GUEST AUTHOR BLOG by Greg Cootsona, author of "The Time for Yes: Enjoying What's Best in Life, Work, and Love."

"My New Year's Resolution: Finding the Right Rhythm."

This will be a special new year for me. With a December 31 birthday, I'll start 2013 as a newly minted 50 year old.

That marker has given me both pause and resolve to live a successful life. And here's what I've discovered: Success is grooving with the right rhythm of Yeses and Nos. A successful 2013 is not simply saying Yes to a series of new resolutions.

GUEST AUTHOR BLOG: by Erika Andersen author of "Leading So People Will Follow."

Why do we love stories so much?

Even as adults, when we hear that magic phrase, Once upon a time, something in us sits up and starts to listen.

Stories have played an essential role throughout human history. Until the past few hundred years, few people could read or write. Any information or knowledge key to health, safety, even survival, had to be passed from one person to another verbally. Stories are a great way to communicate critical information: they're memorable and easily replicated, and they connect more deeply with people than a mere recitation of the facts.

GUEST AUTHOR BLOG by: Judith W. Umlas author of "Grateful Leadership, Using the Power of Acknowledgment to Engage All Your People and Achieve Superior Results"

How many millions of dollars are being spent by companies to develop the newest, most innovative and best employee retention strategies?

Some companies try to entice employees by offering more and more benefits like on site dry cleaners, child care, house-cleaning, gift cards and countless other solutions.

Record amounts of money are being funneled into these retention strategies, and sometimes these incentive initiatives overlook a fundamental element of retaining their people.

Benefits will only take you so far in keeping employees and all of a company's stakeholders on board if they are not engaged and passionate about what they do.

GUEST AUTHOR BLOG by Jan Cullinane author of, "The Single Woman's Guide to Retirement."

What is 25 million strong and growing?

It's the number of single (never-married, divorced, and widowed) women over the age of 45 in the United States.

Why the increase?

I attribute this growing demographic to what I call the "5Ds": Death of a spouse (women have longer life spans); Divorce (about a fourth of all divorces are between couples 50 ); Delayed marriage (women are waiting longer to get married; Dumped (women can be on either side of this equation, the dumpee or the dumper); Don't want to be married (many women are perfectly happy being single).

And, think about this: Even if you're happily married now, there is an 80-90% chance you'll be single at some point, and responsible for all decisions.

GUEST AUTHOR BLOG by Katherine Crowley and Kathi Elster co-authors of, "Mean Girls at Work: How to Stay Professional When Things Get Personal."

As workplace relationship experts, the idea for our newest book was born out a new reality – women comprising almost 50% of the workforce.

This growing demographic shift requires a new skill set.

Women now need concrete tools for navigating their professional relationships with other women. Now, more than ever, a young professional female is likely to report to a woman, work beside women, and manage women.

Most woman-to-woman relationships at work are pleasurable. Women are designed to bond with each other – to tend and befriend as a means of survival. But sometimes, the bonding goes awry. One woman may feel competitive with another woman and behave in a way that seems "mean" to her colleague.

It was an enticing tease, a resignation letter published in the Op-Ed pages of the New York Times.

In it Greg Smith told the world why he was leaving Goldman Sachs, an investment bank that prizes its privacy and the loyalty and discretion of current and former employees. But after following the bank's rules for twelve years, Smith broke one of the most sacred, parting the curtains to give the public a look inside the legendary investment bank.

After the headline broke in March, Smith went underground, promising to say more in a book released Monday. "Why I Left Goldman Sachs" offers few if any jaw-dropping moments. It is a well written account of a young man's growing disillusionment with a company he thought was better than he came to see it as being. This is probably a relief for Goldman and a disappointment to its critics. But for those unfamiliar with Wall Street, the book is likely to reinforce its image as a money hungry culture geared toward enriching the banks rather than helping clients.

GUEST AUTHOR BLOG: "When a Revolution Isn't" by Cecily Sommers author of, "Think Like a Futurist: Know What Changes, What Doesn't, and What's Next ."

Here's a fun game to play at the office: for one week, keep count how many times the words "Disruptive," "Revolutionary," "Game-changing," and "Break-through" are used in meetings, blogs, sales pitches, emails and articles.

Add "Innovative" to that list, and your hype-o-meter is sure to tilt into the "Radioactive" zone.

GUEST AUTHOR BLOG: The Fallacy of Being Mistake Free by Laurence G. Weinzimmer and Jim McConoughey co-authors of, "The Wisdom of Failure: How to Learn the Tough Leadership Lesson without Paying the Price."

Let's face it. There are two sides to every story: it was the best of times, it was the worst of times; you take the bitter with the sweet; and every rose has its thorn.

But, when it comes to great leadership, we only have half of the story – there is a discernable gap in our fundamental understanding of what it takes to be an effective leader.

Most discussions on effective leadership focus on what leaders "should do" rather than on what they "should avoid."

The result? We talk about success, but seldom talk about failure.

GUEST AUTHOR BLOG: by Matthew E. May author of "The Laws of Subtraction: 6 Simple Rules for Winning in the Age of Excess Everything."

Lao Tzu was on to something 2500 years ago when he wrote, "To attain knowledge, add things every day. To attain wisdom, subtract things every day." His prophetic words might mean even more now than then.

We live in an age of excess everything—an era of overwhelming choice, crippling complexity, and feature overload.

Standing out in the age of excess everything demands a singular skill: Subtraction.

GUEST AUTHOR BLOG: by Stephen Key author of "One Simple Idea for Startups and Entrepreneurs: Live Your Dreams and Create Your Own Profitable Company."

There are many people with product ideas who would love to start their own business, but never do.

A crippling fear of failure prevents them from committing their time, energy, and money to pursuing a dream.

Unfortunately, most of these people don't realize that there are many ways to quickly and efficiently test the potential of their ideas without breaking the bank.

I've spent the last thirty years perfecting a low-risk strategy to determine the strength of my ideas in the market before committing to building a business.

Does your idea have what it takes to make it?