EDITION 922
6 JUNE 2022

There is no escaping it: too much news is bad for you. It should come with a government health warning: “This intellectual diet is fine taken in small doses, and preferably in weekly instalments, via a well-balanced newsletter, such as 10 things from William Montgomery."

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.

William Montgomery
Editor and CEO of TEN

1. How to overcome your blind spots. We all have blind spots – otherwise known as cognitive biases – but how can we overcome weaknesses which, by definition, we’re unaware of? Start by recognising that full self-awareness lies at the core of great leadership and take steps to remove your blinders. To counter the effects of two of the most common biases, use these tactics: READ MORE

2. Leadership lesson from a younger me. The Platinum Jubilee Celebrations this past weekend got me thinking about how you spend your time in your 20s can greatly influence your future. Here are some things I had learned by the age of 26 [the age the Queen was when she ascended the throne]: [1] Be financially independent. [2] Know that you don’t know it all. Keep learning. [3] Identify true friends and get rid of people who will abandon you in your bad times. [4] Keep yourself busy and life won’t get boring. [5] Another person’s success is not your failure. What lessons did you learn from your early working years? CONTACT US

3. 70 years of house price growth. Back in 1952, when the Queen ascended the throne and Nationwide helpfully began its house price index, the average UK home cost £1,891. The index’s latest average is £260,771 – 139 times the 1952 level. This remarkable rise, fuelled by the greater availability of mortgages and inadequate housing supply, has had a huge social impact. In the 1950s and 1960s, people did not need mega City salaries to live in style. Teachers, civil servants and other professionals could do so. Then housing pulled away. Editor

4. Perks and thanks should be personal. While the corporate world is stepping up its perks offering to retain talent, recent research shows that when it comes to recognition - less is more. Personal and unexpected gestures of appreciation can have an outsized effect on employee satisfaction, team camaraderie, and loyalty to the company.  The lesson to managers? Next time you want to celebrate achievements and boost morale remember that a hand-written note can mean more than your latest virtual high-fives platform or a company-wide retreat. The Economist.

5. Why workers consider quitting. The Great Reshuffle isn’t slowing down anytime soon, according to a new PwC survey of more than 52,000 global workers. It found that one in five workers are likely to switch jobs in the coming year. A whopping 71% cited higher pay as one of the most important reasons to consider the change, with separate research showing that job hoppers’ salaries are 7% higher on average. But more money isn’t the only thing driving workers away - survey respondents were almost just as likely to cite more intangible motivators, like finding work fulfilling (69%) and the ability to be yourself on the job (66%). That’s more important than higher autonomy, like choosing when (50%) and where (47%) to work. CNBC

6. A storm of bankruptcies expected. Experts have warned that a “storm” of bankruptcies is on the horizon. During the first three months of the year, around 137,000 businesses closed their doors for good in the UK, a jump of nearly a quarter on the same period in 2021, and there were also nearly 5,000 voluntary insolvencies in England and Wales – the highest level since the Insolvency Service launched its survey in 1960. The Telegraph

7. Millions have long Covid in UK. Two million adults in the UK are suffering from long Covid, according to official data. The Office for National Statistics estimates that 3.1% of the population have lingering and often debilitating symptoms, including 376,000 people who have had symptoms for at least two years since first catching Covid-19. Fatigue was reported by more than half of people with long Covid, with other commonly reported symptoms including shortness of breath, a cough and muscle aches. Daily Mail

8. Coffee habit ‘could extend life’. A moderate coffee habit could cut the risk of early death by up to 31%, according to new research. A study of more than 171,000 Brits found that those who enjoy a couple of cups of coffee per day live longer than non-drinkers. The research team, from Southern Medical University in Guangzhou, China, said chemical compounds found in coffee are understood to have a variety of effects likely to boost health, including reducing inflammation, aiding metabolism and improving insulin sensitivity. Daily Express

9. Queen’s tree scheme criticised. Campaigners said that the Queen’s new tree planting initiative has been sponsored by companies with links to deforestation. The Green Canopy scheme has asked people across the country to “plant a tree for the jubilee” in honour of the Queen’s 70 years on the throne. However, the initiative’s “platinum” sponsors include McDonald’s, which has been linked to deforestation in Brazil, and Coutts, which campaigners accuse of profiting from deforestation. “It’s an insult to the volunteers taking part to use their efforts to greenwash the reputations of companies that drive deforestation across the world,” said Greenpeace UK. The Guardian

10. The bottom line. Do you know how many foreign citizens were offered visas to live here last year? This may surprise Brexit voters, but the answer is just over a million. Furthermore, it’s est­imated that we’ll need to build 2,100 new houses a week to accommodate the six million increase in people predicted over the next 20 years. Editor