Volume 22 No. 10
March 6, 2015
feeling old? it might all be in your mind
Researchers believe that the signs of aging can be reduced or even reversed if people have the right attitude. One team put a group of elderly men in a simulated 1950s environment, complete with midcentury movies and news broadcasts. After five days, the men looked younger and had better eyesight, better posture, and increased flexibility and dexterity. The men "put their mind in an earlier time," explains researcher Ellen Langer. The New York Times (tiered subscription model) (10/22)

 

stop trying to do 2 things at once
It's time for workplaces to take a stand against the "persistent myth" that people have a limitless ability to attend to multiple things, writes Daniel Levitin in this book excerpt. The truth is that when we juggle multiple tasks, our productivity plummets, as does the quality of our work. The smartest leaders "are those that allow their employees productivity hours, naps, a chance for exercise, and a calm, tranquil, orderly environment in which to do their work," Levitin writes. Strategy+Business online (free registration) (10/20) 

take a dive into the "discomfort zone"
Leaders need to be willing to enter the "discomfort zone" and have awkward or unpleasant conversations, writes Karin Hurt. Only by explaining problems can you help employees to overcome them, Hurt explains. "Know that this will be uncomfortable and that there may be an initial negative reaction. That doesn't mean you aren't helping, or they won't be grateful later," she writes. Let's Grow Leaders (10/15)
7 approaches to communication
There are seven major approaches to communication, and most people are proficient in more than one, writes Robert Keteyian. Identifying your preferred style is a first step toward honing your communication skills. "Knowing how your strengths -- and challenges -- stack up gives you insight and an awareness to guide you in having more successful conversations," Keteyian writes. Fast Company online (10/21)
avoid early-morning e-mails
Avoid checking e-mail first thing in the morning because it can bog you down with nonurgent tasks, writes Robin Madell. Rather, spend a few minutes the day before writing your to-do list for the following day. Get to your desk in the morning, look over your to-do list and get started on the first task, she suggests. U.S. News & World Report/On Careers blog (10/14)



EDUCATIONAL & NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES

VNAA Annual Conference
New Orleans, LA
April 20-22, 2015

FOR MORE INFO 

NAHC 2015 Financial Management Conference & Exposition
Nashville, TN
June 28-30, 2015

FOR MORE INFO 

CAHSAH Annual
Palm Springs, CA
May 19-21, 2015

FOR MORE INFO 

NAHC Annual
Nashville, TN
October 28 - 30, 2015





 
THOUGHT PROVOKING QUOTES
"A good plan is like a road map: It shows the final destination and usually the best way to get there."   - H. Stanley Judd

"I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past."   - Thomas Jefferson

"Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do." - John Wooden

"If you could only sense how important you are to the lives of those you meet; how important you can be to the people you may never even dream of.  There is something of ourself that you leave at every meeting with another person."  - Fred Rogers

"Chance favors the prepared mind."  - Louis Pasteur

"Adversity has the effect of eliciting talents, which in prosperous circumstances would have lain dormant."  - Horace

"Very often a change of self is needed more than a change of scene." - Arthur Christopher Benson

"One isn't necessarily born with courage, but one is born with potential.  Without courage, we cannot practice any other virtue with consistency.  We can't be kind, true, merciful, generous, or honest." - Maya Angelou