A CEO held six big town-hall meetings with employees to present the new company strategy. Everybody seemed to be paying attention. Yet, now nothing was happening. The reason? A survey of employees showed that 70% understood the strategy, only about 60% agreed with it and more than half didn’t have a clue what they were supposed to do next. To avoid getting tuned out like this, take these steps:

Cordia Harrington owned three McDonald’s franchises when the company asked her to sit on its bun committee in 1992. She quickly realized opportunity was knocking. Here’s how she seized it:

Roadblocks can spring up anytime, particularly in the current economic climate. When you encounter an obstacle, employ these tactics:

In most companies, highly valued at-risk leaders seem to be tolerated in their roles. In my experience over the past 30 years working with leaders, there are key characteristics that help to identify these executives on the brink of derailing from their role and career. Several steps can be taken to determine if the executive is salvageable or just an exercise in futility.

Leaders find business lessons every where, even from a shirtless guy at a music festival. See the Youtube video that went viral, and find out why two top business gurus believe that, when in doubt, good leaders just jump in with both feet.

A taste for risk, it’s becoming clear, is an important part of the gene pool. We may owe our furious pace of innovation, not to mention the survival of our species, to crazy adventurers. Now scientists find that a taste for risk is hard-wired in about 10% of us, with thrill-seekers making up a small fraction.

People tolerate superaggressive leaders if their visions are exceptionally strong, but it’s a dicey proposition. Experience shows that bullies, even when considered “visionaries,” tend to go too far.

Leading Gen Y workers can be a baffling experience. "How do you find the good capital ‘G’ ones?” laments one leader. You may not find them, but you may be able to train them. Teach them skills they need, including the values of your organization.

You can do more than yoga to work “mindfulness” into your routine. It’ll calm your brain and help you focus like a hawk. And you’ll have more fun. Here are five simple tricks:

We asked our favorite entrepreneurs for the tips and tricks they have used to pilot their businesses through difficult times. The result: 23 things you can do right now to energize your employees, wow your customers, and get your business back on track...

In case you have any trouble explaining your role as a board member, here’s a metaphor you can use. The board helps set—and set into motion—the organization’s aims, identity and direction. It’s like standing on a balcony above a dance floor ...

1. Still shying away from Twitter? Almost a third of senior executives now use the social-networking tool ... 2. Gauge reactions to a controversial announcement before you deliver it to a group ...  3. Seek a new hire with integrity, intelligence and energy, advises Warren Buffett.

It’s not just players who can change the game. Leaders can, too. Take Zack Greinke, one of the hottest pitchers in baseball. Four years ago, Greinke hated pitching so much that he had to play little mind games to stay engaged. In desperation, he went to his bosses, general manager Allard Baird and manager Buddy Bell, who told him to go home and stop thinking about baseball ...

Robert Wright, a senior fellow at the New America Foundation, has come up with a theory about globalization that might help you do business. He has studied Paul of Tarsus, who went around persecuting the followers of Jesus until he literally saw the light on the road to Damascus. Paul spent the rest of his life spreading Christianity by championing love and brotherhood.

A decade ago, the professional world floated high with the idea that you could quit the rat race and pursue whatever your heart desired. Then the bubble burst, and now all the other bubbles have burst. Still, you want to love what you do ...

It’s late, and you’re chained to your desk finishing work your boss needs first thing in the morning. The two colleagues who were helping with the project? Long gone. Don't get stuck going it alone like that again. These four tips will help you manage co-workers who drop the ball.

New terms for business start-ups have sprung up a world away from the cash-burning dot-coms of yesteryear. “Ramen profitable” is one, “LILO” (a little in, a lot out) another. They refer to new ventures that run on no more than the founder’s living expenses. Working best right now, venture capitalists say, are concepts that either make customers money or save them money.

Discipline and termination meetings are emotionally charged events that carry the potential for nasty words, hurt feelings and even legal troubles. As a manager, you never know how employees will respond to discipline or firings. But you need to be prepared for anything—including employees who “let it all out” in long, loud rants. Follow these four do’s and don’ts to defuse rants and avoid lawsuits:

The price of admission to today’s marketplace is continual reinvention. Organizations regularly hit “refresh,” or “restart,” so they can develop contingencies before the next crisis hits. But this organizational reinvention can happen only if leaders reinvent themselves. How?

It’s no smooth ride being a leader in an economic downturn. Here’s what three CEOs on Fortune magazine’s most-admired companies list had to say about sleepless nights and what they’re doing about it.

When fans of natural cosmetics maker Burt’s Bees learned the company was selling itself to Clorox, a buzz of protest followed, as customers complained the bleach maker was not environmentally friendly. In response, CEO John Replogle went blogging ...

“Hot teams” improvise, do more work with less supervision and make the extra effort to follow through. Management consultant Laurence Haughton offers this advice for turning ordinary groups into hot teams.

One of the last places to embrace big changes in patterns of behaviors and practices is the Sales function. With the changing demographics, where Boomers are retiring and Millennials are going into sales roles in record numbers, the spotlight is on how sales staffs are rewarded and its impact on performance. What can you do to be sure you motivate your Millennial sales staff? Here are some recommendations.

Few boards and managers nurture a stable of successors. Yet the need for top talent is high, as more executives step down. At DuPont, they know the value of a good succession plan. Earlier this year, they executed a seamless transition. Here’s how to employ their tactics:

When Vivek Ranadivé began coaching his daughter’s basketball team of 12-year-olds, Ranadivé decided they would play a full-court press full time. They were not very skilled. But playing a nonstop press, they ended up at the national championships. How did this David-and-Goliath story come about?