Jennifer Dixson Hoff

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Consider these best practices to enhance your business focus. Spring cleaning in the workplace is more than just getting rid of old files, so you can consolidate your space. It can also be an annual ritual for leaders and teams to renew their mindset and create smarter, more efficient ways to conduct business operations and satisfy their customers' biggest pain points. In the long term, decluttering your physical business space and readjusting old procedures and thinking patterns can free your time to focus on what matters most for your company to succeed. Eleven leading experts from Fast Company Executive Board share the same sentiment. Here, they discuss their plans for spring cleaning and what they hope to accomplish by doing so.

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It’s the perfect time of year to dive into both professional development and personal growth.

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Implement these latest innovations to help your company thrive. Whether it's utilizing a bold color statement in a rebranding campaign or coming up with an innovative human-centered design that serves current and prospective clients much better, there's a lot for companies to be excited about and engaged in the upcoming years. As the competition continues to escalate, company business leaders and their creative teams need to stay ahead of the forecast so they can be one step ahead in the global market. We asked 13 leading experts from Fast Company Executive Board to share their thoughts on some of the biggest design trends on the rise and why they're so essential.

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Don't be afraid to get out of your comfort zone and take the next step to increase your personal connections.  Whether you consider yourself an introverted or extroverted business person, it's always key to find a way to expand your network if you want to elevate your professional reputation and knowledge base. It can help you become more engaged in the industry or community you represent and share with others who are not inside your immediate circle. Below, 14 Fast Company Executive Board members discuss their ideas on how colleagues can become open to developing a new mindset and potentially provide resources for those in need through partnerships with other peers.

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Apply these strategies to enhance your team's performance levels and standards. To set your team up for success and the confidence to meet department expectations and throughout the company, it's critical to start the conversation early.  Providing clear context, consistently, about big-picture goals and objectives will encourage employees to stay accountable, collaborate effectively, and become even more invested as they learn more about the "why." Below, 16 Fast Company Executive Board members are sharing their tips to inspire individuals, motivate teamwork, and achieve better outcomes. 

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Consumer psychology 101: Apply these engagement strategies to your sales funnel process. Keeping your fingers on the pulse of what's going on inside the mind of today's consumers, in real-time, doesn't have to be a hit-or-miss situation. If you utilize the proper tools and techniques available, you'll be able to quickly identify ways to elevate the customer's journey and exceed their satisfaction.  Once you've discovered what is working, or how to make the necessary tweaks in their experience with your products or services, you'll also be on track to gaining their long-term loyalty, trust, and support when it comes to advocating for your brand. Below are 15 methods that Fast Company Executive Board members are implementing in their business practices to engage with prospects and gather key information, which leads to sales.

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15 company heads are sharing their best resources so you don't have to go it alone. Earning your first role in leadership may seem exciting in the beginning but it can be challenging once you dig a little deeper on the job. But if you learn how to build the right team to assist you with meeting the company's mission and goals, you'll be set up for success in no time with people who are willing to back each other up during the decision-making process. And that's a big win for all. In addition to having reliable staff to stand by your side, often what is most needed is the time to reflect inwardly by yourself—so you can think things through, or to seek knowledge from a close colleague, a mentor on paper, or through an established personal network that will keep you motivated when times get tough.  Below are some go-to leadership resources that a panel of Fast Company Executive Board members has found useful, whether you're a seasoned C-Suite executive, newly appointed team leader, or in the launching phase of building your own start-up.

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People are more transient now than ever before. Mobility will continue to impact how and where we work.

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Don't play guessing games when it comes to building consumer trust and brand loyalty. Developing a brand's long-term success in any marketplace largely depends on a team's ability to strengthen healthy customer relationships and meet their ongoing needs. But if retention is thriving, then it is obvious the team must be doing something right.  On the contrary, how can a leader accurately gauge whether their team is truly hitting the mark, or if there is still room for improvement, so the company receives positive reviews while making a profit?  Here are 10 points that Fast Company Executive Board members have found useful when it comes to measuring their customers' satisfaction levels throughout the product or service journey. Try implementing these tips to provide invaluable insight into your business efforts moving forward.

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With the vast number of learning strategies and tools that have been developed as well as the rapid changes in our workforce, professional learning will continue to evolve. Let’s evolve with it.

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These key measurements enable leaders to guide the way on the road to success in the marketplace across industries. In business, there are many essential metrics that leaders must continue to track in order to keep their company on target to meet its quarterly and annual goals. For example, lagging customer retention rates may evolve, based on consumer behavior patterns during any given season, but by implementing an adjustment, you'll be able to stay on track and meet the needs of your customers exactly where they are. Below,  Fast Company Executive Board members have compiled a list of high-level metric points that are important to evaluate, on a rolling basis, if you want your business to develop and thrive.

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With people in such high demand, don’t be afraid to tell a candidate how much you like them and see them working with you.

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Follow these tips to attract the right people, gain credibility, and elevate your business. When you are just starting out in the market, it may be hard to achieve immediate recognition as the newest player on the field or compete for clients in a crowded space. To pique consumer interest in an oversaturated space, you can study behavior patterns to carve your niche, but it is going to take more than free product samples or a trial membership to get consumers to support your brand and stick with you for the long haul.  Below, 15 members of Fast Company Executive Board offer their advice on how to boost your brand to appeal to clients in the marketplace. 

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14 points to consider when you're reviewing a job candidate's resume. As the nature of how and why people work continues to evolve, hiring managers will benefit from learning to understand the whole person, before jumping to conclusions about a significant employment gap on the applicant's resume. Instead of flagging previous time lost on the job as a deficit, focus on the potential new hire's passion, aptitude and eagerness to tackle new career challenges ahead and how the personal time off may be a sign of maturity to thrive at the current job opportunity and contribute to the mission of your organization in the long term. Below, Fast Company Executive Board members provide 14 additional ways to approach this conversation during the interview process and help you make the best decision to find the right fit for your department's needs.

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It's important to know your worth, find the community you can relate with, and remember to have perspective.