C-SuiteSkimm

Know, Watch, Ponder

“Since you make evil or good by your own thoughts, it is your ruling of your thoughts which should be your principal concern.”

William James

Know

I disagree! Yeah right. Sure.

5 Conflict Management Strategies

These days one thing that's clear as mud is that we disagree.

And as simple humans, we're not so good at managing ourselves when we disagree. This problem gets worse as our company gets bigger. More people = more conflict. Good News: There's a fix for this. Getting good at one or two conflict management strategies will make you a much better leader.

Here's why...

Because decision making will be faster, better, cheaper. Because your people will thank you for reducing their stress. Because if we only had a way to work things out without risking our jobs, our tenure or our promotions, we might actually work things out. Because managing over, under and around conflict costs us time, effort and emotional angst and if we didn't have to worry about how to deal with this #$^&^%!! we'd get a lot more of the right things done each day.

This may be the most important thing you read this week. And all 5 of these conflict management strategies are learnable. Here you go...Five Conflict Management Strategies briefly told starts here.

Watch

Why we need women leaders in business now more than ever

Fortune's Most Powerful Women List

In 1998 there were exactly 2 female CEOs of Fortune 500 companies. Today there are 31. Topping the list, Mary Barra, Indra Nooryi, Marilyn Hewson and Geisha Williams...do you know them? You should. Here's Why Fortune's Women in Power List matters now more than ever.

Here's my favorite Lady of the List...#40 Bridget Van Kralingen, SVP IBM Global Business Services. Watch her demo IBMs graphene chip that can power our smart phones for a week! Where do I sign up?

Ponder

A gift from Janet Brown, CEO at FundX. Save this. It's worth money.

A Plan for a Secure Comfortable Retirement

There are lots of these retirement guides out there. I like this one because it's short. A simple summary of the vital few things to know and how they work.

Here's what's inside:

1. How Inflation Affects Your Retirement Needs - If you plan to live on your retirement account for decades, you need to consider the impact of inflation.

2. How Long Must Your Portfolio Last? - Time is another important variable in planning a comfortable and secure retirement.

3. How Much Can You Withdraw from Your Retirement Account Without Running out of Money? - Having a sustainable source of income in retirement is a top priority for most retirees.

4. How to Get it Right - Bring all the pieces together – time, inflation, withdrawal rates and your chances of success—to enjoy a comfortable and secure retirement.

5. What to Expect Along the Way - The past can help you plan for the future, but you should expect changes along the way.

6. What about Social Security? - How to factor in additional sources of income in retirement, like Social Security.

The C-SuiteSkimm is a weekly brief for CEOs and business owners delivering essential news, trends, tips and the occasional "ya-can't-make-this-*!@$#!"-up" story. Go here to get this fun, fast, high-value read delivered to your inbox every Sunday.