EDITION 737
29 OCTOBER 2018

As another week slips by, here are 10 things which caught my attention and may have escaped yours. This newsletter is sent to 50,000+ subscribers each Monday. Please share on social media and forward to your colleagues and friends so they can subscribe, learn and engage. I'd be very grateful if you did.

1. How to manage people who are smarter than you. The best managers hire smart people to work for them. But what if your direct reports are smarter than you? How do you manage people who have more experience or knowledge? [READ MORE] 
    

2. A question of time. The EU – which stipulates that member states should put their clocks forward on the last Sunday in March and back on the last Sunday in October – is planning to end daylight saving time across the bloc. The decision follows a consultation during which 84% of 4.6 million respondents supported the proposal. The European Commission has given member states until April 2019 to decide whether they wish to remain permanently on summer or wintertime. Britain – assuming it leaves the EU on 29 March 2019 – will not be affected. Wikipedia
    

3. Another referendum preferred to no deal. Given a choice between a Brexit no deal and a second referendum, 43% of voters would prefer a referendum and 38% would choose to leave the EU without a deal. If there were to be a second referendum and a majority voted to remain in the EU, only 16% of voters think this would settle the issue for the foreseeable future; 31% say they think people would campaign for a third referendum and 31% say they think the outcome would lead to civil unrest. The Times
    

4. Spain to top longevity chart. Japan has long enjoyed the longest life expectancy of any country, but it may soon lose its crown to Spain (currently ranked fifth). A new report by the Global Burden of Disease study predicts that by 2040, life expectancy in Spain will have risen from 82.9 to 85.8; during the same period, Japan’s is expected to rise only from 83.7 to 85.7. The forecast is partly based on extrapolating from recent trends, but also factors in “drivers” of health, such as smoking, diet, sanitation and income. The UK is predicted to rise from 26th to 23rd place (with life expectancy increasing from 80.8 to 83.3) and the US to fall 20 places, from 43rd to 64th. The Independent
    

5. Bad week for merriment. Christmas dinner will be much more expensive this year. The wholesale price of potatoes has risen 186%, and sprouts will cost a third more thanks to icy weather earlier this year. Turkeys are expected to be 6% dearer owing to higher grain prices, while wine is already 10% more expensive this year – before any extra duty is added in the Autumn Budget which the chancellor will announce today. The Times
    

6. People who eat organic 25% less likely to get cancer. A study of almost 70,000 adults has found that people who eat organic fruit and vegetables are 25% less likely to develop cancer than those who do not, according to researchers at Paris University. The scientists believe that pesticide residues in conventional products are to blame. However, critics argue that the link may not be causal, as the organic consumers may be better off and healthy for other reasons. Daily Mail
    

7. An achievement worth celebrating? The Royal Mint is bringing out a special £5 coin to celebrate Prince Charles’s 70th birthday next month. Cynics ask what he’s done to deserve having his 70th birthday marked, but they miss the point. Three score years and ten has always been the lifetime of the average person. To not only reach that age, but also accrue £300m on the way, while waiting to start the only job you’re going to get in life, is a miraculous achievement. The Express
    

8. Depression overtakes obesity on GP records. Depression has overtaken obesity on GP records for the first time. One in ten patients has had depression diagnosed, according to official figures. The British Medical Association said that the data showed "the rising burden of mental health" and highlights "how the increasing demand for services is outstripping the resources required to provide effective care that patients need". The Times
    

9. Google handles more than 40,000 searches per second. There are nearly two billion websites in existence, but most are hardly ever visited. The top 0.1% attract more than half of all traffic. Most consumer traffic is video. In Britain, 95% of people are online; in China, 60% are; in Somalia, under 2% are. The Guardian
    

10. The bottom line. British pop singer Ed Sheeran grossed $213.9m in the first half of this year through his concert tours, according to concert-industry trade publication Pollstar. American singer Bruno Mars was the second- highest-grossing with $113.4m. Metro