Successful operations leaders know the importance of staying informed on the latest issues and trends… and boy has the last year been a doozy. Not only have organizations been forced to endure significant change over the last year due to the pandemic, there’s also been significant shifts around policy, social justice and more. All of this has combined to create a new era of business operations ripe with new opportunities to grow and evolve. But how can you stay connected and benefit from these shifts? Here are four quick-hit resources I recommend using to stay current on everything related to operations management.
Business Watch Network is a news aggregator site that covers a huge swath of business subject matter. They present articles from all the top magazines, as well as a number of smaller publications you likely have never heard of. And, they organize their articles in a way that makes it easy to find information relevant to you. They also have regular webinars on relevant topics and a variety of targeted newsletters and whitepapers.
2. Paychex (our payroll provider)
Your payroll company can be a great source for HR developments. Furthermore, during Covid, most are providing consistent updates that should be relevant to your business. From PPP loans to Covid-19 sick policies to vaccine policies and PPE in the workplace, I find that Paychex has been a great resource for information.
3. Fast Company
Fast Company has been one of my favorite business publications for quite some time. In addition to the larger business stories and economic movements, you also get some mind-blowing insights on culture, empowerment, the impact of technology and more. For example, this recent article about setting work boundaries at home.
Harvard Business Review is one of those outstanding resources every business owner should read. They cover everything from the cultural revolution in business to productivity in a coronavirus world to how businesses can combat climate change. I recommend their unique audio series “Cold Call,” which is a distillation of case studies focusing on authenticity, resilience, empathy, behavioral science, and much more.