WESCO's "myopic focus on the customer" has allowed it to remain strong during the pandemic, says CEO, President and Chair John Engel. Engel also discusses the company's ongoing transformation, its acquisition of Anixter and rebranding effort.

Office Depot has sold its CompuCom division to a Variant Equity Advisors affiliate for as much as $305 million. Chief Financial Officer Anthony Scaglione said the sale will allow Office Depot to focus more on its B2B business and e-commerce platform.

Automation, artificial intelligence and "just-in-time" supply chain analytics will shape data management in 2022, according to experts. "Adoption rates and revenue generated from artificial intelligence services are projected to skyrocket as ongoing issues — including the health care crisis, labor shortages and supply chain problems — continue to present considerable risks to businesses," says Zakir Hussain of EY Americas.

Autonomous trucks and driver assistance technology have the potential to improve safety in truck yards and for younger truck drivers, respectively, write Steve Banker and Chris Cunnane. However, they note that the ability of autonomous trucks, such as TuSimple's Level 4 technology, to perform to expectations remains a concern.

Data, insights and omnichannel marketing will be critical for business-to-business marketers in 2022 as the shift to digital engagement and buying continues, writes MeritB2B CEO Rob Sanchez. Sanchez explains the importance of using identity graphs to scale targeting with first-party data, how integrated insights can be a competitive differentiator and why an omnichannel strategy should focus on the channels important to your brand's particular audience.

The new year is a good time to reflect on your accomplishments and set new goals, especially if you turn the exercise into a story where you're creating the narrative and executing it, writes Ken Downer. "All this reflecting is nothing more than a pointless navel lint inspection exercise unless we apply what we learn to our actions in the future," Downer writes.

Uncertainty may make decision-making harder, but what can help is a pause for reflection, getting support from friends, and knowing that many decisions can be altered as circumstances change. "Uncertainty can be exhausting, and I've found the mere acknowledgment of that struggle is useful, and reassuring," says retired nurse Carolyn Knight.