Eric Barker, of Barking Up the Wrong Tree, explains.

"The reason brainstorms devolve into groupthink has to do with the way memory works.

"Requesting a pay hike is fine, but there is a proper way to make your request and there are certain things you should never say.

According to Shana Lebowitz, "As Esfahani Smith [photo, left] points out in [The Power of Meaning: Crafting a Life That Matters] the research suggests that counterfactual thinking helps us find meaning in our lives for two reasons: .

"Now that 2016 is wrapping up, it’s a good time to think about what you want to change in the upcoming year.

According to Amy Jen Su (photo, left), "Prioritizing work can be frustrating, especially if you work for a hands-off manager or a company that doesn’t give you clear goals.

Liz Ryan answers a question from a reader on the topic over at Forbes.

"Social media gives companies direct, unmediated access to prospects and customers.

Anna Bruce-Lockhart reports on 3D printing in this article from the World Economic Forum.

Laurie Beaver (photo, left) reports.

John Tsantalis runs the blog - Profits Online.

"Have you ever felt uninspired and desperate for a fresh idea of what to post on social media?

"In the world of email overload, is it really a surprise that our personalities make their way into how we respond to messages?

"I recently attended a dinner meeting whose featured speaker told about her life in a foreign country.

"Online Dictionaries aren't just convenient, they give the people who run the dictionary sites a view into the zeitgeist in a way that was never possible when people looked up words in physical books.

"Even if you present on a regular basis, don't get over-confident.

"Within a second (or less) of meeting someone, we're already making judgments about their personality — whether they're nice, smart, or even adventurous," writes Shana Lebowitz (photo, left).

"After interviewing dozens of women, I learned that one of the main reasons their negotiations didn't go as planned was they weren't prepared to respond to what the other person said.

"Of all our available resources, everyone has the same number of hours in a day.

You can’t control every variable, but it helps to be aware of the sometimes surprising factors that can influence who gets hired and who doesn’t.

Follow these tips to make sure your résumé doesn’t get snagged in an applicant tracking system.

Garr Reynolds brings Zen design instincts to his advice for visual design.

Take action to keep public speaking anxiety under control.

Whenever you can, get the audience involved in the development of your presentations.

In many industries, responding to RFPs is a vital business skill for expanding a company.