Capture the attention of a busy executive by opening not with thanking them for their time, but with information they want to know, keeping it brief and offering them the chance to follow up with you if they want to talk further, writes Karin Hurt. "The idea is to have the first words that leave your lips be so compelling, that they will put down their phones and really pay attention to you," Hurt writes.

"Harnessing strategic thinking" in a collaborative way by guiding, questioning and acting as mentors rather than managing or micromanaging is the role of the members of today's boards of directors -- a set of characteristics that clearly distinguishes them from the C-suite leaders, write Tom Mutch and Caroline Dever of international executive search firm Odgers Berndtson. "Modern boards are increasingly comprised of generalist directors who demonstrate intellectual curiosity across a broad spectrum of areas ... [and] chart a course for the company's long-term strategic success while balancing the short-term pressures," they assert.

Instead of investing in monitoring tools to ensure remote employees work, use that money for initiatives that boost employee morale and engagement and that bolster collaboration and communication, Televerde CEO Chris McGugan writes. "If a company insists on using monitoring tools, leaders must give employees visibility into what is being monitored and how it contributes to their evaluations," McGugan writes.

The labor shortage in the US will continue for years because of the aging population, changes in demographics and a lack of sustained immigration, economists say. "Deep-seated and long-term supply dynamics will continue to be a major force that creates a persistent gap between employer demand for new hires and the supply of candidates," says Svenja Gudell, chief economist at Indeed.

A LinkedIn report indicates 24% of the 25 fastest-growing careers in the US are related to HR. HR analytics manager, diversity and inclusion manager, employee experience manager, chief people officer, benefits manager and head of rewards are among the careers, according to the report.

Procrastination may be the result of feeling like you don't have a choice, the task doesn't create a sense of connection or you may not feel competent to accomplish it, writes Susan Fowler, who provides a real-time demonstration of how investigating these three areas motivated her to move on a delayed task. "Without optimal motivation, you can't generate the vitality needed to take action," Fowler writes.

No, the music wasn't heavy metal -- it was recorded on metal. The University of California-Santa Barbara has released a library of more than 10,000 recording on cylinders made of tin foil, wax and plastic that date back to the late 1800s. You can browse the full catalog here. And in true modern fashion, some of the recordings have been organized into playlists.