Leigh Burgess

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Leading experts share 20 tips to help managers and their employees find a reasonable work-life balance that gets the job done.  Even before the COVID-19 crisis took the world by storm in 2020, managers at most companies were not promoting the idea of a remote or hybrid work culture environment. But when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a shelter-in-place mandate, employers had to quickly adjust their traditional policy.  Realizing the cost-effectiveness on both sides of the aisle, some companies have fully leaned into the idea of enabling employees to WFH and have never looked back while others continue to resist the idea when their staff members question whether they must commute from home just to sit inside a cubicle space. Below, 20 Fast Company Executive Board members weigh in on how employers can work with employees to find common ground and implement the right policies—aside from the current standard hybrid solution.

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Leading business professionals offer advice to the next generation. In a changing world market and tough economy, no one can predict what the future of work will look like in the short term or 10 years from now. One way or the other, what people are realizing in the new norm is that although technological innovations are being elevated every day, companies need to embrace them if they don't want to be left behind. However, these business leaders also agree that the human touch is still essential to ensure smart decisions are being executed for the growth and success of organizations. Below, 14 experts from Fast Company Executive Board discuss how specific industries are currently being impacted and what the next generation of leaders should do to prepare for the unknown.

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Are your traditional gift-giving gestures getting stale? The holiday season is the perfect time to spread more cheer by demonstrating to your dedicated employees how much you appreciate their efforts to help keep a well-organized business up and running. If your leadership team is all tapped out of original gift-giving ideas for their team this year, then try one of the following ideas that 17 experts from Fast Company Executive Board highly recommend to show gratitude for the hard work their staff members continue to put in throughout the year. 

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It's Women's Entrepreneurship Day! This year, WEDO celebrates 10 years of its mission to empower more women in leadership.  Across a broad range of industries, women in leadership pour mentorship and guidance into developing their direct mentees or encouraging their colleagues to make sound business decisions—positively impacting the recipients' lives and future careers for the better.  However, in the marketplace, it is not uncommon for women (no matter what level they have reached in their field of interest) to experience "imposter syndrome." If left unchecked, this mindset can hinder their potential growth and success in the short and long term. Instead, the key is for them to boldly redefine their narrative and career path before someone else does. Women's Entrepreneurship Day Organization (WEDO) was founded by Wendy Diamond in 2013. To mark its 10-year milestone, 20 experts from Fast Company Executive Board share the best advice they've ever received from a successful woman in business.

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If you want to build better connections with your current and potential customers, here are some best practices to get started. In an uncertain business environment and tight economic conditions, customer testimonials should never be taken for granted or underutilized—especially the ones captured on video. Sharing this type of information with other current and prospective customers is one of the best ways to put any concerns to rest and build on their solid trust in what your brand has to offer in the competitive, crowded marketplace. Below, 12 experts from Fast Company Executive Board discuss how business leaders can leverage customer testimonial videos to impact continued business growth.

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To avoid rising employee turnover rates, address your company's weaknesses head-on. If your company is having trouble holding on to some of its best talent in the workforce, then there may be a serious communication gap or issue that needs to be addressed regarding your work culture and a staff that may be feeling dissatisfied or misinformed about what they originally signed up for. Establishing a regular open-door policy that fosters psychological safety for employees to express their interests, career aspirations, or concerns about the organization's business practices is a first step. Proactively seeking feedback from current and outgoing employees is the smartest way to rebuild employee morale and strengthen team relationships. Here, 12 Fast Company Executive Board members weigh in on the exit interview process. They discuss how gathering feedback and analyzing turnover data are helping their companies identify trends and areas in need of improvement.

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If you are just starting to think about your marking strategy, you're already behind—but it's not too late. The holiday season can be extremely competitive when it comes to attracting the attention of hesitant consumers. This is an ever-increasing dilemma in today's uncertain economy. In order to stand out, the company leaders must analyze the market trends carefully in order to provide the right solutions to potential and current customers. They also need to be flexible enough to change direction if a campaign isn't landing well.  Here, 16 experts from Fast Company Executive Board each share their tips to finalize and implement marketing and sales strategies for the upcoming holiday season that will help companies stay ahead in the marketplace.

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Just as a surfer conquers the formidable wave, we too can harness the principles of agency, ownership, and boldness to surf our way to success.

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Consider these 13 design steps recommended by leading industry experts. When you're in the process of developing (or revamping) a company website, you can't be afraid to take risks, break the norm, and add a little more personalization to your brand image—especially if it means reaching out to an untapped market for conversion. But once you've suddenly captured the attention of potential customers and clients, how do you build on that momentum and keep it going? The next step is to offer them substantial information that is engaging and interesting to drive home a clear message of intent. Below, 13 Fast Company Executive Board members each provide one tip for designing a website that will get noticed in today's competitive marketplace.

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Inspire yourself to get stuff done in a new and improved remote work environment. Just because remote work affords you the freedom to maintain your business and family responsibilities alongside each other from the convenience of your home, doesn't mean it's okay to lose sight of maintaining an organized, professional, and productive workspace—when you are on the clock. Doing so allows you to concentrate wholeheartedly and remain stimulated by the daily projects and long-term projects on your plate.  If you are feeling siloed or unmotivated with low energy in your current WFH space, below, 13 Fast Company Executive Board members share their innovative ideas to help remote business professionals create comfortable, focus-driven workspaces that keep them inspired and motivated to produce great work each day. Applying these tips will also enhance work-life balance and protect physical and mental health.

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Leaders discuss the rise and impact of online businesses. For small-business owners, e-commerce is a game changer—connecting startups with 24/7 access to ideal target markets at a rapid pace. If you want to be a standout, it's essential to differentiate your brand of products or services by offering a unique value proposition and a seamless online shopping experience to encourage return customers.  Knowing that a potential customer is just one click away, business leaders and their teams must also do a deeper dive to determine the underlined meaning of customer behavior patterns and tailor, as needed, to the individual e-commerce experience. Below, nine Fast Company Executive Board members explain how the pros of e-commerce (mainly) outweigh the cons and help businesses meet their bottom-line goals.  

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Here's how to transition away from your current "transactional" sales approach that's getting you nowhere.  If you are feeling the pressure to help your company meet its bottom-line metrics quarter over quarter, working in a sales-driven environment is not the only way to encourage your sales team to achieve its goals. Instead, you may want to try a different approach that will also enable you to build a stronger rapport with current and potential customers. Here, 11 Fast Company Executive Board members share the best way to pivot your sales strategies and transition your team away from a "transaction now" mentality when dealing with potential clients. They also discuss how to maintain a good balance and still make the deal.

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It takes a village to grow your company and thrive. When you are just starting out during the first few years of a new business operation, it may be instinctive to keep your head down and focus on how to thrive in your day-to-day workflow procedures and how to deliver customer satisfaction first and foremost. However, it's also just as important to engage in strategic partnerships and collaborations that can impact your company's growth potential. The end game is learning to work smarter, not harder. Leading experts from Fast Company Executive Board experienced positive results when they took advantage of untapped opportunities that moved their businesses forward. Below, they share 13 reasons why business leaders should keep an open mind to exploring new partnerships that may be a good fit right now.

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By encouraging innovation, taking risks, and embracing bold ideas, you can build teams and enterprises that are open to change and adapt easily to uncertainty.

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If your small business is in the process of branching out worldwide, consider the following points as you prepare for your launch. As a business owner or CEO, expanding your company's reach in other countries is more than just building a worldwide network of team members and doing a deep dive into a business market you may be unfamiliar with. On the contrary, it's also about recognizing the standard guidelines that are in place and could enhance or prevent your organization from thriving if you fail to go about your launch in the right way. Below, 14 Fast Company Executive Board members share advice as they weigh in on the impact (and importance) of globalization for small businesses in a growing competitive marketplace. 

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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 share best practices to help your company build trust and longevity—no matter which industry your business serves. In a tough economy, when you are struggling to find ways to keep a new business from going under before it has a chance to take off and thrive, it is so important to think outside the box and come up with other sources of funding.  If approached in the correct manner, crowdfunding may be a viable option to consider and has the potential to benefit your company and its long-term mission if you can get the right supporters to back your organization and its mission. For startup business owners looking to leverage their ability to attract and obtain alternative solutions versus traditional capital investors and partnerships, members of Fast Company Executive Board, who are savvy in this area of negotiating financial opportunities, are here to offer tips.

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Business leaders discuss their best practices. In today's marketplace, there's no way around it, no matter what the industry—content rules. But when it comes to attracting new clients and retaining longtime customers, how do you grab their attention without losing their interest every time? Doing so can be hit or miss. It's one thing to simply create general content and it's another to genuinely engage your audience and give them something to look forward to watching and reading on a regular basis. Whether it's a brand newsletter, a company social channel, or a new business podcast, members from Fast Company Executive Board have plenty of experience. They are here to explain 20 methods to encourage your target base to read, watch, hit the subscribe button, and share.

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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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Apply these tips to keep employees motivated without comparing themselves. In a competitive workplace, it's important for leaders to foster an environment where employees feel safe to express their challenges as well as successes without feeling intimidated or insecure about how they measure up to other team members. Bonding over common and personal interests outside of work is another opportunity to strengthen relationships. And when employees celebrate each others' wins and learn how to support others in collaboration it enhances mutual respect and admiration for the next person. Below, 10 Fast Company Executive Board members share their best practices on how to connect with colleagues in a healthy way without comparing their own success or lack of it.

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

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Reassuring your customer base that you value their business and want them to succeed—whether they're up or down—is what really matters and builds better partnerships.  When the economy is low and the marketplace is uncertain, it's imperative for business teams to stay as connected to their clients and customers as possible, so they can continue to understand how to meet their current needs. And knowing that your company is still in their corner and wants to see them succeed is everything. Customer success teams play a major role in retaining existing loyal customers if they remain proactive and offer an empathetic ear in their outreach efforts to find relevant solutions to help clients weather the storm. By focusing on personalized messaging campaigns and affordable offers that go beyond expectations, target audiences will be more likely to stick around for the long haul knowing who truly had their back from day one. If you are looking for other methods to boost your clients' business potential—through the good times and bad, here are 13 tips from Fast Company Executive Board members that every leader and team should apply.

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If you're trading in your brick-and-mortar space in favor of a digital office environment, business leaders are weighing in on some important points before you jump ship. As hybrid-remote work options continue to rise, some employers may be thinking that now is the time to transition to a permanent remote business. Whether it's to save on unnecessary real estate spending, continued health safety, or ability to expand your talent acquisition and client base globally, you'll need to be strategic about how your company plans to move ahead without missing a beat.  Below, 14 Fast Company Executive Board members discuss essential details that every leader should take into account when transitioning from a traditional on-site company to an entire remote establishment.

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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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If you're worried about consumer loyalty in the current climate, apply these business tips to help your company regain its confidence and continue to grow. To remain competitive and fresh in the eyes of loyal customers, lean in a little further to focus on the clients' potential needs. You'll be one step ahead of their own anticipation. As you continue to also address their immediate issues, remember to demonstrate your company's willingness (through your actions and gestures of appreciation) to be completely present and accessible throughout every stage of their journey.  By practicing these simple methods, you'll secure their interest, enthusiasm, and excitement about your company's capabilities to sustain them over time in today's marketplace.  Below, 13 Fast Company Executive Board members are sharing their creative ideas to build multiple revenue streams and upgrade your offerings.

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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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It's a new day in the workplace—with creative focus time increasing and mundane manual duties decreasing. As the benefits of artificial intelligence (AI) in the marketplace continue to evolve, more and more organizations are finally starting to see the light.  Whether it's lightening the load for staff members who desire to focus on more meaningful assignments or it's developing a quicker strategy to turnaround data analysis results you're ready to discuss with the team, AI can serve a crucial purpose in helping the business to steadily move forward, improve customer satisfaction and revamp its image. Here, Fast Company Executive Board members weigh in on how their use of AI has help their companies spark innovation and improve business performance.

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Try these techniques to foster open, productive, and positive conversations that benefit every stakeholder. Your ability and willingness to understand your client's wants and needs are essential if you want to remain in business and continue to build a solid foundation for your brand. But, remember that maintaining a reliable reputation in the industry has everything to do with human relationships and how you treat the people you interact with on a daily basis. So, the more your company is able to make the lives of its customers easier and meet their needs, you are more likely to win their trust and business for the long term, whether there is a challenge to help them overcome or a victory to be celebrated. Below, Fast Company Executive Board members share their most useful strategies to promote customer satisfaction and create a win for all.

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When you're a small business owner tasked with juggling multiple areas of the company, it can seem intimidating at times because you want your business to be a success in the industry. You can reach short- and long-term goals by focusing on your own personal strengths. It's best to strategically delegate tasks to key team members because this will allow them to develop and grow professionally. To avoid burnout across the organization, it's also essential to keep your staff's bandwidth in mind from the very beginning. Don't be afraid to outsource other duties as needed. By doing so, your entire staff can focus on what truly matters in efforts to move the business forward one step at a time. New to entrepreneurship and feeling overwhelmed about the business challenges that lie ahead in an uncertain market? Here are 12 experts from Fast Company Executive Board to share their best-kept practices for overcoming the obstacles of running a start-up.

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Prioritze solutions to improve your customers' journey.  During and beyond the global health crisis, plenty of corporate leaders and small business owners alike, have readjusted their thought processes on how they do business.  Some began to streamline certain aspects of their product and service offerings to improve bottom line outcomes so the establishment could not only survive in an uncertain and evolving economy but thrive and continue to shine above their competitors. Here, 10 business leaders from Fast Company Executive Board weigh in on what their top strategies have been for streamlining their company's focus and how doing so is impacting their clients' positive engagement with the business. 

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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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If you're strapped for cash, you can still find practical ways to launch and grow your new establishment successfully. Building a start-up business on a small budget is never easy. But being new to the industry it's important to build the best track record and gain as much positive attention as possible to elevate and expand your company in no time. Below, 15 gurus from Fast Company Executive Board share their time and knowledge about low-cost ways to create a buzz factor of excitement about your product or service.

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

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Implement these workflow strategies when deadlines are quickly approaching. When you are stretched thin with plenty on your to-do list, believe it or not, the best thing you can do is to relax (mentally and physically) periodically throughout the work day. By doing so, you'll refuel your energy level, be more focused and productive as you push past the finish line to reach your short- and long-term goals. Below, experts from Fast Company Executive Board describe their most effective productivity hacks during crunch time and how useful they are when you are trying to get the most done.

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Finding a balance between work projects and personal pursuits can be challenging, but these practical strategies can help. When there’s are a lot of ongoing projects and deadlines to meet at work, it can feel as though you’re never caught up or have time to spare for yourself. However, finding a way to manage your time to have a healthy balance is important for your mental and physical well-being.  Below, 15 Fast Company Executive Board members offered some practical strategies to help you reclaim and manage your time. They share methods they’ve used to carve time out of their hectic days and how you can use them to achieve that balance for yourself.

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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.

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How to keep your company's original mission relative to the future growth market.  To avoid remaining stagnant in today's evolving marketplace, an entrepreneur must keep one eye on the pulse of the latest trends and the other on the reasons for going into business in the first place. To stay balanced, the leader should make pursuing innovation a natural part of the company's course in order to survive. Below, 15 members from Fast Company Executive Board weigh in on the path to blending legacy with future possibilities to help their companies thrive.

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Here's why cultivating a brand is more than just advertising. With the internet in our hands, there's so much at stake when it comes to attracting and retaining clientele. Today's consumers are bold and savvy about researching the specific products they intend to purchase and they don't have a problem calling a brand name out over social media regarding its lack of transparency about its merchandise, services, or a timely topic that could affect the bottom line.  At the end of the day, If a company falls short on delivering a marketing promise, seems out of touch with its target audience, or strays away from its original core values, chances are it runs the risk of losing respect and loyalty of its major stakeholders.  Below, 16 members of Fast Company Executive Board offer tips on how to walk your talk—internally and externally—and why it's so important.

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Setting targets can help set your team up for long-term success. In the business world, it's important to set and achieve quarterly goals if you want your company to experience success with its clients, in the marketplace, and remain in business. It's also necessary for leaders to make those milestones realistic enough for the team to attain them and avoid burnout or attrition from the heavy workload. Below, 15 Fast Company Executive Board members share their advice on how to tackle quarterly goals in 2022 without feeling overwhelmed, under pressure, and fatigued.

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Steer your team of leaders and employees in the right direction.  Business and technological solutions may be changing every day, but your concept for launching a successful startup in the first place doesn't always have to. In today's tight and uncertain economy, full of new ideas, services, products, and platforms, how do you ensure that the team will continue to align and carry out your company's initial values and expectations? To equip other leaders worried about these same issues, experts from Fast Company Executive Board provide 15 ways to keep your original company concept and mission top of mind and in place. The team can continue a focused journey on where the company stands, which also includes flexibility and openness to innovative ideas about the future of daily workflow.