EDITION 862
29 MARCH 2021

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 at 10am. Please share on social media and forward to your colleagues and friends so they can subscribe, learn and engage. I would be very grateful if you did.

1. How to boost employee engagement. If you can increase the level of engagement in your organisation, you'll likely see the productivity of your workforce rise, too. The good news is that almost any organisation can foster greater engagement if leaders adopted a few simple strategies. READ MORE

2. PM warning as lockdown eased. Two households or groups of up to six people are now permitted to meet outside again as the stay-at-home order in England comes to an end. Outdoor sport facilities including tennis courts and golf courses are also reopening, and weddings are allowed again. On the eve of the change in rules, Boris Johnson warned that “everyone must continue to stick to the rules, remember hands, face, space, and come forward for a vaccine when called”. BBC

3. Public support for Covid inquiry. An ICM poll has revealed that 47% of UK adults think there should be a public inquiry into the Government’s handling of the pandemic, with legal powers to compel people to give evidence under oath.18% are opposed to the idea. For those wanting an inquiry, the most pressing line of enquiry is the Government’s preparedness for a pandemic. The Guardian

4. Don’t let ageism impact recruitment. Losing your job is never easy - but when it happens to you in midlife, re-entering the workforce can feel particularly challenging. The Covid-19 pandemic has seen an increase in redundancies, leaving people in their 50s and older entering a competitive job market in the later stage of their careers. Research from the Centre for Ageing Better shows that 36% of jobseekers aged 50-69 think their age disadvantages them at every stage of the recruitment process. Daily Mail

5. Leading when you’re not the leader. You don't need a fancy title to have an impact. Sometimes it's not about necessarily having the authority, but instead it's about influence and persuasion. If you have your team's best interest at heart, and you can inspire individuals to act, that makes you a leader, not the title you hold. Here are a few more ways for you to lead from outside the leadership circle: [1] Be brave and have the courage to act; [2] Keep focused on the work at hand; [3] Consider both the little and big picture; [4] Elevate others. The key skillsets of influence and persuasion are covered in detail during 10/10, our government supported leadership development and mentoring programme. LEARN MORE

6. The hidden power of ambiverts. While it sometimes appears that extroverts make better leaders, research has shown that "ambiverts" - those who have qualities of both introverts and extroverts — are most equipped to succeed. Leadership requires moments of listening and reflection, along with moments of enthusiasm and boldness. But how do you develop both qualities at once? A report in BBC Worklife says knowing where you fall on the spectrum is key before then taking steps to become more of the other. Also, finding a role model to mimic can help you improve your weaker side. READ MORE

7. Turning fits the bill. WWII code-breaker and mathematician Alan Turing has been immortalised on the Bank of England’s new £50 banknote, unveiled on Thursday. The design features an image of Turing, mathematical formulae, technical drawings for the machines used to decipher the Enigma code and a quote about the rise of machine intelligence. The polymer note will be in circulation from June 23, Turing’s birthday, and is the last to switch from paper notes. Turing was convicted of gross indecency in 1952 for having sex with a man, a charge pardoned posthumously in 2013. The Times

8. How migration shifted in 12 months. After a year of upheaval due to both the pandemic and Brexit, the labour market has seen big changes. The UK has seen more workers leave for the EU than arrive from there over the past year, a trend that accelerated after the March lockdown. While Australia was formerly the top destination country for people leaving the UK, the past year has seen Germany take that slot. Arrivals from the rest of the world were a net positive over the course of the year, particularly in the software and healthcare sectors. Office for National Statistics

9. A job fit for a Prince. Prince Harry has landed a job as a senior executive at a $1bn Silicon Valley start-up which offers professional coaching to individuals and businesses. The precise nature of his role at the San Francisco based company BetterUp has not been disclosed, but his job title is Chief Impact Officer. Metro

10. The bottom line. Last week, 53% of workers travelled to their place of employment at least once, the highest proportion since official figures started being compiled last June. The Times