Padmini Sharma

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Keep your eyes on the prize by applying these 18 tips. While success is attainable at various levels in a person's career, it doesn't just happen overnight—you have to work for it. You may even hit some bumps in the road along your journey, but any thought leader who has been in the game for a long time knows that business challenges and even failures are simply a part of the learning process.  Here, 18 Fast Company Executive Board members offer their advice to other professionals who are trying to reach their short-term goals of the moment—both professional and personal.

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Do you say yes to everything? Industry experts explain the benefits of clearing your plate at work. If you're just starting out in management, it's not unusual to constantly feel obligated to say yes. When duty calls and other colleagues are requesting your time and commitment to engage in an upcoming project or take over a daily task, it's a natural instinct for most people to lean in.  On the other hand, if you've been at your post for some time and have plenty of skin in the game, you've probably figured out by now that you can't take on everything without burning out. Learning to share growth opportunities with your staff members on a regular basis will also elevate your leadership skills and team relations in the workplace.  Leading experts from Fast Company Executive Board are no longer hesitant to turn down a project that may sound good on paper but has the potential to keep them sidetracked and further away from their objectives. Here, they share the benefits of learning to say "no" under pressure and how essential it is to improve your work-life balance and reach your goals.  

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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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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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Here's how implementing good advice can improve your bottom line in the business world. The success of a well-run business is not determined by its financial performance levels alone, and that is why leaders need to take a holistic approach and consider how each area of the establishment and decisions made about specific contributions to the company can build it up or weigh it down.  As you work towards achieving your financial goals, it's also important to find the right balance and prioritize how to maintain a steady cash flow and make wise choices about how and where to invest your time and money to elevate the organization.  Below are 16 members of Fast Company Executive Board to share some of the best practices they've received about how to manage their company finances.

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Being an observant but active listener speaks volumes. Just because you're not the most charismatic voice in the room or an extrovert, doesn't mean you're any less qualified to be an effective leader and command attention in the workplace. On the contrary, in addition to your professional background, it's your active listening abilities and emotional intelligence that draws people into your conversation.  To drive these points even further, a panel of Fast Company Executive Board members share 11 reasons why it often pays to be an introvert at your job.