Too many employees know what it’s like to work for a boss who’s more focused on the bottom line than on the people who actually get the work done. Servant leadership turns that all-too-common scenario on its head. It focuses on the needs of employees, customers, and other stakeholders instead of focusing on their own needs. Here’s a secret: Research shows that this leadership style can enhance team performance and satisfaction.

Effective team communication does more than pass information along. It strengthens relationships, builds trust, and aligns people toward a shared purpose. A leader’s ability to communicate well can shape the culture of an entire organization. Some leaders make the mistake of thinking communication is about speaking well. Great communication, however, is about connection. Every leader has a message to share, but not every leader knows how to ensure that message is heard, understood, and acted upon.

Most of us think great marketing is all about closing the deal, but what if telling people they don’t have to buy is the real secret? Maybe you’ve experienced this too, that moment when someone shares an idea that feels so against your instincts, you want to reject it outright. That’s what happened when my friend, behavioral scientist Nancy Harhut, introduced me to her counterintuitive marketing strategies last year at SXSW.

The most basic definition of success is simply achieving your goals. But it’s an interesting paradox. If you focus only on the end point, you might actually be hindering your ability to achieve those desired results—especially when it comes to your sales model. Experienced sales executives know that to transform an organization, a strategic sales review provides the foundation for success.

In our fast-paced and volatile environment, every leader is now a change leader. The time when leaders could operate in isolation, focusing on the day-to-day without acknowledging the rapid pace of change, has long passed. Whether you're at the helm of a Fortune 500 company, a mid-level manager or an emerging entrepreneur, your role as a catalyst for change is more critical than ever before. But what makes a great change leader?

Micromanagement isn't just a corporate buzzword, but if you haven’t experienced it personally, you might not fully understand just how negatively it can affect employees. You also might be micromanaging without even realizing it. Here’s how micromanagement affects individual employees, teams, and organizations. What is Micromanaging?

Sooner or later, almost all of us will find ourselves trying to cope with how to manage conflict at work. At the office, we may struggle to work through high-pressure situations with people with whom we have little in common. We need a special set of strategies to calm tempers, restore order, and meet each side’s interests.

When tasked with implementing large-scale organizational change, leaders often give too much attention to the what of change — such as a new organization strategy, operating model or acquisition integration — not the how — the particular way they will approach such changes. Such inattention to the how comes with the major risk that old routines will be used to get to new places. Any unquestioned, “default” approach to change may lead to a lot of busy action, but not genuine system transformation. Through their practice and research, the authors have identified the optimal ways to conceive, design, and implement successful organizational change.

The pandemic changed the world and customer expectations, and the most successful companies recognize that their customer experience needs to change in turn. But many leaders are deploying the same digital customer experience (CX) strategies that they used in 2019, thereby risking customer defection and dissatisfaction at a time when they can least afford it. This article addresses three common CX missteps, and strategies to address them before your competitors seize the opportunity. By engaging cross-functional teams in CX discussions and understanding customer values, leaders can ensure that their brand remains relevant for years to come.

Why the real key to success in this business is being a chameleon. Lately, it seems as if I've been inundated with requests for advice. Whether it be from Gen Z newcomers to the world of sales or veterans looking to hone their skills, I've been approached repeatedly by people who somehow think I know better. As good as this feels, it also makes me want to reassess what I share with those seeking counsel. And it makes me especially sensitive to the advice those same people might be getting from a Google search.

In today's changing economic landscape, businesses need solutions that can boost productivity while saving time and cutting costs. As customer expectations continue to evolve, sales teams in particular need to do more with less. The pressure is on to close more deals and meet sales targets today. But at the same time, sales teams also need to identify opportunities for tomorrow. Tiffani Bova, Global Customer Growth and Innovation Evangelist at Salesforce, calls this dual challenge the ‘seller’s dilemma’.

As we enter 2023, it's clear that we are entering an altered business paradigm driven as much by new technology represented by electric vehicles and the metaverse as it is by anachronistic conflicts such as the one instigated by the Russian Federation. The global recession, ongoing war in Ukraine and increased credit rates have all presented new challenges for businesses looking to grow. However, it's important to remember that adversity can also present opportunities for growth and innovation.

The past few years have created renewed awareness of the importance of employee development and overall employee experience. Senior leaders are looking to learning and development (L&D) to guide skills development, skills data, upskilling, reskilling, and mobility, to meet the needs of their ever-changing business environments. A Redthread report indicates that L&D has established itself as an enablement partner in strategic discussions and organizational culture change.

Customer satisfaction is at its lowest point in the past two decades. Companies must focus on 10 areas of the customer experience to improve satisfaction without sacrificing revenue. The authors base their findings on research at the ACSI — analyzing millions of customer data points — and research that we conducted for The Reign of the Customer: Customer-Centric Approaches to Improving Customer Satisfaction.

The fifth edition of Salesforce’s State of the Connected Customer report reveals how trust, personalisation, and digital-first experiences are increasingly central to meeting customer needs. Based on a global survey of consumers and business buyers, the report also highlights how customer expectations and behaviours have changed over time.

A simple take on prices is that they are an obstacle toward the purchase of a desired product or service. Companies, therefore, see a legitimate need to reduce “friction” in the transaction, which they accomplish by reaching into a seemingly bottomless bag of tricks, ranging from the subtle to the egregious.

Anytime you're selling, you're trying to balance the price you're asking for with the amount of value you're providing your customer. If you want to get the highest price possible, for instance, your goal is to convince your customer of the amount of value they're getting in exchange.

The reporter gig has its perks. We get a front-row seat to the most influential people on our beats, sometimes the most influential on the planet. We get paid to learn—and share the best lessons with you. Interviewing business leaders in 2021 has given us incredible access to America’s top bosses as they navigated a complex, volatile and remarkable year.

When it comes to leadership development, the business case for investing in the “best” given limited organizational resources appears straightforward: Individuals who have a demonstrated track record of success deserve to be recognized, right? They also seem like sure bets who will benefit the most from development opportunities because they have the requisite experience and capabilities to grow. But the individuals who receive the most development are often the ones who arguably need it the least.

‘Just in time’ manufacturing has become next to impossible in a period of supply chain disruption and material shortages. In the same way, organisations can no longer take a ‘just in time’ approach to talent acquisition during a period of talent scarcity. It’s time to get creative about how you recruit, retain and reskill your people.