Fast Company wants you to have a banner year in 2012. As our gift to you, may we present our very best advice and tips on how to work smarter, manage your career, and lead a more meaningful life.

Syncapse CEO Michael Scissons answers the four questions that crop up again and again when corporate executives struggle to map out their social media strategies.

With 13.3 million Americans out of work and recovery still likely years away, it's now more important than ever to obsessively manage any and all career prospects. Here are three tips from LinkedIn product SVP Deep Nishar.

You can set all kinds of goals--but each and every one starts with your own accountability.

Leaving a career you're not excited about to pursue your passion is the greatest escape there is--but one that's totally possible (even in this economy). Here's a step-by-step guide to making your dreams a reality.

The combination of an insane attention to these details and neurotic level of focus on customer experience in all areas is what sets apart the great companies from the good. Organizations that adopt this level of intensity will always have superior offerings, an instant differentiator from the indistinguishable competition.

Most of us have something to pitch--your startup to VCs, yourself for a new job, or your product to customers. In any situation, one rule applies: The better the pitch, the better the results. Here are five rookie mistakes that will sink even the best ideas.

Organizations that employ a healthy and robust work/life flexibility--and not just on paper--will win the talent war. Allison O’Kelly, CEO of Mom Corps, a staffing services company, offers pain-free ways to move your company toward greater flexibility that benefits you as well as your employees.

Almost everyone suffers from Gratitude Deficit Disorder. We want to know that we matter, that our efforts make the world a better place. And so do your customers, vendors, coworkers, employees, friends, and family. So make an action plan: what have they done that you're truly thankful for, and how can you communicate your appreciation between now and the end of the year?

You're probably reading this article during your workday as a distraction from whatever it is you’re supposed to be focusing on, which is likely sitting open and untouched in another window. Imagine how much you’d get done and how many fewer hours you'd have to work if the Internet weren't eating up all your time--follow these easy steps and you can make it happen.