MultiBriefs - Your source for industry specific News Briefs

Your mission statement is not a holiday turkey

Robert C. Harris Association Management

Boards sometimes create a mission statement similar to how we prepare a holiday turkey. They stuff as much as they can into the mission to satisfy everybody. Our family turkey used to have a bread stuffing. Then somebody suggested an oyster stuffing. My niece wanted a ground beef stuffing with onions, so we decided to go half and half inside the bird. Boards create mission statements like we cooked our family turkey, hoping to satisfy everybody’s tastes. Here’s what often gets stuffed into the mission.

How to be strategic when everyone sees you as tactical

Catherine Iste Business Management, Services & Risk Management

One of the biggest struggles for HR professionals is getting that elusive seat at the table. In some cases, we are trapped as specialists: spend a few years doing benefits and that is all anyone will think you can do. In other cases, we are trapped as generalists: one-person HR departments must do everything and therefore are masters at nothing. It can be a frustrating cycle from which to break free. Instead of giving up, give these three steps a try.

Plan your route and you’ll reach your 2019 destination

Fred Berns Interior Design, Furnishings & Fixtures

Many interior design professionals use the holiday season to reflect on the year that was. You’re wise to focus instead on the year that can be. Use this time to plot your course and make your 2019 sales and marketing plan. Why? Because a designer without a plan is like ship without a rudder. You may have a rough idea of where you want to go, but not a clue on how to get there. You can "get there" and achieve your goals for the year ahead by keeping these seven "p"rinciples in mind.

Study: Well-being and technology are driving workplace productivity

Scott E. Rupp Business Management, Services & Risk Management

Employee well-being is dependent on several factors, it seems, including workplace productivity, job satisfaction and employee retention. These factors are tied to employee physical health and financial well-being, according to a new survey, entitled "Working Well: A Global Survey of Workforce Wellbeing Strategies." According to the survey, 40 percent of the organizational leaders interviewed said they believe they have created a culture of well-being in 2018 compared to only 33 percent in 2016. Of those who have not achieved such a result, 81 percent said they "aspire to achieve a culture of wellbeing."

Want to love as a church? Start with a persona.

Mark MacDonald Religious Community

We’re called to love. In fact, Jesus told His disciples that we’d be known for love if we’re properly following Him. So, who are we called to love? Everyone (especially our enemies). It’s a crazy goal. Can a local church love everyone? Yes. But maybe it’s more reasonable to say that we should love anyone we come (or could come) into contact with. That way we can get really practical with our love. In church communication, our words, actions, ministries must be felt as love.

A stock market survival course: Part 3

Patrick Gleeson Business Management, Services & Risk Management

This is the third of a five-article survival course designed to give you essential information you need to succeed as an investor in the stock market. None of it is mere opinion. Everything stated in these articles is backed by the research of well-known economists and published in leading journals of economics and finance. Each article can be read in 10 to 15 minutes. This third article begins outlining the market strategies that will substantially improve your investment results.

Is vertical or horizontal video best for social media ads?

Emma Fitzpatrick Marketing

After Facebook rewrote its algorithm in January, social media marketing plans for the year went out the window. The previous silver bullet for success, video, was no longer prioritized. Instead, live videos, which are more focused on generating engagement as opposed to passive viewership, became Facebook’s new gold standard. But try as they might, many companies struggled as they saw their organic reach continue to drop. That’s been happening for years, but in 2018, Facebook made it clear that this was by design.

Learning disabilities don’t mean I’m stupid

Amy Temple Education

I have lived with learning disabilities for over 30 years now and not once have I wished to be anything other than who I am. I have dealt with "medical professionals" who told my parents that I wouldn't amount to much because of my learning disabilities. In a nutshell, I wasn't going to be worth anything! I have dealt with potential employers who have not been too sure of how to treat me when discovering my condition. I remember one in particular who was very hesitant in taking my resume.

Living the association’s values

Robert C. Harris Association Management

Boards frequently adopt values. Values are the guiding principles that are intended to frame discussions, decisions and events. Often the process of adoption is only a perfunctory step in strategic planning; like updating the mission or adding a vision. Once adopted, the values remain buried in the strategic plan report. They are seldom referenced at board meetings. If you ask a board if it has values, the room may go silent.

The future of analytics: 6 predictions

Dr. Beverly Wright Business Management, Services & Risk Management

Analytics have become an important part of the decision-making process for many companies in the past few decades, particularly with corporations using data assets as a core competency and point of origin. My work in the past few decades in the data and analysis field has brought forward six predicted trends to watch for in the near future.

Industries