Scenario: You open the refrigerator to find a near-empty milk carton. What would you tell your partner or roommate? Whether you would say, “Get milk when you go out,” or something more like, “Hey, we’re out of milk,” can tell you a lot about your communication style.

Every company’s brand collateral begins with the best intentions. There’s usually a business card, maybe some letterhead and envelopes, possibly a brochure. Then it all just gets away from you until one day you find yourself standing in your office’s storage room staring at boxes of mismatched promotional items. Before this spins into a business identity crisis, take charge and detox your branding collateral.

We live in a world of tribes. On a macro level, we discover that every organization is a tribe, a cadre of people involved in formal and informal levels of engagement. The existence of these tribes has major implications for today’s leaders in their quest to create world-class teams, businesses and companies that make a difference.

Once upon a time, a quarter- century ago, mischievous twins David and Phil Ogilvie and their friend Tom Merwin played on their family farms in bucolic Clarksburg. Time and circumstance eventually led all three back to the family farms and, in March of 2014, they decided to do together what all three had dreamed of separately: open a winery.

My supervisor assigned to me major new responsibilities at work. When I asked to discuss my compensation, he said it could only be addressed as part of my annual review. Now, my compensation will be discussed only after HR signs off on the raise he already proposed. How should I proceed if the pay increase feels too low or if back pay isn’t included?

In March of last year, we highlighted 12 rising leaders in our inaugural  young professionals feature  (“Command and Deliver,” by Russell Nichols, March 2014). Here’s what a few of them have done since: 

Telecommuting is a hot topic around many water coolers and a popular office perk, particularly for enticing young professionals. But while it may be commonplace in a number of companies, deciding if it is right for your team takes careful consideration. If you do choose to enable telecommuting, a few simple policies can make the process smoother.

Hiring is a confounding game. Some people have a great knack for it and an intuitive sense about people — but even they can get it wrong. The world-renowned Disney Institute hires “attitude versus aptitude,” and you would be wise to do the same.

Old or poorly planned content can render your website ineffective and obsolete. Here’s how to flush it out.

California State Treasurer John Chiang is on a mission to make California’s corporate board rooms more diverse. Chiang believes greater board diversity is simply good business, saying that those which choose to remain what Forbes once deemed “pale, male and stale” are “just not capturing the opportunities of the 21st century.”