Hi,
I’m writing this while eating a Jolly Rancher. Do you have a favorite flavor of these little suckers? I’m on Team Blueberry. Watermelon is a close second. But I guess there are more important things to share today, so here are the notes for this week:
- Can you really catch up on sleep? These experts say you can, but it’s not as easy as sleeping in on the weekend.
- Is “quiet thriving” the antidote to quiet quitting? It’s what I used to do before I became the boss, especially the job crafting part. Come to think of it, that’s how I became the boss. 😉
- Four experts weigh in on the challenges facing leaders as we try to staff to manage and grow our organizations and ask if we’re being innovative enough to attract the right talent. Great insights, across several categories–here you go, via Harvard Business Review.
- And on that ivy league trail, this is a “big thinking” piece on ESG (environment, social, and governance) and how it benefits investors from Wharton Magazine.
Noteworthy 🖋
Thnks
Not a typo, Thnks is a company that caught my attention when Sean Mahoney of Invisibly, a new connection, sent me a drink and sandwich from Starbucks. But he sent them as a code I could use at any Starbucks, or (and this is what got me to pay attention) I could click to donate the cash value of the gift to a charity. Intrigued, I got a demo from Jeremy Kopcsik at Thnks and I was sold on the spot. I can’t wait to start using this for my team and my company.
Thnks lets its clients send thoughtful gestures of appreciation from their devices to anyone. So if one of your teammates just shared a hack with you, send them a Thnks. If you have a new client who mentioned their train was delayed, send them an Uber. Have a prospect in Italy? Yeah, it works internationally too. It’s personalized, seamless, and provides dashboards of data so you can keep track of how well it’s working for you.
Seriously, this is a wonderful way to say thank you and incredibly cost-effective. Reach out to Jeremy for a demo if you want to learn more and experience the wow factor first hand. You can tell him Niki said Thnks is truly Noteworthy!
Do Good Spotlight
🌟 Solar Cookers International 🌟
So what the heck are solar cookers? According to their website, “3 in 7 people lack sustainable fuel to cook meals and make water safe to drink.” Solution: Solar Cookers International provides cookers that use the power of the sun to purify water and cook food. Check them out: Solar Cookers International.
- Are you a visual or textual thinker? How about your team members, do you know? This from The New Yorker may provide insights to help with your team communications in ways you haven’t even thought of yet.
- Are you flexible? I don’t mean open-minded. If you’re reading Niki’s Notes, open-minded is probably your middle name! No, I mean physically flexible. If you’re not sure, or if you want validation that you’re rocking it, either way, Hilary Achauer has a test for you in the NY Times.
I hope I’ve turned you onto some great content this week. Keep your eyes on the prize, and make sure to take care of your team (and yourself) while you’re at it. Have a great rest of the week, and enjoy the weekend too.
