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Today’s work environment is more challenging than ever. With layoffs, the uncertainty that comes from the intrusion of AI, and changing codes of conduct, tempers are bound to flare up. Insults may follow. If you are a recipient of one of the six following insults, here’s how you can best respond. 1. SHOUTING AT YOU Suppose you are in a meeting and your boss shouts at you, for example: “You didn’t hear me. I said we’d save that discussion for next time.” Don’t answer that rudeness with your own anger. That would only make things worse. Instead, respond to the substance of his words. You might say “Fine, we’ll postpone the discussion.” The point is to detach your…

Want more housing market stories from Lance Lambert’s ResiClub in your inbox? Subscribe to the ResiClub newsletter. Today, institutional landlords—those owning more than 1,000 homes—remain a relatively small part of the national single-family housing market. They own less than 1.0% of the total U.S. single-family housing stock and have accounted for only about 0.3% of transactions over the past three years. Yet, two decades ago, they didn’t even really exist. When Blackstone began buying single-family rentals in 2011, there wasn’t a single firm that owned at least 1,000 U.S. single-family homes. By late 2016, Blackstone’s fund, Invitation Homes—which the firm late…

Retirement should feel liberating rather than terrifying. But when an egg-salad sandwich costs more than your first bicycle, the stock market is making like Tom Petty, and economists are bending themselves into pretzels to avoid saying the word “recession,” retirement can feel hazardous to your financial health. In a perfect world, everyone would retire into a robust economy. But since we live in this world, there’s no way of knowing in advance if your timing is right. Retiring during a downturn may not be ideal, but there are several ways to manage it. Here’s how you can survive and thrive if you retire when the market is tanking. Know your retirement risks …

On the morning of January 14, 2025, just hours before my stress test during an annual physical, I received devastating news from a colleague at a global financial institution. A 45-year-old Black man, a highly respected managing director at our firm, had unexpectedly died from a heart ailment. While texts of grief poured in from mourning colleagues throughout the day, I was struck by a sobering realization. I had become disturbingly accustomed to hearing such tragic news about successful Black men in professional circles. Just a few months earlier, another industry peer—the first Black chief information officer of a major U.S. bank—suffered a debilitating stroke that …

When I first entered the workforce, my mantra was simple: Do whatever it takes. So when I was organizing and running programming for an event early in my career and the need for visitor transportation came up, I didn’t hesitate. That’s how I ended up behind the wheel of a 12-person Sprinter van—doing pickups, drop-offs, and general schlepping in between running the actual event. Saying yes to every extra task doesn’t make you indispensable. It makes you exhausted. And worse, it raises the question of your value as an employee. Are you just duct tape slapped over a leak when needed, or is there real substance and strategy to your role in the organization? A str…

Below, Dr. Sunita Sah shares five key insights from her new book, Defy: The Power of No in a World That Demands Yes. Sah is a physician-turned-organizational psychologist. She teaches business and healthcare students at Cornell University and Cambridge University, and served as commissioner on the National Commission of Forensic Science. What’s the big idea? Learning how to defy is important, relevant, and meaningful for anyone who wants to speak up when it matters and to do the right thing in the moment. Listen to the audio version of this Book Bite—read by Sah herself—in the Next Big Idea app, or buy the book. 1. We’re wired to comply. Soon aft…

You know the feeling we are talking about. Your friend calls to ask for your help moving on a Saturday when you were planning on doing nothing. Or your sister-in-law asks you to invest in her business, and you are afraid there is no way it will succeed. Even when the person asking for the favor isn’t someone central to your life, it is still painful to say no. Most of us don’t even like saying no to telemarketers. That’s why there are so many jobs in sales. Often, we end up making bad decisions to avoid the short-term discomfort of turning people down. Look, we agree—saying no is hard. The good news is that a little preparation and practice will make it easier. Even i…

Unlocking the power of genetics to provide meaningful answers to patients when they matter most is at the crux of precision diagnostics. As technologies advance, costs fall, and evidence builds, genomic sequencing has great potential to transform the trajectory of patient care. It will do so by shortening the diagnostic odyssey. It will guide and speed up more personalized and effective treatment decisions. And it will improve patient outcomes more than ever before. For innovation to truly scale, it will require deep collaboration and seamless integration across the healthcare ecosystem. BUILD A STRONGER PARTNERSHIP ECOSYSTEM Making genomic sequencing a standard pr…

Today’s B2B CEOs are tasked with a delicate balancing act: driving growth, improving efficiency, and creating seamless customer experiences, all while navigating unprecedented market complexity. Meanwhile, the revenue professionals responsible for executing these goals face their own challenges. Buying journeys have become increasingly labyrinthine, with big buying teams and long sales cycles. Seventy-seven percent of B2B buyers say their last purchasing decision was very complex or difficult, with more than 800 interactions on average with potential vendors. Misalignment across revenue teams compounds the issue, making it nearly impossible to deliver efficient, r…

Kroger is celebrating National Chocolate Milk Day—which, by the way, is a real holiday that falls on September 27—in the best way. The supermarket chain is giving away free chocolate milk to loyal customers—or, at least, to customers who log on and grab the coupon in time. The Kroger Co., which serves more than 11 million customers daily through its e-commerce and retail food stores, is offering free half-gallons of Kroger’s chocolate milk over two days this month. “Chocolate milk may be the original after-school treat, but Kroger-brand chocolate milk has grown into so much more—it’s a top-rated favorite among customers of all ages,” said Ann Reed, group vice presiden…

When people talk about work-life balance, they often mean that they have some engagement with activities outside of work—not just filling the hours of the day when they’re not working. That engagement might involve taking care of family members, engaging as a volunteer, or participating in a hobby. If you’re fortunate enough to have the time to spend on a hobby, does it matter what you do? Perhaps any activity you engage in outside of work is likely to lift your spirits. But research suggests that different activities affect your overall happiness in different ways. The power of movement In particular, hobbies that enable you to be active make you happier than …

When I first launched my business, I believed growth meant saying yes to everything. Every client who reached out, every opportunity that landed in my inbox, every late-night email that felt urgent. It all felt like momentum. I had spent years in the finance industry learning how to be reliable, responsive, and endlessly available. So when I went out on my own, I brought those habits with me. I believed boundaries were something you earned later, once you’d proven yourself. To make matters worse, there’s an unspoken belief in founder culture that “serious” entrepreneurs are always available, always hustling, always willing to sacrifice their lives for their businesses…

Sharing personal hardships like divorce, health issues, and family emergencies can make workplace conversations emotionally difficult and professionally complex. But given that our working lives are not getting shorter anytime soon, it’s not a question of if individuals will need to have these conversations, but when. And navigating these conversations professionally while managing emotions and privacy requires careful thought and preparation. Here are some strategies to help you handle sensitive discussions with confidence while maintaining personal boundaries. 1. Determine the purpose of sharing your news Getting clear on your reasons for sharing will help yo…

I sat in my car staring at the front door of the community mental health center, questioning if I could walk in. If anyone saw me, they might have assumed I was a patient struggling to face my mental health issues head-on in treatment. But I wasn’t. I was the therapist who was struggling to find the courage to walk in the door. My husband had passed away unexpectedly just two months before, at the age of 26. After my three days of bereavement time, I wasn’t in any shape to return to work. Fortunately, my doctor diagnosed me with “acute stress disorder” and bought me two months of short-term disability. I still didn’t feel ready to go back to work but my mortgage bill …

A meeting drags on. People are talking, but no one is saying the thing that needs to be said. Direction is unclear, the energy dips, and everyone is waiting for someone to speak with authority. When you finally do speak, the words come out softer than you intended: – “Maybe we should consider . . .” – “I think it might be good if . . .” – “Sorry to interrupt, but . . .” One of the biggest challenges leaders face isn’t just what they decide, it’s how they communicate it. Clarity, confidence, and authority are what set the tone for the room. If you tend to soften your tone or worry about sounding pushy, being more direct can feel uncomfortable.…

Ghost jobs are postings for positions that don’t actually exist for various reasons, and they waste countless hours for job seekers who apply to roles that were never meant to be filled. Experts in recruiting and career strategy have identified specific warning signs that reveal when a posting is likely fake or abandoned. This guide breaks down how to recognize these red flags before investing time in an application, so you can better focus your efforts on genuine opportunities. Prioritize Responsive Employers that Show Immediate Engagement One reliable way to identify a ghost job is to see whether applying to it leads to any human response at all. Today, silence h…

A headline catches your eye: A company you admire, known for its market performance and strong culture, is embroiled in a massive scandal. It causes reputational harm, profitability tanks, and customers notice. The details feel depressingly familiar—enough to fill books (most recently The Dark Pattern). With postmortems pointing to “culture problems,” your instinct might be to double-check your own organization’s cultural health. So, you pull up last year’s employee engagement survey: 85% of employees feel comfortable raising concerns, and 90% believe leadership demonstrates ethical behavior. The numbers are reassuring. But the company you’ve read about probably had s…

If you’ve ever felt frustrated by job listings that seem too good to be true or lead nowhere at all, you’re not alone. The truth is, the job market is full of fake postings and ghost jobs that can waste your time or even put you at risk. To help you navigate this confusing landscape, nine experienced experts have shared their advice on red flags to watch out for, so you can differentiate between legitimate opportunities and scams designed to exploit job seekers. Look for salary transparency In my experience, the biggest red flag has nothing to do with the job description or the company website. The real issue shows up when a listing has zero mention of salary—or wo…

The shine has worn off the new year and, given the long slog of winter that still lies ahead, you might be feeling less excited about work. There’s a good chance that what you’re feeling is more than just the winter blahs. According to a study last year, an alarming 82% of workers feel at risk for burnout. If you think you, your coworkers, or even your boss might be part of that group, here are the red flags to look out for—and what you can do about it. Red flags for personal burnout You likely know many of the obvious signs of burnout, such as feeling exhausted and disengaged at work. But there are plenty of other less obvious red flags that you should pay attent…

No matter how talented and ambitious you are, your ability to do well in your job and career, and especially enjoy your professional life, largely depends on where you work—in particular, the workplace culture. Defined broadly as the formal and informal rules that determine “how we do things around here,” workplace culture is a sort of human algorithm that governs the social dynamics in organizations, much like national culture does so for countries. Although there is no such thing as a universally good culture, and there are many different ways of creating positive working environments under which people thrive, there are rather consistent patterns when it comes to t…

Below, Leanne ten Brinke shares five key insights from her new book, Poisonous People: How to Resist Them and Improve Your Life. Leanne is Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of British Columbia, where she directs the Truth and Trust Lab. She has been studying deception, distrust, and dark personalities for the past 20 years. What’s the big idea? Most people are far kinder—and more trustworthy—than we assume. The real danger comes from a small group of manipulative personalities who exploit our good nature. Once you understand how they operate, you can spot them early and take back control. Listen to the audio version of this Book Bite—read …

It’s okay to admit it: You want to stand out, get ahead, and achieve all you can. And while you may feel that you can’t mention these goals, they don’t actually make you a narcissist. In fact, it’s natural for people to want a sense of status at work. After all, status is an indication that the company and your peers respect and appreciate you. But you’re also wise to balance your desire for accolades with the appropriate humility. No one likes someone who is arrogant, self-serving, or disrespectful—and there is a delicate balance between being confident and being egotistical. AVOID ARROGANCE In a 2019 study published in Review of General Psychology researchers…

Because hiring staff is typically a time-consuming and costly process, many companies are now opting to interview multiple candidates at once. The Society for Human Resource Management reported that group interviews have become increasingly popular among employers. For applicants, this changes the interview experience significantly. Instead of fielding questions about your résumé in a one-on-one setting, you’ve now got to vie for a role alongside other applicants and take part in real-world workplace scenarios designed to showcase your leadership skills. Tech companies and brands such as Disney, Starbucks, and The Gap are choosing to adopt the trend. Not only can…

Some studies show that the interview process can take up to six weeks. But there are ways that might help speed up the process and get those final hiring managers to land on you as the one they offer the job to. View the full article