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It is safe to say, that for the first time in the age of technology, ad hoc face-to-face meetings are no longer an option for many people. While we don’t anticipate in-person meetings to go away forever, working during the Covid-19 crisis does provide us with the opportunity to reflect on how the best leaders succeed in virtual environments. For many, working from home, and communicating through digital mediums like Slack, Zoom, and WebEx, are nothing new. Many business models have supported virtual work for years as a necessity to accommodate employees and clients in various locations. Still, while technology has improved our ability to get work done and communicate remotely, we have not yet been forced to develop a set of best practices for leading remote teams at the capacity that...

When confronting a situation freighted with anxiety and ambiguity — a pandemic, a recession, a job loss, an unwanted family change — most of us can imagine no upside. We become paralyzed, caught in a state I call unproductive uncertainty. But some can see their way through such moments and find a positive path forward. How? For the past five years I have studied people who excel in the face of uncertainty. My subjects have included innovators, entrepreneurs, CEOs, and Nobel prizewinners — along with gamblers, paramedics, and surfers. I’ve identified the approaches they use to navigate turbulent times and discover the potential hidden within them. In this article I share three habits that can help you develop your own “uncertainty capability.” Open Your Eyes to All Options, Present a...

    The environment your employees work in plays a big part in defining their daily productivity. If your office is filled with uncomfortable furniture, has poor lighting, or doesn’t have enough spaces for movement, it won’t only affect their ability to focus, but it will also take a toll on their emotional well-being.   Read more    

We’ve made our coronavirus coverage free for all readers. To get all of HBR’s content delivered to your inbox, sign up for the Daily Alert newsletter. In an ongoing crisis, clear communication is more important and more difficult than when things seem normal. Employees and customers are hungry for information, so we’re tempted to pull together presentations and communicate with urgency instead of with careful planning. But if we present without addressing our audience’s core questions of what, how, and why, we’ll sow more confusion than we bring clarity. At my company, we rework thousands of talks each year for large brands and high-powered executives. When their communications are high-stakes, most of our clients come to us prepared with what needs to happen and how, but they’ve rarely ...

  Milestones are markers that you’re evolving—they do not create emotional fulfillment in the way we think they will. This confusion is why with the dawn of each new year, our resolutions are to change our lives rather than to change ourselves. But what if we made goals that were more about loving what we have rather than chasing what we don’t? What if we realized that it’s what we were seeking in the first place? It’s something to consider—if not even try just a little. Here are a few ideas to get you started...   Read more here.

We’ve made our coronavirus coverage free for all readers. To get all of HBR’s content delivered to your inbox, sign up for the Daily Alert newsletter. In the current pandemic, finding motivation for those working in self-isolation presents unique challenges. Many people struggle more than ever to efficiently get their work done in their home offices and to focus on video conferences and email exchanges. But it’s easy to overlook another key source of motivation, which is conspicuously absent for many workers in the current circumstances: the presence of other people. Social psychologists have known for decades that people are motivated to work harder when others are watching. When they are observed, people run faster, are more creative, and think harder about problems. These effects occu...

Are you trying to find the inner drive and inspiration to be become an entrepreneur?   We surveyed over 1,200 American adults from diverse backgrounds all over the country, seeking to understand the factors that lead people to pursue their entrepreneurial goals. Our big takeaway? It isn't all about money, or success, or even business. It’s this: If someone feels that their life has meaning, they’re more likely to become an entrepreneur. And it goes even deeper than that. When we looked at the people who said they want to start a business, we saw a pattern: The most energized, confident, and goal-focused of them all also believe they have the ability to live meaningful lives. In fact, regardless of whether or not they have plans to start a business, survey respondents who believe ...

( Hootsuite) However, there are ethical and effective ways to incorporate Instagram automation software into your work. The key is to only use tools that help you automate and simplify authentic activity on Instagram. Read more  

                          Edgy comic book art peppers the rooms of these cool home interior concepts, each space imaginatively visualised by Pavel Alekseev. The interiors are designed to appeal to the young homeowner... Read more

Last Friday, veteran hairdresser Van Council officially reopened the doors to his six Van Michael hair salons in Atlanta, Georgia after governor Brian Kemp lifted the statewide shelter-in-place order. Since then, the rest of the hairstyling community in the U.S., has been watching closely, experiencing a cocktail of emotions: fear, curiosity, and eagerness among them. This wasn't just because Kemp's decision was something of a wild card (health officials have warned that it may be too soon to loosen restrictions), but because Georgia is now at the forefront of what could be a brand-new world for hair salons post-pandemic. While not considered essential in many countries, people have suddenly realised how much they rely on their salons as a comforting source of self-care and community....