When interacting with someone for the first time, one of the most important traits to convey is trustworthiness. But if you blow it the first time, do you get a second chance? A recent study says yes.

The carpentry adage of "measure twice, cut once" can help leaders stay calm and avoid doing or saying something they can't undo, writes Steve McKee, who shares an example from a prospective client. "Even in the most urgent situations, it almost always makes more sense to take a breath, get organized, be certain about your strategy and then move apace," he writes.

Bringing a conversation to a good close is a skill that many of us have not mastered, write University of Portsmouth researchers Alessandra Fasulo and Iris Nomikou, who note a study suggesting less than 2% of conversations are resolved as intended. They recommend paying attention to verbal and bodily cues and developing a closing routine to help tie off conversations.

Onboarding a new employee in a remote work environment is more than filling out paperwork the first day -- social connections are just as important. Schedule on-one-on talks with other co-workers, hold group lunch meetings to socialize and share common goals, and set up personality profiles so people get to know one another, suggests Scott Dust, a management professor at Miami University.

Although businesses expressed optimism at the beginning of the year the economy experienced only modest recovery, according to the Federal Reserve. Demand for housing was strong but improvement in the job market was slow, the central bank said in a report.

Many companies are making plans for employees to return to the office, but in some cases final decisions are pending as they wait to see how long it takes for most employees to be vaccinated. Other variables include the part of the country where the company is located, the transportation systems involved and the company's approach to flex work going forward.

In a scandal that has Washington, D.C., chirping, Mr. President and the First Lady appear to have had their seemingly lifelong partnership destroyed by a nest-wrecking younger female. Shame on you, Mr. President, for canoodling with a young lady nearly one-third your age!