"If you’ve ever faced a mounting list of to-dos, chances are you’ve tried using an 'Eisenhower Box' — a matrix that helps you determine what’s urgent and truly important," according to a Nobl article. "As the story goes, the celebrated military hero and U.S. president was so darn effective because he used this tool to ruthlessly prioritize." Click for article

An article from McKinsey & Co. states businesses that seek external social contributions should look in the mirror.  Improving workers' job satisfaction, according to the article, could be the most important thing businesses do. It's a defining moment. How can companies conserve cash and aggressively restructure? Simply keeping employees happy can boost profitability and enhance organizational health. Click for article

Nurturing talent will help companies survive the global COVID-19 pandemic, according to Peter Cappelli and Sydney Finkelstein.  Cappelli, a professor of management at The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, and Finkelstein, a professor of management at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College, recently recorded a podcast on superbosses.  The key, they said, is finding the best talent, then pushing them to continue learning and hitting goals. Click for podcast and transcript   

Receptivity to challenge from someone with a different viewpoint helps leaders reexamine their perspectives and validate their choices, writes Alaina Love for SmartBrief. Love writes of a study by Taly Reich of Yale University and Sam Maglio of the University of Toronto. The pair studied how leaders stubbornly defend a choice based on whether they made that choice rationally or emotionally. Reich and Maglio set up seven experiments and repeatedly found that the choices study participants were most likely to unwaveringly defend were choices where emotion or gut instinct drove the decision. "Further," Love writes, "they stubbornly defended and clung to those wrong choices and found a way to feel good about their decisions. One of the ways in which they did so was by questioning the competency of the individuals who provided proof of their mistake." Click for article  

Two main factors are accelerating disruption within the fuels and convenience retail industry, according to an Accenture report, "COVID-19: Outmaneuver Uncertainty in Fuel & Convenience Retail": the onset of COVID-19 driving a substantial decrease in demand, and an increase in oil supply, triggering a significant drop in oil prices. "Consumer habits are shifting from in-store to virtual purchases. New competitors are emerging. Store consolidation is squeezing margins. And with improved fuel efficiency, the advent of electric vehicles, and an increase in ride-sharing, demand for motor fuel has been on the decline," according to Accenture. "Fuel and convenience retailers will need to account for the additional overhead that comes with owning or operating a c-store in both the near-term and long-term. Ultimately, strategies need to be implemented to limit operational issues, keep employees and consumers safe, and position their businesses for the next wave of change." Click for report