Stockbridge, Longstock and Leckford

EDITION 782
9 SEPTEMBER 2019

As another week slips by, here are 10 things which caught my attention and may have escaped yours. This newsletter is sent to 50,000+ subscribers each Monday. Please share on social media and forward to your colleagues and friends so they can subscribe, learn and engage. I'd be very grateful if you did.

1.      How to be a leader. With a few consistent actions, you can develop your leadership potential, set yourself apart from the ordinary employee and be noticed as a future leader ahead of your peers. Practice these tips each day and you’ll be an effective leader in no time. [MORE]
 

2.      Male entrepreneurs are more likely to quit. According to a new UK study, the report found 16.3% of female business owners quit their businesses each year, compared with 18.6% of men - despite women making less money and facing more barriers accessing funding. A government-commissioned inquiry revealed earlier this year the UK economy is missing out on £250bn each year due to barriers preventing women from becoming successful entrepreneurs. The Independent
 

3.      Who’d make the best leader. Asked which of the party leaders would make the best prime minister, 45% of adults said Boris Johnson. 19% said Jo Swinson, 17% Jeremy Corbyn, and 19% don’t know. 53% of Tory voters said that Tory MPs who tried to block a no-deal Brexit should be banned from standing for the party at the next election. 33% disagreed. Daily Mail
 

4.      Finding true north. For the first time in about 360 years, compasses at Greenwich are due to point true north this month. Compass needles point to magnetic north, but since the magnetic field changes all the time, the distance between that direction and true north – known as declination – also changes. For the past few hundred years, all compass needles in the UK have pointed slightly west of true north. But at some point this month, the two norths will coincide in Greenwich for the first time since the Royal Observatory was founded there. The Guardian
 

5.      Dread dealing with one of your employees? Managing people in the workplace can be especially tricky if you have someone on your team you dread dealing with.Remember, it's not about liking everyone - or having everyone like you - it's about showing genuine respect. Put your personal feelings aside so you can motivate and manage everyone on your team, not just those you jive most with. Some other tips: Know your triggers and own them; focus on what the person contributes and consider changing your approach. [MORE]
 

6.      Which is the The best country in the world for tourists? It’s Spain, according to the World Economic Forum, which ranked the Mediterranean nation the most "travel ready" for the fifth year in a row, followed by France, Germany, Japan and the US. The WEF report, which takes into account factors such as environmental sustainability, hygiene and international openness, warned that many countries are at a tourism "tipping point" – calling for more to be done by the industry to ensure a sustainable future. The Independent
 

7.      Exercise to strengthen muscles twice a week. Exercises to strengthen your muscles should be done at least twice a week, according to official health guidelines. The UK’s Chief Medical Officer has advised adults to incorporate activities, such as carrying heavy shopping or intensive gardening, into their routines to cut their risk of various conditions. Adults who do at least 150 minutes of exercise weekly reduce their risk of type 2 diabetes by 40%, heart disease by 35% and depression by 30%. The Times
 

8.       A tale of two leagues. In the 2017-2018 season, the 20 clubs in the Premier League pulled in profits of £900m on record revenues of £4.8bn. By contrast, the 72 clubs below them, who don’t attract global sponsorship deals or lavish revenues from TV rights, racked up combined losses of £411m (partly as a result of over-spending on players in a bid to reach the top division). Metro
 

9.      Amazon ruined my name. The popularity of the name Alexa has slumped in the past year - most likely because it is now so closely associated with Amazon’s voice assistant. The number of babies named Alexa in England and Wales had remained fairly stable for years, but between 2017 and 2018 it more than halved: only 118 Alexas were registered last year, down from 301 in 2017. The Telegraph
 

10.  The bottom line. Amid the gathering economic storm, the average UK dividend yield (payouts as a proportion of the share price) rose to a historic high of 4.8% in 2018, according to Link Asset Services. Although the average yield is expected to dip slightly to 4.2% this year, it remains well above the 30-year average of 3.5%. Financial Times