Roy Simmons

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Service upgrade avoidance covers a range of technologies that help consumers adapt to increased electricity demands when adding new electrical loads or appliances to their homes.

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For Fast Company Executive Board member Roy Simmons, the first step to smart homes is smart homeowners.

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Apply these best practices to add your voice to the conversation and take your seat at the table. Whether you're launching your career in your industry of choice for the very first time or you're a new hire fulfilling your latest role, it may take some time to prove your worth on the job and gain the trust of your leaders, direct co-workers, and other cross-departmental teams. In theory, employers must ensure that leadership, from the top down, is creating a psychologically safe environment for their employees to feel heard and share ideas or concerns. But if the organization that you signed up for is not being proactive about putting policies in place to improve its company culture, experts from Fast Company Executive Board offer 20 best practices to assist aspiring leaders who want to enhance their chances of having a seat at the table in their workplace.

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Strike up a conversation that builds consumer trust about what your company stands for before you start pitching your product or service. Pop-up shops and kiosks can be an effective way for existing companies to engage with potential customers in new ways and generate additional buzz around their products and services. However, before they set up a new retail location, companies must consider several important factors. Setting your temporary retail shop up for success involves factors like choosing the right location, researching your target market, and setting clear objectives and metrics to track progress. Below, a panel of Fast Company Executive Board members explore these items more in-depth and provided guidance on how companies can launch a successful pop-up shop or kiosk.

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It's easy to help your company do its part to create a more sustainable planet. It doesn't have to break the bank. Global environmental change, and the sustainability of our Earth, continue to be a rising topic of conversation in our personal and professional lives. If business owners, in particular, are looking for affordable ways to save the planet, they can start by assessing their company's carbon footprint beyond their walls and implementing small steps to improve their efficiency to make a better impact in their own community, first, and eventually worldwide. Below, 13 Fast Company Executive Board members share one easy, economical suggestion for business leaders who want to invest more of their time and resources into a "green-first" philosophy so they can cut waste as a company at-large.

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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.