Simply deciding to set audacious stretch goals is an important step for companies and individuals, provided the goals are clear and accountable, writes Nick McLean of Four Pillars Investors. "Shooting for the stars requires stretch goals that might feel uncomfortable to some, yet clear goals and achievable growth metrics make it possible," McLean writes.

Many people think tackling a task that has been delegated to them by their boss is just part of the normal employee-manager relationship. However, researchers say some managers who delegate tasks might be creating friction with their employees if the employees think the boss is just passing along menial work or shirking their own responsibilities.

It's important to articulate what makes you stand out from the crowd on your LinkedIn profile, and start by determining your three best attributes. Suggestions include growing small businesses, financial skills or people skills.

Target will pay a $200 bonus in August to all full- and part-time store store and distribution center employees and some corporate staffers who support customer and employee contact centers. It's the sixth round of employee bonuses the retailer has paid out since the pandemic began, and a report released late last year by the Brookings Institution found that Target, Best Buy and Home Depot provided the biggest pay raises and bonuses to employees during the pandemic.

Initial unemployment claims fell by 24,000 last week to 400,000, according to the Labor Department. While still above pre-pandemic levels, the figure has been falling generally throughout the year, and the downtrend is expected to continue.

With the Delta variant surging and infection rates risings, companies such as Google, Lyft, Apple and Uber are delaying their return to the office. This latest development with the pandemic is also shifting plans among employees about where they will continue to live and whether their children will be attending school this fall.

Tonee Valentine, a pianist who entertains travelers at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson international airport, collected $70,000 in tips after an internet influencer posted a video of Valentine "playing his heart out while hardly anyone notices him." Valentine suffers from kidney disease and undergoes dialysis nightly before playing piano at the airport.