In today's workplace, career success often depends on being a positive, contributing member of a like-minded group

The idea of employees working in a "team" has been with us since the early 1930s when the so-called Hawthorne experiments found that productivity increased when workers felt supported and involved. It was also during this time period that more attention was paid to the influence of organizational culture and the interaction between supervisors and employees. Over the years, the lessons learned from these early studies have continued to impact our work world to such an extent that "teamwork" is part of everyone's vocabulary. In fact, most organizations today look for reference to teamwork on new candidate resumés.

Employee performance appraisal and performance management has long been a core pillar in a manager's tool kit. However, I'm sure it isn't a surprise to learn that employee performance management is the most mismanaged functional area of human resource management. All kinds of complaints have surfaced such as inconsistency, subjectivity, lateness, a top-down approach and a failure to tie the process to organizational goals, to name only a few.

It's a skill that can be learned for problem solving

Albert Einstein, the world-renowned physicist made famous through his theory of relativity, was also known for his general skill in problem solving. In fact, he once stated that if he had one hour of his life left to save the world, he would spend fifty-five minutes defining the problem and only five minutes of time on the solution. In other words, his message is that there's a lot more power in asking questions and the "right" questions to define a problem rather than simply jumping in and trying to find a solution. But believe it or not, many of us continually jump right into a problem instead of stepping back and investing time in defining the problem.

Self-esteem, planning key to successful work life

Wow, what a way to start the year 2013! More full-time jobs. With the 5,200 new jobs created in December alone, it seems our province is finally on a roll. In fact, this type of stellar performance might lead us to becoming a "have" province once again, a thought that certainly creates a positive buzz in the minds of job seekers and employers alike.

Congratulations, you've been appointed a new middle manager! That's quite an accomplishment and I'm sure you've worked hard for this special promotion. In fact, over the years, in preparation for your advancement, you've taken courses and professional development training to gain self-awareness, learn about your personality and communication style and learn to truly understand the concept of leadership versus management.

If you really stopped to think about it, you'd find that much of your life is simply a series of repetitive, unconscious habits. For instance, when you wake up, what you eat for breakfast, where you sit at the table, what you wear and what time you leave for work aren't just conscious decisions; they've become habits. In other words, over time, your behaviour becomes automatic; it's just the way you do things, good or bad.

Have you ever been accused of not listening? I suspect that most people have been the recipient of that type of criticism, yet I'm not sure most people realize just how important listening is to our daily life.

If you asked successful leaders what made them successful, I'm certain you'll find the answer to be good communication skills.

Let's face it, leaders spend most of their day engaging in communication of some kind or other. That's because leaders need to get things done through people. They use their communication tools to motivate and direct their teams; they set a vision and goals and use communication to attract followers. They also use communication to influence others, both within their corporations and external in the community.

With schools and universities opening for fall attendance, I find that at this time of year, one personal recollection of my school history always comes to mind.

A little thinking goes a long way to ensure reputations don't get destroyed on the Internet

Life would certainly be a lot easier if our employees and colleagues agreed with everything we said or did.

However, true life intervenes and creates the many challenges we face when trying to influence others to come alongside with our ideas. These challenges are even more prevalent today as top-down, authoritative leadership continues to give way to widespread teamwork.

It's exciting and invigorating to be an entrepreneur in control of one's own destiny. However, we all know it's lonely at the top. After all, there are so few people, including family, who really understand the broader aspects of running a business and who can provide helpful, confidential and insightful advice.

As the month of April rolls around, the buds of the leaves are starting to show and so we can say for certain that spring has finally arrived. Yet, along with spring comes university wrap-up, graduation and a whole flock of students seeking both first-career roles as well as summer jobs. And of course, not far behind are those high school seniors who will flood into the June market looking for their share of the summer jobs.

Q. I have accepted a new job; however, after only six months, I know this is not the right fit for me. Should I stick it out, or simply resign immediately?

As March arrives, I am always reminded of the term, Ides of March, which refers to the death of Julius Caesar. In case you don't recall this little bit of history, it's a story of how Caesar had been warned by a fortune teller that he would be harmed no later than March 15. Caesar scoffed at the prophecy but sure enough, he was killed by a group of conspirators on that specific day.

Although time has passed quickly, I'm sure you'll recall that Manitoba recently celebrated Louis Riel Day. For most people, Louis Riel Day is simply another statutory holiday while for others, it is recognition that the Métis people were the driving force behind Manitoba becoming Canada's fifth province.

Have you ever been accused of not listening?

I suspect that most people have received that type of criticism, yet I'm not sure most people realize just how important listening is to our daily life. Listening is a communication tool; in fact, it can be considered the foundation of all of our communication. For instance, if you compare the elements of communication such as reading, talking, writing and listening, you'll find that listening takes up the greatest amount of your time -- anywhere from 40 to 50 per cent.

Although February is the shortest month of the year, there are several days set aside to celebrate special events. For instance, we celebrate Black History Month, Louis Riel Day, Valentine's Day and Festival du Voyageur. As well, I recently learned that February has also been declared National Parent Leadership Month.

Although as Canadians we sit on the sidelines of the U.S. presidential election primaries, it is interesting nonetheless to see how things unfold. One of the dynamics occurring is how contenders and news leaders alike are continually exposing the personal frailties of Newt Gingrich by raising the issue of his personal ethics and reputation for off the job behaviour. While the question recently posed by CNN threw Gingrich a little off balance, he quickly lashed back by saying his personal life is no one else's business. And now that the North Carolina primaries have put Gingrich in the lead, some voters might suggest this proves ethics indeed don't matter.

To be honest, I'm usually up on the various news in the business world, but it seems I may have been asleep at the switch. I didn't realize and don't ever recall learning that 2011 had been declared the year of the entrepreneur. Perhaps I was too busy working in and on my own business. However, I certainly agree that entrepreneurship is the backbone of our economy, especially in Manitoba.

January is always considered a time for setting new personal and/or career goals. While some folks are more determined than others, more often than not, these goals quickly fall by the wayside. Perhaps its because the goals were really nothing more than wish lists. Or, perhaps an individuals expectations were simply unrealistic because they did not understand their real-world environment and the influence this may have on goal accomplishment.

Holidays a good time to take stock of career, skills, goals

Choosing the right career and being successful in it requires research, continuing education

Negativity stunts your career growth, but the good news is that you can fix things.

Internal strategy tells employees there's place for them.