What Is a Business Operating System? A Company’s Outline

Several workers sitting at a table for a meeting on the business' operating system.

What is a business operating system? How does accountability improve a company? Claire Hughes Johnson notes that your operating system—the set of underlying norms that outline how your company functions—allows your company to function effectively. She discusses three subsystems that are essential to your operating system: constructing strategy, ensuring accountability, and fostering communication. Here’s more on the three subsystems of a business operating system.

Estrogen in Plastic: You May Be Drinking Harmful Estrogenics

A plastic Coca-Cola bottle and a plastic water bottle illustrate the harms of estrogen in plastic

Is there estrogen in plastic? How does the presence of estrogenics in water bottles affect your health? There are two types of estrogenics found in plastic bottles: phthalates and Bisphenol A & S. These chemicals pose a potential health risk to consumers, but there’s hardly any work being done to remove them. Keep reading to learn about the effects of harmful estrogen in plastics.

Endocrine Disruptors in Cosmetics: Are Makeup & Soap Harmful?

A woman applying makeup with a brush illustrates the harms of endocrine disruptors in cosmetics

Is every type of sunscreen or cleanser good for your skin? Are there endocrine disruptors in cosmetics? Estrogenics are a category of endocrine disrupters that interfere with your hormones, targeting estrogen receptors. Unfortunately, even though sunscreen and soap are essential skincare products, endocrine disruptors are commonly found in them. Discover more about endocrine disruptors in cosmetic products.

How to Mentor Employees: 2 Approaches for Great Advisors

A man who knows how to mentor people, sitting in front of there people at a table.

Do you know how to mentor employees? What is inquisitive coaching? Claire Hughes Johnson recognizes that management’s work doesn’t end with the formation of a thriving team. On the contrary, she holds that managers should continue to develop the skills of their employees through active instruction. Let’s discuss Hughes Johnson’s informal approach to mentoring employees.

Indian Removal in the US: A People’s History (Howard Zinn)

Hundreds of Native Americans ride horses toward the west across a vast landscape as a result of the Indian removal policy

Why did the US carry out a policy of Indian removal? What was the impact? Who benefited? The US made its largest territorial gains during the first half of the 19th century as the frontier pushed west. Historian Howard Zinn discusses one of the conflicts that arose from this massive rate of expansion: Indian removal. Read more to learn about this policy and its legacy.

How to Feel Positive Emotions: 3 Sources of Energy

A woman who knows how to feel positive emotions, smiling and holding balloons

Do you know how to feel positive emotions? How does connecting with other people make you feel good? Ali Abdaal says there are three sources of positive emotions that he calls energizers. While there are any number of things that can help you feel good—and therefore make you more productive—they all tie back to one or more of these fundamental sources.  Let’s discuss each of Abdaal’s three sources of well-being: having fun, empowering yourself, and connecting with other people.