Work-Life Lessons from the Legendary Peter Drucker
Peter Drucker's influence on business management is legendary, yet his ideas about personal growth have largely been overlooked. In his new book Living in More than One World, Bruce Rosenstein compiles Drucker's wisdom on self-management. Read an excerpt here.

7 Tips for Becoming a Grade-A Speaker
If you speak in front of audiences very often, you probably have a routine you follow when preparing your speech. Here's a checklist you can add to your routine to make sure your presentation is engaging and effective.

Make Your Vocation a Vacation
Your satisfaction with your job has a direct impact on your willingness to give it your all and make a real success out of your career, or just toughing it out till it's time to go home. Here's how you can find a career that suits you so you can excel professionally, emotionally and financially.

How Men and Women Communicate Differently at Work
If you think it's difficult to discern what your significant other is really trying to say to you, consider how complicated communication between genders gets when you throw office politics, power struggles, and work challenges into the mix. Here are a few differences between men and women's communication styles at work.

9 Ways to Ignite Innovation Inside Your Company
If you're going to survive this season of turmoil, you must innovate your way out of it. Here are some tips that can have your whole company lighting up the economic darkness with one bright idea after another.

10 Ways to Motivate Your Team During a Recession
In the midst of layoffs, pay cuts, and tight budgets, your team's morale and loyalty is stretched to its limits, while traditional incentives like bonuses and salary increases are unavailable. Here are some ideas on what can keep your employees loyal and motivated without increasing expenses.

Surefire Tips for Taming Meeting Monsters
Certain people have a knack for disrupting, distracting, and disintegrating potentially great meetings. These folks are often well-intentioned, but they wouldn’t know meeting etiquette if it bonked them on the head. Here’s a guide for taming your meeting monsters and getting more done.

Make Better Business Decisions
Making decisions for your business can lead to unintended consequences and frustration. Here's how you can walk through the decision making process to make the best decisions possible.

How to Become an Inspiring Leader
Is the ability to inspire others a skill that can be learned? The answer is yes, and The Inspiring Leader, a new book by the authors of the best seller, The Extraordinary Leader isolates specific ways that merely proficient managers can inspire and motivate employees. Read an excerpt.

Throw Out The Creative Filters, and Get Buy In!
A great new idea is like striking gold for any leader and team. It can be collected, examined, enriched and sold. But the process of finding the gold can be difficult even for the best of leaders and managers. Read more >>

Succeeding as an Introverted Leader
In today's extroverted business world, introverts can feel ignored, overlooked, and misunderstood. But it doesn't have to be a death sentence for your career. Here's advice on how you can make your introversion work for  you.

When to Say No in Business
Do you feel guilty when you say "no"? Are you overcommitted and stressed out because you say "yes" far too often? From the authors of the new book Womenomics, here's advice on when and how you should say "no" in business.

Living and Working with Purpose
Do you like your job? Is it fulfilling? Or is it just a paycheck? In this excerpt from Luck by Design by Richard Goldman, find out how changing your beliefs can give you a totally new outlook. Read more >>

Rainy Day Inspiration
Are you having trouble reaching your goals? Here's a bit of inspiration to help you remember the key to success on those real or figurative rainy days in your life. View the video, and if you need help keeping your goals in view, see our time management forms and goal-planning products.

Make Your Speeches Interesting and Unforgettable
Using a set formula for your speeches and presentations can certainly help you get your message across. But if you're too predictable, your audience will become bored. Here's how you can add a little spice to your speeches.

When Discussions Get Heated
How well do you communicate under stress? Test yourself.

4 Lessons from Captain Sully’s Landing in the Hudson
Workplaces are more stressful than ever these days with employees trying to cope with potential layoffs, increased workloads where there have already been layoffs, and shrinking 401k's. Here are four lessons we can learn about dealing with high stress situations in our businesses and jobs from Captain Sully and his crew.

5 Steps to Kickstart Your Confidence
Confidence is a mesmerizing quality. When we have it we don’t think about it. When we don’t have it we want it, and when we observe it we admire it. Here are five simple steps to increase your confidence in yourself.

Despite Turbulent Times, Optimism Makes Sense
All around us friends are unemployed, businesses are struggling, retirement funds are dwindling and the media assures us that there are no signs of improvement. Yet in the midst of our troubles, we are not prone to throw in the towel. Read more >>

A Surprising Way to Overcome Adversity
Years of hard work building a great team can be undone in a few weeks of layoffs and restructuring. If you're one of the survivors, you may be wondering how you can ever regain your footing. This advice from Steve Farber, author of Greater Than Yourself, can help you get your career on the road to recovery.

10 Business Survival Tips from Donald Trump
How do can you keep your business alive during economic downturns? Donald Trump offers these 10 suggestions.

The Journey To Success
Is the recession – or all the talk about it- getting to you? The journey to success can be long and hard, but no matter where life takes you, there’s beauty. All you have to do is look for it. Start here.

Four Steps to Resolve Conflict
Human disagreement remains inevitable. When conflict is not addressed, each side becomes defensive, and a person who is defensive will rarely see the logic of the other's position. These four steps will help you end conflict more quickly.

Confronting Your Fears
Is fear holding you back from starting a business? Or do you already own a business and find yourself paralyzed by the fear of losing it in this crummy economy? Read what mega-success Donald Trump says about fear in this excerpt from his latest book, Think Like a Champion.

How to Become a Fearless Small Business Owner
During uncertain times it's natural to be afraid. But making business decisions out of fear can be the very thing that dooms your business. Use these six steps to become a fearless small business owner.

Getting Around the Bases
Just as crossing home plate in baseball is what ultimately counts, it's the actions we take in life that make us successful. But to get to home plate, you have to round the bases first. Read more >>

How the Best Leaders Build Trust
When trust is low it places a hidden "tax" on every transaction: every communication, every interaction, every strategy, every decision is taxed, bringing speed down and sending costs up. In this article from Stephen Covey, find out how the best leaders build trust and learn the 13 behaviors of high-trust leaders.

How to Survive a Recession
The key to surviving a recession isn't necessarily in digging in and trying to hold out till the economy improves. If you want to survive, you'll need to be willing to take a chance when new opportunities present themselves. Read more >>

12 Ideas for Making the Most of Your Voice
Your voice is uniquely yours. Others know who you are on the other end of a phone call before you even say your name. With that in mind, here are 12 things you can do to put your best voice forward when speaking to a group.

7 Strategies to Make 2009 Big, Bold and Profitable
Are you or your company becoming a "shrinking violet" in this economic downturn? Do you find yourself controlled by a "wait and see" attitude, hoping the future will magically get better? Do you realize that, if you don't put the brakes on this no-win thinking and behavior soon, 2009 will be more of the same, or worse? Read more >>

Overcoming the 12 Hidden Crises of Professional Women
A professional crisis is telling you that change must occur--now. That doesn’t mean it will be easy--most likely, it won’t--but, one step at a time, you can create your own breakthrough. Kathy Caprino, a career and life coach and author of Breakdown, Breakthrough, offers 10 tips for getting started.

The 7 Worst Communication Blunders of 2008
From former stars to presidential wannabes, here's a roundup of 2008's communication blunders. Details >>

9 for '09: 9 Ways to Brave a Scary New Year
With daily headlines on bailouts, bankruptcies, and a broken-down job market, workers everywhere are bracing themselves for 2009--afraid for what's next. Here are 9 ways to brave a scary '09 at work, home, and beyond.

Why Taking Care of Yourself is Good for Your Business
You work and work until something happens and you stop for a while. Maybe you get sick or a personal emergency happens. Whatever it is, outside circumstances force you to take a break. Sound familiar? Here are three reasons why you should take a break to take care of yourself if you want your business to thrive.

How to Help Your Employees Speak Up
Are your employees hesitant to share ideas, take initiative, and talk open and honestly for fear of being labeled or even losing their jobs? Here are ten things you can do to manage your employees' fear and help them be courageous.

10 Tips to Cope with Negative Emotions at Work
When you're the business owner and feeling frustrated, annoyed or angry, it doesn't pay to vent that frustration to your employees, much less customers or vendors. Here are ten ways you can deal with negative emotions that won't cost you the respect of those around you.

Business Ethics Survey: How Ethical Are You?
A number of recent reports show the American consumer is increasingly demanding businesses to be run with honesty, integrity and sound business ethics. Take the Business Know-How ethics survey for business owners and employees, and find out how ethical you really are.

8 Annoying Email Blunders
Wondering why people don't respond to your emails as quickly as you'd like? Or why your coworkers seem so unfriendly lately? Maybe you've unknowingly made one or more of these email blunders.

Make Gossip Work for You
Are you harnessing the power of gossip, communities, and social networking to promote your brand? The Internet is creating communities and relationships by making it easier to find individuals with similar interests and preferences. Tapping into this communication is the new face of marketing, and it has a new set of rules to go along with it.

5 Characteristics that Make Great Companies
What makes a company stand out among the rest? What makes it the place you'd really like to work or do business? Jim Champy, author of the new book OUTSMART!, outlines five things that all companies aspiring to greatness have in common.

Superlative Speakers Tell Spellbinding Stories
Telling good stories is a great way to get your point across and command your audience's attention. Even when you're giving a presentation in a business meeting, relevant stories will make your presentation more interesting and better remembered by those in attendance. Read more >>

6 Steps to Avoid Costly Typos
Typographical errors can have serious repercussions for your small business. They damage your credibility, cause confusion for customers, and can prevent customers from reaching you. Here are some tips for making certain that your materials are letter-perfect.

7 Guidelines for Gesturing When You Speak
When you're giving a presentation, you're usually so concerned about what you're saying and how you're saying it that your gestures and movement around the room are the last thing on your mind. But your body language is a key part of how you'll be perceived by your audience. Here are seven tips from an experienced presenter that'll help you make sure your gestures are sending the right message.

Three Surprising Tips to Improve Your Presentations
You've heard the advice to get to know your audience, make eye contact, don't say "um," check your equipment, and similar techniques. Here are some lesser-known suggestions that will benefit you and your audience as much as more common advice.

6 Things to Forget for Your Vacation
Summer is almost here, the kids are out of school, and your much-deserved vacation is just around the corner. In addition to your regular pre-vacation to do list, consider creating another list - this one of things you'll want to forget. Read more >>

Why Innovation Matters
Innovation is key to the success of both large companies and small. In this excerpt from The Game Changer by A.G. Lafley and Ram Charan, find out how innovation has helped companies like P&G develop new markets and stay ahead of the competition.

Four Tips for When You Don't Know What to Say
You spend months, sometimes years, building relationships with your business associates. Yet when life deals them a blow, it can still be hard to know what to say. Rather than saying nothing at all, follow these four guidelines and you'll not only strengthen your relationship, you'll also comfort a friend.

The Story Behind the Story
Are you trying to learn from the rainmakers in your company? Or from gurus outside your company? The stories they tell about how they achieved their successes can provide valuable insights, but usually leave out a lot of pertinent facts. Here's why you need to get the story behind the story.

Lead Your Best Life
Are you dissatisfied with your life? Would you like to accomplish more in life and business than you do now? Learn the eight drivers that can help you to lead your best life in an excerpt from The Source of Leadership.

7 Ways to Get What You Want in 2008
You can get what you want in 2008 if you resolve to say "no" early and often. To what? You name it -- a lowball job offer, your "needy" teenager, the asking price on a home or car, and more. Here are 7 steps to get you started >>

Effective Electronic Communication
You get hundreds of emails every week, and may send nearly as many yourself. How many of them are memorable and resonate with you or your recipient? Follow these 4 Cs of communication to make your emails more effective.

5 Secrets to Getting Organized
One of the biggest challenges in organizing a mess is figuring out where to start. Without a game plan, you're likely to become overwhelmed and then nothing gets done. Use these five secrets to help you get started.

11 Tips to Take Control of Your Time
Does your day always seem to get away from you? If you have difficulty managing your time, you're probably stressed out and struggling to succeed in your business. Here are eleven tips to help.

Recognizing Business Acumen
One trait that is essential for creating profitable businesses is the ability to see, understand and make good decisions about the multiple factors that affect a company's bottom line. Read this excerpt from Leaders at All Levels to find out how to recognize that characteristic in young employees.

Are You Making Unnecessary Mistakes?
There are "tried-and-true" sales techniques that are so simplistic that it seems they cannot be really effective. Many times, we try to re-evaluate, improve upon, and complicate them. Read on to find out why we try to make things harder than they really are >>

Executive Pay Controversy
What's an executive really worth? Are CEOs and other top execs really worth their multimillion-dollar compensation packages? If so, how can should such high salaries be justified. to shareholders and the general public? Here's one expert's view on how to handle this touchy subject.

The Silent Killer of Business Success
It's not what you think. Not a scary monster or evil force, but arrives in the disguise of good intention. And although it seems innocent, it will rob you of time, productivity, and ultimately profit... but only if you let it. Read more >>

Rejected? Throw a Party!
Being in business means taking risks... but that opens the door to rejection. So how can you cope with rejection and take the risks that ultimately will lead to success? Christine Comaford-Lynch, author of Rules for Renegades, says the answer is to throw a party. Read more >>

Proper Perspective on Priorities
Sometimes it seems that the responsibilities that we have for coworkers, company, career and family are in tragic conflict. How can we balance the requirements and the responsibilities between personal and professional lives? Read more >>

7 Traits of Greatness
We are all born with the potential for greatness. Yet most people realize less than 10% percent of their potential, while a small handful of others rise to extraordinary heights and become legends in their own rights. So what's the difference? What separates the average from the great? Find out here >>

Mayday! Why You Should Ask for Help
Americans everywhere report overwhelming levels of stress at home and on the job, yet help is often right there -- just for the asking. In Mayday!, author M. Nora Klaver debunks some common cultural myths and provides an essential primer for asking for help -- not as a last resort, but as a daily routine that can ease and enhance your life. Read an excerpt here >>

Positive Relationships Bring Business Success
In business it's easy to let building good relationships with those around you take a backseat to dealing with the daily aspects of running your business. But not taking care to nurture relationships with your customers, staff, suppliers, and others is one of the biggest mistakes you can make. Read more >>

Is Your Body Language Helping or Hurting Your Business?
If you want to build stronger rapport with prospects and increase business, it's time to take a look at how you're communicating with them - without words. Body language is undeniably your most potent form of communication and once you know how to portray your message powerfully through actions, life and business become a whole lot easier. Read more >>

Leadership is Not a Day Job
Leaders don't go to work each day waiting on five o'clock. They are both passionate and caring about their jobs and truly enjoy what they do for a living. But such dedication comes at a price. Find out what it is in this excerpt from The Taboos of Leadership.

Take Back Your Time
How many times have you looked around your small business and said, "There just isn't enough time in the day to get everything done!" Such is the life of an entrepreneur. This article will help you figure out the best use of your time so you can pass the rest onto someone else.

Saying No to Demands
In today’s world of high stress and limitless choices, the pressure to give in and say Yes grows greater every day, producing overload and overwork, expanding e-mail and eroding ethics. Never has No been more needed. Find out how to say no to demands in this excerpt from The Power of a Positive No by William Ury.

The Problem with Time Management
Does it seem like none of the time management ideas you try work for very long? Sure, they look good on paper and you probably even agree with them, but they just don't play out that well in real life. Find out the real problem with time management in this article from the author of the new book Ignited.  

Top 10 Distractions in the Office
Your workday is full of distractions, eating away at your productivity and time. Some are obvious, like email and the telephone, but others you probably don't even think of as being distractions. Find out what they are and what you can do about them.

What's on Your "To Don't" List?
As a business owner you may struggle with the question of how you will be able to get everything done. You may know what tasks should be your priority, but other things always get in the way. That's where a "to don't" list can help. Read more >>

Finding Balance and Meaning in a Nine-to-Five World
If you sense the "something is just not right" in your work life consider that what you may actually be sensing is a gap between your "being" and your "doing" that is causing you discomfort. By following these 8 simple guidelines, you will have found a way to integrate spiritual common sense (being) with exceptional workplace behavior and business performance (doing). Read more >>

20 Things That Will Ruin Your First Impression
You can have the best looking suit, a great smile, and a smooth and flawless presentation, but one small mistake can kill your credibility. Here are 20 things you should watch for when trying to make a good first impression.

Judgment and Strength of a Leader
When you're leading an organization you often have to make tough business decisions... decisions that affect egos and livelihoods. Take a look at how one of those situations would be handled by a strong leader in this article from Ram Charan, author of Know-How.

5 Steps to Staging a New Years Revolution
Is your business everything you meant it to be? Is it giving you all that you wanted? Are you satisfied, even delighted with the way your life as a business owner is turning out? If not, perhaps it's time to make a revolution. Here are some revolutionary ideas you might consider >>

Create a Healthy Lifestyle You Can Keep
New Year Resolutions are full of great intentions, great aspirations and great enthusiasm. The key to keeping them, and attaining the healthier lifestyle you desire, is to focus on changing your routines little by little rather than making drastic changes. Read more >>

Say "No" to Get Control of Your Life
Do you find it hard to decline requests from your employees or friends? Always being agreeable might be nice on the surface, but it can have serious consequences. Here are things you can do to take the difficulty out of saying "no."

Public Speaking: Make Eye Contact with Your Audience
Making eye contact while speaking to a group may be one of the most difficult aspects of giving a presentation. But lack of eye contact makes you seem disconnected and unsure of yourself. Here are some tips to help.

How Anxiety and Discomfort Contribute to Growth
If you find yourself spinning your wheels and not really going anywhere, what is really holding you back? More often than not anxiety and discomfort are found lurking in the shadows, and believe it or not, that's not necessarily a bad thing. Read more >>

Avoiding Errors in Decision Making
Most of the time we do a pretty good job when choosing what to do. But the human mind is prone to certain errors in judgment. Read this article from the author of The Go Point to find out what they are and how you can avoid them.

You Can Write Well Under Pressure
Got a last minute writing assignment to complete for your boss or an important customer? Don't panic. These six suggestions can help you pull together your proposal or report in no time flat.

Public Speaking: Use Visuals for Maximum Impact
PowerPoint and other visuals are tools to supplement your presentation. Many presenters, however, hide behind their visuals as a way to avoid interacting with the audience. Here are some ways your visuals can enhance your presentations, rather than put your audience to sleep.

10 Tips for Effectively Recruiting Your Team
Many times in your life you will make requests of others: to join a group, committee or team, to perform a task or to assist with a project. Often the key to getting to "Yes" involves how you make your request. Here are ten tips on how to make "the ask."

5 Ways To Unclutter Your Desk
How much time do you waste every week searching for things on your desk? Here are 5 simple tips to help you get your desk uncluttered once and for all >>

Leadership Strategies for Today's Team Building Problems
Despite the best team building efforts, many organizations are still operating on low power when it comes to producing desired results. They've invested time and dollars in events that supposedly help team members bond and function coherently, yet results are short term at best. Here are three things that get in the way of building strong teams along with suggested solutions.

Know Your Audience
Preparation for your presentation is just as important as delivering the presentation itself. One thing you can do to prepare yourself is to learn about your audience and venue in advance. Use these three pointers to get to know your audience better.

Top 7 Ways to Transform Your Business from Mediocre to Great
In today's competitive business world, being "good" isn't good enough. To really succeed, you have to be great. But where do you start? Use these top seven principles to transform your business from mediocre to great.

4 Tips to Take the Terror Out of Giving Presentations
What's scarier to most Americans than spiders, heights, or even death? There hasn't been a horror movie made about it yet, but more than 75% of Americans surveyed report that they suffer from "glossophobia," a debilitating fear of public speaking. Before your next presentation, try these four tips.

Become a Credible Communicator
When you speak, do people listen? You don't have to be E.F. Hutton to command attention and respect in the workplace. But you do have to be credible. Here's how to earn credibility in your communication >>

Rid Yourself of Damaging Word Habits
Did you know that the words you choose in your everyday conversation can affect your career? Here are some quick-tips that will help you change your communication for the better.

Letting Go of Your Bananas (Book Excerpt)
Do you feel you've fallen short of your career potential? Do you think you sometimes sabotage yourself at work? In Letting Go of Your Bananas, Dr. Daniel T. Drubin helps readers identify what he terms the "rotten bananas"--unhealthy habits, relationships, jobs, and beliefs--that are holding them back. Read an excerpt here >>

Conquer the Business World with Kindness
Linda Kaplan Thaler and Robin Koval have moved to the top of the advertising industry by following a simple but powerful philosophy: it pays to be nice. In The Power of Nice, through their own experiences and the stories of other people and businesses, they demonstrate why, contrary to conventional wisdom, nice people finish first. In this excerpt from the book, learn the six power of nice principles >>

Communication Lessons from the Best Broadcasters
We often learn skills by watching experts in action. To become a top-level communicator, start watching and listening to the role models you can tune into for free at your convenience--the broadcasters who deliver the news, conduct interviews, report on sports, and so forth. Read more >>

Stalled at the Top
Once you reach the upper levels of management, failure becomes much more common. In this article from Antony Bell, author of the new book Great Leadership, find out why this is and what a leader can do to avoid stalling at the top.

Quiz: Are You a Workaholic?
There's nothing that can replace hard work and dedication in building a small business. Unfortunately, many entrepreneurs take it to the extreme. Instead of enjoying your dream of business ownership, you could find yourself stressed and burned out. Are you a workaholic and perfectionist? Take this short quiz to find out.

Time Management - It's Not About Time!
Think you don't have enough time to do all you need to do? The reality is, no matter how much you do, you'll never get it all done. The key to being satisfied with your accomplishments is making the right choices. Read more >>

Turn Self-Criticism into Self-Confidence
Self-confidence is important to all of us. In the stress literature, it's one of the characteristics of the hardy professional, the professional that remains healthy in the face of the high stress of constant change. It's important, but how do you build and maintain a viable and realistic self-confidence? Find out here >>

The 11 Biggest Time Management Lies
In the world of Time Management there are things said to us that we accept as truth and we act accordingly. The problem is sometimes they are not truths. They are lies and as we believe them, they waste our time. Find out what they are here >>

How to Make a Great First Impression
Did you know that within seconds of meeting someone for the first time, your appearance, body language and non-verbal communication will create a lasting first impression, and that person will assume to know everything about you? Like it or not, it's true and the work world demands making a great first impression and keeping it. Learn how to make a great first impression in this article from a human resources expect and image consultant.

Avoid These Language Landmines
Do you have expressions you use in your daily language that others might find offensive? Here's a list of some common phrases that might put others off, even if you have no ill intent.

How to Remember People's Names
Do you have a hard time remembering people's names? Does it embarrass you and make you avoid people? It's a common problem, but also costly if it prevents you from approaching a business contact. Here are some of the reasons why we forget people's names and tips on how to remember them.

Five Leadership Myths That Could Be Holding You Back
Leadership is about getting things done and helping people reach their potential. Unfortunately, many organizations do a pitiful job helping people reach their potential. One reason for this is old-fashioned, out-dated leadership concepts. Here are five leadership myths that could be holding your company back.

7 Tips for Socializing with Your Boss and Employees
Whether you're headed to your company picnic, a fund raising event, or some other happening with coworkers, minding your manners is important to the future of your career. Here are seven guidelines for after-hours get-togethers.

10 Reasons Why "Getting It Done" Is So Hard
Getting things done may sound simple in theory, but in reality it can seem almost impossible. Ralph Welborn and Vince Kasten, authors of Get It Done, provide some pithy insights on what goes wrong, and why.

Why Real Leaders Take the Blame
Good leaders take more than their share of the blame and less than their share of the credit. Unfortunately, most leaders take more than their share of the credit and less than their share of the blame. Continue reading to find out how real leaders beat the blame game.

Getting It Done
Getting things done sounds so simple, doesn't it? After all, don't we all do things every day? Then why is it that there is such a high failure rate when it comes to project execution? Read more >>

Get on the Road to Real Results
How do you inspire people to work harder, reach higher, and achieve more? How do you get them to support you and go above and beyond in everything they do? How do you get them to care? Find out in this article from the authors of the new book, Revved! >>

Balancing Work and Home Life
If you're like most people you are probably working harder and longer than you used to. As a result, finding balance in today's fast-paced world is more difficult than ever before. Yet, a healthy balance has also never been more important. Here are a few strategies that can help >>

Stop Trying to Be Perfect
Think your presentation needs to be perfect? Think again. Trying to be perfect will ruin your presentation. Find out why >>

Persuasive Presentations: Can You Hear Me Now?
You may have worked for weeks getting your presentation ready, but if no one can hear you, or you don't sound authoritative, your audience will likely tune out. So what can you do about it? Heed these four "P's" to improve your voice.

How to Run an Effective Business Meeting
Business meetings are often considered to be one of the least productive business activities. But effective meetings can have a very positive impact on your bottom line. Use these tips to make your next business meeting a success.

7 Ways to Get a Head Start in Negotiations
If you want to start negotiations in a winning position, then you need to prepare like a tiger. That means you must pay attention to 7 crucial areas.

Improve Your Self-Talk
Self-talk is our internal dialog -- the words we say to ourselves. These words reflect and create our emotional-physiological states. We can feel confident or nervous, motivated or discouraged, often depending on what we tell ourselves. Read more >>

Why Assumptions Are Bad for Business
We make assumptions when we don't fully understand a situation. It is a natural reaction to immediately fill in any missing information by making up our own story. The problem with this is that most of the time our story is incorrect which causes all kinds of complications. Read more >>

Put Your Best Face Forward
The expression on your face when you are interacting with others has as much of an impact as what you are saying - if not more. With that in mind, do you know what unspoken message your face is giving others? Read more >>

Top 4 Time Management Issues
What do you think has the biggest impact on your productivity? It's probably not paperwork, meetings, or multitasking. Find out what the top four time management issues are and why they are so important.

The Secret to Great Presentations
The one thing that can make or break a speaker is enthusiasm. Focus on that and you can break just about every other rule that public speakers are supposed to abide by, and you will still win over your audience. Read more >>

10 Principles of Extreme Personal Leadership
Do you hope to one day rise to the very top of your field? The new book, Corporate Rise: The X Principles of Extreme Personal Leadership gives you insider information on how to do just that. Click here to read an excerpt >>

10 Things You Can Do to Save Time
Wish you had more time in your day? You probably don't realize just how many wasted minutes and hours you have. Here are 10 ways you can capture some of that lost time and use it more productively.

Problem Solving Made Easy
Faced with a big challenge? Not sure where to start? In this excerpt from How to Get Anyone to Do Anything, learn techniques to simplify problem solving.

6 Tricks to Remembering People's Names
Remembering a customer's name can improve your sales, but that is one of the most common difficulties salespeople have. Here are six simple things you can do to help you remember names.

Make 2006 Your Best Year Ever!
Another year is upon us and if you are like most people you have hit the floor running without planning a clear objective for the upcoming year. Setting goals is not a complicated process nor does it take a lot of time. Use the techniques outlined in this article to help you achieve your targets.

New Year's Resolutions You Can Keep
New Year's resolutions are often lofty and hard to achieve, setting you up for failure before February rolls around. But meeting your goals is possible, if you take it one step at a time. Read more >>

Getting Over Defensiveness
Do you think most everyone is out to get you? Do you treat simple questions as accusations? Do you feel all that matters is being right? Don't let defensiveness ruin your career or relationships. Here are some tips to help you get it under control.

Want to Succeed? Lose a Little
Nobody enjoys losing. But you have to be willing to take a risk to begin with if you want the chance to succeed. Read more >>

How Real Women Get Ahead
Forget what you have heard about being one of the boys, having it all, and going for the jugular. Here is how real women get ahead.

Stooples: Office Tools for Hopeless Fools
Are you looking for a gift that is sure to put a smile on someone’s face this year? An inexpensive gift -- perhaps a stocking stuffer for your spouse, or a grab bag gift for the office? Then read on to learn more about this hilarious parody on office life.

Reduce Your Stress This Holiday Season
The most joyful time of the year is upon us. Yet for many, it is also the most stressful time of the year. Before you find yourself knee deep in turkey and dressing, holiday parties, and shopping, shopping, and even more shopping, heed these tips for reducing holiday stress.

Revolutionary Ideas Come from Ridiculous Questions
Every creative business idea begins with a question. A question that grabs attention. A question that might sound ridiculous at the time. A question that propels a wrecking ball of through the walls of ordinary thinking. Read more >>

Achieving Your Personal Best
Is your business or career going ok? Are you doing as well as last year - but not much better? And, is that the best you can achieve? Don't be so sure. See what others have done to achieve more in their businesses and careers.

3 Ways to Talk So Clients Listen
People talk to you everyday-sometimes effectively, often times not. But when it comes to business, you can't afford to not have people listen. If you want your clients to really hear what you have to say, you have to know how to say it in the most effective manner possible. Use these three strategies to be sure your message gets heard.

The Best Managers Are Leaders Too
Just because the boss's name badge says "manager" doesn't mean he's a good leader. The lack of true leadership in the workplace creates an incredible opportunity for supervisors and their companies to set themselves apart. Find out what makes a good leader by learning the 5 "C's" of Leadership >>

Keeping Your Cool When The Customer Gets Hot
Holding emotions in check and reacting professionally under fire are not always easy. It is particularly difficult to be nice to people who are not being nice to you. So what do you do to keep your cool when the customer is chewing you out? Find out here >>

How to Be a Top-Earning Coach or Consultant You know your stuff. You are an undisputed expert in your field. The few customers you've helped sing your praises. But that's the problem. There are still too few customers. What's the single most important thing you can do to build your business and grow your profits? Click here for details >>

The 3 Secrets of Team Motivation
Do you want a highly motivated team who don't take time off work, don't keep looking for other jobs, and make a positive contribution to your business? Then follow these three steps with each member of your team.

Elements of Timeless Leadership
Great leadership is always popular, but in times of enormous need, how do we differentiate the great from the greedy, the strong leader from the despot? These six principles are ancient and have stood the test of time.

Are You Listening?
The absence of talking is not necessarily listening. Real listening requires focused attention and a quiet mind. It's deep, not surface. You do it to understand, not so you can talk when someone pauses. Read more >>

Office Manners: Are Yours Civilized Or Crass?
Even George Washington felt compelled to comment on manners. Most of the rules he espoused are just as relevant today as they were more than two centuries ago. Take a look at some of these rules, their modern-day applications, and check to see if you yourself are guilty of any of these uncivil office behaviors.

Become an Unforgettable Communicator
Do you wish you could strike up conversations with strangers or just get to know other people more easily? These seven techniques will help you maximize your approachability and become an unforgettable communicator.

Everything You’ve Ever Learned about Public Speaking Is Wrong
Many myths about public speaking have been passed along from person to person over the years, and the one thing that is consistent about these myths is that the people who pass them along are still nervous about speaking. Here are the top three public speaking myths and tips to help you overcome them.

7 Ways to Inspire Your Employees
An inspired employee gives his or her all to their employer, and is constantly striving to be and do their best; to use their skills and talents to their full potential. Here are 7 different ways you can inspire your employees.

Instinct: Tapping Your Entrepreneurial DNA to Achieve your Business Goals
Is the ability to succeed in business hardwired into our DNA? Are entrepreneurs, like racing thoroughbreds, simply born to win? Startling and groundbreaking, Instinct is the first book to apply the tools and insights of human genome research to the concept of success. Read Chapter 1 of Instinct here >>

Why Communication Skills Don't Work in Customer Service
Anyone who's spent any time in customer service training has heard of "active listening" and "empathy." It sounds great in class, but isn't always so simple to put into action when you get back to the sales floor. Here are the reasons why even the "right" communication skills can fail and what you can do to make them succeed.

How To Solve Unsolvable Problems
Is there something stopping you from reaching your business goals? Is there a problem you face that appears insurmountable? Here's a strategy that could help you deal with your problems and move ahead.

Minding Your Global Manners
On any given business day you can find yourself dealing face-to-face, over the phone, by e-mail and, on rare occasions, by postal letter with people whose customs and cultures differ your own. One small misstep could cost you big. Use these tips to be sure you don't offend your international customers.

Leadership: Making a Difference While Having Fun
What's sets great CEOs apart from those no one cares to remember? Is it their drive? Their personality? Something else? See what's different about South West Airline's Herb Kelleher in this excerpt from The Art of Business.

Ending Poverty on a Shoestring Budget
Would you try to end world poverty if you only had $27 in your pocket? Probably not. But Professor Muhammad Yunus, formerly a professor of economics in Bangladesh would and did. Continue reading this excerpt from The Art of Business by Raymond T. Yeh.

Feng Shui for Business Success
Would you like your business to be more prosperous? Would you also like a more harmonious work environment that both invigorates and supports you and the people you work with? How would you like to think more clearly and be more productive? If you answered yes, then consider the use of Feng Shui in your business >>

How to Deal with Stage Fright
Stage fright is no stranger to anyone who's ever had to get up in front of an audience and speak. To some it's just a bump in the road, but to others it becomes a brick wall that seems impossible to jump. This simple technique can help you vanquish stage fright each and every time you face it.

The Tradeshow Teamwork Alphabet
What differentiates a great trade show exhibit from a so-so one? The booth staff! So how do you transform your staff members into a strong team? Just remember your ABC's.

How Much Stress Is Just Right?
Stress can actually be good for you -- in the right amount. If you don't have enough stress, you'll probably find yourself bored and tired. But we all know too well what too much stress can do to our wellbeing, not to mention job performance. Read more >>

Six Steps to Becoming a Persuasive Speaker
The purpose of all presentations, especially in the business world, is persuading. Even if you are not looking to make a sale, gain a contract or change audience members' minds, you are still attempting to persuade them to listen to you, and to accept your information. Read more >>

Meetings Can Be Toxic
Is the time spent in meetings causing you to be late in turning out your work? Are you going in at night and on weekends to make up for time spent at meetings? Find out why most meetings fall short, and heed these 7 tips for successful meetings >>

Tune Up Your Trade Show Staff
Are your sales people burnt out? Working a trade show is hard. Keeping your team motivated can be even harder, especially during a busy exhibit season. Here are several ways to keep them enthusiastic and motivated.

Setting Goals - Your Ticket to Success
If you don't know where you're going, any path will get you there. That's what happens if you don't take the time to figure out what your goals are and WRITE them down. There's power in writing things down. Read more >>

The Community Practicing "Enlightened Power"
In this excerpt from Enlightened Power: How Women are Transforming the Practice of Leadership, Lin Coughlin defines Enlightened Power and uses her own values-based journey through corporate America to make a compelling case for inclusive leadership styles and organizations. Read the excerpt here >>

Stand Out in Business the Write Way
Handwritten notes have become almost extinct in the business world. If you are looking for ways to stand from the crowd, to be noticed by your colleagues and clients, try putting pen to paper whenever you have the slightest excuse. Read more >>

Trafficking in Trust
When leaders don’t do their homework and fail to establish their networks, then other factors, like gender, take center stage. That's why recognizing and understanding the social networks in workplaces is of utmost importance to women in leadership. Read more >>

Sealing the Deal over the Business Meal
Taking clients to breakfast, lunch or dinner has long been an effective way to build relationships, make the sale or seal the deal. But too many people jeopardize an opportunity because they fail to use good dining etiquette. Here are a few basic rules to make the experience pleasurable and profitable.

The 10 Pillars of Leadership and Business Development
Leadership is any influence relationship that brings about change. These ten guiding principles can support leaders in becoming trusted by their followers and for withstanding the challenges of today's ever-changing world. Read more >>

Book Excerpt: Triumph from Failure
Triumph from Failure explores fundamental human themes, such as success, eating, sleeping, understanding, beauty, kindness, and failure. Read about achieving success in your workplace and private life by learning the art of kindness in this excerpt from chapter one.

Quit Wasting Time in Meetings
Meetings can be an effective way to solve problems, or just a frustrating waste of time. The difference is in how the meeting is run. Follow these five guidelines to make your business meetings successful.

Top 10 Strategies For Becoming Uncommonly Successful
People who become uncommonly successful share many of the same traits. Here are the top ten strategies they use to overcome adversity and excel.

6 Tips for Delegating Effectively
For business owners and managers, delegation is an essential skill, and a leadership responsibility. The hazards of doing everything yourself can include burnout and missed deadlines. Here are six tips for delegating effectively >>

10 Ways to Create More Time in Your Day
Not enough hours in the day to get it all done? Make sure you're using your time wisely. Follow these ten time management tips to find extra hours you didn't even know you had.

Using Lists to Learn
Lists work great as an organizational tool, but that's not all. You can leverage the power of list making to learn about yourself, your business and even your customers. Read more >>

Get Yourself a New Dream
When you start your first business, it’s difficult to sustain a dream that’s more complicated than survival. But once you surpass that goal, you need to create a new dream for yourself, one that will lead you to achieve new and better things. Read more >>

Excerpt - Pitch Like a Girl: How a Woman Can Be Herself
Shelves full of business books have told women that the only way to win at work is to be like a guy. The truth is that science shows that the brains of men and women work differently. Find out more in this excerpt from Pitch Like a Girl.

Glass Half Full or Half Empty?
Leaders who understand the power of their own viewpoint do not become victims of circumstance. Rather, they identify the challenges and the opportunities which are presented to them at the moment - whatever the adversity. Read more >>

10 Traits Successful People Share
Why do some people succeed, while others fail to reach their goals? Here's one business owner's observations about what successful people do that others don't. Details >>

Resolutions That Will Never See the Light of Day
Resolutions are nothing more than a wish list of bad habits and shortcomings we'd like to change. But everyone knows that most resolutions are forgotten faster than they are made. So, instead of making resolutions of our own, here are a few resolutions we'd like to see others make.

Keys to Giving a Truly Live Performance
When an actor performs in a play for the 10th, 100th or 1,000th time, he or she must create the illusion that this is the first time they have given this performance. The same holds true for anyone giving a presentation. Here are four keys to keeping your performance fresh.

Successfully Meeting and Greeting
When you are making the initial contact with a client or a colleague, you want to get off on the right foot. Doing so will make the first encounter and subsequent ones go smoothly and easily. Save your energy for later and use these simple strategies for a successful start.

How Business Owners Create Their Own Good Luck
Good luck isn't something that just happens to you; it’s up to you to create the conditions to bring yourself good luck. Learn the five principles that the creators of good luck have in common.

12 Simple Steps to Avoiding Burnout
Many people experience burnout at some point in their lives. Business owners and the self-employed are even more likely to fall prey to burnout because the buck stops with them. If you feel as if you’re starting to burn out here are some things you can do to avoid it.

7 Essentials of Business Communication
If you are going to communicate effectively in business it is essential that you have a solid grasp of these seven elements. Find out what they are and how to use them.

Excerpt: The 101 Greatest Business Principles of All Time
The 101 Greatest Business Principles of All Time is a distillation of the wisdom of the greatest entrepreneurs, business leaders, economists, and inspirational figures of all time, in one handy and elegant volume. Read an excerpt here >>

Biggest Time Wasters for Salespeople
Is your sales staff making the best use of their time? If they aren't, it is probably costing you missed sales. Here are four of the most common time-wasters for salespeople. See if any of them apply to your staff. Details >>

10 Ways to Develop Your Latent Leader
Everyone has leadership qualities. The visible difference lies in the degree those qualities are developed. Here are the top 10 ways to develop your latent leader.

The End is the Beginning
People remember best what you say last. In a presentation, what people take with them to put into action or to connect with what they already know depends to a large degree on how you end the presentations. Read more >>

Cross Cultural Gift Giving Etiquette
In today's business world, it's not uncommon to find yourself doing business with individuals and companies in other countries. And, although gift giving is not the norm among business associates in the US, it is often expected elsewhere. This guide to cross cultural gift giving etiquette can help.

Happiness and Work: Your Life Depends On It
Are you suffering in a job that you find less than satisfying, even if it is financially rewarding? There is hope for a happier, more fulfilling future, but you have to take action to get there. Read more >>

When Success Feels Like Failure
Have you fallen into the trap of believing that material success will lead you to feel happy and fulfilled? Unfortunately, for many (if not most), it doesn't. Read more in this excerpt from From Burned Out to Fired Up by Leslie Godwin.

Simple Words Work Best
Whether you're writing a memo, a web page, or an annual report, you should stick to simple words. Using big words might make you feel important or intelligent, but they won't help you make your point any better; in fact, they will probably confuse more people than they impress. Read more >>

7 Successful Stress Management Techniques
Everyone needs successful stress management techniques. Easy to learn and easy to implement, you can use these seven strategies for your own stress management or teach them to help others manage theirs. Details >>

18 Ways to Avoid Change
Change is not something most of us look forward to. Yet, continuing to do things the same way when it doesn't work makes little sense. Here are 18 ways people avoid change. Avoid these and you won't become victim to the status quo.

Top 10 Tips for Attending a Conference
When you attend a conference related to your area of expertise, you will get opportunities to communicate with nationally known leaders of your profession. Here are 10 ways to get the most out of the conference.

Stop Any Argument in Three Simple Steps
Ever found yourself in the middle of a heated debate with someone and wish you could turn it into something more productive? Here are three simple things you can do to stop any argument in its tracks.

Short Guide to Effective Public Speaking
Listeners expect more from public speakers today -- and not just more information; they expect presentations to be delivered in a more humorous, entertaining manner than ever. Here's a short guide to giving effective and interesting presentations, even if it's your very first time.

Brevity is a Virtue
In an age when sound bytes on the news are the norm and serious problems are solved in an hour on a TV drama, audiences are most interested in speakers that get their points across in a short period of time. Here are four ways to make your next speech or presentation brief and to the point.

You Don't Have to Imagine Their Underwear!
Fear of public speaking ranks right up there with death for many people. If you count yourself among that group, get help from these seven tips for becoming a dynamic presenter.

The Special Challenges Women Face in Business
Much as we’d like it otherwise, women are still facing obstacles that men are not. Yes, we’ve made progress, but there’s a lot more to be done before we can drop the phrase “special challenges”. Read about women's challenges here>>

Book Excerpt: The Feiner Points of Leadership
Most leadership books discuss what leaders do. The Feiner Points of Leadership reveals how they lead. In this hands-on, plain-speaking guide, Michael Feiner shares his hard-won expertise and gives you real world solutions to the everyday problems of leadership. Read Chapter 1 here >>

Yogi Berra's Business Wisdom
As well as a top Yankee hitter and catcher, Yogi Berra also spent years as a successful team manager. Yet Yogi will also go down in history for his odd comments. In fact, Yogi’s witticisms are actually clever, full of hard-won insight. Read more >>

Book Excerpt: The 5 Paths to Persuasion
In business, even the best proposals face overwhelming resistance and rejection. Good ideas do not always sell themselves, and how you say something can actually be more important than what you say. Read more in this excerpt from The 5 Paths to Persuasion.

Smoothing Ruffled Feathers
In the world of birds, ruffled feathers is one sign of a virus. Isn't that also the case at work? Ruffled feathers can spread like a virus throughout your office, department or corporation. Depending on the influence of the 'ruffled one', that spread can be fatal. Read more >>

The Power of the Lowly Checklist
Checklists are good for more than just keeping up with your grocery list or to-do list. You can use them as a way to communicate more concisely and, in the end, as a tool to reach your own goals. Read more >>

Business as Self Discovery
People don't start a business because they want to get to know their character better. They start a business because they want independence, or for adventure. But getting to know yourself better than you ever expected is exactly what happens when you become an entrepreneur. Read more >>

How Does Today Impact Tomorrow's Success?
Lots of books claim they can change your life. But how many actually teach you how to take the many small steps that lead to success each and every day of your life? In Today Matters, bestselling author John C. Maxwell shows you how to seize the day. Read an excerpt here >>

Excerpt: Tiger Heart, Tiger Mind
Tiger Heart, Tiger Mind is a book about waking up every morning with a will and a willingness to practice doing and being. The journey continues in the fourth book of the highly acclaimed Zentrepreneur Guide® series, embraced by readers and reviewers everywhere. Read an excerpt here >>

Write and Speak for the Ear
Whether you're writing a speech to be delivered verbally or composing an email to a colleague, there are things you can do to be sure your message gets across clearly. Increase the impact of your message by following these tips.

Perpetual Innovation Through Informal Learning
More than 70 percent of learning experiences in the workplace are informal or accidental, not structured or sponsored by an employer or a school. Informal learning is responsible for building many of the skills we use daily in our jobs and holds an invaluable role in helping a company excel. Find out how you can foster informal learning in your workplace.

Add Credibility and Confidence to Your Presentations
If you're losing sleep worrying about how well you'll deliver your next presentation, you're not alone. Try some of these simple strategies to help you build confidence and credibility with your audiences.

Book Excerpt: Learn More Now
Who doesn’t want to have the ability to learn more? In her new book Learn More Now, Marcia Conner distills her renowned learning solutions into an easy-to-use ten-step program that can help readers overcome information overload, absorb facts on the fly, and get things done faster. Read an excerpt here >>

Learn More in Meetings
Are all these meetings really a good use of time for you and your colleagues? Not necessarily, according to Marcia Conner, author of the new book Learn More Now. Before you plan your next meeting, find out how different learning styles impact the group dynamic, and the meeting's final outcome. Read more >>

Taming Stage Fright
Even top performers get stage fright, so the fact that the rest of us have the jitters before getting behind the podium is not surprising. Though you'll probably never fully rid yourself of stage fright, these tips can help you tame it. Read more >>

Bring the Joy Back to Your Life
Is it possible to age yet keep the sense of wonder we had as children and experience the joy of being alive every day? In his new book, Second Innocence, author John Izzo tackles four key areas of human experience (daily life, work, love, and faith) and will lead you to new perspectives on your own life and provide thought-provoking insights for reclaiming the innocence, idealism, and wonder that we often associate with youth. Read an excerpt here >>

Top 12 Email Mistakes to Avoid
Your e-mail is as much a part of your professional image as the clothes you wear, the postal letters you write, the greeting on your voice mail and the handshake you offer. If you want to impress on every front and build positive business relationships, pay attention to your e-mail and steer clear of these top twelve e-mail mistakes.

Book Excerpt: Winning Habits
Winning Habits is about making great things happen around you and for you. This powerful parable identifies the four fundamental habits that lead to success and helps you apply those habits in your life. Click here to read an excerpt >>

Body Language Speaks Louder Than Words
Has it ever occurred to you how much you are saying to people even when you are not speaking? Unless you are a master of disguise, you are constantly sending messages about your true thoughts and feelings whether you are using words or not. Read more >>

Maintaining Your Motivation
Most people come away from conferences and training seminars with enthusiasm and excitement which inevitably translates into a more enjoyable workplace and higher sales. But when you're self-employed, you attend such events seldom, if at all. Here are tips for maintaining your own personal motivation, even when you don't have a corporate office.

Book Excerpt: Midlife Crisis at 30
As the generation that came of age after the most visible glass ceilings had been broken, Gen-X/Y women were raised to believe in futures without limitations. Yet, as journalists Lia Macko and Kerry Rubin reveal in their fascinating investigation, many women have distorted the well-intentioned empowerment messages of their youth and are quietly blaming themselves when they fail to overcome the very real obstacles that still exist in our society. Read an excerpt here >>

Book Excerpt: How to Change the World
How to Change the World: Social Entrepreneurs and the Power of New Ideas tells the stories of people around the globe who are solving many of the world's most intractable problems.
Read an excerpt here >>

Achieve More in 2004
Another year is upon us and if you are like most people you have hit the floor running without planning a clear objective for the upcoming year. Setting goals is not a complicated process nor does it take a lot of time. Use these techniques to help you achieve your targets.

The Power of Recognition
How can you increase productivity, enhance morale, and improve retention - without spending any money? Simply recognizing employees for a job well done can do a lot more than you'd expect. Here are 10 no-cost ways of improving employee performance.

Lose Your Stage Fright
Think you can transform from being terrified of speaking in public to being exited about taking the stage in just an hour? Here's the true story of someone who did just that. Learn her secret here >>

Straight from the Gut - Building Self-Confidence
In his twenty-year career at the helm of General Electric, Jack Welch defied conventional wisdom and turned an aging behemoth of a corporation into a lean, mean engine of growth and corporate innovation. Read an excerpt from his autobiography here >>

Master Your Beliefs, Master Your Emotions
Learning to manage your feelings is a critical step toward living a happy, successful, and fulfilled life. Here are steps you can take to begin mastering your emotions.

End the Information Glut
Do you have enough time during the day to respond to all the messages others send to you? Chances are, you don't. Use these strategies to tackle the information glut and make more time in your day.

Leadership Begins Within
If you want to be a better leader, you need to first learn who you are. Identify your strengths and weaknesses equally so you understand how to operate, both positively and negatively. Read more >>

Book Excerpt: Leadership Presence
Now, more than ever, we need leaders who are genuine and inspiring. In the past decade, Belle Linda Halpern and Kathy Lubar have helped tens of thousands of executives to become more inspiring -- by applying the skills they learned as professional actors. Read an excerpt from their new book here.

Thinking for a Change: 11 Ways Highly Successful People Approach Life and Work
To do well in life, we must first think well. But can we actually learn new mental habits? Thinking For A Change: 11 Ways Highly Successful People Approach Life and Work answers that with a resounding "yes"--and shows how changing your thinking can indeed change your life. Read an excerpt here >>

Demand Dignity in Public Speaking Training
The large number of people who have a fear of speaking in front of groups has fueled the growth of the public speaking training industry. Yet, with so many opportunities available, some courses offer nothing to help you overcome your anxiety, and others may even make it worse. Read more >>

Book Excerpt: Negotiate This!
Negotiating is the game of life. Every day, in countless ways, we communicate with others-boss or broker, landlord or customer, spouse or child-in attempts to influence their behavior. In this new book, Herb Cohen draws on several decades of unrivaled practical experience as he teaches you that negotiation is not a do-or-die gambit to bend others to your will-but a high-minded game to master, to enjoy, and to win. Read an excerpt here.

10 Ways to Find More Time
Businesses have a way of taking over every last minute of your life. Before you know it, you don't have enough time to do all the things you need to do, much less all the things you want to do. Here are ten ways that entrepreneurs can find more time.

Create a Beautiful Work Day
How do you spend your business day? Do you plow through a dreary to-do list? Do you struggle through regular tasks that you’ve been doing day in and day out? How you spend your day has a huge impact on your potential success. Read more >>

Bouncing Back
When life throws you a huge curve, you can let it get the best of you or you can bounce back. This entrepreneur learned some very important lessons about life and business as she fought to bounce back from her fight with cancer. Read more >>

5 Ways to Stop Things from Falling Through the Cracks
Whether you can't figure out what to do next or you're stretched so thin that even big projects are slipping through the cracks, the culprit is letting yourself become overwhelmed. Here are five suggestions to help you get regain control. Details >>

Overcome Your Fear of Public Speaking
Knocking knees, butterflies in your stomach, sweaty palms, quavering voice -- all of these are sure signs of a fear of public speaking. Here are a few tricks of the trade that can help reduce your anxiety before and during the big event. Read more >>

There's No Such Thing as Business Ethics
How does a person judge what is ethical? Sometimes it's clear. You know Enron's leaders were in the wrong. But is it always easy to see where the line is in your life? What's the standard? And can it work in all situations? John C. Maxwell, author of the new book There's No Such Thing As Business Ethics thinks it can. Read an excerpt >>

Solving Difficult Problems
From identifying the problem to implementing the solution, this simple five-step process can help you identify creative solutions to your most difficult problems. Read more >>

Three Guiding Principles of Courage
Everyone is a leader to someone, whether it's an employee, spouse, child, or, at the simplest level, oneself. As a leader you have the responsibility to develop a level of courage first within yourself, then to instill that courage in those that look to you for your leadership.
Read more >>

Right Risk
Will the risks you most regret be the ones you didn't take? An author and a coach--inspired by his fiery era as a professional high diver--offers insight and advice for taking smart, spirited risks. Read an excerpt here >>

The Myths that Rule Our Projects
Are your projects high on frustration and low on fulfillment? How you think your projects should work may be the source of your misery. Consider these common myths, then start to debunk them on your projects. Read more >>

Secrets of Successful Project Management
What can you do to keep a projects from becoming beastly experience for you and your team? What does it really take to make a project a resounding success? David Schmaltz reveals the answers in his new book The Blind Men and the Elephant: Mastering Project Work. Read an excerpt here >>

Toot Your Own Horn
Remaining quiet about yourself or, worse, downplaying your successes leads to being underappreciated, or even allowing others to take credit for your achievements. When done with grace and style, bragging promotes your best asset-you! Read more >>

Make a Powerful First Impression
In the first thirty seconds people make judgments about you on a subconscious level, based on what they see, hear and sense. To create a Powerful First Impression, you must create a positive visual impact. Read more >>

Effective Public Speaking in Business Presentations
Right or wrong, people form a perception about how competent you are by how you present yourself when you stand and speak. Use these five tips to make your best impression.

Make Your Voice Capture Attention
Do employees and customers seem to tune you out shortly after you start speaking to them? If so, it could be because your voice sounds tired or that you are speaking in a monotone. Here are four ways to energize your voice and get your message heard.

5 Tips to Create a Great Team
Every member of your team has an innate desire to belong and be useful. Hit a home run with your team with these five tips.

10 Commandments of Goal Setting
Like any tool, your goals can be powerful victory-builders. But be careful. If you set your goals too high, you’ll quickly become frustrated. Read more >>

Using Your Intuition
Intuition is an incredible resource and gift that we have been given to help us live our best life. Unfortunately, not many people know what it is or how to use it. Here are five ways to get in touch with your intuition.

Leading Your Workforce in Wartime
In the days and weeks since the war began, the workforce has been on an emotional roller coaster. Here are ten steps for managing, motivating and leading your employees in these difficult times.

Rivet the Attention of Any Audience
If you've ever suspected your public speaking might be putting people to sleep, fear not. You don't need an elaborate bag of gimmicks to liven up your talks. Here are three easy ways to become a more energetic, natural communicator.

How to Cure the Verbal Virus
Verbal viruses are meaningless fillers that speckle our speech, distract from our message, drain our impact and annoy listeners. Here's a five step treatment plan.

Putting Meaning in Your Life
Do you ever feel you should be doing more with your life? Well, you're not alone. Read some of the myths and truths about finding your calling in life.

Can Failure Breed Success?
Do you ever find that your level of self confidence tends to go up and down like the stock market? Or perhaps it even goes up and down along with the stock market! Here is a story about a Japanese businessman that might give you a new perspective.

Get Organized
Are you tired of that overflowing, overstuffed office supply cabinet? Here are tips to help you get it organized.

Starting from Scratch
What does it take to start and grow a profitable IT business without a lot of money? Here is practical advice from someone who did it.

Book Excerpt: Bringing Out the Best in Others
Learn about what creates consistently high performance in this second excerpt from Bringing Out the Best in Others. Details >>

Using Assessments to Develop Managers and Others
Many organizations are turning to behavior assessments and personality trait testing for both hourly workers and managers. Find out how assessments can help your company.

Communicating with Power
Regardless of your profession, communication is an essential part of your day. Here are 10 tips to add power and productivity to your conversations.

Excerpt: Discover Your Sales Strengths
In the ever-changing world of sales, there is no single, sure-fire, tried-and-true method that anyone can readily imitate to deliver peak performance. Read this excerpt that explains how knowing your own strengths is the key to excellence.

Book Excerpt: Why Do Good People Fall Short?
Why do some people excel easily and others struggle to succeed? Find the answer and ideas on how you can help in this excerpt from Bringing Out the Best in Others.

Tony Soprano's Leadership Secrets
Business management gurus have long mined historical figures for guidance on the principles of effective leadership. Yet one of the best examples of leadership effectiveness comes from the world of make-believe. Read more >>

Coaching Your Employees
When leaders tap into the career purpose and passion of others, they ignite a spirit within that translates into great performance. Alignment of individual career interests with organizational needs facilitates the kind of match that brings out the best in people.  Read more >>

Defining Your Purpose
Who are you and why are you here? Here are some questions to help you begin to clarify your life purpose. Read more >>

Knowing Your Strengths
One of the surest paths to happiness is to know your strengths and build your life around them. Start your path to happiness by learning to recognize your own strengths and talents.

The 4 D's of Deliberate Success
Whether you're seeking success in your career or personal life, it all starts with a Dream, the first of the 4 D's of deliberate success. Learn the remaining three in this book excerpt.

Renewing Your Competitive Edge
Maintaining the status quo in a competitive environment is not a viable option. Even if you are moving ahead, the speed you are moving must be faster than the speed global business advances -- otherwise, you will still be trailing behind! Click here to learn the three R's of renewal.

When Work Becomes Play
Are you doing exactly what you want to do everyday, or are you trudging through, just trying to get to the weekend? If it's the latter, then it's time for you to choose to do what you want. Read this article to get step-by-step help for taking back your life.

Leading Like a Professional
When you are the “top dog” in an organization, there are three keys to leading others that will create a tuned-in, turned-on workforce. Read more >>

The Shocking Truth about Your Image
Whether it’s fair or not, we are often judged on first impressions. Since a customer's impression of you will determine whether or not they want to do business with you, the impact on your career and on your organization’s bottom line can be staggering. Details >>

Rebalancing Your Busy Life
In the final part of this series, learn how you can use technology to gain control and balance in your life. Read more >>

Speak Up!
Ever been in a meeting with something important to say and remained silent? You owe it to yourself and others to speak up. Read more >>

Developing Essential Soft Skills
In today's working environment, where customers and employees are demanding more, instilling the use of soft skills in your team members is something you simply can't survive without.
Read more >>

Teamwork vs. Individual Praise
How do you walk that fine line between encouraging teamwork while giving praise to the individuals that deserve it? Here are a few ideas that you can implement immediately. Details >>

Beyond Juggling
Achieving balance in your work and life is not impossible. If you’re an exhausted juggler looking for a better way, consider the following five alternatives, gleaned from interviews with hundreds of busy professionals. Read more >>

Leading Like a Pro
When you are the “top dog” in an organization, there are three keys to leading others that will create a tuned-in, turned-on workforce. They distinguish you as being a professional – significantly more effective than amateurs who have a title but nothing beneath the surface.
Read more >>

Creating Good Rapport
How people perceive us during the first few seconds has a major influence on whether they will trust us, be attracted to us, or want to do business with us. To create a positive first impression, we need to know how to connect immediately with others regardless of their age, gender, ethnic background, mood, or the situation. Details >>

Too Busy to be Productive
To build loyalty, reduce costs, make more money, and serve as a model corporate citizen, you don't have to work harder -- just smarter. Read more >>

Bring Your Future to the Present
Do you feel that you should pursue your calling, but you have bills to pay, family responsibilities, and other day-to-day concerns that don't allow you to stop everything? So, how do you take care of your immediate needs without letting go of a meaningful future? Get help here.

Enhance Your Image
How you come across in your interactions with others affects everything from your social life to your sales goals. Improve the impression you make with these 12 tips. Read more >>

The Sinking of the Titanic
The Titanic still rests on the bottom of the ocean, but we can resurrect the truth. The lessons we learn can help our businesses stay on course and improve our ability to lead others. Read more >>

Procrastination
Ever find yourself delaying and delaying on something until it becomes a crisis? That’s when procrastination has taken charge of your life. Here's how to regain control.

Great Leadership
We can’t merely employ someone’s hands and tell them to leave their hearts, minds and spirits at home. Workplaces that provide meaning and purpose and are fun, engaging, and energizing will enjoy greater retention, higher productivity and lower turnover. Read more >>

Take Charge of Change
The ability to master change has never been more important. Do you have the characteristics you need to handle what the world throws your way? Read more >>

The Path to Excellence
What is the one strength that would help you excel in your career? Acknowledging and dedicating yourself to your natural talents is the key to success. Read more >>

Introduction Into Management
Becoming a manager for the first time can be an unnerving and sometimes stressful experience. Follow these ten steps to ease your transition.

Finding the Magic
Imagine if you could spend most of your time doing what makes you happy, where time flies and where it's easy for you.  Successful entrepreneurs throughout history have achieved greatness by focusing on their strengths. This article helps you discover your natural talents.

Overcoming Resistance
There’s a one-word reason most ideas never see the light of day: Resistance. In this excerpt, read about the three different types of resistance and what you can do to overcome them. Click here.

Time Savers
If you can recapture a wasted hour here and there and redirect it to a more productive use, you can make great increases in your daily productivity and the quality of your life. Here are five techniques to help you.

Taking Responsibility
If you want to become a progressive leader then blaming others cannot be tolerated. Put a stop to the "blame game" and take a big step forward in your career. Read more >>

Busting Clutter
One of the most basic ways to find papers when you need them is to retrieve them from an effective filing system. A good filing system will allow you to find what you're looking for in 10 seconds or less.

Getting Focused
Why don't you feel focused on what you most care about? Getting focused, and staying that way, requires an adjustment. Here are some tips that can help.

Business Card Overload
Everyone collects lots of business cards, and nobody really knows what to do with all of them. Turn that jumbled mess into a useful collection.

Take Back Your Time 
Are you having to work more hours to get the same amount or even less work done? Use these 12 tips to take back your time at the office. 

Create Your Ideal Scenario
Most people spend more time planning a vacation trip than designing their perfect life. If you want to succeed in life, put some work into creating your own ideal scenario. 

Information Overload
Too much information is a bad thing. It can take on a life of its own -- cluttering up your life in the process. Get control of the situation with these tips for coping with information overload.

Telephone Etiquette for Sole Proprietors
When you work alone, handling telephone calls, faxes, email, and face to face client meetings can be a real juggling act. Here are some suggestions that will help you keep in touch.

Overcoming Speaking Anxiety
Everyone, even experienced speakers, has some anxiety when speaking in front of a group of people. Nothing will relax you more than to know you are properly prepared. Here are 10 tips to follow.

Audience Analysis
A well prepared speech given to the wrong audience can have the same effect as a poorly prepared speech given to the correct audience. They both can fail terribly. Read more >>

8 Virtues of Gladiator Leadership
Management consultant Greg Smith says "gladiator virtues" like bravery, honor and vision can help your company rise from mediocre to extraordinary.

Divide and Conquer the New Year
With a fresh new year before you, your dreams and goals have no limits! A blank calendar may seem somewhat intimidating, but all that's needed is a little planning.

Busting Clutter
Overwhelmed by piles of paper? Getting organized means more than just cleaning up your desk!

Leading in Crisis
In the days and weeks since the terrorist attacks, the American workforce has been on an emotional roller coaster. How can business leaders lead in the wake of this tragedy? Read more >>

Becoming a Good Listener
If you really want to become "the company that other people love to keep," concentrate on becoming a keen listener. People will gravitate toward you, invite you back, hire you, invite you to serve on corporate boards, promote you, conduct more business with you, and introduce you to their colleagues.

Just Say NO
If you had unlimited amounts of time, you could "yes" all the time to everyone. And it seems that everyone has their own idea of how you should spend your time. Here's why you should say "no" more often, and 17 different ways to say it!

Become a Better Leader
The ability to communicate, motivate and show genuine concern may be considered "soft" skills, but they are much more important to the retention of employees than you may think. Become a better leader by showing people you care.

Overcome Your Fear of Public Speaking
For many people, public speaking anxiety is very real and very debilitating. It can pose a major detriment to career advancement or to promoting your business. Here are ten tips that can help.  

Looking glass
Are you looking at the world through dirty glasses? Find out how it affects your business. 

Communication Etiquette
From voice mail to faxes and email, there are now a tremendous variety of ways to communicate with each other. Find out why easier doesn't always mean better. 

Presentations That Work
Give a presentation? You? Stand up in front of a crowd? Yes you can. Here's how to do it without your knees knocking. 

Delegate It!
No matter how much we wish we had more time, we can only squeak out 24 hours in a day. You can, however, get more out of your day if you delegate. Use these five suggestions to make the most of the delegation process and more time for the important tasks on your list of things to do!

Travel Safely
SOHO business owners often have to travel alone. Play it safe while you're on the road. Heed these travel safety tips!  

Unrealistic Goals
Doing your best is great, but obsessing over perfection can have higher costs than it's worth.

The Top Ten Ways to Stay Focused on Your Objectives
Any worthwhile, challenging goal requires sustained effort. Doing the right things for a day or two isn't hard. How do you "keep it going" consistently and achieve your objectives? Click Here to find out!

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