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Have you ever worked under someone you just couldn’t wait to get away frommaybe to the point where youd daydream about finding a new job (or hoping theyd leave instead)? Thats what we call an Extinguisher. These leaders sap energy from their teams and throw up roadblocks that stand in the way of success. On the flip side, Generators are those leaders who inspire and empower people to reach their full potentialand theyre the ones everyone wants to work for. Most of us want to steer clear of Extinguishers (and make sure we never become one ourselves). The trouble is, its not always obvious when youre dealing with oneat least not until youre already burned out. Thats why we conducted two major studies to pinpoint exactly how Extinguishers differ from Generators. Our research revealed four early warning signs that can help you spot an Extinguisher before its too late. Extinguishers hide their flaws and struggles Extinguishers wear a mask when they come to work – hiding their true selves. They often cover up their mistakes and flaws – to be perceived as the perfect leader. Unfortunately, this creates distance between them and their employees. Can you really be open about your struggles if your leader seems perfect and untouchable? It can feel too vulnerable to share imperfections with someone who is perfect. In this situation, its hard to get the support you need because you wont feel comfortable asking for it. Even well-meaning leaders can fall into this Extinguisher trap. Leaders want to be seen as competent and deserving of their role. So, they may feel extra pressure to keep up a facade. However, employees can sense leaders inauthenticity, decreasing trust and healthy communication on the team. If you have never seen or heard about your leader struggling with something, if all you hear about is how perfect they are, or you feel like they are being fake, watch out. You may be working for an Extinguisher. Extinguishers dont care about your personal life Adding to the distance between them and their employees, Extinguishers do not want to hear about employees personal lives. They dont care about whats going on with you outside of work and see conversations about your partner, pets, or other important aspects of your life as irrelevant. Extinguishers also fail to share anything about themselves with their employees. This is because Extinguishers believe that you shouldnt bring your personal life to work – and view these two spheres as separate. Why is this a problem? If a leader doesnt know you, how can they know how to support you? Extinguishers dont understand you as a whole person. They are focusing solely on your work. But, what happens if something awful occurs in your personal life that has clear implications for your work? What if you need extra time or some flexibility to manage life stressors? Extinguishers dont want to hear it and, thus, wont give you the support that you need. If you feel like your leader knows nothing about who you are as a person, you are likely working for an Extinguisher. Extinguishers never disconnect from work Extinguishers never take a break. In fact, they often brag about working late at night or early in the morning. You get emails from them at all hours of the day and while they are supposedly on vacation. For example, on Sunday nights, Extinguishers might send tons of messages in preparation for the busy week they are about to create for you. This can create pressures to respond when employees are supposed to be disconnecting. But, Extinguishers do not believe in work-life balance. They prioritize work over life – and often expect you to do the same. Unfortunately, Extinguishers bad examples create harmful expectations. Actions are much louder than words – when leaders never disconnect, neither will their employees. Plus, employees start to believe that being always on is required to get to the next level. This can create unsustainable expectations about what it takes to be a leader. If you never see your leader disconnect or if you consistently get messages during off hours, you are probably working for an Extinguisher. Extinguishers believe theres only one right way Finally, Extinguishers think theres one right way to do everything – and its their way. How do you become a leader? By following their exact path. How do you achieve that big goal? By taking the steps they would take. Extinguishers dont recognize that there are many ways to be successful. This is a recipe for disaster. Processes will never evolve and improve if organizations stick to the way its always been done. Plus, we know that career paths do not look the same for everyone. Your strengths, background, and goals are unique. Each leader makes it to the top in their own way. Extinguishers discourage uniqueness and make it harder to lead authentically. If your manager shoots down new ideas, only offers advice based on their own experiences, and micromanages you to do things exactly their way, theres a good chance youre dealing with an Extinguisher. If you spot these warning signs, think about ways to build a support system that can help protect you from their negative behavior. If youre feeling courageous, you might even try sharing some feedback so they have the opportunity to grow. Its also wise to start mapping out a plan to move on before things get worse. And when youre interviewing for a new role, dont forget to ask some probing questions to see if your potential new boss shows any of these red flags. Its the best way to avoid jumping from one Extinguisher to another.
Category:
E-Commerce
Cryptocurrency investors are waking up to a bloodbath this morning. As of the time of this writing, crypto markets are getting hammered as major coins including Bitcoin, Ethereum, and XRP, are down across the board. Popular meme coins like Dogecoin and $TRUMP have also collapsed. But why is crypto crashing? Heres what you need to know Trumps tariffs may launch a global trade war Over the weekend, President Donald Trump initiated tariffs against Americas two largest trading partners. Trump ordered that tariffs as high as 25% be levied on numerous Canadian and Mexican goods entering the country. Trump also announced an additional 10% tariff on certain Chinese goods, as well as threatened tariffs on goods imported from the EU. Tariffs are not paid for by the countries whose goods they are levied against. Tariffs are paid by the companies who are importing those goods into America. For example, if Walmart is importing goods from Mexico, Walmart must now pay those tariffs on the goods. Or if a U.S. energy supplier is importing gas from Canada, that U.S. energy supplier is on the hook for paying the tariffs. Those U.S. companies will not simply absorb the costs of the tariffs, as this would affect their margins and thus their bottom lines. Instead, those companies will pass the cost of the tariffs on to American consumers, raising the costs that Americans must pay for goods. Canada has already outlined its response to Trumps tariffs, placing a 25% tariff on numerous American goods entering the country. Mexico says it will follow suit with tariffs of its own on U.S. imported goods. It is likely that China will follow suit, and if Trump unleashes tariffs on the European Union, the EU will react in kind. In other words, Trumps tariffs could mean the world is on the cusp of a global trade war. Trade wars increase costs for businesses and consumers. Because of higher prices, consumers tend to spend less, hurting businesses’ bottom lines. The higher costs also lead to inflationary pressures. All this can dramatically increase economic uncertaintyand markets hate uncertainty, including cryptocurrency markets. The risk of a global trade war is sinking crypto markets Trumps tariffs and the resulting trade war they look to be kicking off are sending crypto markets tumbling. As of the time of this writing, major cryptocurrencies are tanking. Bitcoin is currenlty down almost 4%, to just above $95,000 a coin. But that drop looks minuscule compared to other cryptocurrencies. Ethereum and XRP have crashed over 16%, while Cardano is down over 19%. And it’s not just the more well-known coins that are tanking. Popular meme coins are also crashing. Dogecoin is currently down over 13%, while President Trumps meme coin, $TRUMP, is down nearly 14%. Of course, none of these coins are directly impacted by Trumps tariffs. However, when economic uncertainty arisesas is the case with trade warsinvestors tend to extract profits where they can while they can. Thats why one possible reason for cryptos collapse today may be profit-taking. Crypto markets have had a good run as of late, so its little surprise that many investors worried about the broader economic impacts of a global trade war may be seeking to lock in what profits they can now by selling their cryptocurrencies. Another possible reason for the crypto fall today is that cryptocurrency markets are historically volatileand if a global trade war does kick off, it could cause economic uncertainty worldwide. During uncertain economic times, many investors tend to stay away from more volatile assets, leading to decreased demand in some markets. Fear of possible reduced demand for crypto in the near future may also be impacting crypto prices today. Stock markets are in crisis, too Its important to note that Trumps tariffs arent just rattling crypto investors. Stock market investors are also panicking this morning. While U.S. markets arent open as of the time of this writing, futures are down across the board. In premarket trading, Dow Futures have dropped over 560 points, or 1.26%. S&P Futures are down 85 points, or 1.4%, and Nasdaq Futures are down 349 points, or about 1.62%. Theres no telling how long Trumps tariffs will stay in place, and it is yet unknown exactly how countries like Mexico and China will react, not to mention the European Union if Trump enacts tariffs against its goods, too. What does seem certain is that there will be significant uncertainty in both the cryptocurrency and stock markets for the near future.
Category:
E-Commerce
AI has been used in the hiring process for many years. Anyone who has ever wrangled their résumé into an Applicant Tracking System has experienced the frustration of distilling your human-ness for a keyword-focused bot. But thats just scratching the surface. Already a quarter of employers use some form of AI in their hiring process and, according to some estimates, nearly 70% of companies will be using AI tools to hire by the end of this year. Its no surprise that AI in hiring is attractive to employers. It can make whats often an overwhelming and time-consuming process much more efficient. But for job seekers, this technology can make the already opaque hiring process more difficult to navigate. And now, as AI becomes more sophisticated and widespread, it wont stop there. Even the interview, often the most human part of the hiring process, is being outsourced to bots. So, how can job seekers prepare for these changes? What should companies and hiring managers consider before implementing new tech? On the latest episode of The New Way We Work, I spoke to Dr. Kerry McInerney, an AI ethicist and researcher at the University of Cambridge. She says that from a candidates perspective the job search process now has a lot of unknown unknowns. 4 ways AI is used in hiring McInerney says there are four main areas where you’ll see AI being used in hiring, some more visible than others: 1. The dissemination of ads:Companies might use AI to decide where job ads are surfaced and deliver it to specific people who the recruiter might think would be a good fit. This application could seem innocuous, but it has the potential to encourage the same profile of candidates if the parameters are too narrow. 2. Screening candidates:Here, AI is used to go through a large volume of résumés and create a short list. This is very common and also widely critiqued. Not only do these systems make it difficult for candidates to craft a résumé that will get past these screens, but its also ripe for unintentional bias. McInerney referenced a 2019 case study where Amazon tested a beta version of an AI résumé screening tool that was shown to systematically discriminate against female candidates. Beyond extreme red flags like that, résumé screening tools often miss things like transferable skills or nuance like career gaps. 3. Assessment of candidates:Another way AI tools are being used in hiring is to test candidates or to distinguish candidates from one another once a company has a short list. Most of this is pretty visible to candidates: things like gamified tests and skill assessments. Another is AI video interviews. McInerney pointed out that these tools had a boom during COVID-19, but that many of the metrics they measure (including facial recognition-based tools that read a candidate’s voice and expressions and do sentiment analysis on the words that they use to get a sense of a candidate’s personality) are viewed as pseudoscience by AI ethicists. It’s also not possible to discern someone’s personality from their face. Some AI interview tools have also shown to rank candidates higher for arbitrary and irrelevant factors, like having a bookcase in the background. 4. Administrative aspects of hiring:The most innocuous way AI is being used in hiring is tools that help companies schedule interviews, or via AI chatbots on a company’s website that answer questions about a job. These types of tools run a very low risk of introducing bias into the process and fulfill the basic promise of AI: to reduce tedious and time-consuming tasks. The importance of asking questions McInerney emphasized that the AI hiring tools are made with the best intentions but that, if they arent created with the expertise of hiring managers, they can end up out of step. Her bottom line for employers: Don’t be sucked in by AI hype that tells you a tool can do things that actually sound really impossible. There’s just a huge emphasis on AI literacy, which is very important,” she says. “Sometimes, the way that these tools get talked about in hyper-technical ways can make people feel like that they can’t ask those questions or they’re scared of looking silly or ignorant if they ask them. But, she says, It’s really important to ask those questions, because any tool that is worth its salt should have scientific backing and should be able to show it.In other words, the most important tool when using AI in hiring is the very human skill of critical thinking.Listen to the full episode for more on how AI is transforming hiring for both candidates and companies.
Category:
E-Commerce
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