In December, 4.3 million Americans left their jobs, meaning 68.9 million people were laid off, were discharged or quit in 2021, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Despite these record numbers, last year had a net employment gain, with 75.3 million workers hired.

The Carolina Panthers has elevated Kristi Coleman to president, marking the first time a woman has held the role within the NFL team. Coleman previously was chief financial officer and vice president.

A total of 346 House lawmakers signed a letter calling on the CMS to "provide a stable rate and policy environment" for Medicare Advantage plans, noting that MA beneficiaries have fewer preventable acute inpatient hospital stays and greater preventive services utilization than those enrolled in traditional Medicare. "We are committed to ensuring that our more than 27 million constituents who rely on Medicare Advantage can count on stability in the program and do not face uncertainty about their benefits or premiums next year," the lawmakers wrote.

Some workers in construction, transportation and manufacturing have left for office- and home-based careers in pursuit of flexible work arrangements and increased benefits, according to reports by Oliver Wyman and economist Brad Hershbein. IT and sales jobs are also areas where workers are shifting industries, the Oliver Wyman report found.

Regrets come in several forms, and reflecting on these shortcomings can be a good thing if such reflection leads to a plan for improvement or opens dialogue with others, Daniel Pink says in his new book, "The Power of Regret." "They say, well, if she can share her regret about not taking a chance or hiring the wrong person, then I can certainly share my regret about something that I felt bad about earlier in my career," Pink says.

I was a track star growing up. I ran the sprints -- the 400 was my specialty -- but the pressure always threw me into a tailspin. I routinely dry heaved before races and once threw up on a track, in my lane.

I didn’t intend to run after high school, but the track coach at the local junior college heard about me and coaxed me into joining the team. I finally agreed on the condition that I would never run -- I would only do the long and triple jump. He didn’t love that idea but agreed to give it a shot.

It was a stupid decision.

What I didn’t know is that the sprint training was the key to my jumping. When I stopped running, my jumping fell. I went from jumping consistently 16  and 17 feet to struggling to jump 12 and 13 feet. I was stunned and confused.

Then one day, the anchor on our 400-meter relay team got injured and couldn’t run. “Namahoe, please,” Coach Manny begged me. “We need you to take her spot in the 100 and then run the relay, too. Please.” I reluctantly agreed and practiced the rest of the week with the team.

We blew out the relay. I ran third leg and it felt good. I placed third in the individual 100. And in the long jump, I hit 15 feet on my first attempt. My teammates congratulated me and Coach Manny thumped my back, a broad grin on his face. “Damn it, Namahoe! I shouldn’t have listened to you. What we could have been this season if you had run. Look at these times!”

I thought of that situation when I read today’s HR Leader story about regret. I deeply regret letting the ghosts of my youth manipulate me into making a cowardly decision. It hurt me.

But Daniel Pink is right. Regret has its usefulness. The regret I experienced from giving into the fear changed me. I now embrace challenge, even when the pressure of it has me dry-heaving and sweating. Why? Because that's the price for gaining confidence and success.

How can I serve you better with this brief? Let me know! Drop me a line and let me know what you want us to cover in this newsletter. I'm always listening!