Small and medium-sized distributors don't have the scale of larger competitors but can succeed by moving more quickly and maximizing the resources and technology they do possess, writes Amanda Honig of Zebra Technologies. One example is getting a handle on real-time information within the business, then using that to drive task management and cross-training so "workers gain versatile insights and skillsets that make them even more valuable contributors to your organization," Honig writes.

Some steps distributors should implement this year include improving their ability to have customers buy online and pick up at stores, adding light manufacturing with 3D printers and developing better product content, writes Unilog executive Joe Bennett.

Water instability, ocean freight bottlenecks and greater regulatory scrutiny are among the top five supply chain risks facing global companies this year, according to a risk report by Everstream Analytics. The shift to just-in-case inventory systems and concerns about workplace safety and worker compensation need to be considered as well, the report says.

Sales leaders must actively avoid stagnation and settling for less, whether it involves win rates, prospecting or training results, writes David Brock. Just as ideal customers seek continuous improvement from new offerings and ideas, sellers must also not settle for the status quo, Brock writes.

Some 58% of business-to-business marketers are not confident or just somewhat confident in their company's processes to make sure the right salesperson receives an inbound lead, according to an Openprise study. In addition, just 35% have total confidence in their company's lead-scoring methods.

Strategic goals can only be realized by empowering middle managers "to construct and maintain a local, contextual governance," allowing them the time to understand and implement top-down strategies, writes sociologist Erhard Friedberg. "All top management can do is to prevent the various work-contexts to diverge too much in their trajectories, and that itself is a big, often superhuman job," Friedberg writes.