Remote work's down side, aiming high but managing expectations, 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. 

The down side of remote work: Office-free jobs offer plenty of benefits, but it’s not all sunshine and roses, warns Anglia Ruskin University’s Stephanie Russell. Separating work from a physical space can make it hard for employees to develop trusting relationships and disconnect from the job at the end of the day. Such dynamics can exact a toll. A 2017 UN report that found 41% of remote workers suffered from high stress levels, compared to 25% of office employees. What might help? Making regular, meaningful communication with colleagues a priority, and encouraging remote workers to establish boundaries from work. ? Here’s what people are saying. 

Aim high, but build in some wiggle room: We’re prone to give up on ambitious personal projects or goals at the sign of the first slip. This is referred to as the “what the hell effect,” when an initial stumble makes us think we might as well take the day off from our goal. Suddenly, one day off turns into forever. To prevent such slippages, build in “emergency reserves,” advises Wharton’s Marissa Sharif. Keep those ambitious goals, but build in a set amount of wiggle room for occasional missteps. When we plan for the occasional stumble, we can still feel like we’re on track. ? Here’s what people are saying. 

Passion is developed, not discovered: Many a well-intentioned graduation speaker and family member have told budding professionals to find their passion and then follow it. The one problem with this advice? It’s not helpful. That’s because passion is not a fixed thing. Instead, it’s something we cultivate over time, writes Harvard Business School’s Jon Jachimowicz. What can do we instead? Pay attention to what you care about — whether it’s a part of work or not — and devote your effort to that. With some time and elbow grease, you may end up with a full-fledged passion. ? Here’s what people are saying. 

You Asked: “What steps can a leader take to ensure that every team member feels encouraged to provide input and feedback?” — DeAngela M., Cincinnati, Ohio-based implementation consultant (Asked in the following LinkedIn Learning course: Inclusive Leadership) ? Join the conversation. 

• “The first step is to make it known that everyone's perspective is valued. This can be as simple as stating it explicitly to folks in a meeting, encouraging folks to give input in 1:1s, or even defining it as a team value. When people hear repeatedly that their input matters and that there are no "stupid ideas," it becomes easier for them to participate even if they're not 100% confident in their feedback. The second step is to give people time to process and think on their own. If you can share discussion prompts or material for feedback via email ahead of time, that gives people who are more introspective time to figure out what they truly think, versus putting them on the spot. Finally, when it comes to meetings, consider structuring them such that input and feedback become a norm rather than ‘who happens to talk first or loudest.’ For example, make it a habit of going around the room when you ask a question and stop on everyone to give him or her a chance to speak up. If it's a brainstorming session, you might give everyone a pad of stickies and ask folks to generate as many ideas as possible before putting their stickies on the wall and talking through each idea.” — Julie Zhuo, VP of product design at Facebook and author of “The Making of a Manager: What to Do When Everyone Looks to You”
• “In order to ensure everyone feels encouraged to practice radical candor, you must lead by example. This means actively soliciting feedback from your team and asking them to criticise you. This will be difficult at first and your team may be reluctant, but it's important you be persistent. Show them your requests for criticism are genuine and you sincerely appreciate it when they say what they think. Ask for criticism regularly. After you receive feedback, reward (never criticise) the candor. It’s not enough to appreciate critique from your team, or not to get defensive. You have to reward it! When you get good feedback, treat it like gold so people recognise there is a real benefit to criticising you. Once people understand you're serious about receiving honest feedback, they'll stop holding back and they'll feel more confident giving it to you and to one another.” — Kim Scott, co-founder of Radical Candor, LLC and author of “Radical Candor: Be a Kickass Boss without Losing your Humanity”

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

Keep your handshakes to three seconds: There are many ways to mess up a handshake. They can be too firm, too soft and, perhaps most awkward of all, too long. In fact, researchers from the University of Dundee in Scotland found that handshakes that exceed three seconds can sully a social interaction. The researchers found that those who were subjected to extra-long shakes laughed less and showed signs of increased anxiety post-handshake. While long handshakes may be considered a sign of dominance, if you’re looking to build a strong bond, keep it brief. ? Here’s what people are saying. 

One last idea:  The hardest part about writing, for many of us, is simply starting in the first place. But UT Austin’s Art Markman suggests that we disregard the notion that our first draft needs to be great, or even good.

“Almost every great piece of writing you ever read started off as a first draft that nobody but the writer would understand. It isn’t the quality of the first draft that matters. It is the ability to get it started.” 

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

— Scott Olster