Latest news with #connections
UAE Moments
17 hours ago
- Entertainment
- UAE Moments
♎ Libra Daily Horoscope for July 29, 2025
The scales are tipping toward fun, flirtation, and fresh connections. You're gliding through the day with that 'main character energy,' turning mundane moments into movie scenes. Just remember, not every text needs a perfectly balanced response (yes, it's okay to leave them on read once in a while). ⚖️ Vibe Check: Smooth, Social & Sparkly You're in the mood to connect, laugh, and maybe stir up a little friendly drama (the fun kind). Your presence today feels like sunshine mixed with just the right amount of sass. Libra Tip: Say yes to that last-minute invite, you might meet someone who changes your perspective… or just buys you tacos. Win-win. 💼 Work & Career: Diplomatic Queen (or King) Moves Your natural charm is your power play today. Whether it's smoothing over a tense meeting or pitching a wild new idea, people are listening and loving it. Your ability to balance big-picture thinking with people skills? Chef's kiss. Libra Hack: Schedule brainstorming sessions with people who hype you up. Inspiration thrives on good vibes. 💖 Love & Friendship: Flirt, Float, Repeat Single Libras, your DMs might look like a rom-com script today, expect winks, emojis, and maybe a coffee date offer. Coupled Libras, the vibe is cozy but exciting. A little spontaneity could turn an average evening into something memorable. Today's Love Mood: Effortless charm, swoony moments, and just enough mystery to keep them hooked. 🧘♂️ Mood & Vibe: Balanced but Buzzing Your energy is light, easygoing, and totally magnetic. Just don't overcommit trying to keep everyone happy. Your time is precious too, Libra. Lucky Color: Blush Pink Lucky Numbers: 6 & 18 Cosmic Playlist Song: 'Levitating' – Dua Lipa Affirmation of the Day: 'I radiate charm, balance, and irresistible good vibes.' Libra Thought for July 29: When you show up as your authentic, charming self, everything else falls beautifully into place.
SBS Australia
19-07-2025
- General
- SBS Australia
SBS Nepali Australian weather update: Sunday, 20 July 2025
SBS acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country and their connections and continuous care for the skies, lands and waterways throughout Australia.
Yahoo
06-07-2025
- General
- Yahoo
I vowed not to be lonely when I moved to a small town and got better at making friends. At 40, I haven't stopped growing my circle.
I'm 40, and I'll never stop making new friends. I have friends of all ages and with different interests, and I cherish them all. I've realized that authenticity is the key to forming genuine relationships. At 40, I have a beautiful circle of friends who range in age from their early 30s to 97, and I don't feel like I'll ever be done making new connections. Meeting new people and being exposed to different viewpoints and experiences is something I live for. Maybe it's the journalist in me, but I've always been interested in other people's stories. I enjoy nothing more than getting to know someone and seeing what I can learn from them. Looking back, I wasn't always like this. In high school, I was a bit of a loner. I had one close friend whom I tended to stick with. Later, in college, I made a small group of girlfriends whom I adored, but I was never rolling in it in terms of friendships. Living and working overseas in my 20s helped build my confidence in meeting new people. I interacted with travelers from all over the globe and quickly learned how to find common ground with people from different walks of life. But I think the real turning point was moving from Melbourne, Australia, to country Victoria three years ago. The town where we live has a population of less than 3,000 people, and I vowed not to be lonely after relocating to such a small community. So, I made it my mission to put myself out there. Whenever I met someone I had something in common with, I'd initiate a catch-up. Even if I didn't have much in common with them, if I thought they could be fun or interesting, I'd put the offer on the table. "Hey, would you like to go for a coffee or a hike?" I'd ask. Internally, often those earlier fears of mine would emerge. What if they thought I was weird or too forthcoming? However, more often than not, I found their answer was resoundingly 'yes.' With time, I became more blatant about it. I remember meeting one of my husband's clients and instantly feeling a connection with his wife. "I really like you," I said. "Let's be friends." She laughed, and that was it. We've been buddies ever since. Most of my friendships are with other parents from the school or daycare community — having that common denominator of kids makes it easy to build rapport. But I also have friends outside that group. I have friends I hike or travel with, and I have single and child-free friends who are in a completely different phase of life. As my friendship circle has grown, I try to remember to foster my old friendships, too. I have some special long-time friends who mean the world to me, and I regularly check in on them. Sometimes, we'll talk for hours over the phone, and it feels like no time has passed between catch-ups. One thing I've realized is that authenticity is key to forming genuine connections. If you don't let down your walls, it's harder to connect with others on a deeper level. In that spirit, earlier this year I decided to do something a little out there. I hosted a ladies' night at my place and called it 'Dessert with a side of woo-woo.' I wasn't sure how it would go, and I know that some of the women who were invited were wondering what the hell was in store for them. On the big night, I asked everyone to select a talking point card from a jar. The questions ranged from playful to really deep, and sometimes painful. There were tears and plenty of laughter. Later that night, we all made dream boards with our goals and aspirations for the year. Afterward, many of the women told me how much the evening had meant to them. I think people are frequently sick of the small talk and are seeking deeper, more meaningful conversations that are raw and real. I know that making friends isn't easy for everyone — I used to feel that way, too. But if you are open to it, I challenge you to put yourself out there and ask the question. "How about a coffee?" You might be pleasantly surprised, just as I was. Read the original article on Business Insider
Harvard Business Review
04-07-2025
- Business
- Harvard Business Review
Research: Being Well Connected Isn't Always Good for Your Career
Conventional wisdom says that when it comes to career opportunities, it's not about what you know, but who you know. And research has found, in fact, that prestigious connections do open doors and make people seem more capable than their peers—as if proximity to greatness implies a degree of similar excellence. But what impact do these star connections have after someone has landed a new job? In new research, we sought to find out. Our recent paper, published in the Journal of Applied Psychology, investigated whether and how past connections with industry stars might shape long-term career evaluations and outcomes, particularly after an employee's objective performance data becomes available. Through an analysis of the careers of National Basketball Association (NBA) head coaches and an experiment with nearly 500 working professionals, we found that connections don't just help people land jobs: They continue to shape performance evaluations long after working relationships with stars have ended. How Ties to Titans Inflate Performance Expectations To begin our study, we examined the career trajectories of 179 NBA head coaches over 40 years. Professionals in the NBA, like many traditional firms, operate in high-stakes, performance-driven environments with clear career trajectories. This makes the NBA a useful context for studying career and talent decisions. We found that coaches who had previously served under legendary leaders, like Phil Jackson, for example, were less likely to be fired when their new teams performed worse than industry expectations, compared to coaches who weren't connected to stars. However, when connected coaches' teams performed exceptionally well, they were at greater risk of being fired, relative to head coaches who lacked any prior star connections. In other words, our study found that having a star connection helped buffer head coaches from the consequences of underperformance but could hurt them when they performed well. These effects lasted for up to nine years after a working relationship with a star coach had ended. To explore this dynamic further, we conducted a follow-up study with nearly 500 working professionals tasked with evaluating the performance of hypothetical new hires in the design industry. As evaluators, participants made an 'up or out' decision about each designer, one with a prior connection to an industry titan, and the other without such a connection. We found the same patterns arose: New hires with prior ties to an industry star were shielded when they underperformed, but their strong performance was often discounted. Although performance was presented as objective scores, participants' evaluations were skewed by the shadow of the industry titan associated with the connected designer. We also discovered that our participants, especially those who held more inflated expectations for star-connected designers, were significantly less likely to attribute star-connected employees' underperformance to low ability or low effort. Conversely, underperformance from a non-connected designer was attributed directly to the individual's ability and effort. Why Connections Influence Evaluations We believe that the answer lies in a psychological phenomenon known as balance theory. According to this theory, people strive for consistency in their beliefs and associations. When someone is linked to an industry star, evaluators set high expectations for the protégé and seek to maintain a positive image of them and their mentor. This leads people to rationalize evidence that contradicts their expectations, especially when the star-connected individual underperforms. Conversely, strong performance merely confirms what is already assumed and is therefore viewed as unremarkable. Consider Bob Nardelli, a protégé of the legendary General Electric CEO Jack Welch. After being recruited to be the CEO of Home Depot, Nardelli delivered strong financial results early in his tenure. However, he received little recognition and as ultimately forced out: In 2002, after announcing a 35% profit increase that beat Wall Street's expectations, the company's stock still dropped. Reflecting on this, Nardelli remarked: 'I can understand not getting rewarded, but I don't understand getting punished.' Of course, there could have been multiple factors contributing to Nardelli's downfall, including a leadership style that clashed with his company's entrepreneurial culture. Still, it is fair to speculate that his performance might have been judged against the towering expectations set by his association with Welch. Some Limitations As with any research, our findings should be interpreted with some caution. Our NBA field study focused on a male-dominated environment, which may not generalize to other industries with different make-ups. Additionally, the experimental study, although conducted with working professionals, relied on hypothetical scenarios, which may not fully capture the messiness of real-world evaluations. Still, the consistent patterns we found across our studies provides strong evidence that industry stars can, in fact, cast a long shadow on the future evaluations of their protégés. Strategies for Making Better Talent Decisions Whether you're an executive overseeing talent pipelines or an emerging leader navigating your career path, understanding how past ties to prominent figures can distort performance evaluations is essential. Prestige-by-association can create unrealistic expectations, offering not only unfair protection, but they can lead to blind spots and overlooked achievements. Here's how executive decision makers and rising leaders can respond: If you're evaluating rising leaders: Don't let reflected prestige cloud your judgment. Hiring star-connected people is not necessarily a bad thing, especially when their objective qualifications are strong. But be mindful that your (often unconscious) high expectations for star-connected employees can create blind spots in how you evaluate them, while others who lack star connections may be evaluated more critically. Before making key decisions (like promotions or dismissals), ask: Would I judge this person's performance the same way if I didn't know this person's background? What biases do their relationship with this star create? What expectations do I feel, because of this association? Create structured, criteria-based evaluation systems that focus on performance, behaviors, and competencies, minimizing the influence of what evaluators may already know about a person, such as their connections to industry titans or an elite MBA degree. Incorporate 360-degree feedback or use a promotion committee, as multi-source input can help reveal blind spots and social biases. If you're a rising leader: Own your accomplishments. Whether you're star-connected or not, it's important to take ownership of your achievements. Our study found that proximity (or distance) from stars can cause biases among evaluators. This makes it even more important to highlight specific outcomes you've delivered, challenges you've overcome, or innovations you've led that clearly demonstrate your individual contributions. If you do have a connection, it may be useful not to lean on it when it comes time for evaluations. . . . Prestigious connections are powerful. They can help you reach that important first rung on the career ladder. But the ongoing influence of star connections can distort how merit is evaluated and rewarded. In a world obsessed with who you know, let's not forget to focus on what people actually achieve.
UAE Moments
03-07-2025
- Entertainment
- UAE Moments
♊ Gemini Daily Horoscope for July 3, 2025
Today's forecast: 90% sparkle, 10% chaos and you're thriving in both. Gemini, July 3 brings that sweet spot between spontaneity and strategy. You're charming the barista, solving puzzles mid-convo, and casually turning group chats into think tanks. You've got options today and that's exactly how you like it. Ride the energy wave, say yes to the unexpected, and don't forget to laugh at your own brilliance. ⚡ Energy Check: Chatty, Clever & Unstoppable Your words are spells today: quick, sparkly, and surprisingly effective. Whether you're brainstorming, storytelling, or subtly stirring the pot (gently, of course), people are listening. Big ideas are flowing, capture them before they fly off. Gemini Tip: Voice note your genius. You'll thank yourself later. 💼 Career & Money: Ideas, Deals & Verbal Wins This is a prime day for pitches, updates, and cheeky negotiations. You're persuasive without pushing, and your flexibility is a secret weapon. If you've been waiting to present something? Go for it, your timing is immaculate. If it sounds like a great idea today, it probably is. Follow through. 💖 Love & Friendship: Tease, Talk, Repeat You're magnetic without trying. Flirting comes naturally, connections deepen with humor, and you're drawing people in like your DMs are glowing. Single? Say yes to the banter. Coupled? Surprise your partner with a spontaneous plan or deep convo disguised as play. Flirt cue: 'What's your favorite kind of trouble? I take notes.' 🧘♀️ Mood & Vibe: Glowing, Giggly & Genius-Level Curious You're in your element: multitasking like a pro and sprinkling charm wherever you go. Just don't forget to breathe between brilliance. A quick solo reset might be all you need to keep the magic rolling. Lucky Color: Sky Blue Lucky Numbers: 5 & 19 Cosmic Playlist Song: 'Good as Hell' – Lizzo Affirmation of the Day: 'I move with joy, speak with power, and trust where curiosity leads me.' 💭 Gemini Thought for July 3: The question isn't 'why?' It's 'what if?' and that's where the magic begins.
