Inspiring and helping your people to grow is job one for leaders, which means they must become "humane," not just toward their staff, but to themselves, by taking time for self-care and focusing on their values and mission, writes Mary Olson-Menzel, the founder and CEO of MVP Executive Development. "With authenticity and vulnerability, humane leaders know that our journey isn't always linear, and they embrace opportunities for growth everywhere they see them," Olson-Menzel notes.

Put it into practice: Taking care of yourself for the sake of others includes practices that keep you healthy in body, mind and spirit, writes Olson-Menzel. "A little self-care and time away from the office to reflect will pay off dividends with productivity and results when you return to work."

Leaders need to have important -- even difficult -- conversations with their direct reports, but Marlene Chism warns leaders to delay those discussions if they are angry or unprepared or if the person they need to speak with is already in a heightened emotional state to allow time for preparation and calm to return. "While initiating conversations sounds simple, starting conversations at the wrong time can escalate problems," Chism writes.

Put it into practice: If your direct report is upset, acknowledge their emotion by saying, "I'm sensing this is very difficult for you," and wait until they know you understand their feelings, Chism writes. "If they still aren't ready, suggest resuming the conversation after a small break, whether that break is five minutes or the next day."

Staying fully present during a conversation is as hard as holding an M&M candy in your mouth for the two minutes it takes to completely melt without giving in to the urge to crunch on it, writes leadership consultant Amber Johnson, who offers tips on honing your focused listening skills. Pay attention to when your mind wanders so you can call it back, repeat back what another is saying to you and get curious about the deeper meaning of the conversation and what's not being said, Johnson advises.

Put it into practice: Johnson offers an equation to remember when engaging in conversation: "Better questions + active listening + thoughtful sharing = your half of a good conversation." As Johnson notes: "Asking better questions helps us improve the quality of our conversations and our relationships."

Gwyneth Paltrow started Goop as a newsletter that has grown into a health and wellness empire that she has been the CEO of since 2016, despite her admitted "moments of self-doubt" and says the key to success is to keep following your passion. "You just have to keep strengthening your strength. What makes us unique, what makes us us? How do we keep leaning into that? How do we innovate from that point?" Paltrow said at a recent leadership summit.

Scientists and other spider enthusiasts have gathered in and around La Junta, Colo., to watch hundreds of tarantulas emerge from their burrows in an annual search for mates. "If you don't put them in a situation where they feel like they have to bite, then there is no reason to fear them," says festivalgoer Cara Shillington, a biology professor who studies arachnids at Eastern Michigan University.

Jason Peart, GM of Strategy and Development at Sage Geosystems, says geothermal energy is advancing in many ways to provide diverse solutions for the world's booming growth in power demand. Peart also highlights need-to-know information about the latest trends and technologies related to geothermal energy, including how progress is being made on using geothermal for energy storage. Peart also shares details about a partnership Sage recently formed with Meta to power data centers, as well as the work Sage is doing with the US Army and California Resources Corporation.

I had never thought to compare the skill of deeply listening to another person to eating candy before. But Amber Johnson's article made me realize that it can often be difficult to really focus on what another person is saying without our mind wandering just a few seconds into the conversation.

While we listen, we're often thinking about how to respond or a million other things, like what we'll be doing after this conversation. It can prevent us from genuinely hearing what the other person is saying -- and what they're not saying -- as well as keeping us from noticing body language or other clues to the emotional disposition of the other person.

Marlene Chism advises us to be cognizant of those clues, along with an awareness of our state of mind before we enter a conversation. If we're angry or unprepared, it's a recipe for disaster.

Awareness, then, is the key to any good conversation -- aware of our own emotional, physical or mental state as well as awareness of how others are feeling, too. It takes much cognitive effort to listen to another person deeply. When we do, though, we can become adept at picking up on what they're saying under the surface of conversations, which can lead to better questions to get to the root of problems.

Take Johnson's candy test and see if you can concentrate for the two minutes it takes for it to melt in your mouth. If you can keep your mind steady for that long, then you'll become one of the best deep listeners around.

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