INTHEBLACK July 2022 - Magazine - Page 15
T E D TA L K
ENGAGEMENT
Julia Dhar is a three-time World Debate
Champion, so she knows a lot about winning
an argument. Yet in this TED Talk, Dhar
emphasises that the most constructive
conversations do not involve winning, but
moving towards a shared purpose. She sets
out a number of steps for this, such as explicitly
asking for the viewpoint of the other person
and looking for common principles. This
provides a framework for progress rather than
conflict. Avoid defensive language, she says,
and be willing to build a “shared reality” to
reach the goal. This takes practice, but it is
worth the effort.
WAT C H T H E T E D TA L K H E R E
INTERVIEW
DEMOGRAPHY
The people featured on the McKinsey Author Talks series of interviews always have important things to say,
and Jennifer Sciubba, a political demographer and author, is no exception. Sciubba notes that the global
population is still increasing but growth is very patchy, with most of it occurring in Africa. Sciubba
examines the implications of these trends, noting that technology has upset many of the old beliefs
regarding population. This is interesting stuff, providing a good deal of food for thought about the
long-term demographic outlook.
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REPORT
WEBSITE
ARTICLE
S U S TA I N A B I L I T Y
SECURITY
DIVERSITY
Accounting giant Deloitte has released its 2022
CxO Sustainability Report, which shows that
75 per cent of Australian executives say their
companies are very concerned about climate
change. This compares with 52 per cent in a
similar survey taken in early 2021. However, 89
per cent of respondents are optimistic that the
worst effects can be mitigated by immediate
action. While there is often a disconnect
between ambitions and actions, moves taken
to improve sustainability include developing
new products or services, requiring business
partners to meet specific criteria, updating or
relocating facilities, and tying senior leader
compensation to sustainability performance.
The Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC),
in conjunction with several of its international
counterparts, has issued a series of advisories
listing common vulnerabilities. Many recent
attacks have involved email servers and virtual
private network servers. There were also attacks
through ageing software vulnerabilities. The
advisories provide information on patches
and other security enhancements, noting that
defences should be put in place at the earliest
opportunity. The ACSC also notes that cyber
criminals are exploring options for potential new
cyber attacks including distributed denial-ofservice attacks on infrastructure assets.
Many companies would like to increase the
number of women in senior positions, but
they often find this difficult to do. This article
from recruitment firm Michael Page offers
useful advice, ranging from re-thinking the
language used in job posts, including the
structure of selection criteria, to training on
inclusive hiring for people responsible for
recruitment decisions to identify and address
unconscious bias. Having a diverse interview
panel is important, and informing female
applicants of opportunities for mentoring is
often a good idea. Discussing flexibility in
work styles, including work-from-home and
hybrid working options, is also important.
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