Tina Hodges, CEO and Chief Experience Officer, Advance Financial

Employee engagement may sound like a workplace trend or HR buzz term, but when embraced by company leadership and planned strategically, it’s anything but a fleeting concept.

Taking a holistic approach to employee engagement is a sound business practice even today when digital engagement beckons and entices. People are what make up the heart of every company, and there’s never been a more critical time for open and honest dialogue with employees. Local economies are becoming world economies, and technology is forcing all industries to evolve in order to stay relevant.

Mike Morris, CEO, Topcoder

A great deal of our success at Topcoder can be attributed to strong company culture, and as CEO, building this culture is always top of mind. When Topcoder, now the world’s largest workforce marketplace for digital innovation, launched in 2001, we quickly realized culture was just as important to our success as our business plan. Our culture comes from two simple steps: focusing on open communication and celebrating success to foster a positive work environment.