This year’s list features innovators, disruptors and creators who are invigorating our cities and challenging the status quo. The impact they’ll make in our local communities and beyond will help define our future.

The best mentees need projects over which they can take ownership. They need space to try new ideas and provide feedback that is valued by leadership. If you’ve selected a brilliant team full of potential, you needn’t be afraid of doling out projects that require a more complex execution. 

Today’s jobs report confirms much of what we already know: Workers are finding employment at a steady but unspectacular rate, private-sector job creation is good but not great, hours worked are ever so slowly ticking up and wage increases are pretty much nonexistent.

There’s a lot of credit given to those who are fearless. And it’s a worthy attribute, but it’s important that we acknowledge exactly what we mean when we laud fearlessness.

In last March’s young professional issue, we featured 10 of the top players leading the charge of change in our region (“The Next Wave,” Laurie Lauletta-Boshart). Take a look at what some of them have been up to over the last year.

Long gone are the days of employees spending 40 years in service to the same company. Some experts now say that you should plan to change employment every three to five years to continue to advance and grow. Whenever it comes time to leave your job, you’ll want to make a graceful exit both as a professional courtesy and in consideration of your reputation.

Sacramento RT employs approximately 941 people locally, 77 percent of whom are dedicated to operations and maintenance of the bus and light rail systems. John Haswell has been a light rail vehicle technician at Sac RT for the past seven years and says he is “genuinely and thoroughly thrilled to be working on the light rail vehicles.

A recent study conducted by researchers at Notre Dame, the University of Kentucky, and Penn State found that using brand- name gear can provide a noticeable placebo effect that could boost performance. In other words: If you’ve ever felt like you give better presentation when wearing an expensive designer suit, it might not be your imagination.

Congratulations sub-par workers, even you can expect a bonus for a mediocre year of work.