Serenity.
The deadline is invaluable to productivity, focus and communication -- which makes a deadline key to successful strategy. With a deadline, we are able to channel our energy, work together to remember purpose, and confirm what we have promised. When we are over-extended, it is the deadline that brings clarity through priorities. While it is easy to succumb to feelings of pressure, being serene is the best practice for a new project or a new year. We can use our deadlines to take us in this new direction.
Venice, c. 1903. Henri Edmond Cross. Watercolor over black chalk. Ailsa Mellon Bruce Collection, National Gallery of Art.
Developing a resilient, adaptable workforce for an uncertain future
McKinsey: Human beings have a natural affinity for order, predictability, and control. They will do everything they can to avoid chaos, uncertainty, and volatility. Research shows that when the path forward is unclear, and time and performance pressures are the same (or increasing), teams and individuals often default to what they already know—regardless of whether that approach is appropriate for the given situation.
A Venetian dream
Scarlet Conlon: “The likes of Marco Polo would leave women in charge while they went on trade missions lasting for years; one reason why women in Venice were more privileged and powerful than anywhere else,” he [Griffiths] wrote in his show notes (which he always pens himself). “La Serenissima is frequently represented as ‘woman’, embodying justice, harmony, power, progress, loyalty and grace.
Nine traditional New Year's foods to eat for good luck
Grace Mannon: All over the world, people eat different foods on New Year's to bring good luck in the coming months.