3 ways to broaden your talent pool to stay competitive

Find ways to check that employees understand your directives without asking the dreaded question point blank, write Karin Hurt and David Dye, because yes or no answers don't yield much information. "Instead, ask an open-ended question that helps both of you immediately figure out how well you grasp what one another has said," they write.

Put it into practice: Even if employees say they understand, they might have hidden motivations. "Perhaps they just want to move on and get to their next task, so they say 'yes' hoping to leave the conversation," Hurt and Dye write.

Shelly Rupel, CEO and co-founder of engagement platform Devour, has led in gaming, technology and restaurants throughout her career, deciding early on that the tech side of food service would always be central to her choices. "Mentors like myself have had the opportunity to be there and open doors for the younger generation, despite the 'old boys network,'" says Rupel, commenting on her strategies for supporting younger and less-experienced women in fields that have traditionally been dominated by men.

A new dinosaur on display at The Natural History Museum in Los Angeles is 150 million years old -- older than Tyrannosaurus rex -- and features a long neck and tail and green bones. The remains of the dinosaur, dubbed "Gnatalie" because of the hoard of gnats at the Utah dig site, were found in 2007, and scientists say the green tint is the result of celadonite in the soil created by volcanic activity some 50 to 80 million years ago.

Shelli B. sent in this photo of Angus and Spanky, ages 13 and 9, respectively. They are both rescues with Angus arriving first. He wandered out of the bushes at a neighbor's house and ran to Shelli for help.

"He was so decrepit and skinny, I spirited him to my vet's office, thinking I was going to have to put him down," Shelli says. "The doc assured me he'd be fine with a little TLC. So $500 later to clear up mange, worms, ear mites and other issues, I had a 'free kitten'!"

Spanky, whom Shelli calls "my lovable troublemaker," was a foster failure when no one stepped forward to adopt him. "Another $500 'free kitten'!" says Shelli, who I bet wouldn't take all the money in the world for them.

What non-human companions keep you company in your office or greet you when you get home from work? Send me photos!

If you've ever played the "telephone" game, you know how misunderstandings can occur. In the game, someone whispers a phrase to the person next to them, then they whisper to the next person and so on. By the time the phrase gets to the last person, it's usually nothing like the original.

To keep the "telephone" game from happening in your office, Karin Hurt and David Dye suggest using questions such as, "What's your understanding of our agreement?" to check if someone is clear on what's been discussed. They also advise you to check your understanding by restating what you've heard and asking,  "Do I have that right?"

"Help your managers learn to listen deeply, reflect what they hear -- check for understanding about the team member's concern and how they feel, and go from there. (And model this  yourself.)," Hurt and Dye write.

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What topics do you see in your daily work that I should know about? Do you have praise? Criticism? Drop me a note. And don't forget to send me photos of your pets, your office and where you spend your time off.