Banish that fear of success and start making goals

Charismatic leaders who lack humility, don't genuinely care for the good of their team and serve their ambitions for power or success will ultimately create divisive cultures that repel top talent, write Michael Stallard and Katharine Stallard. "It is imperative for aspiring leaders to prioritize character development, ensuring that their charisma serves as a complement to their ethical and principled foundation, and for organizations to hire and promote leaders with a strong foundation of character," they write.

Put it into practice: When hiring or promoting leaders, look for these characteristics of care, service and humility because "charisma is a bonus," but not essential for a good leader, the Stallards write. "Organizations seeking leaders who will guide their teams to long-term success would be wise to look first for a foundation of strong moral character and competence."

Setting goals is one of the most effective ways to successfully reach your aspirations, writes executive coach Naphtali Hoff, but first you must overcome a fear of failure and commitment to begin the process. Hoff recommends starting small with achievable goals, visualizing success and celebrating each step of progress, among other tips to "embrace the transformative power of goal setting."

Put it into practice: Don't get overwhelmed! Break goals down into smaller steps (try the SMART method), be flexible and find a goal-setting buddy or mentor. "Goals help you prioritize your efforts and focus your energy on what truly matters," Hoff writes, who adds that achieving them "builds confidence and self-efficacy."

Kellogg's recent campaign to promote cereal for dinner backfired with consumers who mocked it as a modern-day "let them eat cake" moment. Other brands can learn from Kellogg's blunder and avoid the guillotine of bad public relations through a crisis communications plan that includes apologizing, clarifying and rebuilding trust, writes crisis communications expert Thomas Mustac of Otter PR.

Put it into practice: There's no way to protect brands against all negative publicity, but companies should be open to dialogue when a crisis occurs. "Companies can get a clear understanding of why their comments sparked an emotional response, which can help them to avoid making similar missteps in the future," Mustac writes.

Get the most important things accomplished during the day by identifying what they are, the best time of the day to do them (usually, that time when your focus is sharp) and where to do them (preferably a place that signals to your brain the type of work it will do), writes Laura Mae Martin, Google's in-house productivity expert. In addition, make reading and sorting email like doing the laundry by doing it at a specific time until the chore is complete, Martin advises.

The National Science Foundation is funding a three-year study using machine learning and AI to decode the meaning of dogs' barks. "We've been able to discover certain word-like patterns, in the dog's so-called language, but we are still trying to verify if these are really words," said study leader Kenny Zhu, a computer science professor at the University of Texas, Arlington.

It's nice to see so many of you, like me, see the owl as your career spirit animal. That means you're constantly pursuing new knowledge and open to learning and applying those new skills in the quest of improving yourself and your job.

Many others claim the bee as their guide, which means you're great at collaborating with others and putting teamwork above your personal goals. Bees know the goals of their company and seek to support their teammates by helping out, giving good feedback and recognizing their success.

Many more are woodpeckers who are determined to reach their goal and will let nothing stand in their way as they build a career and reputation.

Fewer of you chose the monkey, spider and puppy, which may point to some areas of concentration for those of us who picked owls, bees and woodpeckers. Working on areas such as the adaptability of the monkey, the connection skills of the spider and the beginner's mindset of the puppy can bring new ideas and avenues for enhancing a career.

"In the zoo that is today's workplace, we need all these different animals," writes Julie Winkle Giulioni.

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