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Influence, impact and power.

Influence, impact and power.
By Mary Trigiani • Issue #1087 • View online
The Medici family of Renaissance Florence still enjoys a level of influence that reaches beyond their final resting places – yet humble bacteria is what scientists used to clean their tombs. This story, along with the others in this week’s newsbrief, inspire the exploration of various expressions of power and what constitutes true impact – reminding us that we all possess power to exercise and impact to deliver, however humble our presence.

The Medieval Influencer Who Convinced the World to Drink Tea—Not Eat It - Gastro Obscura
The Medieval Influencer Who Convinced the World to Drink Tea—Not Eat It - Gastro Obscura
The Chinese picked up the habit of consuming tea sometime after their rulers annexed parts of the Eastern Himalayas. Before long, they were using tea to improve their concentration. For example, Hua Tuo, a legendary physician who lived in the late-second century AD, reportedly wrote, “Eating the bitter leaves is good for sharpening the mind if taken for long periods of time.”
But tea was more to the Chinese than a drug; they also saw it as a cooking ingredient. In the verdant, central coast, home chefs boiled the fresh, tender tea leaves in pots with rice and water to make a gruel. The gruel was especially popular in the sweltering summer months, as it not only stimulated the body, but also purportedly “dispelled heat.” (Many modern tea cultures similarly believe that drinking tea helps cool down the body.)
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In the past, spikes in voluntary attrition often signaled a competition for talent, where in-demand workers left one job for a similar but better one at another company. This most recent wave of attrition is different. Most are leaving to take on very different roles—or just leaving the workforce entirely. They have been operating under extreme circumstances for extended periods and have been unable to find an adequate balance between work and life—so they are choosing “life” until they absolutely need to go back.
www.mckinsey.com  •  Share
Surprise, Shock, and Uncertainty · Collaborative Fund
Surprise, Shock, and Uncertainty · Collaborative Fund
“History doesn’t crawl; it leaps,” says Nassim Taleb. The most important events tend to be abrupt, out of the blue, changing the world before people have time to rub their eyes and understand what’s happening.
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The Simplicity of Business Framework — Link the Dots
The Simplicity of Business Framework — Link the Dots
Let’s start by considering businesses as fundamentally human endeavors, at their most basic level. Over the years, I have found that if you start with the human element, you can build a universal model of business that is complete, timeless, and provides a sound foundation to add any level of complexity you desire.
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Sigal Barsade: The Power of Emotions - Knowledge@Wharton
Sigal Barsade: The Power of Emotions - Knowledge@Wharton
Wharton Deputy Dean Nancy Rothbard said Barsade’s work was revolutionary in that it helped businesses to acknowledge the role that emotions play in the office and to learn to harness their power for good.
“When you think about business, the kneejerk reaction is to say that emotions don’t belong in business. But her motivation to study this topic involved educating people about why emotions absolutely are a part of business, and the only way to succeed is to recognize and understand that they are affecting you,” she said.
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From Search to Recommendations - How to Evolve Your SEO - The Search Guru
From Search to Recommendations - How to Evolve Your SEO - The Search Guru
Classic SEO metrics, like page authority, backlinks, content lengths and keyword optimization are no longer enough to rank high in Google. We’ve been researching why a particular higher authority domain wasn’t able to rank on page one of Google. Here are the results.
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Seeking equity for 4-H - Cardinal News
Seeking equity for 4-H - Cardinal News
She crafted a bill – a modified version of legislation she found in Tennessee – that would require school districts to treat 4-H activities like school field trips, and to allow the state’s 240,000 4-H’ers to miss classes without penalty. 
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Inside Track: Pro Bono Volunteers Assist Afghan Immigrants at Ft. McCoy:
Inside Track: Pro Bono Volunteers Assist Afghan Immigrants at Ft. McCoy:
I went to law school at age 56, and it was a great experience. I only regret not becoming a lawyer much earlier in my career. I graduated from the Appalachian School of Law in Grundy, Virginia, in 2020, and am licensed in Illinois.
I had recently moved back to Wisconsin when I learned of the evacuation of Afghanistan in July 2021, and that thousands of evacuees would temporarily reside at Fort McCoy.
I realized that, most importantly, they would need legal help. U.S. immigration laws are more complicated than in the past when other groups of refugees arrived. I wanted to be a part of the clinic, and reached out to USCCB, which was responsible for legal clinics on eight military bases. I started out as a volunteer and was lucky to become the legal lead at Fort McCoy.
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Starting in 2019, experts quietly introduced varying strains of bacteria to the marble sculptures of the New Sacristy, where multiple members of the Medici dynasty are entombed. The microbes promptly set about eating centuries’ worth of grime, glue, and other debris that had discolored the sculptures on the tombs. 
news.artnet.com  •  Share
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Mary Trigiani

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