John Hall

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Creativity is the backbone of new ideas and ways of thinking. Here's how to prioritize and encourage creative health in your organization. Creating a culture that nurtures your employees' creativity can help your organization become more dynamic and adaptable, as well as improve overall job satisfaction. Conversely, a workplace that lacks a focus on creative health may struggle with innovation, problem-solving, and employee engagement. Below, Fast Company Executive Board members share 20 ways leaders can cultivate and support a creative environment. With these strategies, you can encourage creative thinking and encourage a more innovative workplace.

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It’s time to show your target audience that you truly “get” them by looking at your sales pipeline and products through an accessibility lens.

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Revitalize your cold outreach strategy for more successful sales outcomes. In any industry, reaching out to a cold contact can be intimidating. The unfamiliarity can create anxiety and stress; however, with the right approach, it can lead to valuable opportunities. Below, Fast Company Executive Board members share their effective strategies for initiating contact with potential partners or clients. Follow their recommended methods to make a compelling first impression that can lead to a successful business relationship.

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Google’s new updates are all about creating content users will find satisfying and relative to their search intent.

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Don't sleep on yourself. Apply these brand strategies to remain diligent about pouring into your future no matter where you are in life or work.  Whether you own your own business or represent your current employer, the fluctuating marketplace continues to demonstrate that nothing is guaranteed. That's why business owners who are also thought leaders and career professionals and are trying to elevate their industry stakes are all the wiser for nurturing their personal and professional brands simultaneously.  It may mean taking up a course to update their skills or knowledge on a particular industry topic, or it could be as simple as becoming more intentional about connecting with like-minded industry peers and mentors. Either way, professionals who are proactive in ensuring they have the potential to grow outside of any one organization or business venture are more likely to set themselves on course to secure a stable outlook for their future no matter what conditions the economy is facing.  Below, 12 Fast Company Executive Board members each offer one best practice for aspiring and current thought leaders who want to strengthen their personal and professional brands successfully.

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The basic principle of advertising—get your audience members’ attention and make them want to buy—may always stay the same. But when it comes to how advertising is done, evolving technology and audience preferences will direct the show.

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Entrepreneurship may be a big responsibility, but you’re responsible for taking care of yourself first.

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Remember that there is light at the end of the journey. There are ups and downs along every business journey, and you won't always see eye to eye with everyone sitting at the table. However, keeping an open mind being willing to take suggestions, and fostering a team dynamic that promotes inclusiveness, giving each team member a voice is a chance to boost team morale and support, especially when the company is facing challenges. Below, 15 experts from Fast Company Executive Board each provide one strategy to help leaders develop a healthy growth mindset that will enable them (and their teams) to embrace challenges and find solutions to their business or client's problems.

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Here are five reasons why it makes sense to prioritize organic growth strategies instead of the more expensive funding-centric model.

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If your people are toiling away but you still aren’t seeing the results you want, it could be that some prerequisites are missing.

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The time of the chatbot may be coming, but without any changes to the current system, it doesn’t seem that it will work out well.

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Your values give your brand a voice—one your target market will pay attention to.

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Business leaders offer guidance on elevating your career in a struggling economy. With so many things happening in today's world, it may sometimes seem like it's impossible to ever get ahead. In a competitive, uncertain marketplace, how can employees begin to elevate their career status so they can move ahead and support themselves and their families in an impactful way? Below, 20 experts from Fast Company Executive Board share their top tips to help industry colleagues make better decisions concerning their personal strengths and the goals that will lead to more progress.

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Effective communication enables virtually everything else your team does. It’s fundamental to productivity, performance, and output.

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In the ever-changing tech field, staying on top of industry trends is essential for career and business success. Technology is constantly evolving, with new innovations and advancements being introduced regularly. It's essential for professionals in the tech industry to stay up to date with these changes to remain competitive and relevant. However, keeping up with industry changes can be a daunting task, especially as the pace of technological development continues to accelerate. Below, a panel of 15Fast Company Executive Board members shared some of the most effective ways to stay informed about the latest trends and developments in tech, so you can stay ahead of the game and continue to excel in your field.

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Layoffs aren't the only way to cut overhead costs in a challenging economy. In times of economic difficulty, companies often face tough decisions when it comes to retaining employees. Layoffs can seem like the only viable solution to cut costs and survive financially. However, these decisions can have lasting impacts on the morale and productivity of the remaining team members. Fortunately, there are alternative strategies that companies can employ to avoid layoffs and increase job security for their employees. To that end, a panel of Fast Company Executive Board members offer their top-recommended strategies for keeping your staff intact and discuss their potential benefits for both companies and employees.

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With the right content strategy, you can keep customers coming back to your brand time and time again. Customer loyalty is crucial for the success of any company, and one effective way to build it is through creating engaging content that resonates with customers. Content can be delivered through a variety of channels, including social media platforms, email marketing campaigns, podcasts, and more. However, with so many options available, it can be challenging for companies to determine which channels and types of content will be most effective in building customer loyalty. To help, a panel of Fast Company Executive Board members offers their best tips for creating engaging, exciting content that keeps customers interested in your brand.

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If you don't want your team's eyes to glaze over every time they see an email from you in their inbox, then apply these internal communication strategies from leading experts. Internal communications are essential for keeping employees informed and engaged, but getting employees to read and keep up with the messages can be a challenge. That's why, as a leader, it's important to craft communications that are clear, concise, and relevant to the audience. By doing so, you can ensure that employees feel valued and informed, which can boost morale and productivity. To help you achieve this, try these expert tips for writing internal communications that employees will actually read and keep up with, as recommended by the members of Fast Company Executive Board.

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Recognizing generational differences is essential. Supporting that diversity at every opportunity is the way you keep every generation of talent happy and productive.

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10 experts share how to put your best foot forward and make impactful business connections.  The art of networking in business comes much easier for some entrepreneurs than others. If you want to do it correctly you've got to be willing to open yourself up and communicate your pitch, realizing it's a two-way street when it comes to examining a proposition value that benefits each potential stakeholder.  Furthermore, there is a pattern of behavior patterns that every professional must learn to shed if they want to attract the interest of industry colleagues and build authentic relationships that are founded on mutual respect. Below are 10 best practices courtesy of Fast Company Executive Board members.

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It’s true that data can be manipulated to support almost any agenda. But using it in good faith as a foundation for your talking points can give you the ability to connect better with your audience.

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Here's what to do if your business has just been hacked.  With cyber at an all-time high in today's marketplace, it's practically impossible to avoid putting your business at risk if you don't have the proper tools and a response plan already in place. But it's important not to blame yourself or your team if your company has fallen victim because you didn't see it coming. Instead, stop and think more strategically before you make any rash decisions about how to overcome the temporary crisis. Below are 10 experts from Fast Company Executive Board who can help you and your team implement the best strategies to come out on top and maintain credibility in the industry you represent.

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Top business leaders discuss the most effective approaches they've utilized to increase their customer reach. Coming up with a winning strategy to build a better brand and increase your company's prospects for steady growth may be a hit or missed opportunity if you're not being intentional about how to attract and retain your ideal customer.  Conducting A/B testing on a regular basis is one of the best ways to sample various marketing strategies until your marketing and sales team can pinpoint what actually sticks with your target audience members the most and why it stands out. Below, 13 Fast Company Executive Board members explain their methods to gaining more traction in today's competing business industries and how your organization can do the same.

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Apply these tips to your company culture starting from the top down. If the business is in a slump it's important for team leaders to foster positive team morale to help their staff members remain focused on the big picture and their common goals. But it also begins with the attitude of the company's own leadership. So be the change you want to see.  No one person, team, or company is expected to be at the top of their game or feel energized about a project or goal 24/7. That's why experts from Fast Company Executive Board are advising department managers to implement these tried and true methods when times are tough, business is uncertain, and colleagues are feeling stuck or uninspired creatively.

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Apply these travel strategies to get the most out of your business experience on each trip. If you're a business owner who is always on the road, securing the next deal and connecting with potential new customers, it can be draining on your body and mind if you're not planning more efficiently and taking care of yourself on the go. That's why Fast Company Executive Board members are sharing their top 14 travel hacks to help other leaders find a better approach to building success in their businesses domestically and abroad.

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Here's how to write winning word copy that encourages a call to action. Creating compelling content is a lot easier if you're already developing quality products and services.  Standing confidently in what your brand represents and delivering an authentic copy message backed up by tangible results will make a difference to your target customer.  To engage your audience even further through a broader range of platforms, it's beneficial to speak directly to their needs and provide them with the expert information they are seeking to overcome business challenges and improve their client success rates. If you dread the copywriting aspects of your business, 14 Fast Company Executive Board members are here to help you get started, whether you're writing content for your website, social media platforms, email marketing, or advertising.

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Tune out the industry naysayers and lean into solving your target market's pain points. When you're a brand disruptor who aims to provide innovative solutions in an established "business as usual" marketplace, your company and its leadership are bound to ruffle some feathers. To overcome any negativity, continue to stay above the fray and let the data speak for itself. By proactively educating the underserved market of consumers and staying truthful about your business intentions, you'll mobilize a community of ambassadors in no time, who are willing to support your organization's potential and share their personal testimonials.  As you begin to strengthen your client base, remember to put their needs first. But it's also imperative to build bridges by keeping your competitors even closer. At the end of the day, feedback, whether good or bad, fuels inspiration and innovation. This puts your company in a much better position to address concerns, defend its own progress, and defeat the status quo mentality of other colleagues in the field. Below, 16 Fast Company Executive Board members share tips to maintain your clients' confidence in your new establishment and develop loyal partnerships that will last a lifetime.

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Your business might meet or exceed customers’ needs today. However, there’s no guarantee you can keep doing that in the future.

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12 ways managers and staff can command professional higher standards for themselves without obsessing or feeling anxious. What does your version of "finished" look like? Does a designated task have to be "perfect" or can it simply be "good enough"—for the moment?" If you're a manager or direct report who struggles with the idea of "perfectionism" in the workplace, then you may be missing out on the bigger picture.  While the fine details of a crucial assignment or potential contract should never be compromised or taken lightly, finding the right balance to get the primary work done, effectively, and in a timely given manner is just as essential. Focusing on what you can control—in lieu of what you can't, is also a key component of personal growth and continued learning to build further on the next iteration of a project. Here are 12 tips from  Fast Company Executive Board members to help change your mindset and improve your workflow habits so you can move forward.

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Here's how employers can find a charitable organization to sponsor this holiday season and beyond. During the holidays, in particular, many company leaders often consider how their establishment can lean in to assist with funding or volunteer its time to support a charitable cause, in the spirit of giving.   But what is the best way to choose the right partnership with a reputable foundation that makes the most sense and enables your organization to do the most good? Below, 11 members from Fast Company Executive Board are sharing their tips to help you get started, whether you plan on giving back for a season or throughout the entire year. 

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Holding fast and spreading the word about what your company truly believes in may galvanize new partnerships and potential customers.  To establish a winning brand that has true purpose, make your company's mission personal not only to yourself but your entire team. So stand firm on the core values of your business and surround yourself with the right stakeholders who are willing to champion your brand and help execute its goals. If you're authentically passionate about providing products and services that can solve your clients' problems, your credibility as a reliable establishment in the field will continue to grow.  Below are 15 Fast Company Executive Board members to share their ideas and increase your influence in the marketplace. 

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Here's some extra motivational wisdom to keep you moving forward as well. Running a business is not for the faint of heart. It requires the confidence to make better decisions and self-awareness to remain humble enough to attract employee loyalty and trust.  In addition to having critical thinking skills, you also have to be willing to consider other people's ideas and be ready to pivot, carefully, as the market—as you once knew it—begins to evolve. We asked 16 members from Fast Company Executive Board what inspires them to keep striving and stay in business. Here's what they had to say.

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Carving out the time for self-improvement on the job can pay off big time. Whether you are a newcomer to the industry or a longtime go-to expert in your field, there is always something interesting to discover, so embark on being a consummate learner.  No matter what the subject, you're bound to find plenty of resources, you just have to know where to look. As you elevate your skill set, put it into practice so you can also begin to teach other colleagues. By doing so, you'll not only absorb a technique, you'll be a master.  Below, 13 Fast Company Executive Board members provide their best practices for approaching continued education opportunities—on the job, online, or on-site.

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For brands, trust is necessary for survival. It’s a commodity that’s often in short supply, especially these days when skepticism and cynicism run rampant.

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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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While it’s important to keep up with industry trends, implementing new techniques randomly will set you up for failure.

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Before you invest a lot of resources in a rebranding initiative, make sure it's worth it for your business to do so. Rebranding your business is a big decision that involves many different moving parts. A rebrand can mean anything from redesigning your webpage or launching a new product, to repositioning yourself in the market. Because of the time, money and energy involved in a rebrand, it's important first to consider whether rebranding is a necessary step for your business. What are you trying to change? Who are you changing for? To help you answer these questions, a panel of Fast Company Executive Board members shared some important factors to consider before a rebrand.

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These social media strategies can help your brand drive engagement that ultimately leads to a loyal following and more conversions from your online content. Social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook and Twitter allow businesses and leaders to connect to prospective customers with the tap of a button or two. But using social media well has become a skill that leaders need to learn to meaningfully engage with customers. It's not enough to consistently post content; instead, your brand needs to take the time to respond to comments, create engaging posts that resonate with followers and learn more about the audience's needs. Here, 15 Fast Company Executive Board members explained the smartest ways to interact on social media to get the engagement you want. Follow their recommendations to drive more meaningful interactions with your online audience.

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No matter what kind of day or week you're having, there are some simple ways to keep your energy and performance high at work. Everyone has dips in their energy and productivity. However, when you're trying to lead a business, it's tough to lose valuable work time to a slump in motivation. The key to maintaining high energy levels and positivity at work isn't resolving to "power through" the slump and burn yourself out; rather, it's about integrating small, simple habits that may help reduce the likelihood of that slump in the first place. To help you stay in optimal performance mode, a panel of Fast Company Executive Board members would like to share how they manage to keep themselves at their peak, regardless of what's happening throughout the week.

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To operate at your highest level as a human, emotional intelligence is a requirement.

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With the opportunity of fresh talent also comes risk—your team could become fragmented without proper care. Make these three leadership objectives your priorities as your business grows.

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Being a leader can be mentally and emotionally taxing, so it's important to prioritize wellness and self-care as a manager. The COVID-19 pandemic ushered in a new era of thinking about mental health and wellness in the workplace. Business leaders have begun advocating for the wellbeing of their employees in growing numbers, transforming mental health support from a perk to a workplace imperative.  Even as leaders across industries strive to improve support for their teams, many face their own mental health challenges. To help fellow leaders cope, a panel of Fast Company Executive Board members offered their best advice for managing the unique pressures of leadership and prioritizing mental health and wellness as a manager.

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While most business owners turn to areas like marketing and IT to cut their budget, there are plenty of other places to find and eliminate "wasteful" spending. A lean thinking framework can help leaders trim excess costs in their business or organization. But to maximize the impact of your efforts, it's important to look everywhere for signs of wasteful spending.  The members of Fast Company Executive Board know how easy it is for leaders to overlook key business areas and functions when applying lean thinking. Below, 15 of them share the most common places business owners forget to look when reducing costs, and how exploring those areas can help your company cut expenses and streamline the budget.

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In the mobile-first world, marketers need to consider how their message will be received on smartphones and tablets. For many consumers, smartphones and tablets have become the go-to platforms for online browsing and shopping. The smartphone revolution of the last decade has also prompted marketers around the globe to begin rethinking their digital strategies.  To succeed in the modern market, companies need to think about mobile-first campaigns that reach consumers where they are. To help you do this, 12 Fast Company Executive Board members shared their predictions for the biggest mobile marketing trends to look out for in the first half of 2022, and how to take advantage of these up-and-coming strategies.

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Making simple but effective changes to your customer experience can make a huge difference in how your brand is perceived. When it comes to customer service, it's often the little things that make the most difference. Simple actions like using the customer's first name more often or delivering a personalized order confirmation are easy enough to automate and execute, but they can have a big and lasting impact on how a customer feels about your brand. There are plenty of opportunities to pick the "low-hanging fruit" and start improving your customer experience right away, without breaking the bank or expending tons of resources. To help you do this, 15 members of Fast Company Executive Board shared some easy ways they’ve boosted their customer experience and why it was so effective.

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If you’re seeing high rates of resignation, these strategies can help you identify the reasons why. When a company is experiencing high attrition rates, it isn’t always easy to pinpoint the reason (or reasons) employees are leaving. Countless factors can influence someone’s decision to stay at or leave their place of employment; some are within the organization’s control, and some are not. However, when a company is seeing steady turnover, there are likely one or more underlying problems that are happening on the inside. It’s critical for leadership to identify those issues to prevent even more employees from leaving—especially in today’s tight workers’ market. If your company is struggling with steady or growing employee turnover rates, try these 15 strategies from the members of Fast Company Executive Board to get to the root of the problem. The sooner you discover the cause(s), the sooner you can implement real solutions.

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Don't let your company's departments get cut off from each other and stop communicating about and progressing toward shared goals. In the early days of a startup, most team members likely wear multiple hats and have to pitch in together on a variety of projects. But as companies grow and develop, different departments may adopt their own project management and communications systems. While it may seem like it's a good idea for every team to find and leverage the tools and processes that work best for them, a drive for "departmental efficiency" can have the unintended effect of creating team silos. If every team or department in an organization is working with a different set of processes, systems, and tools, they may end up engaged in redundant work, overlook important tasks, and struggle to effectively communicate updates and needs with other stakeholders. All of these misfires can eventually lead to frustration for both the staff and the customers and clients the business serves. Fortunately, with the right strategies from leadership, it's possible to prevent the prevalence and minimize the impact of working in silos. Below, 16 Fast Company Executive Board members share their best tips and tricks for establishing a culture that values both maximum efficiency and productive collaboration.

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The businesses that emerge from the pandemic as winners will be those that pushed panic aside and unleashed their team’s motivation and expertise.

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Don't let a limited budget stop you from promoting your new business. When budgets are tight, one of the first things many entrepreneurs strike from their list of financial priorities is marketing. However, marketing doesn't have to take a backseat when resources are limited. In fact, there are plenty of ways to continue promoting your company while keeping costs low. DIY public relations can be an inexpensive way to gain attention for your business—if you follow the right strategies and best practices. Below, 14 members of Fast Company Executive Board share some creative, inexpensive ways a new business can drum up good publicity or press mentions.

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Smart professionals know there's always an opportunity to learn more and hone new skills in the business world. Learning a new business skill is always a good idea, whether you’re the company owner or a frontline team member. And in today’s digital age, there’s no shortage of material out there for professionals to peruse, from seminars to online courses to advice from experts.  In fact, these days it’s easier to drift into information overload than to be stymied by a lack of resources. If you’re looking to engage in some professional learning or skills building and are overwhelmed by choice or simply short on time, check out the following smart tips for acquiring a new business skill from the members of Fast Company Executive Board.

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When you combine an atmosphere of trust with organized tracking of goals, the result is positive on both sides.

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Every professional story includes some mistakes and missteps—including the stories of successful entrepreneurs and business leaders. Mistakes are an unavoidable reality of everyday life, including in the business world. The key to success is not perfection but bouncing back from mistakes and learning from them for the future. Some of today’s most successful entrepreneurs faced significant stumbles and setbacks before striking gold. The members of Fast Company Executive Board have also overcome their share of obstacles during their professional journeys. Below, 13 of them reveal their biggest missteps on the road to success. The lessons they learned from them are among the many reasons they’ve gotten where they are today.

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Today’s consumers want to engage with the human beings behind a brand, not faceless corporations. “People buy from people.” It’s an adage that has never been more true than it is in today’s digital age. The online economy places near unlimited options at consumers’ fingertips. Even so, people crave real connections and a personal touch in their customer experience. Businesses must develop ways to reach people on a human level to convert online connections into sales. Both B2C and B2B companies will see better results if they’re able to show the human beings who drive their brands. Below, 16 members of Fast Company Executive Board discuss ways business leaders can humanize their brands, no matter what product or service they sell.

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Gauging engagement can be difficult when you’re meeting remotely, so it’s even more important to keep an eye out for telling signs of distraction. When the COVID-19 pandemic turned our homes into offices and classrooms, it also ushered in the era of video meetings. While the ability to meet remotely via Zoom and other applications enabled businesses and schools to function in difficult times, it hasn't always been an easy adjustment. When you're meeting with colleagues, clients, or students via a video call, it comes with unique challenges—including effectively "reading the room." When you're leading a video meeting, it’s can be hard to get a sense of how engaged participants are. You can't see everyone at once, and you can't hear the signals of straying attention, such as shuffling feet, creaking furniture, and sighs. Participants are often more reluctant to speak during remote meetings, and it's easier for them to quietly multitask. And presenters can't control the distractions that might pop up in participants' individual meeting spaces. Because of all this, it's important for those who frequently lead video meetings or presentations to be aware of the ways in which participants might be signaling their engagement (or lack of engagement). To help, nine members of Fast Company Executive Board share some audience cues to watch for in your upcoming video meetings.

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Have you been struggling to maintain a collaborative environment? Your employees might be hiding their best ideas. 

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There are smart ways to balance business growth with social responsibility (and even tie them together). Every entrepreneur wants to grow their business. However, as experienced leaders know, achieving and then coping with rapid growth comes with challenges. While the first topic that comes to mind may be managing complex finances or building a team to handle the heavier load, another factor to consider is how to address your company’s commitment to social responsibility. For example, the path to growth could potentially involve an expanded carbon footprint. Or hiring quickly to fill needs may make it more difficult to ensure your efforts are guided by diversity, equity, and inclusion.  Fortunately, entrepreneurs don’t have to choose between significant success and social responsibility. As the leaders of Fast Company Executive Board know, there are smart ways to ensure that your fast growth also comes with a positive social impact. To balance your desires to build your business and contribute to positive change, check out the eight strategies they share below.

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A culture of adaptability has helped many organizations not only survive but thrive through the challenges of the past year and will set them up for future success. Founding and leading a business or organization comes with many unknowns, but one thing seems certain: At some point, leadership will have to guide the team through a crisis. While every crisis won’t have the global reach and severity of the COVID-19 pandemic, every crisis can cause disruption, lost momentum, and even failure—if leaders haven’t created a culture of adaptability. With the right guidance and preparation, businesses and their team members can quickly make important decisions and pivot when and as needed—even in the face of a crisis. However, adaptability doesn’t happen accidentally; it’s a skill and a mindset that must be intentionally developed and cultivated every day within an organization. Below, the members of Fast Company Executive Board share 15 practical ways leaders of any business or organization can build a culture of adaptability.

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