FEI Weekly

January 10, 2018

A lesson on leadership, courtesy of Steve Bannon and why women prefer male bosses.

Why it Matters That Trump Goes to Davos

Washington Post

President Trump will address the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, later this month. The announcement comes as Trump faces crucial decisions about where to take his economic agenda in the second year of his presidency. The $1.5 trillion tax overhaul package Congress passed last month has just gone into effect, but he is also considering a number of controversial trade decisions, including whether to rework or withdraw from the North American Free Trade Agreement, a potential move that has many world leaders on edge.

Accelerate Hiring Decision-Making to Feed Talent Pipeline

Recruiting Trends

While last week's news that the nation's unemployment rate remains steady at 4.1% - a 17-year low - is a good economic sign, employers know that it also likely means the battle to attract and retain talent will get even tougher. According to Laurie Bienstock, global practice leader of talent management for Willis Towers Watson, "One of the most powerful ways to improve hiring is simply to grant authority to talent selectors who can make hiring decisions on the fly," she says. "If you have people scattered throughout the business who are both trained on whom to hire and can make binding hiring decisions without further consultation/approval from the business, the company will have an edge."

When it Comes to Business Decisions Made by AI, Who is Liable?

PYMNTS.com

The emergence of AI in the accounting department has raised the question of liability. In a survey of 300 financial executives, only 16% of survey respondents said the liability should fall on the shoulders of the developer of AI software in the event that the technology makes a decision that results in regulatory noncompliance, a fine or a fall in share value. Nearly half said, instead, the CEO and/or the finance and accounting group should be held responsible.

Most Women Would Prefer a Male Boss Over a Female Boss

The Atlantic

Studies show that when women have a preference, they would choose to have a male boss instead of a female boss. There a few theories as to why. "System justification" is a psychological concept in which oppressed groups struggle to make sense of an unfair world and internalize negative stereotypes (women stereotyping other women). "Tokenism" occurs when there appears to be few opportunities for women, causing women to see their gender as an impediment. "Favoritism threat" is another theory - that women will seem biased if they help one another. 

A Lesson on Leadership, Courtesy of Steve Bannon

Forbes

By being an unexpected, highly critical major source for Michael Wolff's new book Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House (already #1 on Amazon), Bannon has given us a painful lesson about leadership: in the age of social media, be real careful what you say. And definitely don't say it to someone writing a book. As rule of thumb, don't say something about someone else unless you're comfortable reading it on the front page of The New York Times.