Why you should swap 'sorry' for 'thank you,' how to find your passion, 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.

When it comes to decision-making, the how is as important as the why. All leaders have to make meaningful business decisions — but the journey is as important as the outcome, notes The Wall Street Journal. Employees and stakeholders can become disgruntled and resentful if they feel they've been deceived, disrespected or had little influence over the decision. But if the process is transparent, they’ll feel more satisfied and committed — even if they disagree with the final choice. ? Here’s what people are saying.

How to find your passion

People don’t “discover” a passion — they “develop” it, according to psychologist Angela Lee Duckworth. And although passions don’t appear overnight, there are some tricks to help you pick a new one or build on existing skills. ? Here’s what people are saying.

• See your passion as an internship — a “trial run” that requires experimenting and practice.
• Put your phone away: You need distraction-free time to pick or grow a passion.
• Don’t burn yourself out. And if you’re in a slump, find a similarly stressed buddy: Counterintuitively, coaching someone else can re-energize you.
• Try to stay motivated — even passions have their dull moments.
• Most importantly, be patient. “It’s hard to be in love with something when you’re that clumsy amateur,” says Duckworth. But it’s worth the effort.

Instead of “sorry,” try “thank you.” How many of your emails start with an apology? For most of us, too many. Linguistic “hedges” like “sorry to bug you” or “was just wondering” are devices we use to atone for taking up space in someone’s inbox. But next time you feel the need to apologize, try swapping it for a quick thank-you: “Thanks for reading this” or “appreciate your time” gets the conversation off on a better foot. ? Here’s what people are saying.

How to make the most of diverse teams: Companies put a tremendous amount of resources into diversifying their ranks, but research shows diversity alone doesn’t guarantee better performance. To reap the full benefits, organizations need people to facilitate communication between those of different backgrounds and varied worldviews — “cultural brokers,” according to INSEAD’s Sujin Jang. Those best-suited to this position have experience with two or more cultures, whether they’re represented on the team or not. ? Here’s what people are saying.

You Asked: “Where do solo managers that are running the whole show in a small business turn to for support? How does one find balance without feeling completely isolated and on an island by themselves?” — Karen Lichtenberger, medical office manager, Clifton, NJ

• “If you are the boss, make sure you include your team members in any major shake-up in ways of working, it helps everyone to buy into it. So, for example, if you decide you need to work from home one day a week, ensure your team can too — and talk to them about getting a good work-life balance. Be human and set the example you’d want to be set yourself. It’s likely that you’ll have similar needs, in some respects, to even the most junior members of your team. As a result, your team may offer to take on tasks, suggest different procedures to cut down on unnecessary work, or to help improve prioritization. If you’re not sure something will work, test and learn — and allow mistakes to be made. It’s the only honest approach!” — Helena Morrissey, head of personal investing at Legal and General Investment Management, founder of the 30% Club
• “Having worked in entrepreneurial enterprises for many decades I know this feeling of isolation: You're working hard and moving fast and barely have time to catch your breath, let alone take a step back and connect with the people around you. My advice to anyone experiencing this is to remember what it is to be human. It’s fundamental to our sense of wellbeing to belong, to be part of a community and to connect with people. Think about how often you’re truly present with those around you. Reconnect with your team by disconnecting from all the devices that run your life — just for a few minutes each day. You can even make a game of it: iPhones now have a feature that can track how much time you spend on specific apps and tasks on your phone each day. Create a sense of competition with your team to see who can reduce their tech time and increase their 'face' time (pardon the pun). It'll make a world of difference and will go a long way to building an engaged team.” — Naomi Simson, entrepreneur, co-founder of the Big Red Group

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

One last idea: Men should not feel excluded by the push for gender diversity in the workplace, says Anna Jones, co-founder of women-only networking club AllBright. Indeed, progress can only be made if everyone is involved in the fight for equality.

“We need as many male feminists as female. I would hope that my husband and my son would class themselves feminists, if feminist means equal opportunity.”

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

— Andrew Murfett, Andrew Seaman, Jessica Hartogs, Orlando Crowcroft