Solomon Thimothy

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14 business leaders discuss what to look out for and how to stay out of legal trouble. One of the most creative and fun aspects of launching a new business that produces quality products or services is to come up with the right company name that will attract organic users who will keep coming back to visit your website and browse long enough to improve your conversion rate. However, selecting and purchasing a domain name that will be memorable and easy to locate during a Google search is not just a random act of high hopes that people will come if you build it. It takes a well-thought-out strategy to ensure the domain also aligns with your brand's core values and will continue to be a good fit as your portfolio of offerings continues to grow over time. Below, experts from Fast Company Executive Board weigh in on essential items to consider whether you are purchasing a domain for a new or existing business.

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16 ways to find a happy medium in reaching your personal and professional life goals. Working a nine-to-five career can be overwhelming depending on the types of responsibilities you have on your daily plate. Add to the mix, the pursuit of a certification or degree through continued education after work—while building on personal friendships or raising a new family—and it's understandable for anyone to feel burned out from a lack of work-life balance if they're struggling. Below, Fast Company Executive Board members each offer one tip for maintaining a healthy lifestyle while juggling work duties and attending evening classes.

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Whenever a business leader becomes an influencer, I believe it’s a win-win situation for everybody.

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What inspired your career path? There are a variety of reasons why people choose to go into business or become interested in a specific career industry sector. Some would say that the key to finding your calling is to do what you love or pursue an area where your skills can truly make a difference in the lives of others. Here, 18 business leaders from Fast Company Executive Board weigh in on what inspired them to seek and maintain their current position as a professional in their succeeding organizations.

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The four most common excuses entrepreneurs make for not creating their own content—plus ways to get started if you find they sound familiar.

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You cannot make a sale until someone decides to buy. So why don’t we take a customer-centric approach from the get-go to really inspire other businesses to work with us? 

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Business thought leaders weigh in on their top online marketing methods. Storytelling in the business world is essential if you want your organization to stand out in the crowd. How can business leaders become more strategic as they plan their content calendars to attract potential clients and partners through the digital marketing space? Using social media to improve a company's brand appeal is often directly linked to building genuine relationships. It's also about presentations and being more intentional about how you connect with others. By doing so, an organization is more likely to create trust and loyalty over time.  Below, 20 Fast Company Executive Board members discuss additional ways to increase brand recognition and financial growth through business engagement on social networks.

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Does your company practice what it preaches, consistently? When you are trying to build or maintain a successful business, it's important to make sure that the company's core values are consistently being reflected in everything that it does.  As a leader, it's impossible to be everywhere at once. Refusing to delegate specific tasks to free up your time to focus on other priorities will lead to burnout. Ensuring your company's reputation is living up to its standards starts with hiring the right team of representatives. Below, 13 Fast Company Executive Board members share other methods that work for them.

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Giving every staff member a seat at the table can increase business morale and business growth. It takes a village to build the type of team morale and trust it takes to lead a company to innovative success and long-term profitability. So if you are trying to strengthen staff relations and foster a better work environment that enables every employee to have a voice, don't go it alone, be willing to have an open mind and lean on them for support.  By encouraging regular brainstorming sessions with your team to guide your decision-making process, you'll be a better informed, confident leader, knowing that your staff is working together (and truly has your back) to elevate the company further in the years to come. Below, Fast Company Executive Board members share other reasons why employee feedback and collaboration are fundamental in helping leaders make better all-around business decisions.

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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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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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If you're thinking about creating a content resource to serve clients and customers better, consider the following points before you move forward. Whether you are building a new brand or trying to elevate the image of a mainstay product or service that has been around for years, publishing a regular newsletter can be a great way to keep clients and customers informed and excited about what your business is working on next. However, running a high-quality newsletter alongside the daily operations of a well-oiled corporation or small business is not as easy as it sounds. Before you decide to take on any additional responsibilities or add more to your team’s plate, 20 members from Fast Company Executive Board are here to offer their take on what it means to make this type of commitment to potential audience members and the staff they’ll be expecting to lean on.

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Having enough energy and focus to get through your workday starts with a good night's sleep and healthy habits. Do you ever feel like you're just going through the motions at work, struggling to stay focused and productive? It's not uncommon to experience this, and the root of the problem could be as simple as not getting enough quality sleep. A good night's sleep is crucial to performing at your best during the day, but unfortunately, many of us don't prioritize sleep enough. Below, a panel of 15 Fast Company Executive Board members shares some of the best sleep strategies you can implement to increase your energy levels and sharpen your focus on the tasks at hand, helping you to be more productive and successful in your work.

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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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A successful webinar will engage, educate and possibly persuade its target audience and keep the host top of their mind for their future needs. Webinars have become an increasingly popular tool for businesses to engage with potential clients and customers. However, simply hosting a webinar is not enough to ensure success. To make a lasting impression and achieve desired outcomes, businesses must use best practices to create engaging and informative content that resonates with their audience. Whether it be educational or persuasive, effective webinars require careful planning, preparation, and execution. To that end, 15 Fast Company Executive Board members weigh in on some of their best practices for hosting webinars that are useful, relevant, and valuable for potential clients and customers.

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Don't fall prey to social media scammers who are targeting your company's IP identity. It's an exciting time to be working in a growing digital information age with innovators who are putting the smartest tech tools in the right hand of business leadership. Additionally, the potential to be at risk for the latest cyberattacks or other fraudulent social media activities can also be unsettling.  To avoid being another hacking victim, business teams have to stay educated on preventive measures and continue to monitor misuse. Below, 10 experts from Fast Company Executive Board share some of the best tips to help founders and CEOs protect their company's intellectual property from being impersonated under the radar and free from compromising situations.

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At the end of the day, here's what truly matters to some of today's top executives and entrepreneurs. As a business leader responsible for guiding others in today's unpredictable marketplace, at times, it is crucial to step away so you can take a breath, recharge your batteries, and come back to the table with a renewed perspective, especially when it comes to finding better solutions to handle a challenging situation or satisfy a client. Doing so can also help you strategize your next move and unlock your creative mindset.  To boost employee morale and foster a more supportive working environment, managers should encourage their colleagues and the entire staff to do the same. We asked 16 experts from Fast Company Executive Board to share their biggest non-business inspirations that keep them hopeful and focused with their heads in the game.

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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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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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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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Apply these tips to engage employees throughout the entire process. When a business is being acquired by another company, it's difficult for employees to deal with the sudden change. That's why it's so important for a great leader to remain transparent and prepare its stakeholders every step of the way, in addition to negotiating the staff's needs as the sale progresses. In today's climate filled with marketplace uncertainty, dedicated employees are expecting to hear from their leaders, before external communications about company challenges are made to public at-large. Below, nine Fast Company Executive Board members are sharing their methods to approach open communication and create opportunities for a smoother transition under new management.

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13 techniques to maintain productivity and work-life balance. While everyone on the planet is dealt the same 24 hours to get things done, it can still be tricky at times to find the right work-life balance habits. Measuring the minutes and hours spent on a daily activity is one way to evaluate how to reduce typical workweek hours and delegate some of the workload. When it comes to setting up boundaries so you can focus on the areas that really need your attention and talent, no one is better suited to protect (and respect) your time but you. In the end, this approach will lead you on the path of professional and personal growth. To transform a 60-hour workweek to 30 to 40 hours, try these tried and true techniques from 13 Fast Company Executive Board members.

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Implementing these top strategies may help your business stand out during one of the most competitive selling cycles of the year.  The holiday season is the perfect time to nurture your established brand relationships with loyal customers and clients and possibly develop some new ones. Whether your company is targeting B2C or B2B, it's also a chance to come up with other creative concepts to grab people's attention, make them smile, and show them that you truly care.  If you focus on the humanization of your company, highlighting the effectiveness of your employees, you'll connect effectively with the community at large. Here are 14 ways that Fast Company Executive Board members are successfully keeping their organizations in the public eye not only in November and December but throughout the entire year.

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Be ready to end the deal with grace.  If your business partnership has gone south, don't dwell on the unfortunate circumstances that you find yourself in. Instead, embrace the issues quickly so that you can move forward before things get worse.  Scheduling a mutual arbitration process is one of the best ways to protect yourself and your assets, but be willing and prepared if you need to cut some of your losses in order to gain peace of mind,  cooperation, and the ability to break free from a contract—sooner rather than later. Below are 9 tips, courtesy of Fast Company Executive Board members to get you started down the right path to ending the arrangement on a positive note.

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While email marketing can provide a great ROI, it has to be done the right way to make an impact. By 2025, the number of daily global emails sent is expected to surpass 376 billion. That's why a good email marketing campaign has to stand out from the noise and truly entice its recipient to open and click through. At the same time, it can't be too pushy or sales-oriented -- you don't want to scare off your customers. Mistakes are common in email marketing, especially for companies new to this marketing channel. Below, 15 Fast Company Executive Board members give examples of some of the biggest email marketing mistakes they've seen and how you can avoid them.

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Even if you're self-funded, there are affordable ways to recognize and reward your team for a job well done. For a bootstrapped startup, giving monetary rewards to show appreciation to stand-out employees might not be possible in the very beginning. But there are other kinds of rewards and ways of recognizing hard work that experts have found make a larger impact than money. From shout-outs in all-hands meetings to creating dedicated "kudos" Slack channels, startup founders have created innovative and effective ways to show their appreciation for their employees' hard work without going over budget. Below, a panel of Fast Company Executive Board members provides their best cost-effective ideas for recognizing employees for their excellent work.

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When a personality trait is jeopardizing the establishment: 11 leaders weigh in on how to strike a balance that keeps your colleagues and company on track. If you do a quick Google search, one of the top 10 job interview questions is: "What are your biggest strengths?" It's an age-old question recruiters have been asking to help them determine whether to seal the deal with a potential candidate.  Making the offer to onboard a highly-qualified employee who is unafraid to take on new challenges, willing to pitch in when needed, give their all to the workplace, and demonstrates natural leadership skills, sounds like a no-brainer. But what happens when a strength suddenly turns into weakness—a major liability on the job? If colleagues are spreading themselves thinly and the company is complacent about setting up a sustainable system to enable daily workflow operations and processes to run smoothly, this is not atypical, especially when a company is thriving too quickly. Below, 11 Fast Company Executive Board members are sharing their best recommendations to ensure that the following strengths don't overwhelm your business.

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Strive to offer your customers (and employees) the best, even with a lean workforce.  When department leaders focus on building better relationships and providing the best resources to support their front-line employee service workers, they may help reduce stress levels, boost morale, and improve a higher-performance level on the job.  Whether your company is thriving through a peak season or facing uncertain challenges, Fast Company Executive Board members have 15 tips to encourage team members to provide quality customer service, even if you're short on staff.

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Webinars are great opportunities to showcase your skills and personality, and to connect with your audience on a whole new level.

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Follow these side-hustle business success strategies prior to stepping out on your own. Turning a part-time passion into a full-time paying career is no easy feat, especially if you are responsible for keeping the lights on through a regular 9-to-5. But maintaining your balance does not have to result in around-the-clock burnout. Make the start-up life a little easier on your grind by scaling back in certain areas of the gig business that can be outsourced or even automated. This will free up your limited time, energy, and other possible resources to focus on reaching your future entrepreneurial goals and aspirations. Based on their personal experiences and objectives, experts from Fast Company Executive Board are here to discuss some practical guidelines for turning your side hustle into a thriving and independent hit.

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Transitioning from a micromanager to a true leader can be difficult, but it's essential if you want to build trust with your team. When you're used to being in control of your business, it can be hard to delegate tasks that you've done well on your own. But with growth comes the necessity to hire new employees to take on projects you're no longer as available to handle. Micromanaging slows down workflow and creates a strained dynamic between employees and leaders. More importantly, it hinders the ability of a manager to build trust with their employees. To help you break this bad habit, a panel of Fast Company Executive Board members shares some best practices for becoming less of a micromanager and trusting your team's instincts. 

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Developing a growth strategy is important, but it takes the right resources and circumstances to make it work right away. If a business wants to grow, it must consistently change and adapt to meet the expectations of the market. Many growth strategies revolve around enhancing your customer's experience, whether that be through increased communication services like live chats or getting involved with non-profits they might align with. Whatever the method, having a solid growth strategy in place, and the resources to execute it, is key for any company. To that end, 14 Fast Company Executive Board members share growth strategies that work immediately and how to implement them. 

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The cold call pitch isn't dead, but it does have to be done the right way to get the best results. Cold calling can be awkward at times. You only have so many minutes to get the strongest points about your product across, and you're always at risk of your prospective client hanging up. But in the modern digital era, calls shouldn't ever be "cold." Connections are easier to make when you start with common ground, and that can be easy to establish with a quick Google search of your target client. Below, a panel of Fast Company Executive Board members shares the best ways to warm up your cold call and make your pitch successful. 

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Too many marketing agency owners take a look at the offers and target market of their competitors, and copy them tit for tat. Then they wonder why they don’t get any bites from prospective clients.

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Here are 11 factors to consider before you open a second or third location. If revenue streams are increasing at your flagship location, then your business may be ripe for an expansion. But just because business is booming doesn't mean you should make assumptions about your potential to succeed in a new market (locally or globally).  Taking on additional overhead should be a strategic decision that is driven by potential new revenue, a decrease in expenses, or provides a competitive advantage to make the company a standout. Below are essential questions that Fast Company Executive Board members urge you to ask yourself before you move forward with the right plans to grow the business.

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Five things influential content should include that will drive your target audience to make a decision fast. 

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10 tips to ensure a smooth department transition from a subordinate—and friend—to a leadership role.  When an employee is elevated (and moves from one department to another), how and when the executive team chooses to make the big announcement about changes in the department, can make or break their staff's motivation, productivity, and continued loyalty if there is no plan in place to enable a smooth and organized transition.  Below, 10 Fast Company Executive Board experts share tips on how to effectively communicate with everyone involved and provide the right training and resources so that no one is feeling left behind or unable to move forward successfully.

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Here are 15 tips to boost your confidence level and communication skills. Whether you are just starting out as the founder of a new small business, or a C-level executive leading staff members in a corporate setting, commanding the crowd's attention during a monthly staff meeting or a yearly business conference engagement, can be intimidating for some. To overcome the fear of presenting ideas among your peers in a public workspace, continue to participate and practice at low-stakes events with every opportunity that comes your way. By doing so, you'll become a skilled, sought-after, and successful thought leader in no time.  Below, 15 Fast Company Executive Board members share their best techniques to help leaders reduce the signs of nervousness and deliver effectively during virtual (or on-site) discussions.

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How do you re-engage a group of people who haven't heard from you in months—or maybe years?

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15 ideas to build your confidence before the next presentation. Public speaking isn't an easy thing for every leader, but you have to conquer the fear factor if you're planning to represent a business. But if you focus on your passion for going into business, share authentically, and continue to practice being in front of a room full of people every chance you get, you'll be a pro at it in time. Every C-Level executive and department head has been there before, including the expert panelists from Fast Company Executive Board. Below they offer some practical advice on how to move past the hurdle.

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When you're a digital marketer working in a saturated market, one possible solution to getting business is to narrow your focus, or "niche down," even further within that market.

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No matter how limited your business budget is, every company should find room for these essential line items. A business’s cash flow, especially during the pandemic, can get thin at times. In these cash-strapped periods, it’s vital for executives to make shrewd money decisions based on company values and goals. While saving money should be a priority in these situations, there are some parts of the business that shouldn’t be undercut. Below, members of Fast Company Executive Board each shared one thing executives should never skimp on, even on a tight budget.

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You’ve practiced and practiced and seem to be checking all the boxes of what you should do in a sales call. But what about the stuff you should be avoiding? 

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When it comes to successful ad campaigns, simplicity is often the most effective approach. We all know a successful advertisement when we see it. Whether we remember the ad campaign because it made us laugh, cry, smile or become angry, it made us remember, and that’s what matters most. Some of the best ad campaigns are simple and don’t work too hard to make their audience feel what they want them to feel. Below, five Fast Company Executive Board members offered their most effective tips and advice, from choosing the right sharing platforms to getting the ad timing just right. 

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If you want to keep morale high and avoid a slump after the holidays, here's how to encourage positivity and cheer among your team. During the holiday season, employees are often excited about seeing their families, taking time off and relaxing before the start of a new year. It's difficult, however, to carry this spirit into the new year when employees have to go back to a normal work schedule in January. Leaders can take the initiative to change this mindset by doing small things to support employees, such as supporting their personal goals through company-sponsored gym memberships or having more frequent happy hours. To help, Fast Company Executive Board members shared some effective ideas for encouraging cheer and positivity post-holidays and into the new year.

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A poorly-crafted social media post can quickly spiral out of control, so it's important for leaders to have a strategy for moving forward. Before posting something under the company's name, it's important to ensure that the tone and message of the post are in line with what you want to communicate. Enlisting the help of a PR professional or reading posts out loud to a group are great ways to make sure that the message you're trying to communicate is the right one. But even then, it's possible that a leader's message can be taken the wrong way or accidentally miss the mark. When this happens, leaders must take immediate action both internally and externally. Below, nine Fast Company Executive Board members shared the first action leaders should take under these circumstances and how to avoid similar situations in the future.

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Customer service has to be more than putting out fires and checking boxes.

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The best content in the world won't have a positive impact on your audience—or your bottom line—if nobody sees it. Creating content can be difficult on its own, but sometimes an even bigger challenge is ensuring that it reaches the target audience. Careful content crafting must always be married to a well-planned marketing strategy; otherwise, those you hope to help or to draw to your business will likely never hear your message. The members of Fast Company Executive Board know that a successful content strategy takes more than just a clever way with words. Below, 14 of them share practical steps marketing teams can take to drive more traffic to a company’s published content.

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Good communication skills are an essential key to success for any professional, but especially so for leaders. The art of communication is an essential skill for all leaders. They must learn to communicate effectively with various people, whether they're offering feedback to team members, sharing information with stakeholders, or pitching their organization's services to potential clients or the public at large. To get a message across effectively, leaders must be able to adapt as necessary to each situation. Of course, building this skill comes more easily to some people than it does to others, but it should be actively nurtured by anyone in a leadership position. Fortunately, there are several ways a leader can refine and improve their communication skills. Below, 16 members of Fast Company Executive Board share their best strategies for doing so.

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When you take the time to honestly self-reflect, you may notice that while your circumstances can create challenges to achieving goals or making changes, if you absolutely had to make a change, you’d probably do it. 

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The leaders of even the leanest startup teams can usually find ways to cut down their work hours and find a better balance for long-term success. Entrepreneurs and their small crews understand and accept the hard work that comes with their decision to start or join a new business. Yet, a constant, long-hours hustle may not be sustainable over time. If a startup's team members regularly burn the candle at both ends, they're likely to burn out—and that spells bad news for the future of the business. While it may be a cliché, "Work smarter, not harder" may well apply here. If an entrepreneur can find ways to use time more productively, they can shorten the number of hours both they and their team members are devoting to work—which helps everyone involved sustain both their health and the health of the business for the long term. To help, the members of Fast Company Executive Board shared 16 steps entrepreneurs and their teams can take to reduce their 60-plus-hour workweeks down to 40 or less.

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Not only is it important to understand your target market when considering your pricing strategy, one must consider their brand’s positioning and the image people associate with it. 

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If you want your praise to make a positive impact on your team, you have to be consistent, and you need to spread it around. Employees want to feel appreciated and recognized for their hard work. Many studies have shown the positive impact of praise on employee happiness and productivity. But it’s not enough to only recognize large milestones or focus on the major players in a companywide project. It’s important to find ways both small and large to regularly recognize a job well done. You can learn a lot about your company and team—and give morale a big boost—by looking for positive moments and thoughtful ways to praise. Below, 16 Fast Company Executive Board members reveal effective ways to praise team members for their ongoing great work.

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Leading a remote team can be challenging, but with the right strategies, you can keep your team aligned and productive no matter where they’re located. Throughout the pandemic, many companies were forced to make an abrupt shift to a fully remote work environment. This, combined with the growth of the gig economy, means that today, many managers rarely if ever meet with their team members in person. The transition was a difficult one for some businesses, and it’s normal for leaders to feel like they’re still learning about and adapting to managing remote team members. The last several months have proven to many businesses that it’s possible to maintain or even improve productivity levels even when some or all team members are working from home—if managers adopt the right leadership strategies. If you’re still learning the ropes when it comes to managing remote and contract workers, check out the following recommendations shared by members of Fast Company Executive Board.

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In a world that increasingly relies on automation and technology, only the most creative thinkers will thrive. 

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Think of each opportunity where pressure resides as a chance to measure yourself.

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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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A basic understanding of consumer psychology can help you drive trust, connections, and ultimately, sales. Every business leader has heard the mantra: “If you want to boost sales, you’ve got to get to know your target audience.” Many companies limit this strategy to learning basic demographic information like age, gender, geographic region, and household income. But a smart leader knows that building an understanding of their customer or client base should also involve understanding human psychology. If you and your team understand basic psychological principles, you can form genuine connections with consumers, thereby building loyalty and trust (and sales). To help you achieve this, below the members of Fast Company Executive Board share 14 things every smart business leader needs to understand about consumer psychology.

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Momentum has nothing to push off of without a solid brand foundation.

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Customer retention may be cheaper than new lead generation, but you need the right strategies to successfully earn repeat business. One of the first lessons business owners learn is that it’s cheaper to retain an existing customer than to engage a new one. However, that doesn’t mean it’s easy—and failing to retain current clientele can lead to detrimental consequences for an organization. Fortunately, there are several simple strategies that businesses can use to help retain and engage their existing customers. Not sure where to begin? Start with these 13 tried-and-true tricks shared by the members of Fast Company Executive Board.

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To achieve lasting success, company owners and leaders must learn how to establish long-term relationships with customers. As a business owner, you want every interaction customers or clients have with your business to be a positive one. While most successful businesses develop policies and procedures to try to ensure stellar service, building outstanding customer relations doesn’t stop there. Leaders can’t simply assume that the services and support they’ve developed are exceeding customer expectations. To know for sure, you have to go straight to the horse’s mouth—you have to not only listen to what your customers say to and about you but also track to see if they continue to choose your business in the future. While you may not be able to ask each of your customers personally for their opinion of your company, there are metrics you can monitor to ensure you’re on the right track when it comes to offering outstanding customer service. Below, 12 leaders from Fast Company Executive Board share the metrics their organizations track to help them develop long-lasting relationships and a strong community of fans around their brand.

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New entrepreneurs often approach their hoped-for mentors first, but successful industry leaders can and should proactively reach out to help the next generation of professionals, leaders, and business owners. Often, new and young entrepreneurs are advised to seek out a mentor. Their eagerness to learn and humility when asking for help can be a huge asset in their entrepreneurial journey. However, they shouldn’t always have to do the leg work to forge a successful mentorship. Rather than waiting for an up-and-coming professional or budding entrepreneur to contact them, established business owners and leaders can be proactive and give the next generation a leg up by sharing their experiences, insights, and assistance. There are several opportunities for successful leaders to pay it forward, and it doesn’t have to be through one-to-one mentorship (although that can provide amazing insights and opportunities for both parties). Whatever the time commitment they’re able to give, leaders can and should find ways to help the next generation as they begin their journey. Below, 15 members of Fast Company Executive Board share ways to do just that.

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Artificial intelligence has the potential to streamline everything from data science to content creation. Artificial intelligence has broken the boundaries of the tech world to become a focus for businesses of every stripe. Articles on the business benefits of AI feature regularly in publications devoted to any and every industry. Small-business owners reading all the ink on AI may think, “That’s great for the big guys, but there’s no way I can afford to set up or use AI.” But they’re very likely wrong about that. In today’s market, you don’t need an in-house IT team or deep tech skills to realize the productivity boosts and cost savings of AI. Existing tools and low-code platforms make tapping into the power of AI an achievable goal for businesses of any size and expertise. And you might be surprised at AI’s flexibility—there’s much more AI can do for your business beyond powering a website chatbot. So what are the ways small businesses of today are leveraging the power of AI? Below, seven members of Fast Company Executive Board share the ways they—and you—can see big benefits from this ever-expanding tech tool.

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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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Hiring a truly diverse workforce begins with looking in all the right places for talent. There’s more to a smart recruitment strategy than ticking a list of skills boxes. In many businesses, needed skills can be learned on the job. However, lived experience is a unique factor each candidate brings to the table. When recruiting new talent, it’s not just important to know how to find candidates with the desired education and qualifications—you’ll also want to ensure those candidates are coming from diverse backgrounds and bringing unique perspectives to the table. True diversity in a company or organization can’t happen if job postings don’t reach a large, diverse audience. Developing strategies to reach a broader pool of candidates is essential. To help, 10 experts from Fast Company Executive Board share strategies you can employ to ensure your job postings reach a diverse group of candidates.

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You can get a handle on whether your marketing campaigns are succeeding or stumbling by combining hard data with human feedback.   In any marketing campaign, the post-launch analysis is just as important as the outreach itself. Companies must analyze their efforts to determine what’s winning, what could be improved upon, and whether ultimate goals are being met. Even strategies that have succeeded in the past need to be reviewed to ensure they’re still resonating with audiences or if it’s time to try out a new trend. Data is important, but gaining a true understanding of what’s working takes more than scanning through Google Analytics. To get a more accurate assessment of the ROI of your marketing efforts, start with these 11 key steps shared by the members of Fast Company Executive Board.

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Those with passionate curiosity, a natural tendency to connect, and the discipline to consistently create will flourish.