Every deal can feel like a potential turning point. The right partnership, contract or investment could propel your business forward—but the wrong one can drag you down. The challenge? Knowing when to walk away. You may feel caught in the sunk-cost fallacy, pushing forward because you have invested time and energy. Or, fall into the “hope trap,” convincing yourself that things will work out despite glaring red flags. But understand this: Walking away is sometimes the smartest move you can make.

B2B leaders are accustomed to using technology to help them achieve profitable growth. Lately they’ve been looking at a technology that has the potential to accelerate sales transformations across the entire seller journey—gen AI. Gen AI can help drive outsized, profitable growth by boosting revenue generation, increasing sales productivity, and streamlining internal processes. These leaders believe the potential is great. According to McKinsey’s latest B2B Pulse Survey of B2B decision-makers

Change isn’t the problem. How we approach it is.

When was the last time your organization went six months without a major shift? For many leaders, that’s a laughable question. Over the past five years, businesses have navigated an unrelenting series of disruptions: a global pandemic, recovery strategies, the Great Resignation, inflation, economic uncertainty, and groundbreaking developments in AI. Toss in a slow-growth economy and increasingly empowered employees, and it’s clear we’re juggling transformation after transformation without a break.

Being indecisive is one of the most frustrating, unproductive behaviors you can engage in. It breeds doubt, uncertainty, and even resentment from people counting on you to make a call so they can move forward. When you let multiple options linger, it can sap everyone’s energy and make them question your ability to get things done. I’ve studied mental strength for decades and, as I lay out in my book, “The Mentally Strong Leader,” decision-making is an essential component, along with fortitude, confidence, boldness, and more.

In today’s multifaceted business world, being expert at something, by itself, is not enough to ensure your success as a leader. The ability to understand and manage both your emotions and those of others defines emotional intelligence. It is the key factor for distinguishing successful managers. Research shows that leaders who demonstrate high emotional intelligence are better able to build effective teams and increase the loyalty of their people. Simultaneously, they ensure higher levels of business performance.

While we’d like to think the secret to a fast promotion is all about doing a good job, your relationship with your boss can make or break your career. Understanding how to handle a narcissistic boss or one who plays favorites can save your job. And perfecting the art of managing up can be the key to thriving and growing your career.

Often this boils down to knowing how to communicate effectively with your boss. Here are three tips to keep in mind:

The millennial generation, now in their 30s and 40s, is a dominant consumer force that continues to shape industries and redefine consumer expectations. The Covid-19 pandemic has had lasting effects on their lives, influencing their approach to work, family, and purchasing behavior. Pre-pandemic strategies for marketing to millennials have evolved, and businesses must adapt to these changes. With millennials making up a significant portion of the U.S. consumer base and wielding considerable buying power, understanding their shifting priorities is crucial.

Of the many things that can help drive sales for your business, perhaps few could be more important than customer service. While your core products or services may get most of your attention during business planning, customer service deserves to be front and center in your operations, no matter what kind of business you run or what type of clients you serve. Quality customer service will influence the overall experience of your customers, directly impacting their satisfaction and retention rates.

In today’s rapidly evolving business landscape, the ability to adapt is not just an advantage, it’s a necessity. As buyer behaviors and expectations shift, sales operations leaders must collaborate closely with sales enablement to ensure that seller behaviors evolve in tandem. By systematically capturing and categorizing seller behaviors as either adaptive or static, organizations can pinpoint gaps where seller actions fail to align with changing buyer needs.

When your shareholders have decided that it is the right time to put your business up for sale, it is very easy to say, "Great, let's sell it to the buyer with the highest valuation." But that would be a mistake. There are several other factors that go into finding the "right" buyer for your business and your specific situation. This article will help you think through those various consideration points and provide some warnings

Almost a decade ago, I had an experience that really stuck with me. I was advising a newly hired chief financial officer with oversight over a $3.1 billion budget and over 300 people reporting into her division. I had asked her to prepare a nine-minute speech that would really rally people behind her. And there they were, all 300 souls gathered wide-eyed in the ballroom at their all-hands meeting.

Having worked with hundreds of entrepreneurs, I’ve seen how deeply the leader’s personal habits shape a company’s day-to-day environment. While some owners unintentionally undermine morale by being erratic or micromanaging, others foster a sense of trust, empowerment, and collaboration. The difference often comes down to purposeful culture-building. For example, one client of mine ran a family-owned manufacturing firm. She was highly respected for her technical know-how, but her erratic communication style created anxiety among her employees.

Everyone discusses the positive traits of leadership, such as strong communication, empathy, adaptability and vision. But leadership isn’t just about what you do well—it’s also about recognizing what’s holding you back. Negative behaviors, even subtle ones, create friction. These behaviors may not seem harmful at first glance, but over time, they suffocate morale and create a toxic work environment.

I have had countless counseling clients over the years present to me emotionally laden reactions to feeling triggered by the comments of others. You’re in a conversation, and suddenly, something the other person says makes your heart race and your muscles tense. Maybe it’s a comment from a family member, a passive-aggressive remark from a coworker, or an old friend bringing up a painful past. Instead of reacting in anger or shutting down, there’s one phrase that can help you stay in control: “That’s interesting. Tell me more.”

Your day as an Account Executive is a constant balancing act. You’re prospecting, managing your pipeline, following up, closing deals, and trying to stay calm under pressure. It’s easy to feel like there aren’t enough hours in the day. But success in this role isn’t about working harder. It’s about working smarter. By focusing on what matters most and cutting out what doesn’t, you can save time, reduce stress, and win more deals.

Getting ghosted is an unfortunate fact of sales life nowadays. Every once in a while, the conversation with a prospect is going to die down and never pick back up — but you don't have to take those fizzle-outs lying down. There are some strategies you can leverage to give yourself a fighting chance at re-engaging a prospect who seems like a lost cause.

How a business handles customer service interactions increasingly defines its online reputation, yet, according to our recent survey that gives a list of the best and worst customer service brands, many are still getting it wrong. Brand reputation and online image can draw new customers or deter them, therefore we all need to be asking, “how do we get customer service right?”

As we head into the first quarter of this new year, it’s important to kick off with a strong foundation. For me, that means taking stock of my leadership influence—specifically, how am I developing myself to this high calling of leadership? While most people evaluate their leadership based on their management skills, leadership requires more than just being a proficient manager.

I read an article recently about how more than sixty percent of people that are promoted into a position of leadership—leading people, teams, groups—have never had any type of leadership training.

A glance at the day’s headlines reveals a universal truth: Leadership matters. Whether uplifting and ethical or toxic and abusive, leaders profoundly shape our lives. And this is especially true on the job. Research consistently shows that leadership influences employees’ attitudes, behaviors and emotions, driving key organizational outcomes such as creativity, employee engagement, well-being and financial performance.

A friend reached out to me last week with a problem. He took on a new job a few months ago, but he’s also building his own business on the side and will likely leave in time—something he was clear about with his employer from the beginning. Here’s where things get tricky: He wants to start posting more content about his business on LinkedIn, but he doesn’t want to upset his employer, who may see his posts.