EDITION 1028
15 JULY 2024

England's decades-long wait for a first major men's trophy since 1966 goes on after it was beaten 2-1 by Spain in the Euro 2024 final at Berlin's famous Olympiastadion. "Heartbreak, again," says the iPaper. "The lions weep tonight," is Metro's headline. The Mirror says the team were "shattered." In a more positive message, the Daily Express tells the team that they "did us proud". Along that theme, this week’s Weekly Wisdom is taken from a presentation I am scheduled to give tomorrow to year-10 students.

So, as another week slips by, here are 10 things which caught my attention and may have escaped yours. Please feel free to share on social media and forward to your colleagues and friends so they can also subscribe, learn and engage. I would be very grateful if you did.

Before you dive in, remember our POTENTIAL workbook [see below] is on offer for only £99. This unique workbook will help guide your organisation to its highest potential. Contact us today to start your transformation.

William Montgomery
Editor and CEO of TEN

1. How to lead with immediate effect. A common misconception many people hold is that being manager automatically makes you a leader – it doesn’t. Many also believe they must wait until they have direct reports to lead – this is also untrue. To become a leader, don't wait for the fancy title or the corner office. Here are three things you can do now, even if someone else is calling the shots. READ MORE

2. Business confidence edges higher. Business confidence improved slightly during the second quarter of 2024, according to a new survey. A total of 58 per cent of the firms that responded to the British Chamber of Commerce’s (BCC) quarterly economic survey expected to record a jump in turnover over the next year. That figure was up from 56 per cent in the first quarter. Just under a third of firms expected no change over the coming year while only 13 per cent expected turnover to fall. The slight improvement in confidence came as firms reported an improving sales picture. 38 per cent of firms said they had seen an increase in sales over the previous quarter, up from 36 per cent in the first quarter. CityAM

3. New four-day week pilot planned. With more and more EU countries reporting favourable results from four-day week trials, most recently Portugal, a new four-day week pilot project is due to launch in the UK in November. It will aim to incorporate a range of flexible working options, such as moveable start and finish times, compressed hours, and nine-day fortnights. In the first British pilot in 2022, 61 companies took part, with 54 of them continuing the setup 18 months later. In another recent British trial at South Cambridgeshire District Council, fewer refuse collectors quit their job, calls were answered, and planning decisions were taken more quickly. The Guardian

4. House sales rise 15% on 2023. Agreed house sales over the past month have leapt by 15% compared with this time last year, according to Rightmove. Britain's biggest property website said the number of sales being agreed was "encouraging" and that homebuyers had largely ignored the "distractions" of the general election and the Euro 2024 football tournament. Buyers are motivated by the anticipation of "game-changing" interest rate cuts they hope could come as early as August. The UK’s biggest lender Halifax has reduced its mortgage rates by up to 0.13% while Barclays cut rates by up to 0.33%, offering the cheapest five-year fixed-rate mortgage at 4.08%. The Telegraph

5. What do you get up to working from home? According to survey conducted for The Times, more than 80% of British staff who sometimes work from home say they watch television while technically working, chalking up an average of two hours a day. Come Dine with Me, Homes Under the Hammer and Loose Women are among the most watched shows. Let us know what you get up to when working from home. VOTE HERE

6. How the UK's millionaire ratio compares. For many of us, having millions in the bank is a dream – but for some lucky individuals, that financial fantasy is a reality. Credit Suisse expects there to be 86 million millionaires across the globe by 2027. While cushioned from the worst effects of Brexit and COVID, the Britain's millionaire population has still taken a hit: just 4.8% of British adults (2,556,000 people) have seven figures to their name. Comparatively, 5.6% of France are millionaires, Belgium [5.9], Sweden [5.9], Canada [6.6], Singapore [6.7]. New Zealand [7.0], Denmark [8/0], Norway [8.2], Netherlands [8.6], USA [9.0], Australia [9.4] and Switzerland [15.6]. Yahoo

7. Sugar intake drops after tax. Adult sugar intake in the UK fell by two-and-a-half teaspoons a day, while children's dropped by one teaspoon a day in the year following the implementation of the sugar tax in 2018. That's equivalent to a drop of 5g for children and 11g for adults. At least 11 countries in Europe have imposed a variety of taxes on sugar-sweetened drinks, including France, Ireland and Spain. Over the 11 years, UK children went from consuming 70g a day to around 45g, while adults' intake dropped from 60g to 45g a day. The levy may have contributed to a reduction in tooth decay in children, and in obesity among pre-teen girls by up to 5,000 cases a year, research has found. The Times

8. Past year warmest on record. Global temperatures have been more than 1.5C above the pre-industrial average for the past year, according to the Copernicus Climate Change Service. Between July 2023 and June 2024, temperatures were the highest on record, with a global average of 1.64C above that set between 1850 and 1900. Ireland, most of the UK, southern Italy and much of eastern Europe were drier than usual in June, while Iceland, Germany, France, Switzerland and other parts of Italy saw high rainfall and some flooding. World leaders agreed in 2015 to work to limit global warming to 1.5C above the pre-industrial average. The result from the past year does not mean this aim has failed, as it is assessed in trends across decades. However new records are likely to be broken in the coming years, the Copernicus Service said. The Independent

9. More people turning away from news. More people are turning away from news, describing it as depressing, relentless and boring, a global study suggests. Almost four in 10 (39%) people worldwide said they sometimes or often actively avoid the news, compared with 29% in 2017, according to the report by Oxford University's Reuters Institute. Wars in Ukraine and the Middle East may have contributed to people's desire to switch off the news, the report's authors said. It said that news avoidance is now at record high levels. A total of 94,943 adults across 47 countries were surveyed by YouGov for this year's Digital News Report. It comes at a time when billions of people around the world have been going to the polls in national and regional elections. BBC

10. The bottom line. 44% of adults have a favourable view of Keir Starmer, up eight points since the election. 47% have an unfavourable view, a fall of seven points. YouGov