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☆ I'm a former senior leader at Amazon and working in the office made me better at my job. The bottom line is if you're fully remote you're missing out.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Brandon Southern | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

But in order to fully benefit from in-office work, young-tenured employees also need experienced employees to work in the office as well. Now before the pitchforks come for me, I'm 100% supportive of remote work and I'm fully supportive of employee flexibility and all the great things that come with working remotely. But while many people talk about the benefits of remote work, few talk about its consequences. I've witnessed frequent situations where team members are reinventing the wheel due to reduced communication related to remote work. As a leader, my job is to create opportunities for team members to succeed, but also to be challenged.

Persons: Brandon Southern, I've, It's, — Organizations: eBay, GameStop

☆ Dollar General workers at a Florida store were left without a working restroom, OSHA says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A Dollar General store in Florida was cited for seven violations by OSHA inspectors. The OSHA area director criticized Dollar General for repeated safety violations. That included the serious violation of not providing workers with a working restroom, which OSHA says exposed "employees to adverse health effects and sanitation hazards." The store's largest proposed fine came from a repeat violation of obstructing exit routes, for which OSHA wants to fine Dollar General $156,259. Dollar General did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment, sent outside US working hours.

Organizations: OSHA, Service, Occupational Health, Safety Administration, Federal, Miami Herald, Brandon Locations: Florida, Wall, Silicon, Brandon , Florida

☆ I'm a former senior leader at Amazon. Mentorships can be a waste of everyone's time unless you do it right — here's how.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Brandon Southern | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

I've had the opportunity to mentor several people during my 20-year career in tech as a senior leader at companies like Amazon and eBay. To start your mentorship off right, come prepared with specific, time-based goals for what you'd like to accomplish. Without knowing why you want a promotion, what the promotion duties look like, and when you want to achieve a promotion, your mentor won't be able to give the specific feedback you need. Without this practice, not only will you not make progress, but you'll end up re-hashing the same conversation from the previous meeting. This will be a waste of time for you and your mentor and quickly result in a frustrating and unsuccessful mentorship.

Persons: Brandon Southern, mentees, I've, you'll, aren't, you've, it's, that's Organizations: eBay, GameStop, Morning

☆ Fact Check-No proof of ‘deadly mosquitoes’ at AFRAM in Baltimore
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

AFRAM, an annual cultural festival celebrating Black excellence, was held over Juneteenth weekend at Druid Hill Park in Baltimore, Maryland (here), (aframbaltimore.com/about-afram). Weeks later, Instagram posts shared a clip from the festival that shows attendees swatting and fanning themselves and includes the text: “Helicopter released deadly mosquitoes in Baltimore, MD AFRAM 2023” (here). In other posts from the event, however, users say the flying bugs were gnats, not mosquitoes (here), (here). MALE MOSQUITOES SWARM, DON’T BITEMale mosquitoes swarm to mate but don’t bite, and the swarming flies in social media posts do not look like mosquitoes, said George Dimopoulos, a deputy director of the Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute (here). Social media clips of a Baltimore festival do not show “deadly mosquitoes,” entomology and health experts said.

Persons: Weeks, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, Michael Raupp, gnats, Raup, Brian Federici, midge, ”, George Dimopoulos, Johns, Laura Harrington, “, Arinze Ifekauche, Dimopoulos, Read Organizations: Baltimore, Helicopter, Baltimore Mayor, University of Maryland, University of California, Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute, Cornell University, Health Department, Maryland Department of Agriculture, Reuters Locations: Maryland, Baltimore City, Druid, Baltimore , Maryland, Baltimore, Riverside

☆ I'm a former senior leader at Amazon. There's a secret reason you're not getting promoted and it has to do with 'calibration meetings' happening behind closed doors.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Brandon Southern | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

I've worked in tech for 20 years and served as the former head of analytics at companies like eBay, Amazon, and GameStop. This matters, but more is required, and it starts with understanding the secret conversations that happen behind closed doors during the promotion process. Identify the voters: This plan starts with understanding who your manager's peers are and your manager's managers are. After generating this list with your manager, you'll need to have a discussion with your manager to determine who you should align with, much like a corporate version of Survivor! Show how your work duties have increased: Last, you'll need to demonstrate an increase in scope of work.

Persons: Brandon Southern, I've, they're, it's Organizations: eBay, GameStop

☆ I bought a laundromat and only spend 1 hour a week managing it. It's an easy, hands-off secondary income stream — here's how I got started.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Aria Yang | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Brandon Schlichter is a real estate investor who owns a laundromat in Chillicothe, Ohio. I got my real estate license in 2006 and have been a full-time real estate investor for 10 years. The laundromat is easier than other ventures, like restaurantsIn my opinion, the laundromat business is easier than other ventures because they're not heavily employee-centric. For those who want to start a laundromat business, I recommend paying close attention to the numbers — they're crucial. If you've successfully created a secondary or passive income stream and want to share your story, email Aria Yang at ayang@insider.com.

Persons: Brandon Schlichter, It's, they're, Taco Bell, you've, Aria Yang Organizations: Service, YouTube Locations: Chillicothe , Ohio, Wall, Silicon, Columbus

☆ I've worked as a data analyst at companies like Amazon for 20 years. Using ChatGPT for data analytics is a risky move — AI will never be able to do the work we do.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( Brandon Southern | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

He says that using ChatGPT for data analytics is a risky move. But what I am concerned about is leaders believing that it can or should replace data analysts' jobs. In the current environment, data analysts provide additional context to data output, and they navigate these data issues in real-time as they construct their data analysis. As self-service capabilities increase, data analysts are becoming less involved with assisting stakeholders with data interpretation. He also creates TikToks about data analytics and career development.

Persons: Brandon Southern, analysis.I, I'm, I've Organizations: eBay, GameStop, Amazon, VMWare

☆ Stop thinking tenure gets you promotions — it doesn't. A former senior leader at Amazon explains what actually works.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-16 | by ( Brandon Southern | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

While time spent in a specific role may correlate with commitment, experience, or knowledge, it doesn't necessarily correlate with value to a company. To get a raise or promotion, you're going to need more than tenure — you're going to need to create additional value or increase your scope of work. In this case, the company is getting more value by paying more, but paying more doesn't always equate to more value. For many positions, it can be hard to determine if an experienced person is providing more value than a non-experienced person. The question that the company will ask is, does the hire salary cost outweigh the cost of hiring a new employee?

Persons: Brandon Southern, I've, you've Organizations: eBay, GameStop, Morning, Brandon

☆ A 55-year-old retired police officer explains how she rebuilt her credit after filing for bankruptcy — and has done over 20 real estate deals, from flips to long-term rentals
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( Kathleen Elkins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

Still, she's managed to do more than 20 real estate deals, from flips to long-term rentals. Dipping her toe into investing and learning from the 2007 housing market crashStroud's introduction to real estate investing wasn't a smooth one. "My very first real estate interaction was a failed one," she said. "During the 2007 real estate crash, values dipped everywhere but our property didn't dip as low as others did. Courtesy of Brenda StroudLater that year, around December 2020, Stroud took an online real estate investing course for $17 offered by the Women's Real Estate Investors Network (WREIN) after seeing an advertisement on Facebook.

Persons: Brenda Stroud, she's, Stroud, Brandon, She's, she'd, that's, hadn't Organizations: Prince, United, Tuskegee University, Tuskegee, Stroud, Estate Investors, Facebook Locations: Prince George's County, Maryland, Georgia, Stroud, Tuskegee , Alabama, Washington , DC, Fort Washington , Maryland, Baltimore, Snellville , Georgia, Tuskegee, United States, WREIN

☆ Schumer urges FDA to probe Prime energy drink backed by YouTube stars Logan Paul and KSI
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( Chelsey Cox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Logan Paul and KSI pose with Prime hydration bottles prior to a regular season game between the Arizona Diamondbacks and Los Angeles Dodgers on March 31, 2023, at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, CA. The brand offers a bottled hydration drink and a canned energy beverage, which is said is not intended for children. Several countries, including Australia, South Africa, the United Kingdom, Canada and New Zealand have already banned Prime Energy drinks or its caffeine-free version, Prime Hydration, in some schools. The company's lack of sufficient warnings about its caffeine content also invites scrutiny, he wrote. "This content and the claims made should be investigated, along with the ingredients and the caffeine content in the Prime energy drink."

Persons: Logan Paul, Brandon Sloter, Chuck Schumer, KSI, Schumer, Robert Califf, Red Bull, Califf Organizations: Arizona Diamondbacks, Los Angeles Dodgers, Dodger, Getty Images, WASHINGTON, Food and Drug Administration, YouTube, Futbol Club Barcelona, Energy, CNBC, Prime Energy Locations: Los Angeles , CA, Washington, Australia, South Africa, United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand

☆ They Caught the Fish, but the $3.5 Million Prize Got Away
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( Brandon Sneed | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The first boat to bring in a marlin weighing more than 500 pounds would win the Fabulous Fisherman prize, worth $739,500. The prize for catching the biggest marlin overall was $2,769,400. The potential haul, then, was $3.5 million if you won both prizes. Boats had to radio in to tournament officials when they had a fish on the line. They got it right up to the boat, then the line snapped and the fish was gone.

Persons: McCoy, Scooter Organizations: Fisherman, Morehead City, Atlantic Locations: Morehead

☆ A former Amazon senior leader says the reason you're not getting hired is because you're not being relatable in interviews
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( Brandon Southern | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

A key element of getting hired is being relatable, but it's something that is frequently overlooked by candidates during the interview process. You and your experience need to be seen as relatable as possible to the job that you're applying for. Now let's assume that you have five years of experience in the field and five years of experience building Tableau dashboards. But to the interviewer, you don't appear to be perfectly relatable, and you might not get hired because of this. By treating the recruiting call as a fact-finding mission, you will be equipped to provide the most relatable answers.

Persons: Brandon Southern, Southern, isn't, relatability Organizations: eBay, GameStop, Morning

☆ Paul Ninson on how he was able to visit the ‘village with no men’
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( Lamide Akintobi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —A place for women, by women: that’s what Umoja, a village in Samburu County, northern Kenya, represents. Founded in 1990 as a sanctuary for women of Samburu escaping gender-based violence, Umoja is home to females of all ages. Tourists who wish to visit Umoja are charged a small entrance fee, and can buy elaborate beaded jewellery and other crafts handmade by the Samburu women. Photographer Paul Ninson, pictured during a visit to Kenya, wants to capture images that "provoke thought and discussion about important topics." CNNStanton, who attended Dikan’s opening, said watching Ninson build the center was “surreal.”“He has stepped into a leadership role so effortlessly and intuitively.

Persons: Umoja, Paul Ninson, Paul, Ninson, ”, we’ve, ” Ninson, Brandon Stanton, Stanton, he’s, CNN Stanton, ” Stanton, “ Organizations: CNN, Tourists, International Center of Photography, Dikan Locations: Samburu County, Kenya, Samburu, Umoja, Africa, Ethiopia, Ghana, New York, Ghana’s, Accra –, Accra

☆ Baltimore mass shooting: Investigators searching for suspects in block party shooting that killed 2 and injured 28 others
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( Elizabeth Wolfe Melissa Alonso | Elizabeth Wolfe | Melissa Alonso | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Investigators in Baltimore are searching for multiple suspects in a mass shooting that launched a beloved annual neighborhood block party into chaos early Sunday, killing two people and injuring 28 others, most of whom were teens, officials said. Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said Sunday his office is mobilizing every available resource to assist with the investigation. Residents watch as Baltimore police investigate the site of a mass shooting in the Brooklyn Homes neighborhood on July 2, 2023. The archive, like CNN, defines a mass shooting as one in which four or more people are shot, not including the shooter. Gunfire shatters community festivityMembers of the Kingdom Life Church pray at the site of a mass shooting in the Brooklyn Homes neighborhood on July 2, 2023.

Persons: Mayor Brandon Scott, Aaliyah Gonzales, Kylis Fagbemi, Richard Worley ., Worley, –, Gonzales –, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, Scott, ” “, Nathan Howard, ” Scott, Nick Mosby, ” Mosby, Yvonne Booker, she’s, I’m, I’ve, ” Booker Organizations: CNN — Investigators, Mayor, CNN, Baltimore Police Department, Police, Baltimore Mayor, Baltimore, Brooklyn Homes, Getty, Baltimore City Locations: Baltimore, Brooklyn, Worley, Maryland

☆ Baltimore gun battle highlights surge in US mass shootings
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( Brendan O'Brien | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

As of Monday, 340 mass shootings have taken place across the country so far this year. At that pace, the United States will experience 679 mass shootings in 2023, the second most in a calendar year since 2014, according to the Gun Violence Archive. The definition of a mass shooting differs among organizations and media outlets that track gun violence. For example, the online database Mass Shooting Tracker defines a mass shooting as any in which four or more are shot, including the shooter or shooters. The FBI defines a mass shooting as one in which at least four people are murdered with a gun.

Persons: James Alan Fox, Fox, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, Brendan O'Brien, Grant McCool Organizations: Northeastern University, Baltimore Mayor, CNN, South Baltimore's Brooklyn Homes, FBI, Thomson Locations: Baltimore, United States, South Baltimore's Brooklyn, Wichita , Kansas, Monterey Park , California, Allen , Texas, Chicago

CNN —An 18-year-old woman and a 20-year-old man were killed and 28 others injured in a mass shooting at a Baltimore block party, officials said. Nine people were transported from the scene to hospitals and 20 people walked into hospitals in the area. The 18-year-old was pronounced dead on the scene and the 20-year-old was pronounced dead at a hospital, police said. Police received multiple calls after 12:30 a.m., and arrived to find one woman dead and another nine people suffering from gunshot wounds, according to Baltimore Police Acting Commissioner Richard Worley. There is no information on suspects or a motive at this time, but investigators are “working an extensive crime scene,” Worley said.

Persons: Adams Cowley, Michael Schwartzberg, Richard Worley, ” Worley, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, ” Scott, “, ”, CNN’s Victor Blackwell, Amara Walker, Scott, ” “ Organizations: CNN, Adams Cowley Shock Trauma, University of Maryland Medical Center, University of Maryland Medical, Police, Baltimore Police, Baltimore Mayor Locations: Baltimore, Brooklyn

☆ Commonwealth Fusion has raised $2 billion to make energy like the sun and stars — here's a look inside
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Catherine Clifford | In Catclifford | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

Bob Mumgaard, the CEO of Commonwealth Fusion Systems Photo courtesy Commonwealth Fusion SystemsYou don't need to be a nuclear physicist to follow this race. The Commonwealth Fusion Systems campus in headquartered in Devens, Mass., which is between 35 and 40 miles outside of downtown Boston. The 50-acre campus is where Commonwealth Fusion System's corporate headquarters, advanced manufacturing facility and demonstration fusion device are all located. What it looks like to spend $2 billion to build a fusion machineIn the race to deliver fusion, Commonwealth is a frontrunner. The Commonwealth Fusion Systems' SPARC facility under construction in Devens, Mass.

Persons: Cat Clifford, Mumgaard, Wright, Bob Mumgaard, We've, haven't, Andrew Holland, Brandon Sorbom, Sorbom, Ally Yost, Yost, Alex Creely Organizations: Commonwealth Fusion Systems, CNBC, Commonwealth Fusion, United, Commonwealth, Fusion Industry Association, SPARC, ARC, Boeing Locations: Devens , Mass, Boston, Germany, Fukushima, Commonwealth

☆ For Wall Street's newest interns, it's important to keep things in perspective no matter how things end up
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Let's take a step backFor Wall Street interns, this week marks the start of their professional lives. So to the Wall Street interns who don't get a return offer in a few months, don't worry, you will too. Read more about Jefferies' Richard Handler explaining how Wall Street interns need to keep perspective. Check out all 15 pieces of advice Handler has for Wall Street interns. We asked our rising stars of Wall Street for some book recommendations.

Persons: Dan DeFrancesco, we've, I've, Richard Handler Jefferies, Richard Handler, Jefferies, Handler, It's, That'd, Guess, Tiffany Haley, Binance, Insider's Navah Maynard, Brandon Snower, Jeffrey Cane, Jack Sommers Organizations: Costco, Jefferies, Wall, Twitter, ESPN, Wall Street, SEC, Vanguard, Nike, LinkedIn Locations: New York, London

☆ I quit my job as an investment banker and started my fashion brand because I hated waking up and going to work
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Alexandra York | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Two years after Brandon Snower started a job on Wall Street, he quit without knowing what was next. He said no amount of money was worth spending more than 12 hours a day on work he hated. Now he runs a menswear brand, Le Alfré, which has had more than $230,000 in sales since March 2022. He started his fashion brand — which has done $230,000 in sales since launching in March 2022, documents show — after quitting his job as an investment banker in New York City. When I started my first full-time job, in investment banking, I immersed myself in the industry.

Persons: Brandon Snower, Le, —, Snower, Le Alfré, I'd, I've Organizations: Service, New York City ., Finance Locations: New York City, New York, Portugal, Europe

☆ I'm an ex-Amazon senior leader. Here's why layoffs keep happening and why ambitious managers are fueling them.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Brandon Southern | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

He explains that companies say they want efficient teams but don't reward those who create them. Southern also says that managers add headcount when seeking a promotion and bloat the company. By hiring more team members, the manager's scope would naturally increase which increased the odds of being promoted. And efficient teams aren't actually helping them get there. This is why so many leaders first look to add more headcount instead of first looking to make the organization more efficient.

Persons: Brandon Southern, —, I've, they're, it's Organizations: eBay, GameStop, Service, Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Gamestop, VMware Locations: Southern, bloating

The host, Caleb Hammer, said they owed more than $112,000 in loans, credit cards, and car debt. The debts included six credit cards, two car loans, a hospital bill, and buy-now-pay-later spending. Discover credit card: $3,627.68. Citi credit card: $5,039.21. Hammer said he was "scared" for the couple because of their car loans, which represented around 70% of their debt.

Persons: Caleb Hammer, Hammer, Kia, Jessilyn, you've, I'm, we're, Brandon Organizations: Cherokee Overland, Apple, Citi, Capital, Cash American Express, Chase, Bank, Amazon, Apple Watch, Kia, Jeep Locations: Brandon, Springfield , Missouri, DoorDash

☆ Lowe's cuts full-year sales forecast, even as it tops earnings and revenue estimates
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-23 | by ( Melissa Repko | In Melissa-Repko | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Net sales fell nearly 6% to $22.35 billion from $23.66 billion in the year-ago period, but exceeded Wall Street's expectations. Lowe's is the latest retailer to warn of slower sales ahead, as consumers become thriftier and reluctant to spend on discretionary items. Like Lowe's, Home Depot also chalked up lower sales to colder and wetter weather in the western U.S. and falling lumber prices. About 75% of Lowe's sales come from DIY customers, while Home Depot typically gets about half of its sales from home professionals. Sink said Lowe's expects sales from pros to outpace those from DIY shoppers for the rest of the year.

☆ We're writing OOO emails all wrong, says career expert: Here's what to say to keep co-workers from messaging you
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Aditi Shrikant | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Do your co-workers email you with timely requests even when you're on vacation? If so, you might be writing your out-of-office email wrong, says Brandon Smith, a therapist and career coach known as The Workplace Therapist. Generic messages like, "I'll be OOO until [insert date] with limited access to email" can be easy to shrug off. "When I see that, I assume they are at home and took a day to clean their apartment," Smith says. This can set a stronger boundary and help you elicit more guilt from whoever dares cross it.

☆ Co-workers asking for too much help? Try a '20% no and 80% alternative solution' response, says The Workplace Therapist
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( Aditi Shrikant | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Nearly 60% of employees report experiencing at least "moderate" burnout, according to a 2022 Aflac Workforces Report. One way to alleviate some of that pressure is to stop obliging co-workers who are always soliciting help. If you're a people pleaser, the idea of saying "no" when someone asks you for a favor is probably horrifying. "The challenge with saying 'no' is it can be received personally," says Brandon Smith, a therapist and career coach known as The Workplace Therapist. Here's how to say "no" in a polite way when a colleague asks you for help.

☆ We're using AI to predict patient responses to cancer therapy: Lunit
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailWe're using A.I. to predict patient responses to specific cancer therapy: Medical A.I. companyBrandon Suh, CEO of Lunit, says because cancer is a complex disease that can't be tackled with a single drug, using personalized and precision medicine to treat it has been a recent trend.

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