During the last recession, companies that were best at engaging their employees, in part by providing the training they needed to move forward in their careers, enjoyed profit gains of 26 percent, compared to losses of 14 percent at companies that were worst at engagement. That outperformance continued as the economy recovered.

Many workplace experts recommend a customized leadership approach in which bosses adjust their management style to best motivate each individual employee. Some suggest handling employees by generational group, but often, the most effective method is much simpler: managing team members according their own motivation levels.

Cash flow is critical for businesses, so cash flow management is key. Here's how to improve your business' cash flow situation.

For a business owner, finding and hiring talent can be one of the most important (and hardest) parts of the job. And the reality is that even after you find the "one" you can still run into trouble down the road with an employee who is unable to perform some of the tasks outlined in your must-haves. As a leader, it's important to not only recognize these short-comings early on, but to also be able to identify why that employee isn't able to perform the necessary functions for their position.