Staying Up On the Latest Trends – Importance for Leaders

There are so many events that are happening today, particularly as we look at business; this is not to say that other news, such as politics or diversity, do not have impact on how businesses are run or their workers. Impacts will be felt somewhere.

This is why it’s important for all employees to stay up on them which could lead to understand why decisions are, or aren’t made and how to deal with them, if needed. Leaders, particularly, should be keeping up on the latest news and trends so they can capitalize on them, see if or how they impact their employees, as well as assess the ‘landscape’ of the work culture to keep it flowing.

As a trender myself, I am able to learn new information, see what and what is not working among leaders and teams, assess my feeling and practices around these topics, and see these information aligns with my views and feelings, as well as how to implement them in my work.

There are several ways to keep abreast of current happenings, and how to maximize your time while doing so:

Podcasts and TED Talks:

These two are great ways to learn about the business world; there are high-profilers in the field, researchers, and those willing to share their wisdom and experiences. You can find topics that interest you but I encourage you to step out of your comfort zone and explore others subjects that relate to your role. These can include: communication, diversity issues, negotiation tactics, decision-making, project management, skill development, leadership, human resources, finance, neuroscience and how it relates to motivation and performance, productivity tips, and human behavior, to name a few.

Listening to these can maximize your time while you drive, exercise, relax, or do other projects.

YouTube Videos

You can find a multitude of information and classes on YouTube, again, for a variety of topics and interests. Many of these are classes and hold good tips to enhance your knowledge and give you insider tips on what is trending. Usually, popular topics will have a plethora of experts.

The beauty of these videos are that they are not lengthy, so your time investment is short; watch while you are having lunch or on a break. You can use these as education and team building in meetings -watch and then have discussion to gain their thoughts and create engagement.

Publications – Online and Print

There are many publications you can subscribe to, many are free. Again, you choose your topics of interest but go outside to find others. If online, you get the information delivered to your mailbox as you’d like – some are daily or once a week but, again, these are short-reads but hold latest trends occurring. I am not a Benefits person, but I subscribe to Employee Benefits to see what is going on in this area; it’s interesting that topics related to benefits are covered, such as productivity and employee well-being, both important to understand what is going on and how these issues may relate to your employees’ concerns.

With this information delivered virtually, you can maximize your time and preferences in reading if you want to come back later to delve in. Print publications can be costly, although there are many you can get for free; one I recommend: is https://www.tradepub.com/

Television and Radio

You will find trends ahead of time through news and radio platforms, as they have access to the latest and greatest, so to speak. News channels and talk shows are where you will find what people are dealing with and tips on how to do so effectively. This information is no only useful to you but to those who work for you. These can be used for employee meetings and can give you insights on how your employees think about these and what solutions they have around them, both positive and negative. Leaders are idea-people so don’t be afraid to raise information and events around them. Your people may not tell you but these impact them in some way – bring these up to allay any fears, give support, and de-stigmatize them (i.e. mental health)

Books

One of the better ways to learn trending topics is to go to a bookstore or your library. You can scan their offerings to see what topics are written about which, then, you can go add to your library or find resources related to them. Every leader should have their own library to refer to.

This can be a great way to relax while perusing the aisles of a bookstore or the library. This can be a mindfulness practice you do for yourself but the benefits are exponential.

Listen to Friends/Family

In your daily actions, pay attention to topics and ideas from your friends and family as they have their own communication channels and networks. This can give you ideas to research, as well as create bonding times with them.

Attend Association and Networking Meetings

Networking and Association meetings are great ways to identify what is trending while making connections that are vital to potential friendships, your career and business. These meetings typically have a speaker who talks on latest happenings or that are important to your growth, plus talking to others attendees further enhances your understanding of what is important to them and learning more. When we surround ourselves with like-minded people, we benefit greatly in many ways.

As you can see, there are many benefits and ways to keep up on the latest trends and events going on in our world; these do have impacts not only on ourselves, but your employees. I think it’s important to remember that what happens in our personal life affects our work, and vice-versa. As a leader, knowing the trends will lead to more connections and engagement with your staff, while you can navigate business dealings ahead of time.

If you’re like more tips, check out our blog for more information. Follow on Twitter and Instagram

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