Bad employees can be great mentors; How to stop worrying at work

What’s happening in the world of work: The Saturday edition of the Daily Rundown highlights the business trends, perspectives, and hot topics you need to know to work smarter.

Mentoring schemes are everywhere, but do they work? Not really, says journalist Pilita Clark, who's been both a mentee and mentor — and says the problem starts at the top. The most senior and successful employees usually end up in mentorship programs, Clark writes in The Financial Times (paywall), but she’s found that many of the best mentors are actually "the worst employees: gossipy, indiscreet and epically uninterested in workplace rules." So pick your own targets and don't be afraid to turn to busy people, she advises. Do make sure your request is sincere, and don't just try to flatter the boss: "If they are too dim to realise what is going on, do not expect their advice to be much better." ? Share your thoughts: #Mentoring

As a company changes, what it needs from employees changes as well. Yesterday's star performer could easily become today's struggling colleague. It all comes down to fit — having the right person in the right position at the right time, says Robert Glazer in the Harvard Business Review. And when that fit disappears, it's better to act on that realization quickly and respectfully rather than hoping the situation improves on its own. "Fit between employee and company is not a one-time check on a list of hiring criteria; it’s a constantly evolving relationship that changes to meet the needs of the time.” ? Share your thoughts: #EmployeeFit

Worrying won’t change the outcome, but planning will. Stressing out about work seems inevitable, but as Carl Richards advises in the New York Times it's better to have a plan when (just as you worried) things do not go as expected with your mission-critical project. You worry less, Richards argues, when you can complete the sentence: “If the house spontaneously combusts, do Z.” So put together plans for every scenario keeping you up at night, then put them away “and get back to work.” ? Share your thoughts: #WorryingAtWork

How to get people to clean the office kitchen: “It’s all too easy to assume that what persuades us will persuade others — which isn’t true,” says habits expert Gretchen Rubin. When it comes to our behavior and motivations, we fall into categories she calls the Four Tendencies: Upholders, Questioners, Obligers, and Rebels. “In just about all situations, framing expectations to suit the Four Tendencies can bring more cooperation and completion, with less friction,” Rubin explains. It’s all about paying attention to what your audience needs to get on your same page. So if you’re trying to get people to clean the kitchen, try to address all four groups in your message: Provide information, consequences, and choice, she advises. ? Share your thoughts: #WorkPersuasion

Tricks to kick yourself into gear at work: Fast Company's Gwen Moran compiled an eight-point starter kit for the many among us who often find ourselves spinning our wheels at the office. For starters, track how you spend your day — it's hard to maximize your time if you don't know how you're spending it in the first place. And it’s okay, Moran says, to take a break when you’re feeling out of it; you’ll work better, and faster, when you’re feeling up to the task. ? Share your thoughts: #ProductivityPointers

One last idea: New York Times bestselling author Jon Acuff wants to level with you: “Perfectionism is a lie: You can do it all. I’m here to tell you that you can’t.” To be good at one thing, he says, you have to be bad at something else. So what should you do once you realize you can’t do everything? Come up with a strategy. ? #PickYourGoals

“You only have two options right now: 1. Attempt more than is humanly possible and fail. 2. Choose what to bomb and succeed at a goal that matters.”

What's your take? Join the conversation on today’s stories: #Mentoring | #EmployeeFit | #WorryingAtWork | #WorkPersuasion | #ProductivityPointers | #PickYourGoals

Come back on Monday, and every weekday, to start your day with a roundup of the professional news you need to know.

— Katie Carroll, John C. Abell, and Scott Olster / Share this using #DailyRundown