Sonja Wasden

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Give your employees the flexibility they need to thrive with these unique offerings and strategies. Numerous studies have found that employees not only value flexibility in the workplace, but they also thrive when they actually receive it. While hybrid and remote work arrangements have become increasingly commonplace, organizations continue to explore unique and uncommon ways to provide even more flexibility. Companies that do this are more likely to attract and retain a workforce that's both productive and highly satisfied. To help businesses support their teams, 20 members of Newsweek Expert Forum share out-of-the-box offerings and strategies to give employees the flexibility they crave.

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While business can sometimes seem like an extrovert’s playground, introverted leaders can network effectively with other professionals to build lasting relationships. As a leader, being able to make solid connections with professionals in and outside of one’s industry is key to running a successful business. Though introverted leaders may dread networking, the long-term benefits of cultivating both personal and professional business relationships can significantly boost a business and give a leader access to new opportunities.  From scouting potential contacts online to joining community organizations with a focus on their hobbies, there are numerous ways for reserved leaders to put themselves out there without it being too much of an obstacle. Below, 18 Newsweek Expert Forum members offer advice on how introverted leaders can overcome the challenge of networking while making it more natural and fun.

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Even the most experienced of leaders can struggle when it comes to managing several different priorities. Between catering to the needs of customers, ensuring employees are engaged, remaining true to the values of the organization and staying compliant on changing laws, running a business naturally requires entrepreneurs to balance several different priorities all at once. No matter how experienced a leader is or how top-notch their juggling skills are, any person would struggle with these responsibilities. Stepping outside of the mindset that they have to handle everything alone is a key first step for many leaders. Below, 12 Newsweek Expert Forum members each share one additional approach leaders can take when managing multiple projects and priorities.

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Developing a process to manage your sales pipeline helps ensure the business is constantly operating at maximum efficiency. The management of a business’s sales pipeline is continuous work that never really finishes. From prospecting potential customers and closing deals to checking in with customers and generating new leads, sales is a process in which leaders must take care to ensure there is a set structure in place for both finding new prospects and retaining existing ones. Investing time and effort into improving sales process management is a great way to increase efficiency, but knowing where and how to implement changes that will make a difference isn’t a simple task. To help, 12 Newsweek Expert Forum members share strategies for how leaders can effectively approach managing a business's sales pipeline.

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Creating a culture that actively encourages employees to generate and share ideas is a great way to keep your company competitive in the market. Once an employee has been in an organization for enough time, the fresh perspective they brought with them may start to dwindle. Learning more about the organization and the clients it serves as well as becoming entrenched in already established systems can make it difficult to branch out, especially if leadership isn’t open to making real changes that impact the business in significant ways. Contrary to popular belief, the best ideas don’t necessarily always have to come from the top, and devising ways to keep employees part of the conversations happening within an organization can only lead to business wins. To help leaders create a workplace culture that fosters innovation, 12 Newsweek Expert Forum members share methods they've adopted for keeping their teams curious and innovative.

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In order to keep up with the amount of fresh online content needed today, businesses need a defined content creation process. From blog posts and photos to TikToks and Reels, businesses today have a lot of options available when it comes to engaging with clients and consumers online. However, with so many platforms to create content for on an ongoing basis, content creation can eventually start to feel like a never-ending process that no longer sparks joy like it used to. For leaders not directly involved in this aspect of the business, this problem may not be taken as seriously because they don’t see the value content provides, but current and prospective customers will be able to tell when a business is only interested in getting something out. That’s why it’s essential to implement a creative process that keeps content fresh and valuable for consumers. To help, the members of Newsweek Expert Forum offer recommendations to help business leaders navigate the seemingly endless grind of creating content.

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Each and every challenge brings with it the opportunity to learn and grow as an entrepreneur. When a leader is dealing with an obstacle, thinking of the lasting value of that business challenge isn’t usually what comes to mind in the heat of the moment. However, once a leader has had time to reflect, each and every challenge has the potential to positively impact their organization going forward.  Below, a panel of Newsweek Expert Forum members share specific challenges business owners faced and how leaders can use those experiences as a moment to learn and make lasting changes.

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Taking the time to mitigate stress can lead to a more productive work environment. Between tight deadlines, a heavy workload and multiple priorities that have to be juggled, stress tends to become part of the everyday work routine. Unmanaged stress, regardless of the cause, can eventually take a heavy toll. While some stress is natural, taking steps to mitigate it and its negative impact can prevent it from completely tanking your quality of life. Below, the members of Newsweek Expert Forum share strategies for handling feelings of stress at work.

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Changing a company’s mental health culture starts as a top-down process.

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Focusing on developing the skills of employees can also benefit employers. Organizational leaders have the unique position of driving business goals, but employees are the true lifeblood of an organization. A successful business meets those business goals by providing needed products and services to customers, but if employees aren’t motivated to do their best, the chances of true success are slim to none. Managers that place an emphasis on catering to their employees’ needs and developing the skills of their workforce are more than likely to create an environment that produces and retains top-notch employees. To help leaders bring out the best from the employees working with and below them, a panel of Newsweek Expert Forum each share tips on how to build a supportive work environment.

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Building long-lasting relationships with peers requires moving away from competition and toward supporting their successes. In a business setting, it’s difficult not to think of your peers as competition. Whether they are within your immediate team or running their own company with an offering similar to yours, it’s inevitable that you’ll begin comparing yourself to them, assuming that their every success may mean lost opportunities for you. The true reality is that people can occupy the same spaces at the same time without feeling threatened by one another. The first step is recognizing that no matter how similar a situation may seem, no two people walk the same path. To help professionals escape from a competitive mindset and build healthy relationships, 10 Newsweek Expert Forum members give advice on how to connect with peers without comparing yourself to their successes.

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When you're feeling stressed, taking a step back to reassess the situation can provide clarity for your next step forward. From the demand that all tasks be handled in a timely manner to the pressure that comes from needing to constantly communicate with stakeholders, a job can often add a significant level of stress to a professional’s life.  Relieving this burden is essential, but the challenge is not getting overwhelmed and confused about how to get everything done with a growing list of tasks that need your attention. To help, a panel of Newsweek Expert Forum members each share one coping tactic to use when you’re feeling overwhelmed with work and life.

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Without focus on providing employees with clear communication, leaders risk company goals being not achieved.  As a company grows, it’s critical that everyone from the top down has a thorough understanding of what objectives the entire organization is working toward. A leader who prioritizes communicating the vision and goals is essential to ensuring that employees truly feel connected to the work they are doing. However, determining the most effective way to communicate company objectives can be difficult. Below, nine Newsweek Expert Forum members share their perspectives on the best way for a leader to clearly communicate the vision and goals of the company with current and potential employees.

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Knowing how to manage and track department goals can help leaders ensure objectives for the wider company are also being met.  A new year offers businesses the opportunity to set both company-wide and department-specific goals. As each department works toward achieving set objectives, tracking progress can help ensure short- and long-term goals are on the right track and moving in the right direction for the entire organization.  Though knowing how to manage and track the goals of each department alone is difficult, the challenge also lies in how leaders can do those tasks efficiently while also balancing the achievement of goals set for the wider company. To help, 10 Newsweek Expert Forum members share recommendations on effective methods companies can adopt to better track department-specific goals in the New Year.

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The bottom line is building a mentally healthy culture in your organization is good for your employees and good for your business. 

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Prioritizing the development of leadership skills helps build organizations that can last long term. Business leaders today can no longer rely solely on the skills that have always brought organizational success. Instead, as the world continues to change significantly, the focus for leaders must be on strengthening existing skills and continually developing new skills to be able to build connected teams and long-lasting organizations.  To help deepen understanding of what skills will be needed in the future, the members of Newsweek Expert Forum each share one skill that business leaders should actively work on to level up their leading abilities.

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Minor workplace disagreements left unchecked have the potential to quickly become completely unmanageable. Workplace conflicts are an inevitable part of working with people. As such, leaders need to have a proactive plan in place for handling these conflicts when they arise between employees. Disagreements left unchecked increase the chances of a conflict escalating, negatively impacting the culture of the company and creating a toxic environment as a result. To help leaders deal with workplace disagreements before they spiral out of control, the members of Newsweek Expert Forum share how to effectively de-escalate and mediate workplace conflicts when they arise.