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The one-day sabbatical

Bob Harris and Bryan Hutchinson Association Management

Association executives seldom enjoy the benefit offered in higher education, religion, or other professions: the opportunity to go on sabbatical. It is a break from work so that an employee can pursue interests such as research, writing, volunteering or rest. During a sabbatical, the employee is still paid although relieved from their normal job duties or from reporting to work. Do you ever feel like you just need time for a change in scenery, clear your head, hear a different perspective or finish a project?

5 ways to use coach John Wooden’s Pyramid of Success

Jason Lavin Business Management, Services & Risk Management

If you follow basketball, there’s a 99.9% chance you’ve heard the name John R. Wooden, a sports legend who’s considered to be the greatest NCAA basketball coach of all time. And if you’ve heard of coach Wooden, you know about his Pyramid of Success, a wildly popular model of 25 proven behaviors and characteristics that lead to greatness. So, once you’ve downloaded and printed coach's pyramid and looked at it for a while, you might wonder, "What are some good ways to use it?" Here are five real-world ideas to start.

Podcast: Plugging profit leaks throughout the patient lifecycle

Jarod Carter Healthcare Administration

In this episode, Jarod Carter explains how you can find opportunities for your practice throughout the patient lifecycle. This topic is critical because helping your existing patients fully heal their injuries and reach their goals is one of the easiest ways to improve your practice revenues. You’ll hear specific tips for how to find and plug profit leaks that are costing your business money, including strategies for minimizing drop-offs from the schedule.

Tackling the nation’s math education deficit

Sheilamary Koch Education

Ask students whether they like math. Now ask the same question about money. Usually their reactions are pretty distinct! Since finances boil down to numbers, couldn’t they be used to teach math? Of course, the answer is yes. Teaching about money is just one way innovative educators are picking up the slack on the country's dismal state of mathematics. COVID-19 related school closures and distance learning have made the situation even worse, especially for students from marginalized communities.

4 of the top emerging technologies to watch in 2021

Terri Williams Science & Technology

The innovation landscape changes rapidly, and each year, there are certain emerging tech innovations that will play a critical role in shaping the future. Digital transformation continues to be a megatrend. "The COVID-19 pandemic showed enterprises that embraced digital transformation were able to quickly adapt to the changing landscape," says Manjeet Rege, director of the Center for Applied Artificial Intelligence at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota. "Most others were caught off guard and were unable to pivot their business models." These are some of the top emerging technologies to watch in 2021.

GameStop: How it happened, where it’s going

Bruce L. Gordon Business Management, Services & Risk Management

The current stock market fight started with GameStop — a retail mainstay for the video game market that has been facing hard times even before the pandemic. Many investors have been shorting the stock , which is nothing new in terms of the stock market. What’s interesting this time is that many individual investors — many on the popular RobinHood app and r/WallStreetBets Reddit community, have called the bluff by squeezing the short position — driving what was an $18 stock in early January 2021 to as much as a high of $483. Where will the Reddit GameStop short game end up? Check out this visual deep dive for more information.

Infographic: A look at the modern energy market

Brian Wallace Waste Management & Environmental

In four years, the renewable energy market will reach $1.5 trillion. Climate awareness is increasing demand; half of Americans say they would purchase renewable energy and even pay $15 more a month for the chance. The issue with renewable, reliable energy today is the battery. Renewable energy is generated inconsistently. People still need electricity when the wind is still. Lithium-ion batteries, used since 1912, aren’t a good fit for future demands. Their capacity degrades over time and the batteries are difficult to recycle when they read the end of their lives.

The year of the comeback: What COVID-19 means for associations in 2021

Jeanne M. Dee Association Management

For industry associations, recent shifts from the physical space into the digital have brought a serious blow to their highest revenue stream: in-person events like trade shows and conferences. At the same time, the function of associations as a source of networking, support, and connection for their industries makes them more valuable than ever to their members in a landscape where disconnection is ever-present. Nothing beats being able to pick up the phone and get advice from someone who "gets it" — especially now. This seems to portend the triumphant return of the association.

3 easy actions to add curiosity to your company culture for immediate impact

Robin Barone Business Management, Services & Risk Management

As 2021 continues, I invite you to incorporate greater curiosity into your professional life to achieve better outcomes. The ability to have a solid employee experience is based on a company culture that embraces curiosity in communications. Increasing the amount of curiosity with your engagement with colleagues and customers or clients leads to better solutions and outcomes as a result. Professionals in cultures that embrace curiosity can have uncomfortable conversations that are assertive and not aggressive, anxious, or argumentative. Curious people are more confident, fearless, open, collaborative, and resilient.

5 secrets of effective communication that all telecommuters should know

John Allen Business Management, Services & Risk Management

The late, great American businessman Leon Gorman said it best: “Customer service is a day-in, day-out, ongoing, never-ending, unremitting, persevering, compassionate type of activity.” Companies everywhere have realized that employee service is much the same. And like good customer service, great communication is at its center. It’s true that Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Skype have enabled us all to stay in touch amidst a global shift to work from home. But it’s equally true that this fundamental change has left more questions than team chat anywhere, anytime can answer.

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