Today's best managers are leaders focused on bringing out the best thinking and commitment of all employees in order to develop and sustain the most effective work processes, and the highest quality products and services. Understanding how to engage and empower employees can often be the difference between average performance and high performance.

Once you accept the premise of motivation coming from within, then you no longer get caught in the losing game of trying to motivate others. Instead, you can work to develop an environment in your organization in which people can be motivated and engaged.

Your version of success doesn't have to be just a theory for you if you simply choose to implement doable steps more often. Let's choose to make this year to be when we get out of our own way.

While the specific circumstances may change from company to company or organization to organization, they are looking for ways to get their front-line people willing and able to help achieve the firm's desired results and keep things moving forward.

Many organizations go through the motions of establishing engagement cultures and oftentimes go no farther. Pushing engagement forward takes awareness, understanding, and skill development of essential engagement tools. It also requires leadership, commitment, and patience as the engagement culture slowly emerges into the workplace.

When you promote, test for confidence and not just know-how or experience. A confident person will help the organization achieve its goals on a regular and consistent basis.

What is the value of having a clear, concise vision of what your business could become ten or fifteen years out, along with a plan that clarifies not only what the business will look like but what resources will be needed to achieve it?‍

Use these three rules to determine what is most important to you professionally and personally. Decide how you want to live. Life and business opportunities are just too exciting to miss.

The biggest culprit of lost productivity is uncertainty. People simply need to know where the organization is going and how it's going to get there. When you answer these two questions and, more importantly, when you communicate your objectives continuously throughout the organization, you will witness employees overcome what once seemed to be insurmountable obstacles.

Some of the most successful hires have been the result of administering specific assessments and multiple interviews. Candidates should expect to meet several members of the team in different environments.