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Hi –

The world is not looking its best these days, but I refuse to despair, and from your feedback, I know you’re with me on this.

We’re all connected, some people just haven’t caught onto that yet. And we’re here to help each other.

With that mission in mind, each week I produce this e-briefing to help spark ideas—or new perspectives on old ones—so you as business leaders can light the path for those in your sphere.

So, here’s the deal: I’ll keep sparking and you keep running with it! Here’s what I’m sharing this week:

  • Two stories on alarming trends for middle school boys. Both center around the help they need learning to organize and prioritize school and other activities. Sharing for those of you with young kids and teens.
  • Do you know what a third place is? Do you have one? Do you want one? I’m missing out on this; I may have just created a new task for myself…
  • And do you tell yourself happiness stories? I do. It’s a powerful technique for cutting people slack, sure, but it also soothes you in the moment, and who of us doesn’t need that these days. Dr Rangan Chatterjee has more.

Noteworthy 🖋
MCG Strategic

This is a shout out and a recommendation at the same time. I know those of you in mega companies have your website maintenance (tech checks, content updates, uptime monitoring, etc.) covered, so this is for the rest of you…

If your company is challenged to keep its website healthy and updated because of staffing shortages or resources that are less than reliable, I want you to take a look at MCG Strategic, the company DBE uses to keep our website humming. They’re a great resource for small to mid-sized companies in any industry because they make your website one less thing for you to worry about. With MCG, it’s covered.

They’ve got tech/content maintenance plans aligned for the budgets of small to mid-sized companies, the entire team is phenomenal and all in-house in the US. They’re smart, resourceful, responsive, and seriously, they are some of my favorite people. So check them out and tell them I said, “Hi!”

Here’s the website and how to reach out to them.

  • We’re all going to exit this stage at some point. Consider those you leave behind and tidy up your digital life before you depart. Here are tips on making it easy.
  • IYKYK: Time Management has gotten more challenging. Want help? Read these spot-on tips from Greg Smith via Fast Company. Here’s one: if it’s important to you, schedule it.
  • I’ve had several conversations recently about working from home vs (and it is versus) hybrid or all-in (the office again) scenarios. One of the pieces I find most puzzling is the inability of companies to effectively measure productivity for knowledge workers. If your middle management team is getting what they need from their people, the work is getting done and done well, why does upper management, particularly in larger organizations, keep pushing for hybrid or all-in? This guy’s got a POV—what do you think?

Do Good Spotlight
🌟 Home for Good Dog Rescue 🌟

Home for Good Dog Rescue has saved 10,000 dogs in 11 years! Think of how many games of fetch, dog piles, and doggie play dates were enjoyed because of their work. Home for Good Dog saves dogs from kill shelters in the South and places them with foster families until they get placed in forever homes. Check out their website and fall in love with their pups (and kitties) on Instagram. 💖

Tick tock, the clock is racing to 2024. Have you put aside some time to congratulate yourself on your 2023 wins and thought about your key goals for next year? I’m finding Mindvalley one of the best investments I’ve ever made in the “thinking about things differently” bucket. In particular, the Be Extraordinary 30-day “quest” led by the founder, Vishen Lakhiani, has helped me make a few quantum leaps (yes, really) that are making 2024 look amazing. Happy to share more if you ask, but for now, I’m recommending you do a quick gratitude session celebrating you, and the rest will follow. 😊

We’ve got one more issue this year–comes out Thursday, 12/21, and then I’m off for two weeks of fun with my family and friends. That pretty much guarantees volumes of shares for you starting up again on 1/11/24.

See you here next week, enjoy the rest of this one.

Niki

Niki’s Notes for Better Workplaces

Weekly news and insights on the compassionate workplace movement with commentary, spotlights on innovative companies, and not-for-profits that deserve extra love! Edited by A Better Paradigm Founder, Niki.