Remember to Compliment Colleagues
Article Leaders should balance critiques of their employees with praise, says a former executive.

What Leaders Should Do Before the End of the Year
Article The best leaders know how to ensure their employees are happy and motivated for the new year, says an executive coach.

Why Too Much Positive Thinking can be a Weakness
Article New research indicates that leaders with an overly positive management style can put their organizations at risk.

Creativity Killers and How to Stop Them
Article Two researchers have identified the types of people who most often stifle creative thinking. By recognizing and handling these individuals appropriately, managers can recover and cultivate creative thinking at their offices, according to the researchers.

Everyday Ideas for Engaging Employees
Article From walking around the office more to eating lunch with staff, managers can employ a number of simple techniques that will help keep their employees happy and motivated, says one leadership guru.

The Best Time to Share Bad News
Article A leadership guru advises managers to consider carefully their motives before deciding whether to share bad news with their team members.

Getting Employees to Take Initiative
Article Workers who do their jobs and nothing more do not contribute to organizational growth, says one leadership guru who offers advice on how to motivate these employees.

Giving Employees More Recognition
Article More than half of workers aren’t satisfied with how much recognition they receive, according to a recent survey of jobseekers.

Identifying Office Prima Donnas
Article One leadership guru writes that all managers should know how to identify employees with “situational dedication”—those who occasionally show “flashes of brilliance” but are generally unreliable.

Motivating Employees the Wikipedia Way
Article Wikipedia is arguably one of the greatest collections of knowledge and information ever assembled, according to many of its users. But a majority of the work that went into creating and maintaining it has been done by unpaid volunteers. How did this happen, and what can managers learn from it?

Why Showing Appreciation Matters
Article New research on high-performing teams of employees shows that positive feedback outweighs negative feedback by nearly a 6 to 1 ratio. So how can managers use appreciation to boost the performance of their employees?

Ways to Destroy Employee Morale
Article Employee morale can have a major impact on productivity and the bottom line. To build morale at the office, managers must treat employees with respect and avoid several "surefire" mistakes.

Tracking Employee Happiness
Article Managers spend too much time and energy focusing on the engagement level of their employees, says one performance measurement consultant. He believes they should instead concentrate on whether their employees are happy or not.

Dealing with the Office 'Debbie Downer'
Article Nearly every office has one—a colleague who has a negative comment about everything. It is important to deal quickly with this individual, writes one management expert, because ignoring him or her will only further bring down office morale.

Motivation Mistakes to Avoid
Article The authors of a new book say that managers who rely on bonuses to motivate employees are missing the mark. Instead, they say managers should leverage current research to motive employees more effectively.

All Work and Some Play
Article Work isn’t all fun and games, but a growing number of employers are hoping to change this expectation: they’re incorporating elements of videogames into the workplace to engage their employees.

Keeping Employees Sharp
Article Managers are responsible for leveraging their organizations’ resources efficiently, and employees are arguably their most valuable resource. A leadership expert offers four, outside-the-box ideas that managers can implement to break up the monotony of the workplace and get the most from their staffs.

The Dangers of Over-Praising
Article Saying everyone’s a winner doesn’t make it true, writes one management guru who worries office cheerleading may have just the opposite effect on achieving organizational goals.

Small Wins at Office Make Big Difference
Article Seemingly mundane workday events can make or break employees’ “inner work lives,” according to the authors of a new management book.

Ways to Reward Your Employees Without Money
Article If you’re pinching pennies around the office to meet your budget, then you may not be able to afford to reward your employees financially. Still, that doesn’t mean that you can’t find other creative ways to recognize them for their hard work.

Tapping Employee Ideas
Article Employees often have ideas they may be reluctant to share with their managers. Here are some methods to get your staff members engaged in the creative process.

Energizing Employees during the Afternoon Slump
Article Their morning coffee buzz has worn off, their lunch is beginning to digest and sitting all day is beginning to make them restless. Is there anything managers can do to boost their workers’ productivity during this time of fatigue?

La palabra con B
CURRENTS Article Los bonos en la procuración de fondos son una táctica usada para atraer y retener a los que contribuyen de alguna manera a la institución, aunque de alguna forma son menos controversiales que antes, no todos creen en los bonos. ¿Cómo son los programas de bonos y cuáles son otras formas de motivar?

The B-Word
CURRENTS Article Fundraising bonuses are one tactic used to attract and retain those who contribute to the institution's bottom line, but while they are less controversial than they once were, not everyone is a believer. What do different bonus programs look like and what are other ways to motivate top talent?

Advance Work: Rewarding Work
CURRENTS Article Kent State has had success with a bonus program for its fundraisers, in spite of the recession.

Office Space: The Motivation Equation
CURRENTS Article Many advancement managers face the same dilemma: Employees enjoy the campus environment, but they may tire of the actual work they are doing. If they remain unhappy, they may move on. Using good listening skills, managers should focus on discovering what motivates their staff. Managers need to be flexible and willing to offer employees new career paths within the office to keep them feeling fulfilled and motivated.

Campaign Fatigue Syndrome
CURRENTS Article As more campuses conduct capital campaigns more often and for more money, campuses face challenges in keeping not just donors but staff members from getting burned out. This article examines how continuous campaigns contribute to staff fatigue and burnout and explores how staffers often, after a successful campaign, leave for another institution (to run another campaign); how staffers gain momentum when they are always in campaign mode; how can campuses keep staffers happy and motivated.

Manager's Portfolio: Leading by Questioning and Listening
CURRENTS Article Strategic questions can uncover need-to-know information for team motivation and performance

AdvanceWork: Secrets and Lies
CURRENTS Article Advancement officers must set achievable, measurable goals for their employees. The alternative, according to a recent study published in the "Academy of Management Journal," is employees potentially behaving unethically in order to reach their targets.

AdvanceWork: Class Acts
CURRENTS Article Alumni employees should be rewarded for their loyalty to alma mater. This article highlights several recognition efforts that advancement officers have implemented to celebrate and thank their alumni employees. Campuses profiled include Norfolk State University, Thomas Edison State College, Kennesaw State University, Simpson College, and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

Manager's Portfolio: Accentuate the Positive
CURRENTS Article University of Michigan Business School researchers introduce a new field of study, positive organizational scholarship, and share strategies for creating a positive work environnment that leads to a more profitable, productive, and innovative organization.

Manager's Portfolio: Managing Millennials
CURRENTS Article To motivate the student workers often called Millennials (born between 1978 and 1997), advancement managers need to understand their independent, individualistic ways. In particular, managers should consider the best ways to make assignments, give them perks, and help them understand workplace expectations.

Small Office: Serving as the Chief Encouragement Officer
CURRENTS Article Directors of small advancement offices can use motivational strategies to protect their staff from burnout. Here are five suggestions for becoming a skilled motivator: 1) Establish clear goals and objectives. 2) Lead by example. 3) Celebrate successes. 4) Empower the staff. 5) Be a cheerleader.

Motivate Workers by Getting in Their Heads
Article Recent neuroscience research reveals that managers can motivate their employees by appealing to the inner drives hard-wired into their brains.