Sysco plans to have 2,500 electric trucks in use by the end of the decade, with a shorter-term goal of 800 by 2026, according to Chief Supply Chain Officer Marie Robinson. The foodservice distributor began consulting with electric truck manufacturers four years ago and opted to work with Daimler Truck on the Freightliner eCascadia, and it's also developing charging stations and mobile chargers, Robinson said.

Grainger Chief Financial Officer Deidra Merriwether said during a recent panel discussion that her success is due in part to support from her CEO and a good working relationship with her controller, and she hasn't let imposter syndrome or a lack of certain credentials keep her from advancing. Merriwether, who is one of the few Black women serving as Fortune 500 CFOs, added, "I would say being an 'only one' you have to have courage, and you have to feel like you belong."

Companies can overcome supply chain disruptions and achieve long-term resilience by sharing data with partners and using digital twins to find new insights, writes Eric Stajda, vice president of services and product development at LeverX. Stajda gives three additional recommendations, including diversifying the number of suppliers companies use.

Distributors can realize greater productivity gains by using artificial intelligence to cultivate what Stanford University professor Erik Brynjolfsson terms "intangible assets," such as data lakes for machine learning, overhauled data infrastructure and renovated factories, writes Benj Cohen, founder of Proton.ai. Cohen also explains how AI can improve productivity via warehouse operations, sales processes, enhanced analytics and other areas.

Bloomreach CEO Raj De Datta explains how both business-to-consumer and business-to-business marketers can personalize the e-commerce journey to boost sales by an average of 20%. De Datta's advice includes five steps to take when planning a personalization strategy.

Marketing leaders operating amid a down economy and potential budget cuts should forge closer relationships with chief financial officers, eliminate inefficient ways of operating and spending, increase speed and agility and base decisions on specific market dynamics, suggests EY's Janet Balis. "A knee-jerk reaction to simply cut marketing spend may be misplaced, particularly if the crisis is short-lived."

Finding your purpose is easier if you know it's not the same as your passion, you recognize that it doesn't need to be unique and you understand that it comes from within, writes Gregg Vanourek. "The point is living a life that lights us up and [brings] good things to those around us," Vanourek writes.

When mapping out strategy or new innovations, leaders must remember that the map can never perfectly represent the real-life challenges and obstacles that will pop up along the way, writes Tom Barrett. "This can be helpful when it comes to making changes, as it reminds us that things may not turn out exactly as we plan," Barrett writes.