All good presentations — like all good stories — convey and resolve some kind of conflict. The sense of discord is what makes audiences care. Create conflict by juxtaposing what is with what could be.

Life is full of mundane decisions: what to wear, what to eat, which route to take to work. Making too many decisions about humdrum details is a waste of a limited resource: your mental energy.

No manager ever says, “Let’s make our company a boring place to work.” Yet, many do exactly that. To instill more fun and excitement into work, design jobs so they feel more like games.

Creating a broad and productive network is an accomplishment. But the work doesn’t stop there. To sustain the connections you’ve made, you need to nurture those relationships. Here are three ways to keep in regular contact:

• Share information. If you know someone is interested in a certain subject, find a good article or podcast

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It’s easy to get overexcited when you have a good idea. But in your enthusiasm, you may balk if other people don’t immediately support your thinking. Don’t let your impatience hurt your cause. Try to avoid these two things when pitching your idea to a skeptical group:

Gone are the days when you progress up the hierarchy at a steady pace, headed for corner office. There simply aren’t enough leadership positions to go around, and most people regularly switch jobs and organizations. With no ladder to climb, look at career moves differently:

• Cast a wider net. Be open to horizontal experience, not

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Your presentation doesn’t start when you enter the room; it starts the moment you’ve committed to speak. If you take advantage of opportunities to reinforce your message before you take the stage, you’re much more likely to change people’s thinking and behavior.

Yes, growth is a good thing. But high growth can easily overwhelm a small enterprise, and put it at risk of going under. Before you push your company toward an audacious sales goal, know the following:

• Understand your true operating costs. Know what they are and how they evolve as your business grows. Rapid growth will increase the

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Most of us feel pulled in more directions than ever, expected to work longer hours and get more done. To help you battle this overload, create rituals—highly specific behaviors, done at precise times, that become automatic and no longer require conscious will or discipline. For example, go to bed at the same time every night so you …

In a world of ever-increasing demands, people are spending less time out of the office and taking fewer days off. Fall victim to this trend, and it will harm your health and productivity. Instead, do the following:

• Take every day of vacation you’re given. Don’t hold it over and don’t tell yourself that you don’t have the time. You’ll

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