Must Reads 247

What Disney CEO Actually Said About Remote & Hybrid

Must Reads #247 

The Must Reads Newsletter Making Your Week Ahead More Informed!

Good Morning Must Readers! This week I have binged aka caught up on Yellowstone (it's brilliant), got my whole new productivity system working and scheduled a number of brilliant Leaders Letters. How about you?   

Got feedback on Must Reads? Want More Themes Covered? Or Have A Story I Have To Cover? Just hit reply and let me know what you really think...

>> The Corporate Buzzword Bingo Card For 2023 👇 let's deep dive into your economic headwinds 

>> Work Must Reads 

> 5 Leadership Questions Your Company Has To Build On Top Of 👌- Smarter not harder is often the message you are given, but what if you need to ask 5 simple questions to get smarter to make it work harder for the company! Dive into what the 5 questions are! 

➕ A New Weekly Game>> How much did Ronaldo's (the world's most-followed athlete) new team Al Nassr FC increase on Instagram since his signing at the end of December? A/ 1m B/ 5m C/ 10m or D/ 15m  -- The answer at the bottom of the email 

> Zoomtowns, Are They Good Or Bad? 👩‍🏫 - Remote working and hybrid work were thought to lead to huge change, but have we seen this change when the majority of UK office workers are working (TW&T days) Tuesday To Thursday in the office? This US-focused article lays out why hybrid might well be working for towns (& seaside towns). 

> My 10 Quick Fire Tips To Thrive 🚀 - Each year I offer tips for readers to do well in the year ahead, this year I provide quick and actionable advice. From training your team members in budget management and interview practice to how to say NO to meetings.

> TikTok Concerns Hit Newsrooms ⚠️ - The BBC has warned journalists against the use and addiction that is TikTok. There have been many journalists openly tracked by the Chinese app. There have been many newsrooms in the US warned of these issues previously but with many newstok accounts with over 1m followers, the race for "bigger audience and reach" has firmly shifted (from Twitter) to TikTok. 

> Can A Cashless World Be Good? 🤔- With 85% preferring using cards and digital wallets to pay for items, can cashless be an option or will it impact those who don't have the option like the "unbanked" and people hit hardest. Many food-based businesses are refusing a shift to cashless (for many reasons good and bad)

> Chess 100m Online Players ♟️- The journey for chess.com has been long and bigger than most can even think of, 100m players are huge, with a little help from Netflix and chess championship scandals. Chess won't stop here.  (Check out chessup's approach to making chess smarter and more approachable) 

Well Worth The Watch >> 👏 I bet you wish your brand could sell its product this way (props to GoPro)

> The Male Celebrity Beauty Product Trend Explained 💅 - Brad Pitt, Jarod Leto, and Harry Styles all have their own product lines (likely inspired by the likes of Rihanna's  Savage Beauty and Kylie's success). A few weeks ago I said we hit peak DTC, I believe we will see peak celebs lines this year and they will go back to investing & promoting lines to control their risk and their own personal brands. 

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>> Life Must Reads 

> Mario Restaurant 🍄 🪙- Universal with the genius (Hollywood) idea for a Mario restaurant with Princess Peach Cupcake, Toadstool Cheesy Garlic Knots, and Piranha Plant Caprese. 

> Google Reviews, Maybe The Most Human Experience Online📍- This is a great longread, about how Google reviews is often the most human and honest review system online. Many opt to be super personal and offer insights you never knew you needed. 

How Adobe Become The SaaS Dominant Force (from creating PDF to photoshop to acquiring magento, marketo, workfront, & the recent $20b figma) 

The answer for the game of the week is 10m

Have a great weekend! 

Thanks, Danny Denhard