Procrastination is one of the main reasons why we don't perform to our full potential. It is a comfortable human habit and, as such, is not easy to break.

Most people prefer for things to continue in their same old predictable way. If change is to take place, such people will probably argue that it should happen at some point down the track—when their routines will not be affected. Such complacency needs to be transformed into a sense of urgency—or your organisation will stagnate and you won’t get the staff support you need to make change happen.

For new employees, those early days in your organisation can be more of a test of survival than a time of growth and development. Often new staff members are thrown into the workplace and expected to succeed with little support and it’s no wonder many of them become disillusioned.

As a manager, you'll often have to persuade people to believe in your views and to accept your ideas. If you're good at selling your ideas to employees and colleagues, then you'll go further, faster, in your career. Unfortunately, good ideas must first be sold to staff and, if you can't get your proposals across the way you envisaged, then they may well go the way of many other good ideas—into oblivion. So, here are some simple rules that will help you sell your ideas more effectively in the future…

You must provide customers with quality products and services otherwise they’ll go elsewhere. To keep ahead of your game, you may have to abandon outdated notions about how your organisation does its work and start afresh. This is the essence of reengineering—a process of improving the old ways of doing business and seeking to create new and better ways. Here’s how to help your business benefit from an effective overhaul.

There’s more to strategic planning than arranging for a select few to lock themselves away for a couple of days each year to develop a document they hope will lead their organisation to new levels of profitability. Preliminary deliberations and detailed preparation involving a range of people are required. Among the issues for your consideration during this preparatory phase are the following.

Meetings have become an unavoidable aspect of a manager's role. Fortunately, it is possible to eliminate unnecessary meetings and to make the remaining ones more effective. An important ingredient  is planning and preparation, as the following points reveal…

If you want to change your professional or personal life for the better, you must start with resolve and determination, and the following resolutions are provided to help you improve the way you function as a leader. Refer to them at the start of each month, photocopy and decide which you will focus on. How determined are you to improve?

Improving the performance of staff is hard enough; maintaining and building on that improvement present even greater challenges for managers.

Plateauing is a normal phase in many careers. Usually coinciding with mid-career, employees (and managers) can experience a leveling out of their progress as a result of downsizing, restructuring, or plain old boredom. Previously high-achievers seem to lose their zest, sparkle, and enthusiasm. They become disenchanted, frustrated and, over time, their morale and productivity decline. What can you do to revitalise the career of a stuck-in-a-rut employee?