Disagreements in Congress over the debt ceiling are a "national embarrassment" because "the government has essentially maxed out its credit card and it now has limited ways to pay off the balance," National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors President and CEO Eric Hoplin said in a statement. The threat of defaulting on the national debt is "putting our nation at tremendous risk for economic devastation and hardship," Hoplin wrote.

United Natural Foods plans to host about 4,000 suppliers, customers, vendors and representatives of brands at its Spring and Summer Show on Feb. 7 and 8 in Orlando, Fla. "Throughout the 170,000 square feet of show floor space, retailers and suppliers can find the right selection of products, prices and people to help them optimize the spring and summer seasons," said Jillian D'Elia, senior director of event strategy for UNFI.

Any Walmart employee at the retail giant's 439 US locations can become a truck driver after completing a 12-week course, an offering that comes as the company seeks to strengthen its logistics network. The move is an expansion of a program launched last year in select markets that also pays up to $110,000 a year.

A study from the University of Michigan, supported by the Energy Department's Idaho National Laboratory, shows small modular reactors could help fuel the nation's heavy transport vehicles. Steve Aumeier, senior adviser of INL's strategic programs, says the study helps show how to "practically transition heavy transport paradigms and what technologies might provide the best value long-term."

Sellers "must fight over every last customer" in the rapidly growing business-to-business digital commerce space, writes Boris Lokschin, CEO of Spryker Systems. Lokschin notes that B2B commerce providers can take inspiration from what is working in the business-to-consumer space, and because nearly three-quarters of millennials are involved in B2B buying decisions, "there's surely no going back" to older ways of selling.

Salespeople who are self-sufficient and don't rely on the marketing department for leads will do better during slowdowns, sales consultant Colleen Francis writes. Francis outlines four strategies to get sales staff there, such as never banking on one big customer and always building relationships with additional contacts at any given client.

Leaders who allow bullies to go unchecked, set unrealistic expectations, won't offer flexible working arrangements or shun their teams' ideas can harm engagement and put "a wedge" between them and their staff, write Michael Lee Stallard and Katharine P. Stallard. "Consistently high levels of connection lead to a higher level of productivity, tighter strategic alignment, greater innovation, improved quality of decisions and greater agility," they write.

Becoming a great coach for your employees means preparing yourself ahead of time by building strong relationships with them, thinking about which style of coaching will work best for each team member and choosing effective follow-up strategies, writes Paul B. Thornton. Thornton also offers some self-coaching questions for leaders including how much coaching will be needed and when is the best time to offer it.