Do you know how to give, and receive, helpful feedback? Read on to find out about channelling feedback into positive outcomes, cybersecurity threats (and strategies on how to combat them), plus books on risk-management in uncertain times.

Do you have any burning, business related questions? Feel free to email them to prosearch@wcc.govt.nz and we'll do our best to help you. Your question might even inspire a piece in our next newsletter!

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The art of giving and receiving feedback

Giving – and receiving – feedback is a necessary part of communication in the workplace.  Effective feedback should encourage, train, and guide us even if it challenges us. Delivery, however, no matter the direction – upwards, downwards, or sideways to a hoamahi (colleague) – requires a degree of tact, sensitivity, or emotional intelligence.  

Unfortunately, when badly delivered, feedback can damage workplace relationships as it is perceived as threatening and the receiver can become defensive or even hostile.

Whether you are a manager of people, a co-worker or employee, learning how to deliver and accept feedback is a skill that can be developed with a little effort and awareness.

Want to introduce a little te reo into your work place? This week at WCL, our kupu (word) of the week is hoamahi, which means workmate or colleague.

This is a very important kupu as we cannot get anything done at work without our hoamahi! 😊

Here are some ways you can use hoamahi in your everyday reo/language:

We are having a morning tea with our hoamahi today.                                                    We are having a morning tea with our work mates today.

Let me just check with my hoamahi.                                                                                Let me just check with my colleague.

Thanks to Louise Dowdell, WCL Staff Development Advisor.

The black swan problem: risk management strategies for a world of wild uncertainty                                  By Jankensgård, Håkan

An incisive framework for companies seeking to increase their resilience

In The Black Swan Problem: Risk Management Strategies for a World of Wild Uncertainty, renowned risk and finance expert Håkan Jankensgård delivers an extraordinary and startling discussion of how firms should navigate a world of uncertainty and unexpected events. It examines three fundamental, high-level strategies for creating resilience in the face of "black swan" risks, highly unlikely but devastating events: insurance, buffering, and flexibility. (Adapted from catalogue)

Cybersecurity for business : organization-wide strategies to ensure cyber risk is not just an IT issue                                                   Clinton, Larry, 1951- editor.

Achieve digital transformation goals without creating undue risks with this guide to managing cybersecurity from a strategic, business-wide perspective. (From catalogue)

Building a resilient tomorrow : how to prepare for the coming climate disruption                                             By Hill, Alice C. 

Even under the most optimistic scenarios, significant global climate change is now inevitable. While squarely confronting the scale of the risks we face, Building a Resilient Tomorrow presents replicable sustainability successes and clear-cut policy recommendations that can improve the climate resilience of communities in the US and beyond. (From catalogue)

The future Earth: a radical vision for what's possible in the age of warming                                              By Holthaus, Eric

The first hopeful book about climate change, The Future Earth shows readers how to reverse the short- and long-term effects of climate change over the next three decades.

The basics of climate science are easy. We know it is entirely human-caused. Which means its solutions will be similarly human-led. In The Future Earth, leading climate change advocate and weather-related journalist Eric Holthaus ("the Rebel Nerd of Meteorology"-Rolling Stone) offers a radical vision of our future, specifically how to reverse the short- and long-term effects of climate change over the next three decades. (Adapted from catalogue)

The extreme rain event in Auckland, Bay of Plenty and Northland in the last week is estimated to cost the overall economy close to half a billion dollars.

Cybersecurity threats increasing and evolving at rapid pace - legal expert

Companies and organisations are being warned to pay more attention to cybersecurity or face financial consequences and other risks for failing to adequately protect data.

While all businesses and business owners hope they will never experience a devastating event statistically at some point you may find yourself having to deal with the after-effects of some form of disaster. 

Have you thought about how prepared your business is for such an event? Have a look at a blog post we published a while ago on Disaster Planning and Business continuity