How to decline an invitation, the pitfalls of going with your gut, and more top insights

What’s happening in the world of work: The Saturday edition of the Daily Rundown highlights the business trends, perspectives, and hot topics you need to know to work smarter. Read on and join the conversation.

Treat big decisions like job candidates: When weighing a major business decision – like an acquisition or the launch of a new product – Nobel Prize-winning psychologist Daniel Kahneman argues that executives ought to resist the urge to go immediately with their gut. Instead, evaluate such moves based on several factors, similar to how you might compare different job candidates’ strengths. Creating the space to examine a big decision along several dimensions – rather than instinct alone – can help put your initial leanings into perspective. ? Here’s what people are saying.

A safer way to decline an invitation: Telling someone you can’t make an event because you don’t have the time is more likely to fray a relationship than other excuses, writes Ohio State’s Grant Donnelly. That’s likely because the “no time” excuse suggests that you don’t care to make time, according to Donnelly’s research. To keep your relationships on good terms, you’re better off citing matters of money or a lack of energy, two factors that people perceive as less in our control than time. ? Here’s what people are saying.

You Asked: “I am going to school for a new career and working full time. I was a leader type in my previous career. I didn't realise how hard it would be for me to stay in the background at work until recently. I would really appreciate any advice on how to stay in the background versus my natural tendencies to lead.” – Lisa Carter, health clerk at HSHS St. John's Hospital

• “Lisa, you are well-positioned to become a master mentor in midlife, which may be one of the most satisfying experiences of your career. I sold my boutique hotel chain at the bottom of the Great Recession and wasn't sure how to repackage myself after two dozen years as a founder/CEO. Fortunately, the young founders of Airbnb asked me to share my hospitality wisdom with them when the company was still a relatively small startup. I moved from being the ‘sage on the stage’ leading my company to being the ‘guide on the side’ supporting these leaders, some of whom were half my age. I suggest you find a younger, high-potential leader with whom you could create a ‘mutual mentorship’ relationship. You likely have some emotional intelligence (EQ) you can offer them and they have some digital intelligence (DQ) they can offer you. You'll be amazed at how much of a legacy you may feel in shaping this leader's future (as well as many other young mentees to come).” – Chip Conley, founder of Modern Elder Academy and author of “Wisdom@Work: The Making of a Modern Elder”

Looking for career advice from the pros? Submit your questions in the comments with #YouAsked and we’ll take care of the rest.

The benefits of opening up at work: Revealing parts of our identity at work can feel harrowing, but research from Rice University suggests that such sharing can help improve your relationships at work. In particular, discussing parts of your life that might otherwise be hidden – your gender identity, sexual orientation or mental health – can strengthen bonds with coworkers. Discussing parts of your identity that tend to be more visible, like gender or race, did not have the same effect, the researchers found. ? Here’s what people are saying.

Women’s professional gains come with a concerning side effect: The more women occupy C-suite roles, the less people are concerned about other elements of gender inequality at all levels, including the persistently stubborn gender pay gap, according to research from London Business School. What’s going on? The presence of women in highly visible positions of leadership convinced study participants that women had access to equal opportunities. And that belief strengthens the assumption that differences in pay are due to individual choices, rather than issues like systemic bias. ? Here’s what people are saying.

One last idea:  Instead of thinking of your career journey as a single, upward sloping line, GM’s Mary Barra suggests we envision it as a tree, offering a variety of directions one might pursue over time.

“There are a number of branches and paths you can follow, each an opportunity worth embracing, so don’t cut them off too early. Progress isn’t always lateral, so even if there are unfamiliar aspects of a position, conquering them and widening your experience can advance you into leadership.”

What's your take? Join the conversations on today's stories in the comments.

— Scott Olster