Everyone has motivation. What slows people down or stops them altogether is not lack of motivation, but the presence of obstacles. So if we're ever going to help people who are perceived to be lacking in motivation, we need to identify these obstacles and figure out how to get rid of them.

As the US Congress moves to increase the minimum wage, we're hearing lots of theories and opinions on the pros and cons. But lets just stop and answer one question: What is the purpose of the minimum wage?

It's a long-standing axiom that the customer is always right. But is it true? No. But since customers make the purchase decisions, they'll always have the last word.

When it comes to keeping employees safe in the face of a major disaster and/or terrorist action, most workplaces are woefully unprepared. So what should we be planning for?

I see a lot of parallels between the ocean and technology. At times we get smooth, steady growth. But sometimes new gadgets and technologies come flooding into our lives so fast that it's all we can do to keep our head above water.

They're cynics. They're gloomy. They're sarcastic and grumpy. They focus on the worst possible outcomes. But nevertheless, we ought to value pessimists or we might overlook potentially dangerous obstacles.

All too often, our New Year resolutions fail to become reality. For many of us, they have faded into the woodwork and been forgotten by Valentine's Day. So what can we do to turn our resolutions into reality?

It's too easy to get myopic as we work toward our goals. When that happens we miss learning opportunities and work itself can become more of a burden than it needs to be. Remember, some of the biggest rewards come during the journey, not at the destination.

December is when many retailers make a huge chunk of their annual sales. But with this month-long surge in customers overtaxing even the best employees, what can be done to make the shopping season more enjoyable for all?

It's gift-giving season once again, and time for my annual "must read" list. Whether you're looking for a holiday gift for someone else or you're looking to sharpen your own thinking, some valuable golden nuggets exist in each of these titles.

Employees not working. Employees being disruptive. Employees stealing. Have you ever have to fire someone? Make no mistake, terminating an employee is one of the most difficult tasks required of any manager.

When growth occurs, it's a good thing, right? Perhaps not. Manageable growth is good, but grow too fast and you could quickly end up a sitting duck for failure.

More than half of all email is spam. And since spammers are wasting the time and money of people everywhere, surely it's time we do something more to go after them.

Life is too short to spend eight hours a day doing something you don't care about. But you don't have to stay stuck working in a job you don't care about. Work in your area of passion! You'll get to be who you really are, live a more fulfilling life and actually enjoy what you spend your time doing.

Resolving complaints is easy when trust exists. Yet many efforts at resolving complaints fail for one primary reason, namely fear. When our natural fear of losing something or not getting something we want takes over our brain, our ability to understand another person's perspective usually goes out the window.

As a manager or leader, your job description includes handling complaints. It might not be written down anywhere, but the task comes with the territory.

Chronic complainers can be a drain on workplace morale and productivity. It's perfectly reasonable to have a complaint, but how you choose to handle it determines whether you're a workplace professional, or a professional complainer.

In work, as in life, people are going to let us down and break our trust. But if we're going to move forward, we have to find a way to forgive, however counter-intuitive this might seem.

For years, people have run into doctors at social events and the next thing you know they're looking for advice about their aches and pains. Most people know this is bad form, but it raises the question of where to draw the line between conversation and consulting.

They're sprouting up everywhere. They're people who sit at their desks all day without getting much done. The Internet appears to be one major culprit, computer games another - and it is costing employers a fortune.

It seems that the value of integrity is increasingly taking a back seat to short-term success. Unfortunately, this dangerous practice has long-lasting, negative ripple effects to the workplace - as well as to society as a whole.

By itself, instinct can be incredible. It's what sparks our imagination, enables our creativity, and takes us to new heights. But although instinct can be a powerful ally (just ask Yoda), sometimes it can be dangerously deceptive (just ask Anakin Skywalker).

Focusing only on your rights doesn't make you assertive, just selfish and aggressive. Assertiveness is a balance of standing up for our your desires along with a genuine understanding of the other person's point of view.

We hear all sorts of talk these days about the importance of innovation. But what exactly is innovation, and what is its value in the workplace?

If a gardener simply gave a plant an intimidating look and barked out a command to "grow", you'd think he was crazy. So why do we put up with this sort of behaviour in managers?

Good interpersonal skills are fundamental to true empowerment. Companies will only create conditions for people to take responsibility and ownership of their work if they teach good management practices and ensure people are taught how to work well with each other.

When you find yourself in hot water, what kind of effect do you have on the environment? Do you become bitter and turn your surroundings bitter as well? Or are you soothing, with a corresponding ripple effect on those around you?

People will willingly engage in change if they have genuine input to the process. So if we want a successful change effort, we need to change how we implement change. If we don't, we just might be a little insane.

Whenever people work together, conflict is an inevitable result. Disagreements occur in even the best working relationships. But how conflict is addressed can either add to or take away from a company's bottom line.

As the sad succession of recent corporate and political scandals have highlighted, those in positions of power are not immune from the seductive dangers of addiction. So what makes a good apple go bad - and what can those who have power do to ensure they it doesn't happen to them?

If you're fed up with ceaseless demands for results from "the man" without any respect in return, why not join the growing ranks of those who have turned their backs on thankless work within impersonal corporate entities and started their own businesses?

Finding top salespeople can be like searching for the sharpest needles - in a pile of needles. Many companies continue to hire on gut instinct, but without a good process you're likely to get poked a few times.

Why is it that some people get so much done in a day while others operate at a hectic pace with little to show for it? Strange as it may seem, the answer may lie in too much multitasking.

What brings success? Is it better leaders? Better products? Better salespeople? What about better performance management systems? Possibly, but the one thing that brings sustained high performance is how well people communicate with each other.

When our shopping experience is negative, statistics show it takes only two such incidents and we're likely to shop elsewhere. That's not a lot of wiggle room. Think of it as "two strikes and you're out."

Why do so many employers use such extensive efforts to find high-quality candidates only to restrict their initiative and ingenuity once they become employees?

Getting promoted is a common goal, but perhaps the most difficult promotion is transitioning from line worker to front-line supervisor. Why? Because the skills that made one successful in the rank and file are not the skills one needs for success as a supervisor.

How can you avoid becoming buried under piles of paper? According to the new breed of organizing experts, the secret lies in creating and maintaining viable, user-friendly systems for all aspects of your work.

The biggest mistakes in business are usually made when leaders react instead of act. Reflex actions are rarely effective when compared to actions borne out of a well-thought-out strategy.

As cold as it may sound, the only thing constant in this world is change. And if we're going to survive, we need to learn to roll with the changes.

Measuring time is fundamental for a great deal of trade and commerce, but misusing the clock is a common workplace ill which is all too often tolerated.

The ability to stand up and talk does not a trainer make. And in the same way, just because we show someone how to do something doesn't mean they've learned.

It's sad, really. After so much research on the benefits of Emotional Intelligence, too many managers and leaders continue to ignore the facts. They're stuck in their old patterns of intimidation and coercion, demoralizing employees and creating attitudes of grudging compliance.

However well-intentioned, most New Year's resolutions seem to fall short. So perhaps it's reasonable to consider trying something different this year – like reviewing your principles.

As the year wraps up, I find myself missing some of the Christmas joy I usually have. I see hypocrisy and double standards running rampant in the world, and in the back of my mind I can hear a question playing over and over: "Can't we all just get along?"

If you're looking for a good read over the holidays or if you want to start 2006 with a fresh perspective, you might consider one or more of my favourites to be useful reads.

It's no wonder the majority of employees scoff at mission statements. They're usually fluff, and often they're paragraphs long. But get them right and they can be of real benefit.

After three decades of work I've observed a serious disease that affects the workplace. I have termed this condition Adult Syndrome, because it affects almost every person who reaches adulthood.

Misunderstanding HR is a common malady. But many in HR need to step up their capabilities just as much as management needs to recognize and take advantage of what HR can do for them.

Technophobia and technosnobbery can both cause problems in the workplace. But the most important thing the remember about technology is that first you have to solve the problem.

Too often, people who think they're acting assertively are really acting aggressively. The mistake is often accidental, but but a huge gap differentiates the two behaviors and a mix-up can bring unintended consequences.

Too many or too few meetings can diminish a company's effectiveness. But an appropriate number - each with a clearly stated purpose - can not only keep a company alive, it can cause it to thrive and even energize it with new life.

Too much focus on result can lead hard-driving entrepreneurs and managers forgetting how to engage all those other types of people who bring equally vital skills to the party.

How an organisation deals with gossip can be mean the difference between growing and thriving, or disintegrating from within.

This week is National Older Worker Week in America, and in keeping with one of my mantras, "Value the Differences, Adapt to the Differences," I thought it a good idea to look at how to capitalize on generational differences.

Katrina was a tragic demonstration of how key leadership mistakes - a lack of prioritizing, communication and co-ordination - can lead to dire circumstances.

If you've seen What not to Wear on TV, you'll be familiar with the format of Who not to Hire - a set of rules for avoiding recruitment mistakes that can cost you more than money.

If you want to do business with someone, it's best to minimize any differences in values. So at a business lunch, act as if you're dining with the king: Do what the king does, and eat like the king eats.

As we learn communication during our school years we experience many speech classes and writing classes. But how many have ever taken a class on listening?

Every day people go to work and wish their job were better. But what is it that separates those who get better opportunities from those who don't?

Employee counselling is more effective if it is kept separate from formal evaluation. This means managers should take time to offer "mid-course corrections" if they see their employees making errors.

Too often I hear complaints from managers and business owners that the people they're hiring just aren't working out. It doesn't take much to fog a mirror, so when desperation leads one to hire the first warm body that walks through the door, the results are iffy at best.

Want to be a better leader? Ask more questions. And be sure to listen to the answers. Better listening leads to better leadership decisions.

Most teams in the workplace are nowhere near as effective as they could be. The reasons are many. But one reason overrides all the rest - a lack of passion.

Learning about a skill is one thing. But mastering it - particularly when it comes to people skills - is not something that can be learnt on a one-day course, however compelling the sales pitch may be.

Sometimes we meet people who seem to know everything. I'm not talking about Mensa members with IQ's of 200, I'm talking about people who work in one department but act as if they are experts on how things should be done in all departments.

Ignoring effective training is to leave the door open for trouble. If your organization needs help in the training department, this five-step primer may help.

The dream of instant success is strong for many. We want what we want, and we want it now! This is why the dream of quick riches through the Lottery is so popular.

By the end of her first month in a new job, Sandra discovered it wasn't all it was cracked up to be. It wasn't the job requirements that bothered her. They were exactly as she had expected. It was the work environment itself. What should she do?

This week the mysterious "Deep Throat" informant that brought down a sitting US President more than 30 years ago came forward with his identity. The resulting fallout is just beginning as pundits and key players are angling on how to cash in.

Unsung heroes aren't the men and women in expensive suits driving the latest and greatest cars and taking home huge corporate bonuses. It's those support people flying under the radar at mach six that are the true unsung heroes: I'm talking about secretaries and administrative assistants.

This month and next, hundreds of thousands of people will graduate from schools worldwide and want to enter the workforce. They'll be educated and enthusiastic, ready to make their mark on the world.

Companies spend millions each year on capital improvements but all too often fail to improve their other vital asset - human capital - with potentially devastating results.

Email is a wonderful thing. But beware of over-reliance on this wondrous medium. Assuming that every server works flawlessly and spam filters sift out only true spam is dangerous thinking in the world of business communication.

After hearing one too many horror stories about bosses who never practice what they preach or rule with an iron fist with the "my way or the highway" approach, I've decided to pen an open letter on behalf of mismanaged employees everywhere.

Brainstorming. It brings fantastic ideas to the table. It opens minds to new products, new services, and new markets. And it's not used nearly enough.

Failing to document poor performance, forgetting to produce standard operating procedures or not creating clear job expectations is just plain bad management practice in today's litigious climate.

Every company is made up of human beings and human beings are fallible, so it’s only natural that mistakes will be made in business. It's how we deal with them that really matters.

Some people are never taught how to make good choices. Either they are directed to make choices that others want them to make, or they are forced to make instinctive choices in the face of weak or absent significant relationships.

All the leading business publications are pointing to a large hiring wave for 2005. With this in mind, it seems appropriate to highlight some points to make your hiring efforts successful.