The Ex-NFL Star in the Next Cubicle

Happy Wednesday. Today, we’re looking at workplace phishing tests that are getting increasingly ruthless and the Xerox CEO who relishes crushing the competition.

This is a condensed version of WSJ’s Careers & Leadership newsletter. Sign up here to get the WSJ’s comprehensive work coverage in your inbox each week.

What Happens When a Former NFL Player Becomes Your Office Co-Worker

Managers often say they struggle to recruit people who can take, and deliver, candid feedback, writes Callum Borchers. Yet ex-pros who are accustomed to getting yelled at by coaches aren’t likely to wilt under constructive criticism.

Phishing Tests, the Bane of Work Life, Are Getting Meaner

The ruses, which companies use to try to prevent scams, are ’. Employees say these tricks sow confusion and shame—and researchers say they generally don’t work.

The CEO Mindset That Brought Xerox Back to Life

Ursula Burns, the first Black woman to run a Fortune 500 company, told WSJ. Magazine that taking risks and asking for advice—in addition to a love of crushing adversaries—played a role in her trajectory from intern to chief executive.

More of the WSJ’s Best Coverage of Work Life

• DEI Didn’t Change the Workforce All That Much (Read)
• Is Repeating Someone’s Name Charming—Or Creepy? (Read)
• How Dave’s Hot Chicken Beat Rising Labor Costs (Read)

Photo credit: PHELAN M. EBENHACK/ASSOCIATED PRESS

This is a condensed version of WSJ’s Careers & Leadership newsletter. Sign up here to get the WSJ’s comprehensive work coverage in your inbox each week.

This newsletter was curated by Conor Grant, WSJ Newsletter Editor. Reach him on LinkedIn.