Four key traits of a great leader are trustworthiness, emotional intelligence, authenticity and ability to manage conflict effectively. Co-workers and managers are constantly judging these characteristics to gauge future management potential in those around them, points out career coach Warren Wright.

Reduce daily distractions and be more productive by setting a timer on an app or some other device to go off once per hour to bring awareness to what you're doing and adjust your focus accordingly. It's natural for the mind to wander, but by gently nudging it back to the task at hand, it will help keep you more productive, suggests author Chris Bailey.

Get an accurate picture of what the culture is like at a company by asking the recruiter or hiring manager questions like "What activities do you offer for employees?" The availability of extracurricular activities, such as company outings or a softball league, show a culture of teamwork and a sense that co-workers like each other, suggests Jill Santopietro Panall, an HR consultant.

Companies are sponsoring access to boutique fitness studios as a voluntary benefit or as part of an employee wellness program because it may help employees adopt long-term healthy behaviors, writes benefits consultant Nicholas Park. Boutique fitness studios are a good fit for a diverse workforce and can offer employees flexibility and better access to fitness classes.

According to data from the World Economic Forum, careers with the strongest growth include computing and mathematical jobs, so focus on building skills in these areas. It's helpful to compare the time required to learn new skills to the usefulness of the skill to pick the path that best suits you.

Job stress can lead to poor health and injury, suggests the US National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Addressing workplace stressors is the key to reducing these risks, with strategies that help reduce hours, lengthen deadlines and eliminate physical hazards.

An uncommonly large number of cherry blossom trees in Japan are blooming this fall, even though these flowers typically begin to bud in the spring. The reason for this unusual behavior may be that massive Japanese typhoons have caused a warmer climate or the storms destroyed leaves that normally prevent the blossoms from opening early, both of which could have confused the trees into blooming.