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We’d all love to work in a vibrant and caring environment in which we are valued as whole people. But how can you, as an individual, contribute to this kind of workplace? Here are some ideas:

• Get to know people on a personal level. Be the person who goes out of their way to befriend new team members, many of whom may feel out of place joining your organization remotely or adjusting to a hybrid environment. Invite them to lunch or to chat over a virtual coffee. Suggest others they might connect with as well.
• Celebrate others. You don’t need to be a manager to hand out compliments. Recognize team members for their work, setting an example for others to do the same. Remind your team of each other’s birthdays and work anniversaries, or encourage people to come together to show support when a colleague experiences a big life event or promotion. These relatively simple gestures can create a genuine culture of care.
• Step up when you can. You don’t need to leap at every opportunity to lend a hand — that’s exhausting. So find a balance between saying “yes” and “no.” When you say “yes,” do so with care and not resentment. Remember, at some point, you’ll need others to pitch in for you.

There’s a simple framework that can help you sharpen your writing by presenting your argument in a clear, concise, and engaging way. It’s called the “one idea” rule. In short, every component of a successful piece of writing (a pitch, report, presentation, or even an email) should express only one central idea. To identify what that is, ask yourself the following questions: What do I know about this topic? What inspires me about this topic? What can I say that will be interesting or surprising to others? Use these questions to narrow down your angle. Next, find evidence (facts, anecdotes, data) that may be useful or surprising to others, and that supports the point you want to make. Also, take note of any evidence that counters your argument. If you’re able to call out and address counterpoints before the reader discovers them, you’ll strengthen your main idea. Only include information that’s relevant. Anything else will just be distracting. If all of your examples are obviously related to the main topic, then it will be relatively easy to take the next step: ordering them into a story outline with a beginning, middle, and end.

Let’s face it: We all lack motivation at times. To keep yourself on task — and focused on your goals — it can help to build in ways to hold yourself accountable. That way, you’re not depending on willpower alone. Here are some tactics that can help. First, enlist an accountability buddy. Tell them what your goal is, being specific about what you hope to accomplish, then ask them to check in with you periodically. Knowing that they’re keeping track of your progress will motivate you to up your game. You can also try finding a like-minded group of people who share a similar goal and commit to supporting each other. Research shows that working with others toward your goals significantly increases your interest, resilience, and likelihood of success. If you’re still struggling to make progress, consider changing your environment. This might mean working in a new location or altering your work set-up (leaving your phone in another room, for example). Don’t just lament your lack of progress. Change the circumstances instead.

A challenge for today’s managers is how to balance employees’ desire for flexibility while ensuring the team remains productive. The good news is that you don’t have to accept a tradeoff between the two if you think differently about when people work together, who works together, and how to share information. First, consider when employees need to work synchronously. For project-based workflows, chart out tasks and timelines, and block out specific days for overlapping work during key phases (for example, at the kickoff, mid-point, and closeout). Schedule important meetings during these times, and make it clear that you expect your team to be available. Next, rethink who exactly needs to work together. In other words, could you restructure your team into smaller groups that are empowered to coordinate with each other? Finally, design your team’s information-sharing systems to make important data more readily available. Long waits for status updates or for questions to be answered can kill productivity. So figure out how to improve information accessibility and reduce needless back-and-forth. These steps can help your team have the flexibility they want without sacrificing productivity.

Every success story involves some amount of luck. And contrary to popular belief, serendipity isn’t entirely out of our control. Here are two ways to build luck into your career. First, actively practice “serendipitous networking” — connecting with others for the sake of getting to know them, their perspectives, and their stories. Should you find yourself drawn to their story or experience, dig deeper. Ask them questions about how they discovered their passion, what they’ve learned, and what they like or dislike about their role or industry. Their insights might spur a new sense of motivation or a vision that could lead you to your next career move. Second, look at big changes in your life through a prism of possibility rather than fear. Yes, changes that feel out of our control can be scary but try to see them as opportunities. What can you learn? How can you capitalize on the disruption? It can pay off down the road to go with the flow and trust that new opportunities will arise with time.

It can be tough to know when to speak up in meetings — especially if you’re new to an organization or don’t have a ton of expertise on the topic being discussed. One often overlooked way to contribute is to volunteer to be the scribe. While this role may sound “junior” or “insignificant” at a glance, it holds more power than merely jotting down and distributing notes; it allows you to show that you are a competent and attentive listener who knows how to connect the dots between ideas and shape the narrative for the team. You may even have a chance to steer the direction of the conversation by asking probing questions to help you take clearer notes. Then when the meeting is wrapped up, you can send out a succinct summary — key points from the meeting structured in a way that allows others to forward your message to anyone who missed the meeting or would like to review. While this role may not be something you want to fill in every meeting, it gives you the opportunity to engage in the conversation, gain visibility from important stakeholders, and learn about the goals your team is trying to reach. You may not be an expert on the subject matter, but by the end of the meeting, you will be an expert on the conversation.

When you’re looking to fill an open position, and a former employee applies, it can feel like an easy answer. Hire them, right? They already know the company culture, the nuances of the business nuances, and the people. But defaulting to a “boomerang” employee may be a mistake. To assess the situation carefully and make the right choice, ask yourself these questions.

• Does the boomerang bring the right skills and capabilities? Just because they had what it took before they left the company, doesn’t mean they’ll be equipped to meet today’s expectations. Carefully assess whether their current skills and experience match the job description.
• Do I think this is the easiest option? You may think the boomerang doesn’t need much onboarding, especially if they’re returning to the same team. But companies, teams, and processes grow and change, and this employee deserves the same amount of ramp time as any new one.
• Will I be able to retain them long term? There was a reason they originally left. Have an honest conversation about what they’re looking for, why this role could be fulfilling for them (where the other one wasn’t), and what it will take to keep them engaged.

When reaching your objectives, do you take an “on-to-the-next” approach? It may feel efficient to move on to the next pressing task, but doing so means missing out on an important opportunity to relish the milestones, even minor ones. Progress is often hard won; it can require painful perseverance. So why wouldn’t we celebrate the early victories, no matter how small? Take the time to celebrate. Whenever an objective is achieved, have a plan to commemorate it, even if the actual objective and celebration are modest. And of course, take time to bask in the big wins — product launches, closing the deal with a big client, going public, etc. While it may seem superfluous or self-gratifying to some, celebrating achievements is an important opportunity for your team to cement the lessons learned on the path to success — and to strengthen the relationships between people that make future successes more possible.

If you’re worried that your employees are eyeing the door, it’s time to start having some important, career-defining conversations. Here are five key questions to ask your direct reports at your next one-on-one to ensure that they feel seen and valued — before it’s too late.

1. How would you like to grow within this organization?Identify the career development opportunities they need — whether that’s coaching, mentoring, increased visibility, or more challenging projects. They’re more likely to stay if they feel like they’re growing.
2. Do you feel a sense of purpose in your job? Tap into what’s meaningful to them — and connect it with the values of the organization.
3. What do you need from me to do your best work? Be prepared to devote more time and resources to help your employee feel fulfilled.
4. What are we currently not doing as a company that you feel we should do? Asking what they feel the company could be doing better — what market opportunities it might be overlooking, how to leverage resources more effectively, etc. — conveys that their thoughts and opinions matter.
5. Are you able to do your best work every day? This allows you to determine whether they’re optimizing their strengths. You might follow up with, “What part of your job would you eliminate if you could?” Don’t make promises but knowing which aspects of their job are least and most enjoyable will help you make any necessary changes to ensure they stick around.

You’re running a meeting and ask a question, but no one says anything. Crickets. Luckily, in a virtual environment, there are many tools you can use to encourage participation. Next time you’re hoping to get people to speak up in a virtual or hybrid meeting, try these approaches:

• Share your questions ahead of time. If you’re asking people for insight, it’s only fair to give them as much time as possible to think about the problem at hand. Email attendees up to five of the questions you’ll be asking. Place those questions in the meeting agenda and the calendar listing so everyone knows what’s coming and can prepare.
• Ask simple questions in the chat. The key here is simple. Avoid broad questions like “What did you think?” Instead, ask questions that are easy to respond to quickly. Try “What is one word that best describes the product?” or “What is one thing you learned from last week’s event?” Then follow up. You might say, “Kelly, you described the product as innovative. Can you unmute and share why?”
• Avoid shaming. Don’t make your team feel uncomfortable or guilty by saying something like, “Nobody has any questions? Really, nobody?” That increases the chances that you’ll hear relatively meaningless contributions from people who just want to end that awkwardness.