Ferguson will spin off its British operations sometime in 2020, pending shareholder approval. The announcement comes ahead of CEO John Martin's Nov. 19 departure.

Logistics companies predict that technology will continue to transform the industry, with more than 80% of respondents to a Front survey planning to spend more on software during the next two years and explore automation. "You don't have to overhaul your entire supply chain or install robots before you can see efficiency gains from automation," Front researchers said.

Splash Chief Strategy Officer Amy Barone talks about how business-to-business experiential marketing must cater to customers who now have much higher expectations and offers advice on how to improve event marketing. "People expect business events to be thoughtful and creative in their experience design, and when companies fall short of this expectation, they've missed an opportunity in the customer journey," she says.

Christa Tuttle outlines five common business-to-business content marketing mistakes and offers advice on how to fix them, covering a lack of strategy and editorial calendar. She also addresses not having sufficient knowledge about target audiences, failing to promote content effectively and missing opportunities through a lack of calls to action.

All leaders can craft a personal story that reflects their values and seeks to inspire others, writes Douglas Ready, CEO of the International Consortium for Executive Development Research. "No matter how busy you are, how many deadlines you are facing, or how many people are vying for your time, give yourself permission to reflect on what being a great leader means to you," Ready writes.

Don't wait to share news of an unpopular decision, and do so in a clear and relatable way that acknowledges conflicting points of view and projects a positive future, writes Kevin Eikenberry. "Some of the energy that the resistance creates will be reduced simply by allowing it to surface and be shared," he writes.

"Unlock the Power of Inventory Analytics: Aligning Working Capital to Customer Experience to Maximize Your Bottom Line" is based on 15 years of distribution research. It reveals the fundamentals and contemporary practices for designing the role of inventory in this era of ever-evolving new business models. You'll receive an inventory management framework, customer service metrics, a step-by-step implementation approach, real-world distributor case studies and a plan-of-action road map. Take a look by reading the introduction.

Real companies are finding real solutions and practical steps to attracting and keeping their best employees with "Optimizing Human Capital Development." You've got to have the right arsenal to keep your top performers and build your competitive advantage. Grounded in research and a data-driven approach with 18 leading distributors, this study includes 25 sets of talent best practices, 16 action steps and 62 real-world distributor examples. Read the table of contents and introduction.

Billion Dollar Company CEOs, CFOs, operation executives, CHROs, CLOs, and CIOs attend these roundtables to benchmark solutions and strategies from distribution executives who are at the top of their game. The companies invited into this community are from distribution firms that exceed $1 billion in annual sales. Participating in this 24-hour, results-focused business meeting is one of the best ways to learn from your C-suite peers in distribution -- who aren't competitors! Register today.