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.

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.

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.

To keep a tech workforce engaged and motivated necessitates viewing this from 2 perspectives: how to keep people engaged and motivated, and how to keep the technologist challenged.

Regardless of size, employees aren't an excuse for not getting desired results. Successful leaders take responsibility for everything in their business. Taking responsibility means if you aren't getting the results you want, look first at yourself and what you can do differently or better. Most of us try to change other people when things aren't going right. To reach our goals, we don't have to change others (most of them won't do it anyway); we need to change ourselves.

Before starting any major new project in an organization, whether for internal use or consumption or for external use and revenue generation, this process can be the difference between winning and losing.

How often do you let problems go unresolved and fail to make significant progress because the solutions are too simple or not in someone's best interest? Imagine how many problems could be addressed if we overcome these two hurdles.

There are no compelling consequences of not achieving a resolution, but there are frequently compelling consequences of not achieving a goal.