Ruth Veloria, Executive Dean, University of Phoenix School of Business

Growth mindset, a term coined by Stanford University psychology professor Carol Dweck, is the idea of inspiring individual and organizational confidence to achieve goals. It is about believing that talents and abilities can be improved through effort and new strategies: a fixed mindset believes talents and abilities are set. A powerful approach to maintaining a positive rather than defeatist workplace, it calls for more time and greater flexibility from employers and employees alike. Business leaders can help employees to achieve and maintain a growth mindset in two ways: by verbally encouraging this mindset, and also by enabling it to thrive though the implementation of policies that inspire growth, empowerment, and learning.

Paul J. Zak, PhD, Professor, Claremont Graduate University

Fear or love?  At the most basic level, these are a leader's choices when seeking to motivate followers. Most managers, perhaps due to some hangover from the eighteenth century, lead by fear because, well, it works. Fear may not be explicit, though some managers still scream and yell, but it is often implicit in the "do this or you're out" approach.

Today, we hear a lot about seemingly squishy leadership approaches like "empathy," "humanity" and even "love."  Many business leaders I know would be happy to be Mr. or Ms. Nice at work but they have a feeling that this leadership style is not going to get the job done.  Or, at least that has been the prevailing wisdom.