EDITION 796
16 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 write a better CV. The New Year often inspires people to update their CV. But dusting off your old one and adding new bullet points is the wrong way to go. Start afresh with these tips in mind. MORE>>

2.  The term “prime minister” started out as an insult. When it was first used, “prime minister” was a term of mockery and abuse. It implied that an individual had risen above others in the royal circle inappropriately – a bit like calling someone a “teacher’s pet” today. But over the years it’s come to be an official title. BBC 

3.  10 Downing Street used to have a different number on the door. The country’s most famous address hasn’t always been called 10 Downing Street. When the property was first offered to Prime Minister Robert Walpole by the King, it was known as number five Downing Street – but the door numbers have since been rearranged. Walpole’s official title at the time, “First Lord of the Treasury” (a role still held by the prime minister today), is still inscribed on 10 Downing Street’s letterbox. BBC

4.  Boris Johnson ‘to sack one-third of cabinet’. Boris Johnson, who returned to power with whopping 80-seat majority, will sack up to one-third of his cabinet as part of his plans to run a “revolutionary” government that will also see Whitehall departments abolished and civil servants replaced by external experts. The prime minister says he will enshrine into law increases in spending on the NHS in England. The Times

5.  What we get wrong about burnout. Burnout exacts a painful toll on society. In the UK, work-related stress results in £100 million in health costs and close and more than 10 million work-days lost to stress. Yet when it comes to addressing these issues, we have it backwards. Many approach the problem by recommending individual workers change their behaviour: take a yoga class, meditate, etc. Instead, business leaders may need to change how their organisations operate. One great way to start? Ask employees what small changes will help them most. askten

6.  Time’s youngest person of the year. Greta Thunberg has been named Time Person of the Year. The 16-year-old environmentalist is the youngest recipient ever of the magazine's award. Thunberg represents a broader trend of young people pushing for change, said Time Editor-in-Chief Edward Felsenthal on NBC's "Today" show. This year’s finalists included the Hong Kong protesters, President Trump, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the anonymous whistleblower whose complaint started the impeachment inquiry. Time

7.  How strong teams handle failure. Amid uncertainty and risk, it's all but inevitable that at least some of our best-planned efforts will fall short. In those cases, strong teams stand to benefit by knowing how to improvise as a group. Improvisation is no simple feat, but it can be taught. Teams that improvise well together treat errors as learning opportunities. They also have a very clear understanding of each team member's special knowledge and strengths. Such skills don't guarantee success, but they certainly can't hurt. The Conversation

8.  Mulling an office romance? Don’t. In an age of heightened awareness around sexual harassment and misconduct, office romance can be tricky. But for senior leaders, companies increasingly have the same message: Just don’t do it. Companies have taken to policing romance in the workplace in an effort to save themselves from liability if the flame burns out. Mark Wiseman, a potential successor to BlackRock’s chief executive, is the latest high-level boss to be ousted in a string of executive firings over relationships at work. Wall Street Journal

9.  Do foods need an exercise warning. Would you walk away from a chocolate-laden afternoon snack if you knew you had to run for 5km to work it off? A new study suggests adding small symbols to food and drink labels to show how much exercise would be needed to negate the calorie intake will help people to make healthier choices. Researchers say this extra labelling may help to prevent over-eating and encourage food producers to make products with fewer calories. Worldwide obesity has nearly tripled since 1975, according to the World Health Organisation. The Guardian

10. The bottom line. What's your top tip for improving your productivity or professional life? That's one of the questions we often get asked as each year draws to a close. Virgin Group founder Richard Branson says: "Make sure you plan exercise into your day, every day. If you're fit and healthy, you'll be more productive – it's that simple." What’s yours? Let us know, and we’ll publish the top ten best ideas in the New Year. CONTACT>>