Books and Articles by Traci Cumbay

Mistakes are bound to happen as you explore barbecue cooking, but they are a part of the BBQ adventure. Here are five rookie mistakes to avoid: Being in a hurry. If you want fast, cook a grilled cheese. If you want barbecue, chill out. Slow is the essence of barbecue. Cooking at low temperatures for a goodly amount of time is what makes barbecue barbecue and makes the meat melt in your mouth.

Whether you call it barbecue, BBQ, or just 'cue, enhance the flavor of your oh-so-tender meats by mixing up a flavor-packed marinade, rub, or sauce. Although each seasoning method is used differently, they all give zing to any meat you grill or barbecue. Seasoning with dry rubs A rub is a dry marinade that you sprinkle or pat onto meat before you cook it.

As a business manager, you must be prepared to make tough decisions and set positive examples for your employees every day. No matter what size team you manage, you must keep calm; be methodical when resolving problems and managing employee issues; connect proactively with other leaders in your organization; and rely on your employees to help you get the job done.

Boost the flavor of your barbecued meats by knowing how to use sauces, rubs, and marinades. But before you barbecue (or BBQ), familiarize yourself with safety tips to avoid accidents and know how to buy the most flavorful meat for your meal. And if you're new to barbecuing, smoking, or grilling, avoid some common rookie mistakes that can ruin your best efforts.

Business will continue to transform in the foreseeable future, but great leadership remains steadfast, like a sturdy rock standing up to the storms of change. Numerous traits of great leaders have remained the same over the years and are still highly valued. The following sections discuss essential leadership traits.

Are you a leader (or a potential one)? "Natural" leaders don't just happen, nor does anyone have a divine right to lead or rule. Leaders choose to develop their potential — to undertake the training and internalize the traits that make leadership effective. Where do you stand right now? Look at the following list and ask yourself whether you do these things often, sometimes, or never.

When establishing your credibility as a team leader, what you do, more than what you say, plays a big part. Find out what your actions say about you. For each of the following ten leadership qualities, give yourself a frequency score: 4 = quite often3 = some of the time2 = occasionally1 = seldom I am on time for meetings, my own and those called by others.

Meetings that produce results don't just happen by accident. Fortunately, your dysfunctional meeting blues have a cure. The cure is readily available, inexpensive, and easy to swallow: Be prepared. You need only a little time to prepare for a meeting, and the payoff is increased meeting effectiveness. Instead of wasting time trying to figure out why you're meeting, your preparation gets results as soon as the meeting starts.

Leading business change is not easy. But with the right team and right method, your change can be sustainable and impactful and maintain productivity while it’s happening. Here’s how: Create a consensus. When you know your business is changing, begin creating a concise vision of the future state and the reason why the organization needs to make this change.