It’s December, and it is time to focus my monthly musing on something other than “work.” Well, it’s not high-temperature metallurgy, but it might have a little to do with work.

In a time of ever-improving technology, the use of e-mail, cellphones and computers are all designed to make us more efficient and productive. However, there is one factor that still remains the most valuable tool in our arsenal of sales tools – our voice.

If you have been around awhile and are kind enough to read my monthly musings, you know that December is my month to take a break from the topical or technical and enjoy the holiday.

Our annual holiday focus on nontechnical topics finds us pondering the relationship between personal and corporate success.

When Fortune magazine’s “100 Best Companies to Work For” issue hit the streets in February, I decided to put together a column with several ideas about how we can make our companies better places to work.