Will Conaway

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There’s never been a time when building strong, collaborative teams hasn’t mattered to tech leaders. But there’s also never been a time when it’s been quite as challenging as it is now. With so many team members working in hybrid or remote arrangements, the traditional workplace chats at the water cooler, office pop-ins and in–person socializing have become increasingly rare or, in some cases, have vanished altogether. With so many tech teams working away from each other on a daily basis, it’s especially important for tech leaders to develop and leverage strategies to build a culture of collaboration and knowledge-sharing—otherwise, it’s inevitable that not only team silos, but also personal ones, will develop. Here, 15 industry leaders from Forbes Technology Council share practical, actionable ways a tech leader can create and foster a culture of cross-collaboration and knowledge sharing among their tech team members.

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An innovative product, like any product, needs to have a target market and be aligned with the dynamics of that market.

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For the past two years, many tech leaders have had their hands full in helping their companies rapidly adopt remote work arrangements, followed in many cases by the efforts needed to permanently support either full- or part-time remote work. In addition to handling the technical details of the shift, many IT leaders have had to evolve their own established leadership and team-building methods to reflect the realities of the new virtual workplace. Tech leaders and professionals must not only learn to build and sustain a cohesive culture in a digital environment, but they must also maintain the challenging pace and quality standards their work has always demanded. Here, 16 industry leaders from Forbes Technology Council share their tested tips to help other tech leaders ensure they and their teams succeed in a remote workplace.

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Even those not working in or closely connected to the tech industry have likely heard of the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation and the California Consumer Privacy Act, one of the first state-level laws of its kind in the U.S. These two high-profile regulations are intended to protect citizens’ data and privacy in an increasingly digital world. While they may be the vanguard of global tech-related legislation, GDPR and CCPA are not comprehensive, and they won’t be the only tech-related laws global companies will need to comply with. New and proposed laws—some narrowly focused and others more wide-reaching—may soon impact the way businesses operate. Below, 13 members of Forbes Technology Council discuss several tech functions and existing laws that may soon face additional government oversight.

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Many consumers think of 5G simply in terms of faster cell or Wi-Fi service. And 5G does promise significant speed upgrades: The FCC says 5G can support download speeds of up to 300 megabits per second, compared to 12 to 36 Mbps for 4G. But what does that really mean in practical terms? The FCC touts 5G’s “powerful advances in connectivity”—advances tech experts say will revolutionize everything from healthcare to gaming. With the potential to permit connected devices to exchange data nearly instantaneously, 5G may fundamentally change the way we shop, commute, travel, work and play. Below, members of Forbes Technology Council share some exciting ways 5G will soon change business and consumer technology.

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Planning and building a new product is an exciting time for a company—particularly for the project lead tasked with shaping and leading the initiative. It’s good to get the input of multiple stakeholders when planning a new product, but those stakeholders may have conflicting goals and visions—and each person or team is usually sure their ideas are essential. Without a firm hand at the wheel and a solid plan, it can be easy for a project to quickly spiral out of control. But with the right strategies, a project lead can guide an effective effort that ends in a product that’s of true value to end users—without leaving stakeholders feeling unheard. Below, 16 members of Forbes Technology Council share tips to help a project lead reconcile conflicting goals when planning a new product design.

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In today’s consumer-focused world, tech companies are becoming increasingly user-centric to better connect with their audiences. As a result, the stakes for creating a quality user experience have risen and continue to evolve quickly. Whether designing for consumers or businesses, staying ahead of UX design trends is a must for tech companies. Below, the members of Forbes Technology Council share 15 ways UX design will likely change in the next few years.

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An effective data analytics process brings many measurable benefits to businesses, providing information that can help boost productivity, improve products and services, retain customers and more. Automating the data analytics process is an especially helpful way to draw quick conclusions from your data. Leveraging machine learning is a solid step toward ongoing, impactful data analytics. Below, 10 Forbes Technology Council members share the first steps for any tech department that wants to start improving their data analytics through machine learning.

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If you ask a tech executive to talk about their top-performing developers, you might expect to hear about team members with impressive résumés—those who graduated from top-ranked schools or worked for tech giants. If so, you'd be surprised to learn tech leaders often say developers who show such traits as empathy, humor and flexibility are those who stand out as true assets. The experts of Forbes Technology Council have years of experience in leading tech teams. Below, they share 16 "surprising" traits of high-performing—and highly memorable—developers.

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All the talk in the world can’t sell software as well as seeing it in action. That’s why every software or application developer needs to plan a strong, straightforward way to demo their product. A good demo shows potential users your product’s capabilities and how it’s useful to them in a more tangible way than marketing copy alone. To help you develop one, we asked members of Forbes Technology Council to weigh in on how to create an effective software demo. Here are the 15 elements they believe your demo should have to win over prospective customers.

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As legislation regarding cybersecurity, user data and other tech topics become more widely discussed and understood, tech leaders are keeping their eyes on political headlines. The decisions made by lawmakers can set the precedent for responsible (or irresponsible) technology use, so it’s important for tech professionals to get involved and speak up to bring the right topics and policies on the table. We asked the members of Forbes Technology Council to share some advice for politically minded industry leaders who want to make sure appropriate and effective tech legislation is passed. Their best answers are below.

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Sometimes non-tech team members are wary of the IT team because they don't understand their methods, rarely interact with them directly or are intimidated by technology. If not addressed, this can lead to breakdowns in communication, inefficiencies, poor customer service and even interoffice resentment. Fortunately, tech leaders can reach out and help bridge the gap between their teams and co-workers. Below, 14 members of Forbes Technology Council share their best tips for tech leaders looking to help non-tech team members work more effectively with their IT teams.

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Summer is a slower time for many companies. As team members and clients alike are gone on vacation, workload tends to decrease. As a result, tech teams may also face fewer internal and external requests during these warmer months. If you and your IT team find yourself with fewer fires to fight, you can capitalize on this free time to tackle your backburner tasks – or even get ahead before the inevitable pickup in the fall. Below, the members of Forbes Technology Council share their favorite strategies for taking advantage of downtime.

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Recently, many companies have made the transition to remote work arrangements—some for the first time. Many tech leaders, however, are seasoned in leading remote teams, since several tech companies adopted remote work arrangements either from the beginning or early on to gain access to leading tech talent from around the globe. Their leadership teams have learned strategies for creating bonds and building unity among team members who may be located in multiple countries around the world. If you’re looking to expand your business’ borders and hire more remote employees in the future, take a look at these 13 tips from the members of Forbes Technology Council. Their advice will help you build connections and camaraderie among your team members, regardless of where they’re physically located.

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It’s more than just likely; it’s a fact that human elements affect our ability to make the right decisions.

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When you’re operating a remote team, one question that often comes up is how to keep your business information safe. Employees don’t always have the same security measures in place on their home Wi-Fi networks as you do in the office, so there may be increased risk of a data breach. As a business leader, you’ll need to help your workforce adapt to and comply with cybersecurity measures that are designed to protect sensitive company data from hackers. Below, 15 members of Forbes Technology Council share recommendations to help businesses deploy appropriate cybersecurity measures for their remote employees.

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Does the rise and advancement of technology help or hurt our intelligence?

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Between Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant, the world seems to have a lot of voice-activated assistants. Voice recognition has grown immensely from its early days as a technology and is now being integrated into an ever-growing number of devices and applications. As its popularity increases, users become more familiar with the main traits, as well as the pros and cons of voice-activated technology and its best uses. These 10 professionals from Forbes Technology Council share below what they think all consumers should know about their voice-activated technology.

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With the continuous presence of technology where everyone on the planet seems to be connected, apps have become an essential part of life. Many tech leaders would get dragged into a mire of complexity without access to their apps. From team communication to scheduling, applications provide functionality in the palm of a user's hand that was impossible before today's technologically advanced society. What are some of the apps that tech leaders swear by when it comes to performing their primary tasks? These 15 experts from Forbes Technology Council weigh in on the apps that they consider to be the most important to their day-to-day activities, regardless of if they fall under work or leisure.

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As a leader, you must be able to build a team, yet never forget the individual.

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Tech has advanced to such a point that creating wearable apps is a viable solution for many companies. However, wearable tech comes with its own expenses and limitations. Wearable technology usually needs special considerations for design and functionality. Getting any of these nuances wrong could be a costly mistake for a company. Many times, with the amount of money spent on developing the app, it's infeasible to scrap the entire project. To help businesses be aware of what they're getting into, 13 associates of Forbes Technology Council examine how companies can avoid the costliest mistakes when designing and developing wearable tech.