Geri Johnson

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Plan better in 2025 with these gift-giving suggestions that your staff can appreciate beyond any seasonal occasion. Whether your company is thriving in its industry or going through tough times, it makes a big difference to the success of your establishment when the right team is on board. Putting your trust in reliable talent who will always have your back is essential to helping a business grow and remain relevant. However, even the most loyal talent may doubt their commitment to the organization if they are not getting a return on their investment. Although the holiday season is the perfect time of year to celebrate your staff's dedication and achievements, it's more meaningful to communicate with your staff members authentically and regularly about the huge impact they have on your company's ability to operate. It's the thoughtfulness behind gift-giving that truly stands out. As the new year begins, 16 experts from Fast Company Executive Board each share one idea that will help elevate team morale and purpose beyond the holidays.

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People are afraid of change, but it’s our job as PR pros to educate audiences on how change is not just good—it’s innovative.

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In today's competitive economy, a little marketplace disruption may be just the formula a company needs to stand out among its competitors and make some noise. Over the years, some of the best innovators were able to create their own categories in the marketplace. If you think about how some of the most popular brands have achieved as household names, it takes more than just hiring a creative marketing team to come up with great ideas. From a mobile app on the latest smartphone that tracks your steps on a daily walk, to a digital shopping cart at the grocery store designed to cut your time in half, launching an item that lands right with potential customers also requires the company to identify the "it" factor that solves to a consumer's biggest concerns.  At the end of the day, it's essential to establish how to make work and home lifestyles easier for their target consumers. Ten leading experts from Fast Company Executive Board each offer their tips to build a loyal customer base that will strengthen your business. 

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Implement these best practices to help employees thrive in every type of work environment. To enhance remote and hybrid communication in the workplace, it's important for leaders to avoid a one-size-fits-all method and engage with employees on an individual basis. This type of approach helps them understand their individual staff members' workstyle personalities and comfort levels. Planning special events or fun activities to bring co-workers closer is one of the best ways to increase team morale and encourage long-term connections. However, most stakeholders will agree that overscheduling meetings that could really be wrapped up in an email or direct message, is often overrated and results in unnecessary fatigue on everyone's part. Here, 14 experts from Fast Company Executive Board each offer their best perspective on how to strengthen the lines of communication and collaboration across departments at their organizations, whether people are returning to the office or still choosing to work from home.

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Here are important considerations if your company is deciding whether to participate in conversations on social issues.

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Prioritizing self-care is crucial for companies concerned about team member well-being. That’s why leaders must allow the flexibility to unplug—or not unplug—in the way that works best for each employee.

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Although ChatGPT is helpful, overreliance on AI tools in the workplace can stifle professional growth. ChatGPT and other generative AI (GenAI) tools have become integral aspects of many business operations, from sales and marketing to corporate communications. While GenAI offers efficiency and valuable insights, leaning too heavily on this technology can ultimately stifle creativity and innovation.  Leaders and teams that use these tools need to strike a balance between technology and human ingenuity. To help, 20 Fast Company Executive Board members discuss how organizations can avoid overreliance on ChatGPT and similar AI tools. Here's how to find a middle ground and encourage efficiency with a healthy dose of critical thinking and original ideas.

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Here are five tips for shifting your media strategy to include new mediums without turning your back on tried-and-true strategies. 

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It takes team effort and accountability to cross the finish line together. Setting quarterly goals is necessary to get your company over the finish line year after year, but what's the point of setting goals if you lose track of those objectives? Developing a strategy and check-in process that holds everyone accountable is essential to keep your team on the same page and ensure they have the resources they need to perform their specific responsibilities. To help managers and their employees forge a better path for moving the business ahead, 14 Fast Company Executive Board members each offer a strategy that has helped them obtain the results they were looking for and why it can work for your team as well. 

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As your teams begin to experiment with using AI for marketing, here are some do’s and don’ts for balancing creativity and compliance.

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Investing in human capital is essential to competitive advantage in today's marketplace. One of the keys to building a successful company is hiring the right people. But, hiring the top talent will only take an organization so far if the leadership is not willing to support the education of high-performing employees who want to pursue the latest skills, invest in their personal growth, and apply their knowledge to the work they are doing every day on the job. If you want to invest in employee training and development, here are 12 strategies to consider when it comes to upskilling or reskilling your team, courtesy of Fast Company Executive Board members.

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Practicing gratitude doesn’t require a huge commitment. A few moments a day is all it takes to change your outlook.

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Here are key strategies to grow in confidence and strengthen business relationships.  Contrary to popular belief, a successful, savvy business person is not necessarily always the biggest extrovert in the room. Improving your active listening skills and post-meeting communication strategies also play a part in capturing the attention of peers or direct reports regularly. This is key to building stronger team relationships.  By leaning into what makes them a little different from their outspoken counterparts, introverts are likely to have a positive impact in their place of business. If you're an introvert in the workplace and unsure about how to leverage your "superpower" as a reserved business professional who wants to get ahead, below, 18 experts from Fast Company Executive Board offer their tips on how to build your comfort level in engaging with others and being an effective communicator.

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Four change management strategies to help prepare teams for change while fostering organizational agility and adaptability.

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Here's how to elevate company culture in a digital office environment. If you are new to leading a remote or hybrid company, you may find yourself struggling to bridge the gap between management and staff members who work from home to create trust and transparency. By the same token, if you're new to working for a remote employer, you may be feeling isolated if you're unable to connect with your new co-workers and management the way you initially envisioned when you were onboarded for your "dream job opportunity."  To help leaders and their remote teams communicate more effectively and improve their working relationships in no time, 19 Fast Company Executive Board members each share one new idea for building a better company culture in 2024.

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Having worked in financial services for 22 years before transitioning to PR, I’ve learned that reputation management is more important than ever during uncertain times. 

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You don’t have to spend a fortune this holiday season to make your team feel appreciated.

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Are your traditional gift-giving gestures getting stale? The holiday season is the perfect time to spread more cheer by demonstrating to your dedicated employees how much you appreciate their efforts to help keep a well-organized business up and running. If your leadership team is all tapped out of original gift-giving ideas for their team this year, then try one of the following ideas that 17 experts from Fast Company Executive Board highly recommend to show gratitude for the hard work their staff members continue to put in throughout the year. 

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To avoid misunderstanding or misinterpretation, here are three methods for clearer interpersonal communication leaders should use and model for their teams.

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13 business leaders share their best practices for breaking through career and business challenges. As an unpredictable marketplace remains at the forefront across industries, it can be difficult for businesses and nonprofits to stay afloat at a sustainable rate. It is also stifling for professionals who feel stuck in their current roles—especially as it relates to personal career growth and longevity. Lack of funding and slow bureaucracy can cause any business team or professional to lose hope and become unmotivated to reach their short- and long-term goals. Here, 13 Fast Company Executive Board members each name one of the biggest challenges they have faced and how they made a breakthrough. Implementing their suggestions may help you and your team members overcome similar hardships.

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Creating purpose at work is about more than just the product. It’s about the culture and environment you cultivate.

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Apply these tips to foster improvement in your business products and services. It's important to keep your eye on the prize when you're running a business you want to see survive. But, it's not always easy to outdo your company's biggest achievements, or implement needed improvements, year after year—especially in a tight economy.  Despite reality, however, whether your company was able to move the needle forward by an inch or a mile to reach its bottom line this past year, it's essential to highlight each moment. By doing so, you'll be able to boost employee morale and heighten productivity among your loyal team members. Here, 15 members of Fast Company Executive Board share one new thing they've already implemented or are excited about doing in the coming year to enhance their business image, company core values, and work culture!

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Being an extrovert isn’t and shouldn’t be a requirement for leaders.

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Changing your mindset will enable you to achieve more success. In the workplace (and in life), it's perfectly human to sometimes obsess over the three Cs—competing, comparing, and complaining—when it comes to dealing with others and reviewing how our own accomplishments or failures stack up. It becomes a much bigger problem when an individual chooses to stay stuck in that mindset because it can hinder them from moving forward in their career and personal life. Below, 19 members from Fast Company Executive Board share what lessons they've learned from their ability to overcome patterns of previous self-doubt, and how they were able to forge ahead to a better path of success. 

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Start with a few target items that align with the big picture. There are so many factors that go into building and maintaining a scalable business that has the potential to thrive—year after year. As a leader's to-do list continues to grow, where do you start when it comes to making important decisions that will impact the future of the business? Below,  10 experts from Fast Company Executive Board discuss how others can effectively balance the short- and long-term goals in their business decision-making process.

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I'm passionate about all things growth hacking, leadership development, and inclusion—so much so that I created a conference, developed a game, and wrote a book about the root of it all: growing deeply human connections.  So, what does it take to build a company culture that fosters those types of connections? We all know there's merit to in-person interaction, but paying for office space and asking your team to commute every day may not be the answer. Instead, the same money that some leaders may put toward rent can be used for team kickoffs, company retreats, and interpersonal events. These activities are far more thoughtful and effective in building personal relationships, connections, and a sense of belonging. The key is to make any team gathering intentional, which ultimately ends up being more productive—and less expensive.  To help other leaders cultivate a sense of belonging, I asked members Fast Company Executive Board Company Culture, an online community that I lead, for their top culture-building tips.   

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People who feel appreciated work harder and stay longer.

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Here's how to stay on top of changing trends and keep consumers satisfied with your brand. Although innovative technologies continue to evolve in order to keep up with changing consumer trends in the marketplace, sometimes it is still difficult for business leaders to gauge which way their particular client or potential customer may be leaning next. Over the years, the following experts from Fast Company Executive Board have also been impacted by changing consumer behavior patterns and preferences in their specific markets. Below, they share some best practices to help other leaders remain true to their brands while still meeting customer expectations.

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Business leaders share their best strategies for implementing technology solutions at work without breaking the bank. Whether you are an early-stage startup organization with limited capital or a large company that is suddenly facing financial uncertainty, no matter how you look at it, the ability to utilize innovative technology to advance your team's capability to serve client needs will move your company forward—but this can be difficult to do when working with a limited budget There are still steps you can take, however. Below are 11 methods that Fast Company Executive Board members recommend implementing when searching for the right technology to invest in, despite any current budget constraints.

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Having enough energy and focus to get through your workday starts with a good night's sleep and healthy habits. Do you ever feel like you're just going through the motions at work, struggling to stay focused and productive? It's not uncommon to experience this, and the root of the problem could be as simple as not getting enough quality sleep. A good night's sleep is crucial to performing at your best during the day, but unfortunately, many of us don't prioritize sleep enough. Below, a panel of 15 Fast Company Executive Board members shares some of the best sleep strategies you can implement to increase your energy levels and sharpen your focus on the tasks at hand, helping you to be more productive and successful in your work.

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Every mistake made as a manager is a learning opportunity and can sometimes even make you more successful. As a leader, it's easy to fall into the trap of thinking that mistakes are always negative and should be avoided at all costs. However, some mistakes can actually be beneficial and help you become more productive and successful in reaching your goals. These "good mistakes" can teach you valuable lessons, challenge your assumptions, and even lead you to new opportunities. To that end, a panel of Fast Company Executive Board members described mistakes that have helped them become more effective leaders. By embracing and learning from these types of mistakes, you can take your leadership skills to the next level and achieve greater success.

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Here's how to embrace your confidence and skills in the workplace. Whether you're new to management or a highly regarded thought leader, the imposter syndrome continues to be a real problem as you continue to climb the business ladder. It's common to question your ability to make the right decisions that will impact your team, but it's unhealthy to feed your mind with negative thoughts and discount what led you to become a successful leader in the first place. Expert panelists from Fast Company Executive Board know all about defeating self-doubt. Here, they weigh in on their own strategies to avoid the imposter syndrome and discuss how colleagues can stop second-guessing their decision-making abilities and worrying about how other people see them.

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Business experts discuss their media communication strategies. If you're a rising brand in search of building relations with a high-profile figure on social media platforms, it may not be as difficult as you think to attract some initial attention if you approach these potential partners in the right manner. Instead of hoping that they'll possibly respond to your casual direct message, research who their official contact person is and write up a serious proposal.  But just like matrimony, it's all about the relationship and connectivity. It's an important business commitment to consider and neither party should ever take it lightly. Therefore, be honest about your intentions and see if it's a good match first before you (and the company) get involved. If you do your homework, be generous with your time, and make it less about, only you, in the end, it may end up being a tremendous win for all. Below, 12 Fast Company Executive Board members weigh in on the best approach to appeal to a social media influencer and get them on board as ambassadors to help promote what your business is offering. 

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For many companies, this has meant increasing compensation and benefits to attract and retain talent. But let’s face it, while more money is great, it isn’t enough to keep your team members feeling motivated in the long run. 

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The past two years have shown that people are much more capable and resilient than they might think, and cultivating that resiliency within your organization can help you prepare for whatever comes next.