Keeping Remote Teams Cohesive | Blackstone's Looming Windfall | Inside Wells Fargo's Tech Strategy

Plus: Meet America’s Best Large Employers 2021

Negotiating the future of work continues to be a main focus of so many C-suite executives right now. Conversations invariably swing back to attempts to answer the question, “What’s the best approach?” And CEOs, CIOs, CMOs and CFOs all come at that issue with their own unique vantage points and angles in terms of what will work, when and why. Stories this week speak to that continually pressing issue: The impact on team dynamics, specific effects on sales teams and top strategic planning priorities take center stage in our featured posts.

Elsewhere in Forbes, be sure to check out a major new editorial initiative, out today: the launch of the first installment of the Forbes Next 1000, a first-of-its-kind initiative spotlighting ambitious sole proprietors, self-funded shops and pre-revenue startups redefining the American dream.

Comings & Goings

The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions approved former Boston Mayor Marty Walsh’s nomination to be the new secretary of labor, greenlighting his nomination for approval by the full Senate. Walsh has consistently portrayed himself as a centrist who can walk the line between business and labor interests.

Leadership & Strategy

The pandemic may have propelled remote work into the mainstream, but businesses should approach permanent adoption with caution: The distance and isolation that are often characteristic of telecommuting have the power to seriously disrupt group cohesion and problem solving.

Managing a remote sales team comes with its own unique set of challenges. As much as employees need copious communication and support, they also need autonomy. It’s not an easy balance to strike, but these steps can help you find it.

Long-term work arrangements are one of many variables at play for businesses conducting post-pandemic strategic planning. From determining staffing needs to building flexibility into supply chains, here’s a rundown of top strategic planning priorities.

By The Numbers

$619 billion

Assets controlled by the Blackstone Group.

Bumble’s recent $2.2 billion IPO made a billionaire of its founder Whitney Wolfe Herd, but the biggest winner may be investment firm Blackstone, which bought Bumble’s parent organization for $2 billion in late 2019. Even more, it might be sitting on a gold mine of similar opportunities.

The CxO Profile

Across Forbes