Sword Tips, Dec 16, 2021

Welcome to Sword Tips, the Exkalibur newsletter, which scans the landscape to bring you timely and meaningful resources about life, liberty and the pursuit of what’s interesting and relevant to our lives.
We’ll continue to update the format and presentation of the Newsletter, adding additional content in the areas of Leadership, Productivity and Accountability.
We’ll also sprinkle in our popular quotes and other materials to help you Become a More Effective Leader, Accelerate Your Career Growth and Build a More Successful business in the coming years.

Whassup in the Workplace?

The latest WSJ research finds that women are less likely than men to negotiate for more time on adjustable deadlines at work.
Here are 3 quick takeaways that managers should apply:

Let your employees know when a deadline is flexible.
Emphasize that asking for more time doesn’t signal incompetence but rather a commitment to high-quality work.
Enact a formal workplace policy on project extensions.

How Bosses Can Lure Remote Workers Back to the Office
Bosses can help employees remember what the office has to offer—from a better desk setup to brainstorming opportunities—and provide new inducements like flexible schedules or on-site daycare.
Molson Coors Decided to Reopen Its Offices. Things Got Complicated.
There’s more, but here are a few starters:

Color-coded wristbands can help colleagues signal their openness to a hug.
It’s important to schedule 10 minutes of travel time between meetings, and
It’s tough to get some people into meeting rooms with masks if they can join a video call without a mask from their desk.

How Cheesecake to Go Saved the Cheesecake Factory
An interesting shift to promote their major product in the face of the pandemic.

Yawn much?

It turns out that yawning is a good thing, increasing blood flow to the brain to cool it to its optimal temperature.
It’s apparently NOT a sign of boredom, but represents a struggle to stay alert because you ARE engaged in the current activity.
And, yes, it is strangely contagious. Watch the short video about this universal phenomenon that affects all vertebrates.

Now You Know!

What are those tiny dot-shaped lights that appear at the top of your iPhone screen? Sometimes orange. Sometimes green?
ORANGE DOT
The orange dot is telling you that your iPhone microphone is being used by an app. It’ll appear when you use voice memos, maybe briefly after you close out of your camera, or if you’re using any app that exclusively records your voice.
GREEN DOT
The green dot is telling you that your iPhone camera is being used by an app. You’ll see it when opening your camera, or taking pictures on Instagram, Snapchat, or any social media app that allows you to take pictures and post them.
No reason for concern, but now you know.
How Thick is Hockey Ice? (My guess is your guess will be wrong.)
From the NHL: “Ice is approximately 3/4″ of an inch thick and is usually chilled at 16 degrees Fahrenheit. The thicker the ice, the softer and slower it becomes.”
I’d guess that’s a lot thinner than both of us thought?
Why are 96 Million Black Plastic Shade Balls in the L.A. reservoirs?
Here’s a quick 4min video that explains this unique idea.