette for 2020 and beyond
Defining etiquette as a customary code of polite behavior, Myka Meier shares six guidelines for communicating via email and chat. It is a primer for virtual communications that is applicable now and in post-pandemic work habits. Know your audience Don’t leave colleagues hanging Minimize your multi-messaging Keep most communications concise Sign on and off with … [Read more...]
Build a ‘rest ethic’ as strong as your work one
Co-authors John Fitch and Max Frenzel offer creative and thoughtful ways to best use time off to gift you with inspiration, ideas and recovery. They want us to unlearn workaholism by learning “noble leisure” of the past and developing a quality rest ethic. Source: Fast Company, June 19, 2020. Link. Aristotle said rest is not just relaxation. He warned relaxation is often … [Read more...]
Posture, movement, variety matter working from home
Before you buy the new office chair, desk or start remodeling, consider what Arianne Cohen shares about managing your office responsibilities from home. Source: Fast Company, March 23, 2020. Link. Cue the stabbing back pain and weird neck spasms. . . . the same desk habits that suited you at the office will not work at home, where you move much less. Also see: How working … [Read more...]
Tips that make working from home awesome
Doug Aamoth has been working from home nearly 20 years. He offers some tips to improve the experience. If you’re being forced to work remotely amid the coronavirus pandemic, take heart: You might find that you love it.” – Doug Aamoth Source: Fast Company, March 17, 2020. Link. One of the best things about not being in an office all day is that if you’ve set yourself up … [Read more...]
Recycling is broken
Waste is an enormous problem. But, recycling is the wrong solution, writes Don Norman. The real culprit in the story of recycling is failure to identify the core, underlying problem. Recycling is the symptom, he says. The underlying problem is the design and manufacturing of so much stuff that must be discarded. Recycling is a poor attempt to solve this problem. Source: Fast … [Read more...]
Needle technology advancing quickly
Alternatives to traditional hypodermic needles are improving rapidly, says Mark Wilson. He shares some of the advancements being developed for the human marketplace. These will interest some animal health pros. Now if the world of science could just do something about people’s irrational fear of vaccines, we’d really have something.” – Mark Wilson Source: Fast Company, … [Read more...]
Super Bowl Ads: 5 best, 5 worst
How ‘bout those C H I E F S! It has been a wild week in the KC Animal Health Corridor. Even veterinarians were celebrated in the Super Bowl ad from WeatherTech <link>. Jeff Beer says the $6 million to run a Super Bowl ad thanking the veterinarians that saved Scout, WeatherTech’s CEO’s dog, is either genius or a waste. Source: Fast Company, February 2, 2020. Link. The … [Read more...]
The best way to make a new habit stick
We’re three weeks into 2020. Holiday memories are quickly fading, replaced by all the stuff of the new year, including resolutions to make changes. Doug Moore and Spender Greenberg researched making these well-intentioned habits stick and developed a Daily Ritual Tool < link > to help. Out of 23 techniques designed to support a behavior change, one method outperformed the … [Read more...]
What 20 years of work can do to your body (includes slide show)
A lifelike, full-size model named Emma demonstrate ailments that show the dark side of where we’re headed if work comforts continue to go unchecked. While aimed at computer use and seating, its no secret that smartphone use puts a strain on our stature, as does poor driving posture. Source: Fast Company, January 6, 2020. Link. Unless we make radical changes to our working … [Read more...]
Train your brain to perform better under pressure
When we’re under pressure, there are predictable consequences, shares Art Markman: The tendency to focus on all the things that could go wrong, ignoring the positive Our desire to perform at a high level limits the amount of information you can hold in mind at one time, which can limit the complexity of what you can accomplish mentally. Source: Fast Company, December … [Read more...]
5 trick interview questions, be prepared
Experienced recruiters use questions like the ones below to trick you into divulging details you hadn’t planned on sharing during interviews. Prepare to answer these five questions in the context of what the employer is seeking to learn during the interview: Tell me about yourself. Translation: Why are you a good fit? What do you know about us? Translation: Are you … [Read more...]
The advice half of working women need to hear
Ursula Mead’s company, InHerSight, recently polled website users about whether they had ever negotiated their salary < link >. Almost half of the 1,041 respondents said no. Self-advocacy is difficult for many people, but for women in the workplace, it’s particularly complicated. That’s why more women need support from their peers. Source: Fast Company, October 4, 2019. … [Read more...]
Hate distractions? Good. Your perception of reality is at stake
If you’re trying to pay attention to multiple things, you’re not going to be as good at it versus if it were one at a time. It’s not just being slowed down . . . it might affect what you’re perceiving in the moment.” We are constantly inundated with push notices, texts, flashing signs, banners or the next tab. All this distraction may come at a massive cost. It’s not only to … [Read more...]
From “suits” to Luddites – the demise of office attire
Most any attire goes in some offices. This author attributes this to the rise of young founders commandeering successful tech companies, an increase in both remote work and flexible hours and the freelance economy. A recent study found that nearly half of managers said they were concerned employees dressed too casually, while 32% of supervisors named “too much skin” as one of … [Read more...]
National park data helps determine best times to visit
Some animal health pros may make plans to cross national park locations off their bucket lists of places to visit before year-end. Jordan Vincent’s new infographic uses visitor data from 54 national parks between 2013 and 2019 to show the peak visiting times for people using different types of lodging < link >. Source: Fast Company, August 12, 2019. Link. One way to … [Read more...]
Kitten Lady launches book, promotes kitten fostering
Hannah Shaw’s passion for fostering kittens spawned ongoing and time-saving video projects that caught the attention of kitten lovers on the internet. She added an Instagram profile and a YouTube page for potential kitten adopters, then discoveredthere was little information about fostering kittens available. Shaw realized that the animal advocacy world was missing a champion … [Read more...]
People will eat anything (almost) at work
Sales reps have understood for decades what Susan Albers-Bowling, Ph.D., calls mindless eating. “Once you eat unhealthy food in an environment, it can become routine,” says Luke Ayers, PhD. So the donuts, bagels, pizza, cookies and cupcakes just keep coming. We are motivated to try things that are free because it’s low risk. We also feel like we’re getting a deal.” Susan … [Read more...]
3 ways to deal with conflict more productively
“ . . . conflict is an inescapable part of life. You shouldn’t ask yourself, “Will I experience conflict,” but rather, “How will I manage conflict when it happens,” writes Roi Ben-Yehuda. “Few of us are naturally equipped with the tools to self-manage conflict,” he says. ‘So we end up telling ourselves problematic stories that make everything worse.” Source: Fast Company, … [Read more...]
Good writing makes you more employable, no matter the role
It’s never too late to learn what makes great writing, says Jaleh Bisharat. If your writing needs work, he offers reasons to improve along with seven tips on being a better writer: Good writing correlates with crisp thinking Clear, persuasive communication is the underpinning of a successful professional If you’re a good writer, there will always be work for you to … [Read more...]
Opinion – Getting work done while being human – part 4
The fourth installment of this series looks at how children play. Colin Johnson-Zapier suggests we follow the lead of preschoolers to improve our productivity. We added information on adult play and more perspectives on the ever-fleeting work-life balance topic. 5 valuable productivity lessons that preschoolers can teach you, Fast Company, June 14, 2019. Link. Follow our … [Read more...]
Changes in middle class affect business growth
Animal health pros often examine local population economics. Pavithra Mohan reviews the history of the middle class and how the definition of it and expectations of those in it have changed and will continue to do so.. In 2019, the prevailing feeling among the self-anointed middle class may be a lack of financial security and job stability, but also a narrowing path to upward … [Read more...]
Opinion – FREE, one-day shipping is an oxymoron
Amazon recently announced it will spend $800M to bring free, one-day shipping to Prime members. This is an indictment of our increasing inability to plan past our noses. Distribution companies have been fighting this costly next-day fight for years, often without directly assessing the increased costs to customers who require the service. Failure to plan is simply a plan to … [Read more...]
Tech ad parody almost too real to believe it’s not real
We had to share this 'spoof' in light of the attention to cell phone overuse; a phone camera that looks up, so you can keep looking down. Too real for sure! In a new parody ad, designer Alex Cornell makes fun of our ever-increasing smartphone dependency, using the language of tech advertising so precisely that some viewers might not even realize it’s a parody. Source: Fast … [Read more...]
FCC warns, one ring robocall wave in progress again
Robocalls are annoying at minimum. You answer and it may take up to 30 seconds for a person to answer. Now the Federal Communications Commission has issued a warning about so-called one-ring robocalls, a scam that doesn’t require the receiver of the call to pick up the phone, but to call back. In April, Americans received 4.9 billion robocalls, or 163 million calls per day. . … [Read more...]
False beliefs about introverts and extroverts (podcast)
Most people don’t fit neatly into one “introvert” or “extrovert” box. Even people who feel pretty solidly in one camp, can have traits that we often associate with the other, shares Kathleen Davis. This kind of dual behavior is pretty common. It’s not a black and white category. Susan Cain, author. Source: Fast Company, April 10, 2019. Link. How introverts can get noticed at … [Read more...]