In case anyone missed some of this information, here are some thought-provoking articles and other content for your Friday ease-in to the weekend. 

January is National Mentoring Month. It's almost over, but that doesn't mean you can only be a mentor (or seek a mentor) for these 31 days. From graduate interns, to helping kids learn how to read, mentoring is a great way to leave an imprint.

http://www.nationalmentoringmonth.org/

In case anyone is as fascinated as me about self-driving cars (I can't wait), this Governing article on the future of the self-driving car is interesting. Many questions for local governments, from managing traffic flow to pedestrian crossings, to liability. Something not mentioned in the article is what this means for parking lots. That's a lot of prime space that could be turned-over to green space, parks, or other development. bit.ly/1CZVKT9. The next generation won't be driving?

If you have the time and want to learn more about the profession of local government management (or want to share it with someone) the Maxwell School ICMA Student Chapter interview with Bob O'Neill, Wally Bobkiewicz, Ann Rooney, and Kelly Cupit is an interesting watch, and you can also just listen. bit.ly/1yN9bq3

Mark your calendars for the  ELGL audio conference on women in local government leadership. It's coming up on February 4. Lots of reading you can do to prepare too, including:

• PM Magazine Article: Women Leading Government: Why So Little Progress in 30 Years?
• icma.org/en/press/pm_magazine/article/105323
• ICMA Report to the Board from the Task Force on Women in the Profession
• bit.ly/1u0znb2 (August 2014)
• ICMA Task Force on Women 2013 Survey Results
• bit.ly/1ymDRhs (October 2013)
• Pew Research Report on Women and Leadership
• pewrsr.ch/1ymEgk3 (January 2015)
• ELGL op-ed on the PM article
•  bit.ly/1CZZ5la and a month of conversation: bit.ly/1yNb46h

This just in from Pew: Millennials are overtaking boomers: pewrsr.ch/1yNa3LB! I like the term, "Generations are analytical constructs"...but what does this mean for succession planning, retirements, pensions, crosswalk timing, street sign size, and attracting a new generation to local government? 

But on the flipside, from the archives: Health-Care Cuts Driving Public Workers' Retirement Delays; A survey by Center for State and Local Government Excellence (SLGE) and the TIAA-CREF Institute offers insight into the reasons government employees are increasingly putting off retirement. bit.ly/1yNasNS

All Food for thought!