EDITION 741
26 NOVEMBER 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 give feedback when it’s now wanted. It’s important to give feedback to team members. But what should you do when an employee gets defensive? Leaders in these situations may want to take a break from giving performance-related feedback and try giving feedback based more closely on how the employee receives it. Here’s how to get started: [LEARN MORE]
    
2. Business investment at lowest since the crash. Business investment in the UK has sunk to its worst period since the financial crisis. As concern grows that leaving the European Union will cause lasting damage for the economy, corporate spending on machinery, buildings and research has fallen in three consecutive quarters. David Blanchflower, formerly of the Bank of England, says: “The forecasts for the UK economy are horrible.” The Guardian
    
3. Toxic is the word of the year. Oxford Dictionaries has chosen “toxic” as its word of the year, meaning it’s the one that best reflects the “ethos, mood or preoccupations” of 2018. “Toxic” now crops up to describe everything from workplaces to relationships, as well as in phrases like “toxic masculinity”. “The sheer scope of its application in 2018 made ‘toxic’ the standout choice,” the company said. The Guardian
    
4. Dramatic rise in young people suffering strokes. The number of young people suffering strokes is “rising dramatically”, according to a charity. The Stroke Association says the average age of stroke victims is falling. It predicts the number of 45-year-olds and above being affected will increase by 59% by 2035. Around 40,000 people died of a stroke in the UK in 2015. Sky
    
5. Bad leaders drive away good people. Bad leaders drive away good people, and hold teams back from achieving what they otherwise could. So why, then, don't organisations put more of an emphasis on training people to be better leaders?[READ AGAIN]
    
6. At least 320,000 homeless in UK, says Shelter. The number of homeless people in the UK has increased to at least 320,000, according to charity Shelter. That represents a 4% increase on last year’s figures - equivalent to 36 people becoming homeless every day. The situation is at worst in London, but there has also been rapid growth in homelessness in the Midlands, Yorkshire, Humber, and northwest England. BBC
    
7. Two thirds of bank branches have closed in 30 years. The number of bank branches that have closed in the UK over the last 30 years amounts to 12,997, according to research carried out by consumer organisation Which? That’s 64% of the total that existed in 1988. There are now just 7,586 left. BBC
    
8. Fiona Bruce could be next Question Time host. The BBC is considering appointing Fiona Bruce, newsreader and Antiques Roadshow presenter, as the only woman to chair Question Time since the flagship politics show was first aired in 1979. Bruce was considered an outside bet when David Dimbleby, now 80, announced in June that he was planning to step down before 2019. The Independent
    
9. Police unveil new super strength camera. The police unveiled their latest weapon – a super-powerful mobile speed camera that can produce clear footage of drivers texting, tailgating or speeding from more than half a mile away. The Long Ranger is currently being tested in Gloucestershire. Daily Mail
    
10. The bottom line. The cost of a “quickie” divorce at the Co-op is just £300, a saving of £1,200 on the average legal bill. Co-op Legal Services says its new digital offering means a split can be finalised in two months, down from the usual 12. The cost does not include court fees of £550. Metro