Distributors can overcome supply chain constraints by using e-commerce to give customers solutions and options they might not find in an offline format, says Ken Clinchy, vice president of digital for FleetPride. The truck and trailer parts distributor offers more than 1 million line items, and investing in its digital systems and warehouse practices has allowed FleetPride to connect customers with the right parts and provide accurate shipping estimates, Clinchy says.

From real-time transportation viability platforms that notify supply chain managers of truck drivers' locations to climate-control sensor technologies and asset tracking, visibility software solutions help reduce operational costs and increase profits in the food industry, writes Dan Shey with ABI Research. "Not only are these technologies helpful in optimally managing supply chain resources and adhering to food safety regulations, but they also give food retailers the flexibility needed to pivot when inevitable surprises emerge," Shey writes.

DHL has spent more than $460 million on green aviation fuels, electric vehicles and other pollution-reduction measures, but it's among firms facing challenges in selling these and other more costly measures to procurement departments and other corporate leaders, says chief executive Tim Scharwath. "If you talk to purchasing guys they have one thing to do: to get the best deal. And they get paid for less spend."

Leads for new truck drivers from Instagram jumped 324% year-over-year in 2022 and those from Facebook stories increased 165% while vertical videos were the fastest-growing social media format for driving leads, according to Conversion Interactive research. Priscilla Peters, Conversion Interactive Agency's vice president of marketing and training, says "Social media allows employer brands to really connect with drivers and other potential candidates" and notes that recruiters sitting on the social media sidelines are "realizing they've got to get in the game."

Social media expert Dorien Morin-van Dam discusses how business-to-business marketers can drive growth with an organic social media strategy focusing on great content and building community. "One of the biggest hurdles is not trusting the marketing team to be a brand voice," Morin-van Dam says, noting, "The best viral tweets and the best viral content we've seen from big companies are from social media managers sitting behind a screen just like this that have permission to fail."

Improve team communication by choosing the right medium -- whether it's email or face-to-face -- creating a safe space for everyone to feel like they can speak up, and not insisting that communication be constant, writes David Burkus. The best teams, Burkus writes, "go their separate ways and trust each other to performing independently -- which also allows each person enough time to focus and do the deep work that 'always on' environments prevent."

Sapient leadership based on a foundation of humility, trust, empowerment and shared purpose is what's needed to help companies survive in uncertain times, says Ron Gutman, co-founder of Intrivo Diagnostics. "At the end of the day, leaders would find it very challenging to lead and solve big problems alone if they don't deeply listen, empathize, and truly want to do good and then synthesize it all together," Gutman says.