Kathleen Lucente

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Learn how to build strong, effective partnerships with virtual assistant agencies to support your business’s long-term growth. As the demand for virtual assistants grows, many companies are turning to VA agencies to access skilled support without the overhead of traditional hiring. However, building a strong, effective partnership with these agencies requires work beyond just hiring the first service provider you find. To help leaders establish the right foundation, Fast Company Executive Board members share their best practices for partnering with a virtual assistant agency. Their insights offer practical strategies to encourage clear communication, align expectations, and create a productive relationship that supports your business’s growth.

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Much like choosing the perfect gift for someone, companies must deeply understand their clients' needs to deliver value.

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19 business leaders debate whether traditional email is outdated, or if it still has its place. With the evolution of today's digitized world, having tools like SMS and MMS text messaging, and various social media platforms at our fingertips, provides instant gratification in communication. But there is a time and space for everything—and that's where email comes in as what some leaders still consider a reliable, professional and safe method to connect.  Below, 19 experts from Fast Company Executive Board weigh in on the relevancy of email communication for business, networking, and personal purposes in 2025.

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Apply these principles to stay relevant and keep up with the care and concerns of your community of followers. There are so many daily responsibilities that an entrepreneur will need to juggle effectively if they plan to grow their business past the five-year milestone. Hiring a reliable, capable team is the first step to taking some of the load off.  To stay connected with current clients and potentially reach new ones in today's digital world, one area that companies cannot afford to sleep on is developing a regular social media presence that engages and educates consumers about the brand. Here, 18 leading experts from Fast Company Executive Board each weigh in on one best practice every busy entrepreneur must implement (and why), no matter what.

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Respect and communication are key to strengthening business relationships. In a tight economy and competitive marketplace, with consumers holding their pocketbooks closer and rethinking their spending habits, the last thing a brand wants to do is lose their trust due to a data privacy concern that slipped through the cracks. Complying with the state regarding privacy regulations and keeping clients informed about any changes or sudden breaches that may impact the information gathered is essential to earn their continued trust. To help marketing teams stay on the right course, 11 Fast Company Executive Board members each share one important factor every leader should know about customer data privacy for marketing outreach.

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Learn how to leverage your unique strengths and community connections to unlock personal and professional growth. Leaders often succeed by building on their unique strengths and tapping into the power of their communities. Whether through strategic collaborations, mentoring others, or applying specialized skills in new ways, leveraging these resources can accelerate personal growth and professional advancement. However, identifying the best ways to harness your talents and network effectively can feel overwhelming without the right guidance. To help, Fast Company Executive Board members offer practical strategies for using your unique skill sets and community connections to create meaningful growth opportunities.

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Keep your business priorities straight by focusing on the most impactful areas. Running a business is a game of competing priorities, both day-to-day and long-term. With so many areas to tend to, business owners can easily favor certain tasks over others—including those that aren't necessarily the most impactful. To help, the members of Fast Company Executive Board discuss the things business owners tend to put too much weight on and why overprioritizing these areas can limit growth. They also share their insights on what business owners should focus on instead to achieve lasting success.

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Here's how to show your customers appreciation without breaking the bank. Showing genuine appreciation can go a long way in building lasting relationships with customers and clients. Small but thoughtful gestures can make a big impact for companies on a limited budget and keep customers feeling valued year-round. Here, Fast Company Executive Board members share what you can offer to show how much you value their loyalty while being mindful of your budget. From personalized messages to exclusive access and special perks, there are many ways businesses can express gratitude and strengthen connections without a large expense.

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Here's how to stop the lies from spreading and keep loyal consumers updated on what's correct. When it comes to maintaining a positive image and authentic brand reputation, company leaders need to control their narrative before someone on the outside tries to spin their own tales about the brand in a non-appealing way. Here, 15 brand leaders from Fast Company Executive Board each share their most effective strategies to combat misinformation and ensure the integrity of information in an era of digital manipulation.

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Here’s what to consider and a few tips for running your company effectively during an election year.

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Encouraging your team to be problem solvers is a better way to build trust and keep them engaged in the process. Unleashing your full potential as a leader begins with having the willingness to embrace your own humility and enable others to shine. Empowering others to find the right solutions when they are faced with business challenges is an essential part of delegating responsibilities and building stronger teams. When it comes to helping direct reports develop decision-making strategies at work,16 experts from Fast Company Executive Board agree that it is much better to "coach" people rather than "manage." This is how potential successful leaders continue to grow.

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Business experts share what it takes to manage a company and its people. Leading an organization to success can be a tremendous amount of pressure, but managing teams and being a positive influence on how they see the institution can be an even trickier balance to strike—whether you are new or seasoned when it comes to guiding direct reports in the workplace. Here, 16 Fast Company Executive Board members each talk about the most important thing they have learned in their current role about how to lead others in an organization or department.

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9 best practices for business leaders looking to implement transformational software. Developing a company culture that is focused on bridging the communication gap between your employees who work on-site, remotely, or choose a hybrid solution that is flexible with their lifestyle is a smart move in today's business environment. However, if you're reviewing the latest software that could be a game changer in terms of high-performance levels, don't make any major department or company updates until you've got the right data in hand to make your case.  Gathering some practical feedback about your team members' workflow needs is another good place to start before introducing a new software program that may or may not be a good fit for your establishment. Here, nine experts from Fast Company Executive Board each provide one way for company leaders to design a better workplace experience through the current worktech products and services available on the market.  

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Documenting customer success experiences is vital to B2B tech companies' marketing and sales strategies. However, companies often face several challenges in this process.

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Smaller brands have more leverage than they realize. It's time to tap into it. It may seem like an uphill battle when you are just starting out in business, underfunded and/or understaffed. But the good news is that, as a small business, your company doesn't have to feel pressured to keep up with the big guys in the market. Instead, reflect on the benefits of your company's flexibility to cultivate a more meaningful niche that will meet the needs of consumers who are being overlooked in the industry you intend to serve. Here, experts from Fast Company Executive Board weigh in on the various ways that smaller businesses can still compete against big ones without having a mega-corporate budget.

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Here's what 11 thought leaders suggest aspiring entrepreneurs consider before they go all in on a digital fundraiser. If you are trying to launch a business and are strapped for cash, crowdfunding is a viable option that many successful entrepreneurs have invested their time and hope in to get their new venture off the ground and running. The process of asking for help publicly on social media platforms may sound pretty straightforward, but there is a lot more at risk, including your long-term reputation. Below, 11 experts from Fast Company Executive Board offer one factor that every entrepreneur should consider if they are thinking about starting a crowdfunding campaign to launch their new business.

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Five impactful change management strategies, plus best practices for avoiding pitfalls to help you weather the storm.

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Here's how to grow your audience with effective advertising. In today's tight economy, consumers and business owners alike are taking a closer look at their spending habits and evaluating which purchases make the most sense to invest in right now as they continue to hope for brighter days ahead.  Here, 16 Fast Company Executive Board members each share one idea to help company leaders and their teams create more engaging advertising and think outside the box so that more potential customers will be interested in spending their hard-earned money on their products or services.

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Here's how to improve your productivity and decision-making skills in 2024. Leading a successful corporation in the business sector or a nonprofit that is making an incredible impact on the local and greater community it serves sounds impressive and rewarding; however, it takes plenty of tenacity to maintain industry relevance and a different mindset to make smart business decisions. As the marketplace continues to transform itself in the new normal, managers may be feeling overwhelmed and burned out by all of the tasks piled on their plates to keep up with the changing consumer demands in an uncertain economic climate. To prevent them from high-stress levels, feelings of anxiousness, or seconding-guessing themselves when it comes to decision making, 16 experts from Fast Company Executive Board each offer one tip that could help company leaders get the support they need, which will change the course of their organization for the better.

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Modern companies should think beyond traditional philanthropic efforts and find ways to make a real difference for the people they serve. As consumers become more focused on brands that practice corporate social responsibility, more and more companies are finding impactful ways to make a positive mark on their local communities. Forward-thinking businesses are spearheading work programs, offering financial assistance, and nurturing entrepreneurial talents in their neighborhoods. Here, Fast Company Executive Board members discuss the strategies companies can adopt to contribute to their local communities in an impactful way. Follow their recommendations to create a lasting and meaningful change in your community beyond your bottom line.

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Here's what marketing teams are counting on to improve their client conversion rates this year. With the landscape of B2B marketing changing at a rapid pace, creative content leaders and teams need to stay ahead of the curve if they want to gain brand recognition among prospective clients in the marketplace. As we head into the new year, 19 Fast Company Executive Board members each offer one trend that they are most excited about and why other leaders should keep an eye on as well to promote their growth of business throughout the entire year.

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Finding startup investment capital doesn't have to be an obstacle to your success. Securing the necessary investment funds to kickstart your venture can be a challenge that even the most capable entrepreneurs face. However, with the right networking strategies and preparation, startup founders can raise enough capital to reach their desired growth stage. Below, 15 Fast Company Executive Board members discuss a variety of methods and approaches budding entrepreneurs can utilize to access the funding they need. Here are their top-recommended strategies to turn your business dreams into a profitable reality.

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Balance your core ‘bread and butter’ with diverse revenue options. When a business is faced with economic uncertainty in a competitive environment, it may be tough to gauge whether the right decisions are being made to ensure a stable future for the company and its team. The importance of leaning into what you know and are already successful at may seem like the obvious choice of action, but it's also important to recognize a good opportunity to bring in additional revenue when you see one. This may be the key to helping elevate your core business and continue to keep your brand at the forefront of the industry and top of mind for current and potential customers. Here, 16 experts from Fast Company Executive Board each share one strategy that can help company leaders future-proof their business in an unstable marketplace.

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Implement these innovations to give yourself back the time you deserve. In business, the saying goes: "Why reinvent the wheel when you don't have to?" As the digital revolution continues to rise, there are so many new technologies available at our fingertips to make work and home life more efficient.  Here, 20 Fast Company Executive Board members discuss one innovation that has influenced and improved the way they balance professional and personal responsibilities each day.

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Whether you're building a small, medium, or large business, developing a credible company reputation that potential clients and customers can rely on is what truly matters at the end of the day. If you are just starting in business, it's oftentimes difficult to book and retain your first major client if they're not familiar with your work.  Below, 20 Fast Company Executive Board members weigh in on the best ways to exceed customer expectations and create long-lasting loyalty—giving you the boost in credibility you need to win over potential clients.

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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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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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Implement these tips to quiet the noisy holiday promo rush and bring attention back to your company.  “Keeping up with the Joneses” seems synonymous with the ability to maintain a successful brand among some of your biggest competitors in a tight economy. Pulling out all the stops, especially during the busy season of holiday advertising campaigns, company leaders are striving to compel consumers to pay closer attention to their business' latest products and services. Based on their own experiences, the experts from Fast Company Executive Board realize that if you're trying to build long-term customer loyalty and strengthen positive brand recognition, sometimes it's not about following the latest holiday trends at all. Instead, it's about understanding what your clients and potential customers need right now and how remaining authentic as a brand can better demonstrate a company's ability to deliver satisfying results that urge people to return throughout the year. Here are 18 suggestions they highly recommend other leaders to explore.

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Here's what to do when the best-laid business plans of leadership and teams suddenly go awry.  For many business leaders and their teams, the month of August is an essential time for them to assess how the first half of the year went. Are the current strategies that they have in place really working? It's also a time to set (or reset) their goals and objectives for the upcoming year.  Keeping all that in mind, sometimes plans, unfortunately, fall by the wayside or may require some unexpected tweaking depending on external factors like market conditions, customer needs, or technological innovation. That's why it's important to remain flexible and have an open mind about how to pivot correctly when necessary, considering the current situation of your department or organization. Here, 16 Fast Company Executive Board members offer their solutions to help other business leaders and teams stay focused even when their initial plans begin to get sidetracked or fail altogether.

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By implementing creative approaches, B2B companies can cultivate stronger alignment between their sales and marketing teams.

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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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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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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 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 share their best strategies for implementing technology solutions at work without breaking the bank. Whether you are an early-stage startup organization with limited capital or a large company that is suddenly facing financial uncertainty, no matter how you look at it, the ability to utilize innovative technology to advance your team's capability to serve client needs will move your company forward—but this can be difficult to do when working with a limited budget There are still steps you can take, however. Below are 11 methods that Fast Company Executive Board members recommend implementing when searching for the right technology to invest in, despite any current budget constraints.

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Preparing adequately for a team collaboration and brainstorming session is essential to ensure that everyone is on the same page and that the session is productive.  Collaboration and brainstorming are critical components of many successful projects. However, they can be challenging to execute effectively. Below, a panel of Fast Company Executive Board members offers some tips to help you prepare for a team collaboration and brainstorming session that can lead to more successful outcomes. Whether you're working on a project with colleagues or leading a team, these tips can help you get the most out of your collaboration and brainstorming sessions.

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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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Even the most successful companies can make missteps, and when those mistakes involve leadership, the consequences can be severe. A company's reputation is a crucial asset that can take years to build but can be destroyed in an instant. Negative publicity and online backlash can quickly spread after leadership mistakes, causing irreparable damage to a company's reputation. However, there are steps that a company can take to clean up its negative business reputation online and regain the trust of its clients. To help, a panel of Fast Company Executive Board members recommended some effective strategies that can help turn things around and get your business back in the good graces of potential and current clients, even after past leadership missteps.

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Sometimes, the biggest business challenges can yield the most valuable lessons for future success. Running a successful business is not just about profits and revenue. It also involves learning from mistakes and setbacks that might seem devastating at the time. The good news is that some of the most challenging lessons a business can face can ultimately be the ones that bring about the most significant improvements. These lessons can come from a variety of sources, such as unexpected failures, market shifts, or even internal conflicts. Below, 16 Fast Company Executive Board members get candid about some of the most difficult lessons they've learned as leaders and how those lessons have ultimately resulted in positive business outcomes.

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Do your homework before you dive in. It's easy to get caught up in buzzwords and jump on the bandwagon when a trend has gone viral. However, in the business world, it's typically a smarter move if company leaders and teams tread the waters lightly to gauge customer sentiment and observe how other influences are leading the way in their approach. One way or the other, only time will tell which direction a popular fad may take as a fleeting trend or long-lasting opportunity—so it's best to err on the side of caution and learn from others' mistakes before you commit to a growing movement too quickly.  Below, 10 Fast Company Executive Board members share their tips on the best way to gauge whether or not a business trend is worth putting into motion.

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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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With all the voices in today’s digital landscape, it seems unusual that more genuine thought leaders don’t stand out from the crowd–people recognized for their authoritative, influential views.

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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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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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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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Implement these methods to distribute newsworthy information, solidify manager-team engagement, and build a culture of trust. When you're responsible for leading a company, whether small or large, it's necessary to find a cohesive way to deliver the internal high points and low points through effective communications, and timing is everything to maintain employee loyalty.  In addition, leaders should learn to utilize multiple platforms for their staff members to engage in, based on their comfort level, once they receive the information. This approach enables managers to separate news that is "nice to know" from the "absolutely must know" right now. Below, 12 experts from Fast Company Executive Board share their best practices to prevent executives from missing the moment.

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Try these tips to nurture current B2B or B2C relationships and attract new ones. For more than a decade, social media has quickly emerged as one of the most dynamic ways for companies to connect with their clients and address their concerns in real time.  Not only are marketing teams utilizing their ability to showcase the brand's latest products and services, other business leaders are leaning in to make themselves visible as a trusted thought leadership source in uncertain times. Below, 11 experts from Fast Company Executive Board discuss their strategies to help managers elevate their communication tactics by expanding their audience on some of their highest-performing social media channels.

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Regardless of a company’s age or growth stage, clear values go a long way in contributing to its success.