Gretchen Goffe

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Why brand promise doesn't always align with brand experience, and how you can get your team to live your brand.

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If you want to promote authenticity, living your brand's truth starts from within. Becoming a standout business in the industry doesn't just happen overnight. It may take years to build the trust and loyalty that you've sought from potential clients and customers. But before you try to convince people on the outside why they should buy into your brand of products or services, it's also smart to get your internal team on board with the company's core values and mission you want them to embrace. Once you create a solid connection with the stakeholders on your team, they'll be empowered to promote your company as brand ambassadors.  Below, 13 Fast Company Executive Board members share their secrets to exhibiting brand authenticity and remaining true to your core values across the company—providing customers with a great first impression of what the organization truly stands for day to day.

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Hope for the best. Plan for disruption. Life is full of uncertainties, and that includes an unpredictable business environment. What can leaders do to secure their company's future and team stability during tough economic times? One solution is to prepare and plan ahead—based on the market trends—so your company and stakeholders will be ready and skilled to face the challenges that may come your way. Here, Fast Company Executive Board members share their go-to methods that leaders can implement to effectively manage the risk and uncertainty in their day-to-day business operations. 

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Industry experts weigh in on the tips that keep their companies (and mindsets) growing successfully.  As a business owner or manager, who is responsible for leading a team to successful bottom-line results, quarter over quarter, it's easy to get stuck in a silo mindset or let fear and anxiety take over—having you falsely assume that every other company or leader has the secret to business growth and high-performance teams all figured out. On the contrary, you are not alone in your ability to face and overcome various obstacles head-on. And you'll be grateful for it along the way. To prove the point, a panel of experts from Fast Company Executive Board admits to having their fair share of ups and downs throughout their career journey to leadership. In this topic of discussion, they share one personal life lesson and what it has taught them most about how to become a better leader for the staff members and companies that they represent.

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The list ranks the 300 brands that actual consumers (more than 120,000 of them) in the U.S. said they view the most positively in terms of products, services, and treatment of customers. To Goffe, there’s plenty that companies can learn from three of the brands that nabbed top 10 rankings: Buc-ee’s (ranked first), In-N-Out Burger (fifth), and Chewy (eighth).

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Preparing adequately for a team collaboration and brainstorming session is essential to ensure that everyone is on the same page and that the session is productive.  Collaboration and brainstorming are critical components of many successful projects. However, they can be challenging to execute effectively. Below, a panel of Fast Company Executive Board members offers some tips to help you prepare for a team collaboration and brainstorming session that can lead to more successful outcomes. Whether you're working on a project with colleagues or leading a team, these tips can help you get the most out of your collaboration and brainstorming sessions.