Latest news with #teams
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Club World Cup transfer window explained: Everything you need to know about how Premier League sides are affected
The new Club World Cup will get underway on June 14, kicking off a busy summer of football for the 32 teams involved. Taking place in the United States, the new-look tournament also means that an extra transfer window will be in place. Sanctioned at the behest of FIFA, the window will open early from June 1 to June 10. This is to allow teams competing in the tournament to add extra strength in depth, meaning we could see clubs act earlier than usual in the market. So, why exactly is there an extra transfer window, why is it split and when is the Club World Cup kicking off? Read on below for everything you need to know about the extra transfer window set to be in place this summer. Why is there an extra transfer window? There is typically one only one summer transfer window for European clubs, which usually opens at the end of June or beginning of July. However, this time around, FIFA has changed its usual rules to allow clubs competing in the newly-revamped Club World Cup to sign players for the tournament. A FIFA statement on the new window reads: 'Member associations of clubs participating in the competition shall have the possibility to establish an exceptional additional registration period from June 1-10, 2025. 'For the avoidance of doubt, no member association is obliged to establish such an exceptional additional registration period.' To avoid giving an unfair advantage to teams in the tournament, the extra transfer window is open to all clubs, not just those involved in the Club World Cup. Why is the transfer window split? After closing on June, the transfer window will remain shut for six days, until June 16, for Premier League teams. Page 267 of the 2024-25 season handbook states that the summer window must open 'at midnight on the date 12 weeks prior to the date on which it is to conclude'. League rules say the summer window must be a maximum of 12 weeks, while the winter window can be longer than four weeks. The early window in place for the Club World Cup is considered as an exceptional registration period, making it separate from the handbook's usual advice. When is the Club World Cup? The new-look Club World Cup will begin on Saturday June 14 and finish nearly a month later on Sunday July 13. The tournament will be held at various venues across the United States and involve the likes of Chelsea, Manchester City, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and PSG. While the competition may be viewed as an after-thought by some fans, it comes with a lucrative award - as the winners of the tournament will receive up to £97million ($125million) from FIFA. A £774million ($1billion) will be shared between the 32 clubs - in addition to a £406million ($525million) participation fee shared based on sporting and commercial criteria, with a further £368million ($475million) shared based on sporting performance.
Entrepreneur
3 days ago
- Business
- Entrepreneur
Why Leaders Who Hide Behind Ambiguity Are Failing Their Teams
Teams aren't paralyzed by change — they're paralyzed by leaders who won't make a decision. When clarity is replaced with hesitation, even the best teams stall out, waiting for someone to step up and lead. Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. Let's stop pretending that ambiguity is some kind of evolved leadership skill. It's not. It's avoidance, plain and simple. Somewhere along the way, many leaders have confused open-mindedness with indecisiveness, and teams are suffering for it. Today's workplace isn't short on talent, but short on direction. People are ready to move, ready to build and ready to make an impact. But too often, they're forced to operate in a fog of strategic vagueness. Not because they lack initiative, but because the people above them are unwilling, or unable, to make a call. Leadership used to be about vision and decisiveness. It meant choosing a direction, committing to it and giving people a clear line of sight on where they were headed. That didn't mean micromanaging every move, but it did mean taking responsibility for setting the course. Now, too many leaders dance around decisions, offering a parade of possibilities instead of planting a flag. The consequences are real. Teams become fragmented. Resources get spread thin across too many priorities. People spend more time aligning than executing. And worst of all, the energy and drive that make a team powerful begin to erode. Not because people don't care, but because they don't know what they're aiming for. Related: Is It Time to Fire Yourself? 5 Signs You're Holding Your Company Back This isn't about leadership being "bad." It's about leadership being absent when it's needed most. There's a common pattern in organizations today: a big problem emerges — say, declining customer retention. Leadership acknowledges it, initiates a few working groups, and asks for ideas. Weeks go by. Research is done. Options are presented. And then…nothing. No real decision. No clear direction. Just more meetings, more analysis, more "let's keep exploring." It's not that leaders don't want to make the right choice. It's that they're terrified of making the wrong one. But that fear is costing teams far more than a few missteps ever would. When leaders don't make decisions, they shift the risk downstream. Teams are left to interpret vague signals and hope they're aligned. It's like being told to "build a bridge" with no information about the river, the traffic, or even the destination. Sure, your engineers might start designing, but the odds of building something useful are slim to none. Teams don't need endless exploration. They need a call to action. They need someone to say, "This is the direction we're going. It might not be perfect, but we believe it's right — and we're going to learn as we go." Related: The One 'Superpower' Trait These 6 Top Leaders Always Look For When Hiring And no, this isn't about embracing top-down command-and-control. It's about stepping into the responsibility of leadership. Decisiveness isn't a character flaw. It's a necessity. People want to follow someone who's willing to take a stand. They're not expecting perfection. They're expecting courage. The irony is, once a clear decision is made, teams don't collapse — they ignite. Give them a clear goal, and they'll bring the creativity, energy, and ownership needed to make it happen. They'll debate the how, they'll iterate on the what, but they'll do it with a shared understanding of why. That's where true innovation happens, within the guardrails of a defined purpose. But without that leadership, even the best teams end up stuck. They chase consensus instead of progress. They build plans on assumptions instead of direction. And eventually, they disengage — not because they're lazy, but because ambiguity is exhausting. So, what's the fix? It starts with leaders recognizing that decisiveness isn't about ego — it's about service. It's not about being right all the time. It's about giving people the clarity they need to do meaningful work. That might mean taking a position before every stakeholder is fully aligned. It might mean making a call when the data is still a bit murky. It will almost certainly mean facing criticism. But that's the job. Related: Are You a Procrastinator? Here Are 5 Ways to Be More Decisive. We've made leadership too comfortable. We've turned it into facilitation instead of direction. Discussion is important — but it's not the destination. At some point, someone has to say, "This is the way forward." If you're a leader, ask yourself: What decisions am I avoiding under the guise of being collaborative? Where have I created confusion instead of clarity? Am I giving my team enough information to act, or just enough to stay stuck? Because the truth is, your team isn't asking for a crystal ball. They're not looking for infallibility. They're looking for a signal they can trust, a decision they can work from, and a leader who's willing to step up when it counts. Clarity doesn't kill creativity — it unleashes it. And decisiveness doesn't stifle innovation — it enables it. What's killing momentum in organizations today isn't change — it's the unwillingness to commit to any change at all. So, make the call. Choose the direction. Lead. Your team is ready. The only question is — are you?
Geeky Gadgets
3 days ago
- Business
- Geeky Gadgets
Step-by-Step: Automate Statements of Work with AI Meeting Note-Takers
How much time do you spend writing statements of work? At some point, the impact on productivity becomes inevitable. Every project begins with formalities: documenting agreements, timelines, and deliverables. To capture key points, professionals go through extensive meeting information, which can take hours. But what if you could get it done within minutes ? A good AI meeting note-taker helps automate deliverables and optimize workflows of an entire team. Let's dive in and explore the details. What is a Statement of Work? A statement of work, or SOW, is a document that includes information about the project's scope, timelines, deliverables, and other discussed points. The idea is to bind a client and a vendor and define what a successful result looks like. Use cases vary: from starting a new project to involving new parties in an existing one. A statement of work helps professionals set expectations and reduce misunderstandings in the early stages. Key Components of a Statement of Work Before automating statements of work, you need to understand the key elements that shape this document. Think of them as a strong foundation that remains the same, with items from meetings filling in the gaps. Here are the core features of a comprehensive statement of work: Introduction and objectives Scope of work Deliverables and tasks Timeline Roles and responsibilities Project standards Acceptance criteria Payment information Requirements A good example of a statement of work outlines project-related information and provides traceability across all involved parties. How AI Can Improve Statements of Work The truth is, many professionals remain loyal to traditional meeting documentation. Then, why should you do it differently? The value of AI goes beyond speed. Let's take a look at how AI can turn your team conversations into practical statements of work: Consistency : AI note-taker tools ensure that information from company meetings is consistent and accurate. It is easier to maintain the brand's style and adhere to the guidelines. : AI note-taker tools ensure that information from company meetings is consistent and accurate. It is easier to maintain the brand's style and adhere to the guidelines. Traceability : Whether you have virtual meetings or offline discussions, with AI all documents are traceable. : Whether you have virtual meetings or offline discussions, with AI all documents are traceable. Standardized templates : A range of tools offers customizable templates, but the key is that all the information you need for statements of work is structured and aligned with templates. : A range of tools offers customizable templates, but the key is that all the information you need for statements of work is structured and aligned with templates. Time-saving: Statements of work are a tedious task, but with AI, it takes minutes. A good meeting assistant analyzes discussions and extracts information required for SOWs. As a result, you spend less time but receive comprehensive documentation that is structured and aligned with your guidelines. Steps to Choose an AI Meeting Note-Taker The value of automated note-taking tools for SWOs is out of question. Now that all the benefits are listed, you can move to the next step: find the right software. With so much to consider and so many options to choose from, how do you decide? We have prepared a list of ideas to help you assess note-taker tools better. Transcription Accuracy An AI meeting note-taker is only effective as long as it has accurate transcription. Furthermore, it has to maintain quality regardless of background noise or the number of speakers. Consider tools that provide real-time transcription with precise detection of speaker switches and support multiple languages. Summarization & Key Insight Extraction Can the note-taking tool generate meeting summaries and extract key items? This is the next question to answer to narrow down the options. Automatic transcription is one of the pillars, but not the only one. Look for AI meeting note-taker tools that gather insights across meetings and can turn them into precise documentation. Ensure the smart summary contains action items and main ideas, and that the accuracy of the text is not affected. Automation of Deliverables Automated deliverables can set advanced AI meeting note-takers apart from traditional ones. Tools that support AI Artifacts can optimize the creation of statements of work, project plans, and other documentation, improving professionals' productivity. Search tools that not only generate meeting transcriptions but can also create comprehensive documentation based on conversations. Search & Traceability What is the purpose of having meeting recordings, notes, and documents if they are not searchable? Even worse, when you cannot trace them. This is another basic feature to consider in the AI meeting note-taker software. Choose the tool that provides searchable transcripts, deliverables, records, and filtering by meeting topic or keywords. Seamless Integrations No good AI meeting note-taker is isolated, so when searching for your next assistant, consider the integrations list. Check whether there are options to sync generated documents into collaboration or project tools. Assess a list of native integrations and check Zapier apps to ensure all the platforms you use can be connected. This will help you automatically sync or share your statements of work with all the responsible parties. How Sembly AI Automates Statements of Work What if you can automate deliverables, receive smart meeting recaps, and integrate AI with your favorite tools? Sembly AI made this possible. With Sembly, you can create statements of work or any other supporting documentation within minutes after meetings. It will analyze your discussions and provide structured information based on your input, regardless of the complexity level. The tool offers a full spectrum of meeting support: from searchable records, smart notes, and action items to comprehensive AI Artifacts. You no longer need to dedicate time to manual note-taking and creating documents in Word. Sembly provides high-quality output, improving your productivity and results, while you focus on what's important. The Main Challenges of Automating Statements of Work Automation may come with its challenges, so this section is dedicated to understanding common pitfalls and addressing them. Let's take a look at some concerns that stop professionals from automating their statements of work and other project documentation: Misinterpretation : Improper contextual interpretation of meeting information can be lethal for the statements of work. It is crucial for the chosen software to analyze discussions, rather than just extract pieces of agreements. : Improper contextual interpretation of meeting information can be lethal for the statements of work. It is crucial for the chosen software to analyze discussions, rather than just extract pieces of agreements. Dependency on data : Technical issues with audio or meeting participants' dropouts negatively impact the document's result. Focus on tools that support low-quality sound and offer minutes of noise cancellation. : Technical issues with audio or meeting participants' dropouts negatively impact the document's result. Focus on tools that support low-quality sound and offer minutes of noise cancellation. Security : Security remains a concern for many professionals. According to recent data, there are approximately 600 million cyberattacks per day. It is mandatory that the AI meeting note-taker maintains enterprise-grade security. : Security remains a concern for many professionals. According to recent data, there are approximately 600 million cyberattacks per day. It is mandatory that the AI meeting note-taker maintains enterprise-grade security. Limited customization: Brand consistency is key, especially in documents such as statements of work, and some tools offer pre-made templates only. Try to find advanced options that are more flexible and can adjust to your guidelines and rules. Wrapping Up Statements of work no longer have to take hours, libraries of templates, and careful and time-consuming editing. AI meeting note-takers continue to advance and can automate deliverables based on meeting information. A proper input and a link to the conversation details are enough to receive a comprehensive document within minutes. The key? The tool that has high accuracy levels, summarization & extraction of key insights, searchable records, integrations, and advanced AI features. As a result, your statements of work will take minutes, and you can improve your productivity. Filed Under: Guides, Technology News Latest Geeky Gadgets Deals Disclosure: Some of our articles include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, Geeky Gadgets may earn an affiliate commission. Learn about our Disclosure Policy.
New York Times
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Lightning are a lock to go deep, and other lessons from the NHL playoffs prediction contest
And then there were two. And soon, just one winner. No, this isn't a Stanley Cup preview post that accidentally ran a few days early. It's an update on the annual playoff prediction contest, which is already over for almost all of you. We'll get to that in a bit. But first, a refresher. This is the contest that seems simple, because it's only one question: Name as many or as few playoff teams as you'd like based on how many games they'll win, in order from most to least. That's it. We even give you the benefit of the doubt on ties, because we want you to succeed. But you don't. Did I mention that you're not good at this? Because you're not. Advertisement You can find this year's contest post here, and if you entered, you can find your answer by heading to the comment section of that post and using the dropdown to select 'my comments.' But you probably don't want to do that, because spoiler alert, there's a roughly 99.8 percent chance that you're out of the running. Let's get into what happened and why you're bad at this. We had 1,054 entries this year, which is basically the same as the year before. By the way, last year was the first time we tried this, so everyone was flying blind. This time, we at least have something to compare to, as well as (in theory) a strategy that worked once already. Of those thousand or so entries, 79 of you went all out and listed 16 teams. As always, I admire your self-confidence. Also, as always, none of you came close. In fact, every one of those entries was out by the end of the first round. A few were out even sooner because they submitted impossible entries (like having two teams from one matchup both ahead of two teams from another). Just observationally, there seemed to be a very high crossover between those of you with the inflated ego to list 16 teams and those of you who thought Dallas was going to lose to Colorado. Do with that information what you will, Stars fans. I will offer some congratulations to three entries — Adam H., Dan K. and Rubens M. — who submitted 16 teams and at least got the winners of all eight first-round series correct. They still had the order wrong, but going 8 for 8 on matchups is at least mildly impressive. The other 76 of you full-ballot types couldn't even manage that. A further eight of you went with 15 entries, three of you tried 14, and six settled for 13. At the other end of the scale, 10 of you went with just three teams, a dozen of you went with two, and three of you got cute by listing just one team for a guaranteed 'right' answer that was presumably counting on an upset-laded playoffs taking everyone else out while banking enough wins to own the tie-breaker. Of those three, two of you took teams that went out in the first round and the only one who didn't had Toronto, so … yeah, this strategy did not work. Advertisement Not surprisingly, the most common number of entries was eight, which was how many last year's winner used. There are 281 of you with eight entries, edging out the 250 who had six. It's always fun with these contests to try to figure out what your entries might tell us about who you do and don't believe in. In this case, that means running the numbers to see which teams were most often listed first on an entry (implying that lots of you thought they'd go far) and which ones were last (implying that you thought they'd be out early). There's not quite a direct correlation, mind you, because this is a contest where intentionally veering away from the mainstream might be a viable strategy, but it's still interesting. With that in mind, here's how often each team was listed as the first team on an entry: Hm. So our collective top five didn't even make it out of Round 2, including two first-round exits. If anything, my main takeaway here is that the narrative that's already forming around the Panthers — that they were always a playoff-honed sleeping giant and we all knew they'd be dangerous once the games really mattered — is nonsense. Here's how often each team was listed last: This feels a little more reasonable, with the top-six teams all being first-round casualties. But the Lightning stand out, all the way at the bottom of the list. They were out in five games in an opening round that had no sweeps, meaning everyone who picked them here was technically right. But that was only 11 of you, meaning 99 percent of you figured they'd do better than they did. Don't worry, you weren't the only dummies who felt that way. We don't know … yet. But we can narrow it down to two contenders. First things first: For the second straight year of the contest, the magic number for teams is indeed going to be eight. Of the 273 entries that listed nine or more teams, every single on was already dead by the time the conference finals started. Advertisement But three contestants listed eight teams and were still alive. That included two — Matt G. and Gaurav A. — who only had Carolina left on their entry, meaning they were guaranteed a correct answer. Both entries included the Hurricanes, Jets, Capitals, Devils and Habs. But Gaurav's remaining trio of Toronto, Los Angeles and Ottawa produced one more win than Matt's mix of Vegas, St. Louis and Minnesota, giving Gaurav the tie-breaker and leaving Matt with no hope of taking the crown. So who's left to stand in Gaurav's way? That would be Tony D. He also has eight teams listed, but his list included all four conference finalists, meaning he's running away with the tie-breaker … if he can stick the landing. Here's what his entry looks like: Tony D. — Edmonton, Florida, Dallas, Carolina, Vegas, Washington, Minnesota, Ottawa He came into this week already home and cooled out on those last four teams. But he still needed three things to happen: • Edmonton and Florida win their conference finals. Mission accomplished. • Carolina does not win more games than Dallas while losing. Another hit. • And finally, Edmonton has to beat Florida in their Cup final rematch. To be determined. So if the Oilers win the Cup, Tony D. will take the crown and become our second champion. (He'll also set the record for best score ever, narrowly edging out last year's winner, Sean M., who had eight teams and 52 wins. No, not me, we mean the smart Sean M.) If not, Gaurav is our champion. So there you have it … there's something to play for over the weekend and beyond. Well, that and the Stanley Cup — if you're into that sort of thing. (Photo of Nikita Kucherov: Mike Carlson / Getty Images)
CTV News
3 days ago
- General
- CTV News
Classic Sports Moments - The Regina Pat Canadians and their bid to win the 1994 Air Canada Cup
Watch in 1994, the Regina Pat Canadians made it to the national championship final to play the Red Deer Chiefs.
