Jules Ciotta, president of Motivation Communications Associates, an Atlanta-based human relations, consulting and training firm, died Saturday, Nov. 3.

To jump-start innovation in your organization, you need to do more than talk about employees' need to be creative. Effective steps to prove that top leadership considers innovation a top priority are needed.

Every day presents a new opportunity. Oftentimes we're unable to seize the moment because we're mired in old habits, doing the same thing over and over again.

Some people believe that they can't change and say, "That's just the way I am." You can change. You can start now. It could change your life today and you don't have to wait for July 1.

Today's leader is being challenged more than ever. "Do it because I said so" is not effective, and the importance of treating employees as customers is key to success.

In his new book titled "The Art of Majoring in Minor Things," organizational psychologist Jules Ciotta says effective leaders need to encourage their workers to share their thinking, even to be free to assertively disagree.

To inspire employees and command respect, always speak and act in the organization's best interests. Here are some tips to help you lead by example.

One drawback to great teamwork is that, because of the effort and time it takes to work well together, team members may become isolated from the rest of the organization. To keep that from happening to your team, here are some questions team members should be answering periodically.

Learning to be a good coach for your employees doesn't mean mastering complicated techniques or memorizing dozens of rules as much as simply developing the right attitudes in yourself. To be an effective coach, you need to follow some basic guidelines to help you cultivate the habits and perspective that bring out the best in your staff.

Many managers think that handing out praise indiscriminately is better than not praising at all.

They are wrong. If you hand out praise the wrong way, at the wrong time, or for the wrong reasons, it can do more harm than good. Here are some guidelines to follow when using praise to motivate employees:

Here are some steps toward better team work.

Motivation Communications Associates provides a different approach to the standard performance appraisals through the use of its "Self-Perception Assessment." The "Self-Perception Assessment" method stands out from the usual assessment instruments in that it focuses on providing an analysis that is specific to the individual and certain situations.