A third of employees don't want to be managers, while 51% say if they're happy where they are, they don't want to climb the leadership ladder, according to the 2024 Randstad Workmonitor study, which TFS Results founder Mark Perna writes, stems from a desire for more work-life balance and flexibility over more pay or power. To entice more of your team to take on leadership roles, Perna recommends offering more robust training opportunities and emphasizing how leaders can make a positive impact on the world.

Put it into practice: Younger employees are concerned that a leadership role will be inflexible and consume their leisure time, something Perna says leaders can combat by modeling a healthy work-life balance. "If they don't, the message sent will be that having time for your personal life is just for the rank and file -- not really for leaders."

Hosting a LinkedIn LIVE interview program talking with business leaders has helped executive coach John Baldoni realize its similarities with coaching since an interviewer, like a coach, must be able to listen deeply, connect with their guests and keep them engaged in the conversation. "You need to be in the moment to get the responses that will enable the person you're interviewing or coaching to connect their message or their desire for improvement," writes Baldoni.

Put it into practice: It's vital for leaders and interviewers to be prepared before speaking with someone else -- read their work, be familiar with their background and talk to others who know them to build a sense of connection, Baldoni advises. "Connection opens the door to sharing information and, in turn, opens the door for trust to build."

Leaders must master three areas of communication -- connection and engagement on a personal level, reaching stakeholders through various channels and focusing their message on their mission, writes David Schreiner, the president and CEO of Katherine Shaw Bethea Hospital in Dixon, Ill. "Leaders, take note: As I have discovered, you don't have to be interesting; rather, you have to be interested. That's what executive involvement is -- it's relationship," Schreiner writes.

Put it into practice: Schreiner lays out 15 practices leaders can adopt and use immediately, such as asking great questions to spur positivity, expressing gratitude and making sure your team members feel included and informed. "Instead of barking orders or commands, we inform and use our soft skills, like supercharged communication, to pull people together into a cohesive team."

Wendy Cai-Lee, founder and CEO of Piermont Bank, came to the US with her family when she was 11 and found herself as their translator and problem-solver, which taught her how to overcome challenges and focus on things she can control, something she looks for in employees. "I think the reason there are few really effective leaders is because people are not very good at making hard decisions and having difficult conversations, including firing people," Cai-Lee says.

Workers at Google's Bay View office complex in Mountain View, Calif., could have trouble doing their own Google search since the Wi-Fi in the building is notoriously spotty and often inoperable, prompting bosses to tell their teams to go outside to connect or visit the adjoining cafe for better service. Employees say the building's curving and swooping rooftop could play a role in disrupting connectivity.

In response to yesterday's story about why shirt buttons are gendered -- with men's buttons on the right, and women's on the left -- Andrew W. pointed out another theory having to do with men in battle. Since the majority of us are right-handed, men would hold their swords in their right hand and their shields in their left. If they needed to unbutton their shirt, it would be more efficient to be able to use the left hand to do so.

There are other theories, of course. Women tend to cradle their children in their left arm, freeing up their right hand to cook, answer the phone or unbutton their shirt if they are breastfeeding.

Honestly, I still can't get over the irony of Google employees having to go outside or to a nearby cafe to get a Wi-Fi signal.

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