Whether you’re a small or large business, holding regularly scheduled meetings is crucial to your success. Meetings will help improve overall communication in a way that emails and phone calls can’t.

Meetings also provide a good opportunity to address issues. They’ll also ensure that the problems are resolved, so that they do not continue to come up in the meetings. Employees can also provide status updates, so you can hold them accountable to their projects.

It doesn’t matter how long the meeting is. Even just 10 minutes can help a company encourage growth and solve any problems you’re experiencing.

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Giving your employees work that falls outside their comfort zones is one of the best ways to encourage growth. But delegating tasks is not always easy. Employees may complain, especially if the task does not fall in their normal set of duties. They may claim “that’s not my job.”

It’s important for managers to frame the task in a way that is beneficial and appeals to the employee’s interests. The employee needs to be motivated to do the task. They’ll think “what’s in it for me?”

You’ll need to sell the project to your employee, pushing the benefits hard. Also, show your support and offer assistance if needed.

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When you sound more confident, you can do better in job interviews, presentations, and develop better business relationships. In fact, confidence can do a lot for you in life. But sometimes it can be difficult to sound confident when you don’t feel it.

One trick to speaking more authoritatively is to speak slowly. When you speak fast, you’re more likely to make errors and sound shaky. Slow your speech to give weight to what you’re saying and allow your audience to take in your message.

Another strategy is to use pauses. Pauses will help you to speak slower and give more impact to your words. You’ll also have a chance to collect your thoughts as you pause and prepare for what you’re going to say next.

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In the business world, there are always deadlines, and missing them can often have great consequences, such as losing clients, profits, etc. But even more importantly, deadlines, and whether you make them or miss them, reflect on your reliability. With a few strategies, you can make sure you always make the deadline.

Approach the deadline like the theatre. Theatre productions always have non-negotiable deadlines. No matter what happens, the job gets done and the show must go on.

Take in the whole picture. Assess the details, and give yourself the time and resources to make sure you can accomplish everything to the level of quality needed.

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Many working Americans are afraid to ask for time off. Maybe they’re afraid of being replaced or of work piling up in their absence. In fact, 40 percent of Americans leave vacation time unused every year.

But taking a vacation can actually be good for you – and for your boss! A recent study by the Society for Human Resource Management found that taking time off increased productivity, engagement and happiness.

With all the facts swinging your way, there’s no reason not to kick back, relax and enjoy that piña colada!

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It can sometimes be a struggle to stay focused at work. With so many distractions around you, such as your co-workers, the Internet and texting, it can seem almost impossible to tackle all of your tasks. But with a few simple behavioral changes, you can get more done and solve your distraction problem.

Start by making to-do lists every day. Break down your tasks into short-term and long-term. Your tasks won’t seem as overwhelming when they’re more organized.

Set a regular routine for yourself. Choose something fun to do every day at one specific time. When you have that activity in mind, you’ll get more done in the time leading up to it.

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