Linde's industrial gases were involved in electronics, space exploration and the food and beverage industry this year, but the growth in clean energy projects was particularly notable and will continue next year, says Dan Yankowski, the company's senior vice president for the Americas. Linde will benefit from "growth opportunities accelerated by the US Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and Inflation Reduction Act," Yankowski says.

SpartanNash is trialing an artificial intelligence-based predictive ordering and inventory management system from Afresh Technologies for its fresh foods at 10 Family Fare stores in the Grand Rapids, Mich. area. The platform is expected to reduce food shrink and waste and boost freshness.

Walmart shoppers living near select Arizona, Florida and Texas stores can now receive same-day drone delivery of purchases weighing a maximum of 10 pounds. Over 10,000 items are available for drone delivery, including groceries.

Third-party logistics providers are expected to increase spending on robots by 133% next year -- just one of several implementations of new technology, according to a new report by logistics tech company Extensiv. 3PLs will primarily focus on tech related to billing and invoicing; mobile barcode scanning; and reporting and analytics in 2023, while 60% are using warehouse management systems to drive growth.

Sales managers can create value among their colleagues just as they nurture clients, sales expert David Brock writes. The job with clients -- helping when they're overwhelmed, presenting options, nudging them away from emotional decisions and supporting them -- is not at all different from the type of support your team members need to succeed, Brock notes.

Leaders can inspire -- and thus retain -- their top team members by making it clear how their work fulfills the company's purpose, showing enthusiasm and making sure they are facing appropriate challenges, writes Reiner Lomb, founder and CEO of BoomerangCoach. "Setting challenging yet achievable goals helps to overcome apathy that can lead to 'quiet quitting' and to inspire more engagement," Lomb writes.

Making eye contact can increase your effectiveness in meetings, one-on-ones and when speaking to an audience, but avoid lingering too long by slowly looking sideways or alternating your gaze between another person's eyes and mouth, say body language experts. Much of the research applies to Western settings and does not include much advice for the neurodivergent, warns Valerie Cantella.