When faced with a large or complex situation, there are two qualities that will lead to more effective decisions: logic and an open mind. When you approach a problem, strip your mind of preconceived opinions and prejudices. Logically assemble and learn the facts of the situation. By understanding the cause and effect relationship involved in a situation, you can formulate solutions that deal with the root of the problem. By keeping an open mind, you can creatively develop alternatives from which to choose when making your final decision.

It has been said, “We’d better pay attention to the future because that’s where we’re going to spend the rest of our lives.” Success in any business is a clear picture of where the business is going and even though there is technically no “end,” what will the end result look like? The propensity of most management teams right now is to focus on the present, to put out fires, and manage by crisis. With all of the changes in the business environment over the last 24 months, that propensity is understandable; however, crisis management doesn’t prepare your organization for future growth and opportunity.

Team building remains one of the most vital functions for long-term success in business. The reasons are many, but as more and more employees leave the workforce for more personally fulfilling options such as home-based businesses, the decline in both morale and available talent is diminished. One of the top reasons people leave their jobs is that they feel unappreciated or undervalued.

You might be able to attract people with high value skills through a well-presented ad. However, to keep them with you, your organization must have put in place workforce management policies that make these people want to continue with the organization. The policies must fit in with the organization and the place where it is located. If the policies are incompatible with the existing organization and place, they are likely to remain just book policies that will not be implemented in their true spirit. We look at some standard workforce management policies that can create an environment that make people want to remain with you.

It’s that time of year again: the time of holiday parties, Christmas cards to write, shopping to do (even online at work!), vacations, family commitments, and more stress. It is no wonder that a recent survey by Accountemps found that 44% of executives feel employees are less productive the week before a major holiday. While this may be true, there are ways in which we as leaders can counteract all of the distractions and stress and help people be as productive now as the rest of the year.

"For what we've discovered, and rediscovered, is that leadership isn't the private reserve of a few charismatic men and women. It's a process ordinary people use when they're bringing forth the best from themselves and others. Liberate the leader in everyone, and extraordinary things happen." – James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner, The Leadership Challenge: How to Keep Getting Extraordinary Things Done in Organizations.

Leadership is a verb, not a noun. Leadership is action, not a position. Leadership is defined by what we do, not the role we are in. Some people in "leadership roles" are excellent leaders. But too many are bosses, "snoopervisors," technocrats, bureaucrats, managers, commanders, chiefs, and the like. Conversely, many people who have no formal leadership role are excellent leaders. In today's fast changing world, we all need to be leaders.

People choose to buy from you, offer help, and grant rewards based on trust. In many ways, trust is your most valuable resource. Stephen Covey in his book The Speed of Trust tells us that, "when trust goes up, speed goes up and cost goes down."  Here are a few of the ways to increase your success by building trust. While you may already do most of these things, missing even one of them can ruin it all.

We all have our own mentors – people who, in one way or another, have played a big role and influenced us in the way that we perceive things. All of us at one point in our lives have influenced those around us. If you want to be a better leader, you should be intentional about the way that you try to influence others.

The most important thing when influencing others is seek to truly want the best for those involved. Your success as a leader or part of a group, as well as in life in general, will depend on your ability to influence people and affect their lives in a positive way. To have a deeper understanding of how you can influence people in a positive or productive manner, think though these four points:

What is it that separates a boss from a great leader? How do you better lead even when you aren't in charge? It is important that we not only be able to lead others, but be willing to lead ourselves. No one achieves success alone and no one becomes successful by just following the crowd. Sometimes we simply must strike a bold new path for ourselves.

If you are like most people, you want to be great in your role. Everyone wants to progress forward in their career and get better along the way. The hard reality is, that the norm in business and in life is that if we aren’t intentional about trying to improve, we can stagnate and develop habits that make us ineffective. We want to lead, but we just end up managing. So what is the difference between a manager and a leader?