Synnex's Technology Solutions business saw record performance in the fiscal fourth quarter, with revenue increasing 13.9% year-over-year to $6.1 billion. Overall, Synnex posted net income of $215.2 million on revenue of $7.41 billion, with President and CEO Dennis Polk expecting continued growth this fiscal year with the introduction of coronavirus vaccines.

Logistics businesses bucked the trend of rising national unemployment by adding 52,900 freight transport and distribution sector jobs, 37,400 courier positions, 8,200 warehouse jobs and 7,300 trucking positions in December, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Experts say hiring is expected to continue this year due to the e-commerce boom and stronger output from manufacturers to meet consumer demand.

Because cybersecurity involves making "big, intentional decisions," molding an operations center involves "more than dropping a bag of shiny new tools and technology and then hoping for the best," writes security researcher Koen Van Impe. Van Impe examines cyberethics with this caveat: "You'll often have to deal with dilemmas for which there is no clear answer."

While it's nice to be liked by clients, salespeople should focus on building trust and respect instead of being likable, writes Bob Apollo. "Salespeople who habitually go out of their way to say and do what they hope the customer wants to hear without regard for the consequences will inevitably fail to either make the customer happy in the long run or achieve the potential of the relationship," Apollo writes.

Annual planning is just a first step, as leaders should break down that strategy into smaller components that have monthly goals, fit with organizational capacity and align with daily activities, writes Dave Coffaro. "Leader effectiveness is heavily impacted by use of discretionary time -- that portion of your calendar you do control," he writes.

Certain skills are essential for leaders, like being able to have honest conversations about difficult workplace issues, including when that means feedback on your performance, writes Todd Ordal. "If you're a senior leader and have never had an effective 360 review process, you probably have numerous career-stalling weaknesses," he writes.

In this capstone webinar for the NAW Series: How Technology Will Transform Wholesale Distribution, Ian Heller and Jonathan Bein will summarize what they learned from the research conducted with distributors, suppliers and customers. They'll provide a roadmap forward: a specific set of recommendations on the strategic actions that the distribution industry -- and individual companies -- should take to fend off competitors, outflank the disruptors and prepare to take market share and improve profitability. Register for this free Jan. 21 webinar at 2 p.m. Eastern. Sponsored by Unilog and PROS.

Don't miss NAW's first-ever Digital Summit, Jan. 27-28. Register by Jan. 15 and receive a special gift box from NAW that includes items for you to use on each day! The NAW Digital Summit is focused on helping you lead through a time of transition. You'll hear from distribution CEOs, network with your peers, get the 2021-22 economic forecast, find out what the Biden agenda means for distribution, plus much more. Use special 5- and 10-pack registrations to bring your team!

Wholesale distribution's most common credit card transaction type, card-not-present payments, face the largest fee increase in a decade. Stream the "Surcharge as a Strategy" webinar to see automated cash application technology protect margins from fees and migrate your customers' payments to lower cost transaction types including ACH and debit card payments.