Nike continues to be athlete-focused, whether it's in its designs or standing up for its athletes against criticism, says CEO Mark Parker. "It's important for me personally, but also for the company, to stand for some values," he says.

This photo was submitted by Darlene Danehy.

Make the most of meetings by offering your expert knowledge, asking good questions and seeing yourself as a peer to higher-ups, writes Joel Garfinkle. "There's a reason you've been included, so own it and resist the urge to defer to others' voices," he writes.

US banks including JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo are scaling back forecasts of profits linked to interest rates in response to expectations that the Federal Reserve will continue decreasing rates. Lower rates would hurt bank profits overall, forcing mergers, Moody's says.

The Federal Reserve is expected to make its second rate cut since the 2008 recession in an effort to calm uneasiness about the global economy and declining employment rates. President Donald Trump is calling for more than a moderate rate cut saying other countries have much higher interest rates.

This article builds on Peter Drucker's five questions for self-evaluation with five additional questions intended to explore learning, change and impact on others. "If you frame your career as an adventure to places unknown, instead of the increasingly irrelevant ladder to climb and prepare yourself accordingly, it will be a grand adventure," Art Petty writes.

You have control over your actions and attitude in the face of a toxic culture, and focusing on small improvements can help you build safety for others around you, writes David Dye. "When people interact with you and your team, how can they come away refreshed?" he writes.

CEOs can implement change by being disciplined, empowering people to make decisions, spending on training and celebrating success and failure as equal measures of progress, writes R. Paul Vuolle of Bellevue SME Advisors. "Luddite CEOs and business leaders who grit their teeth and ignore the inevitable in always-fluid and changing market forces are doomed," he writes.

Approving seemingly risky projects means missing out on potentially company-changing success, writes Phil McKinney. "Those organizations who say 'yes' more often than 'no' are more willing to throw their hat in the ring and be part of the answer," he writes.

A study that used a popular dog-training clicker method to train surgeons and another that touts the health benefits of pizza are two of this year's Ig Nobel winners, which are given to odd scientific discoveries. The awards are given by the Annals of Improbable Research, which holds a ceremony each year for the honorees.