EDITION 797
23 DECEMBER 2019

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 create a new leadership vision. As the 2019 draws to a close, now is the time to clarify and refine your leadership vision. This requires both articulating your values and re-examining your goals for the future. READ MORE>>

2.  The new parliament. More than a third of MPs - 220 out of 650 - are now women. For the first time, more than half of Labour MPs are female: 104 out of 203. About 22% of MPs were elected for the first time and the median number of years MPs have sat is four. There are over 50 LGBT MPs - making ours the “gayest Parliament in the world”, as the Sunday Times put it. A record 10% of MPs are from BAME backgrounds. The Sunday Times

3.  Brexit and the NHS ruled the Queen’s speech. Brexit and the NHS dominated the Queen's Speech at the reopening of parliament. The speech set out the Conservative government's agenda, stating that its priority is the UK's departure from the EU on 31 January. It also highlighted a commitment to extra NHS funding – a £33.9bn cash increase by 2023-4, to be precise – and a new counter-terrorism bill. This bill would create tougher sentences for terrorist offenders, including a 14-year minimum term for the worst offenders. BBC

4.  What to do when you’re overthinking. On stressful days, an offhand remark or a curt message from a co-worker can easily set us into a spiral of negative thinking. This is especially the case for those who identify as highly sensitive. Thankfully, there are many ways to stop this kind of thought process in its tracks. One method we recommend to our mentoring clients is the "rule of five." When you're overthinking, turn to your hand and list five alternative ways to view what's going on. The method helps remind us that the worst interpretation of a situation is not the only interpretation out there. READ MORE>>

5.  UK employment hits record high. Employment in the UK unexpectedly hit a new record high in the three months to October, according to new stats from the ONS. Employers kept on hiring in the lead-up to the previous October Brexit deadline, resulting in the number of people in work rising by 24,000 over the quarter. However, there are strong indicators that the UK's jobs boom is "slowly losing momentum" with firms cutting back on new hires as they find it more difficult to find the skills they need. BBC

6.  Gender gap to close in 100 years. The UK has slipped six places in global rankings for gender equality across politics, economics, health and education. The World Economic Forum (WEF) placed the UK 15th last year, but 21st this year, and said the nation performed poorly because of the lack of representation of women in politics, plus the fact that men are, on average, paid a lot more than women. The WEF said that, at the present rate of change, it would take 100 years to close the global gender gap. The Guardian

7.  How much should bosses be paid? The boss of British gambling firm Bet365, Denise Coates, has received a £323m pay packet, which equates to £1.3m for every working day last year. This, once again, makes her the nation's best-paid executive, with her pay sitting at around 9,500 times the average UK salary. The news has sparked debate over how much bosses should earn and whether their pay should be linked to company performance. Tesla CEO Elon Musk, for example, has a compensation agreement that means he'll earn a massive payday if the electric car-maker achieves some eye-watering stock-price and financial goals. The Times

8.  What makes a good boss? A bad boss can wreak havoc on an organisation, with half of all employees saying they've left a company because of one, according to our latest survey. So what does it take to be a good boss? Our study asked workers to rank their leaders in 10 key areas. While bosses didn’t have to reach a perfect score to avoid being labeled "bad bosses," they had to do well in at least some measures, such as feedback, respect, support and praise. Among "bad bosses," a lack of competence was one of the biggest issues. askten

9.  What were the hot topics on Twitter in 2019? As 2019 draws to a close, few would dispute that the last 12 months have been a hell of a journey, both in Britain and across the world. Social media has been a companion to many people as they digest and debate global events, but what have been the hottest topics on the social networking site this year? Not in any order; they were: Game of Thrones [television], The Avengers: Endgame [movies], Tom Holland [actors], BTS [musicians], Brexit [news], Donald Trump [politicians]. BBC

10. The bottom line. The UK is planning to spend £26.9bn on Christmas presents this year, according to a leading personal finance comparison website. Around 60% of us are planning on cutting our spending, and around 50% are expected to spend £250 or less. The average adult will spend £512.85. Evening Standard