Close out the last official weekend of summer with these top five stories from Talentmgt.com for the week of Sept. 16.
1. The Art of Mentoring: Not all mentors are managers, but most effective managers act as mentors, writes Talent Management columnist Marshall Goldsmith.
2. Strengths Can Be Weaknesses: What you’re best at is what you’re most likely to take too far. Robert B. Kaiser and Robert E. Kaplan have the story.
3. Free-Thinking Time May Come at a Cost: As Google’s 20 percent time is becoming more regulated, some companies are wondering whether employees’ personal projects should be integrated into their work time. Talent Management editor Jessica DuBois-Maahs has more.
4. Be Mindful of the FRCA: Most employers have heard the background checking horror stories, writes Rebecca Bentz, an associate editor at J. J. Keller & Associates Inc.
5. When a Talent Strategy Lacks Flex: New recruitment blogger Allison O’Kelly has a message for organizations: Offering flex time will increased morale, productivity and loyalty, and grab the attention of top talent.
In Other News …
Ever feel as if technology gets in the way of productivity?
This blog post from The Wall Street Journal suggests turning off all technology — email, Internet browsers, everything — for 30 to 60 minutes every day. Doing this provides workers with the opportunity to give one another more undivided attention. Read more here.
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Also from the Journal, news that the male-female pay gap hasn’t really moved all that much.
