It's no good ranting and yelling if you want to win an argument. What you need is a strategy.

1. Listen to what the other person is saying and let them share their views in full before making your case. This means they are more likely to listen to you and you can alter what you say to address their specific concerns

2. Make the other person feel good about themselves. If you can give compliments without seeming too obvious (or obsequious), then do so.

3. Find out why the other person has a different view to you. You may be able to meet their real needs (eg, wanting you to consider them an equal) in another way, which will allow them to be convinced by your argument more easily

4. Ask questions. People are much more likely to change their mind if they have talked through your argument themselves rather than listening to you make it.

5. If you are presenting a rational argument, be sure that your facts are correct. If one element of your case is shown to be false, it will reduce the credibility of everything else you say.

6. If possible, link your position with the other person's values or aspirations. Emotional reasons can be just as powerful as rational ones.

7. Showing that others agree with you can help support your case but is rarely sufficient to win the argument – when was the last time you chose a supplier entirely because of their client list?

8. Differentiate between the substance of the disagreement and the two of you as people. Focus on what they are saying (they believe advertising has no effect) rather than what you think about them as a result of their position (they are stupid)

9. Make your argument simple and with a clear structure. If you write down the main points first you are less likely to jumble them up and so more likely to convince.

10. Remember that people make decisions for their reasons, not yours. Adapt your argument to the person you are trying to win over, every time.

1. If you are unhappy with someone's performance then you need to do something. Letting it fester until you have no option will only make it worse.

2. Believe that there is a chance that the person you are helping could transform their performance – this will motivate you to make the effort and your faith will almost certainly have an infectious effect on them.

3. Explain the gap between what they are doing and what they need to achieve. The more specific you are the better, 'Your report on movie sponsorship did not have clear recommendations and also had four factual errors' beats 'your reports are sloppy'.

4. Discuss the gap with the person that you are coaching, and make sure that they understand it. Simply nodding agreement does not mean that they have.

5. Discover the reasons for the underperformance. Approach this with an open mind, asking questions rather than promoting your assumptions.

6. When people feel overwhelmed they can easily rush around but achieve little – relieve the pressure by helping them decide on priorities and agree deadlines for each task (or find a way to pass some of their responsibilities to someone else).

7. If the reason for underperformance is that they don't like what they are doing, help them understand how they contribute, show how you value the role ('vital to making sure that everything works smoothly' rather than 'boring admin'), and explain how excellent performance in this role could lead to greater things.

8. Decide with them what they can realistically achieve and by when. Agree to meet again to discuss progress against these goals.

9. In between meetings, use every opportunity to praise what they are doing well and to offer constructive support when things may be going awry. If you are seen to be supportive and they continue to under-perform it will be easier to take whatever action is necessary.

Know why you want to network. Is it to raise your profile, create new opportunities, build alliances or simply to be well informed? When you are clear why you are networking then you are much more likely to do it well.

Be subtle. Great networkers are rarely considered as 'great networkers'. They are usually seen as interesting and interested.

Make sure that you are up to speed on current affairs. This will help you introduce new information (and so be interesting) and give the impression that you are on top of things. The same applies to what's going on in your business for internal networking.

Ask questions. People are generally more engaged when they are talking and being listened to rather than the other way around. This will also give you plenty of opportunities to spot mutual interests and so build rapport and deepen the relationship.

Do your research. Asking someone if they know a company well and being greeted with the reply, "I used to be their Chairman" is more than embarrassing.

When you introduce yourself, give more information than just your name, eg, "My name is Mark; I worked with Marianne on the merger", or whatever might help the other person continue the conversation and build a connection.

Hold off on asking your critical question (or favour) until you are confident that the relationship is good enough. If you have built rapport effectively and contributed something worthwhile to the conversation there will almost certainly be other chances.

Follow up. This is where supposedly 'natural' networkers fall down. Do whatever you committed to, send a follow-up e-mail, invite them to a suitable event, and refer back to the conversations that you have had.

Keep trying. The more you practise, the better at networking you are likely to become, and the easier it will become.

The knowledge economy is being replaced with the networked economy. If you want job security or a meteoric career, building effective networks is one of the best ways of getting them.

Get into their head. Know your audience. Discover their real concerns and interests, whether that's being included on the next round of promotions or getting the deal closed as soon as possible.

Choose your moment. Be aware of their frame of mind and whether or not they will be readily influenced. Just after a difficult meeting with the board probably isn't the right time. Be ready to seize the good moments when they appear.

Put them in a good mood. Gentle flattery is surprisingly effective. If they feel more favourably about you they will be more open to persuasion.

Do as they do. By matching their body language (they lean forward and you do the same) you will put them at ease and encourage a stronger emotional connection leaving them more open to persuasion. What's in it for them? Show that it is in their best interest if they agree with you. Make them feel that they are onto a good thing where you'll both share in the success.

Tell a story. The tale of the receptionist who spotted the clients watch had stopped, and bought them a replacement battery says more about proactive customer service than twenty bullet points.

Describe the end result. Be sure to show how the new situation will be better than the current one.

Get them to do the work. Ask questions that guide them to your conclusion. People are more likely to agree if they feel that they've come to the conclusion, at least party themselves.

Make your case. State all the facts being clear about the pros and cons. Offer solutions that will resolve their concerns and turn the weaknesses into strengths.

Do them a favour. Tell them what you will do for them in return. They might well feel indebted to you so are more likely to agree.

Use your allies. Refer to the views of someone whose opinion they care about. People are more likely to think or do something when others they respect do too.

Have a plan. Consider the route that you are going to take and what to do with resistance. Be ready to change your plan.

1. Know whom you want to motivate and what matters to them. What people are motivated by varies enormously between individuals (and situations) so a 'one size fits all' approach is unlikely to work.

2. If you want me to be motivated then I must believe that if I make an effort then my performance will improve.

3. Great visions are often impossible to achieve, eg, 'Within an arm's reach of desire' (Coca-Cola) and 'A computer on every desk and in every home' (Steve Jobs at Apple). It is much more important that a vision resonates and has appeal than that it can be delivered in four years.

4. When you evaluate options or explain major decisions refer to the vision as the touchstone – if something won't help achieve the vision then you shouldn't be doing it.

5. Show that you are single minded and passionate about your vision – once agreed it is not up for debate. This will help demonstrate determination and provide a clear focus which rallies disparate groups of employees

6. Each team can have it's own mission – whilst this needs to be consistent with the company aim it can be a lot more specific, eg, 'removing waste so we can invest in the future', or 'helping our customers feel good about their decisions'

7. If you involve colleagues in developing the vision (which will give you more evangelists) make sure that they raise their sights above 'being number 1 in our chosen markets' – the test: will this mission make me keen to jump out of bed on a rainy Wednesday morning in two year's time?

8. Stories bring a vision to life.

9. Remember, a vision is a communication tool, not a strategic management quick-fix. Before going public on your chosen vision, make sure it makes sound business sense and isn't simply the result of excessive away-day exuberance.

1. Beware of the boundaries: There is a fine line between confidence and arrogance.

2. Let them speak: Make sure you hear others out, not just by acknowledging with a nod but actually listening to the words and registering what they are saying. If there is a moment of silence while you digest it then all the better.

3. Be generous: As the saying goes 'If you catch too many fish the best place to store them is in another man's stomach. Egotism can lead to selfishness and often altruism and generosity will get you much further.

4. Show don't tell: Strike a balance between feeling good and telling everyone how good you are.

5. Treat people with equal status: Even if you are the expert in your field, recognise that others around you are great too.

6. Be human: When someone asks for personal advice, put your own agenda to one side and base your recommendations on what you think is in their best interest.

7. Publicly thank others: Be gracious and show that you think of others. When people believe that they will be appreciated they tend to be more trusting with their time and support.

8. Listen to criticism and be seen to take it on board: It doesn't have to be wholeheartedly accepted but enough to show that you are willing to change.

9. Fall down: Prescribe yourself a heavy dose of failure. Make it your goal to be rejected by at least five people. This shift in focus helps us see ourselves in a different light.

10. Finally, don't feel slighted: Don't expect people to endow you with status it needs to be earned not imposed.

How many times have you wished that you had more time? These eight time management tips can give you just that.

1. The people you want to spend time with (e.g. clients) often won't be the same as those who want to spend time with you (potential suppliers). Decide what proportion of your time you want to spend with each audience and stick with it. A newly appointed Chairman of a UK oil business did this and completely reorganised his diary as a result.

2. Decide what times of the day (or week) you have your highest (and lowest) levels of concentration. Either match your tasks to your mood, or deliberately mis-match them (e.g. plan meetings when you have to perform for your low concentration times).

3. You will never get everything done. Focus on those things which will do most to help you achieve your goals or that you can complete quickly, and don't worry about the rest.

4. Always have a list of ongoing projects with you and work on these while you are waiting for meetings to start, sitting on a train / plane or any moment that would otherwise be dead time.

5. If a meeting seems to be wandering, ask the others what they want to achieve and either propose or decide together, the most time efficient way of getting there.

6. One of the most common time parasites is not completing something and so having to start from the beginning when you return to the original challenge. Make sure that, once you've started you don't stop until the task is in a state that you could easily pick up where you left off.

7. Much of our time is spent reacting to other people's requests. Next time someone asks you to do something significant, stop and think about whether it is the right thing for you to do and if so, how to go about it time efficiently.

8. 'No' is the most useful word in time management. Say it politely, clearly and as often as you need to.

One of the classic mistakes even experienced managers make is not giving feedback – which is why it's also a prime cause of discontent and disengagement among staff. Here's how to put things right.

Do it often. Virtually no-one thinks they get enough feedback, that's because virtually no-one gives enough.

Be quick about it. Give feedback as close to the event as possible. It's still fresh in everyone's mind and it's easier to learn from it.

Put it in context. "I wanted to talk to you about the report that you wrote yesterday."

Be specific. What went well and what didn't for the individual or the team?

Describe actual behaviours. Avoid the infamous "feedback sandwich", good-bad-good, it comes across as disingenuous and dilutes the impact of good feedback.

Describe the impact. Who was affected and why? The impact gives meaning to the feedback.

Be positive. Tell people what they're doing well and they're likely to repeat it. The ratio of negative to positive feedback in primary schools is 19:1, it isn't that different in most organisations.

Allow time for reflection. Give people the chance to respond but don't force them, arrange to talk about it again at a future date.

Step back. Don't let your personal prejudices get the better of you. Remember you're giving feedback for the other person's benefit and not to vent your own spleen.

Choose your words carefully. With critical feedback make sure there is an agreed way to progress. Find the right time and place.

Re-label your work. Research shows that activities we label as 'work', are naturally less pleasurable than 'play'. Blur the work life boundaries, there is little difference between a challenging meeting and an argument over dinner.

Seek out happiness. Don't wait for the interesting projects to come to you, they won't. If the CEO's new initiative gets your adrenalin pumping be clear on how you can contribute and volunteer. Put yourself in the fast lane if that's where you want to be.

Find the purpose. Who gains from the work you do? How are you improving people's lives? From the product your organisation is creating and the customers you are supporting, through to the team you are leading and developing, relish the impact you have.

Stretch yourself. Pleasure alone does not make us happy, we also need challenge. This is why, surprising as it may seem, we are three times more likely to find happiness at work. Set yourself an ambitious goal that will push you to new levels.

Build the people around you. Get good at delegating in a way that builds their skills, they will love you for it and you'll be admired by others. It also means you can spend more time doing what you enjoy.

Praise people. It is infectious and will raise the mood of everyone around you.

Appreciate the good things. Give as much attention to the positive – strengths, achievements and qualities as you do to the problems, challenges and mistakes.

Think back. "Experience is a good teacher but she sends mighty bills," said US writer Minna Antrim. Good, bad or indifferent we can always learn something. Write down everything you achieved at work last year, however small. Then reflect on what you learnt from the things that didn't go according to plan.

Stick to your focus. Decide where you want your achievements to be, plan how you are going to make it happen with clear timings and get going.