"Dave, I have the answer for you!" shouted my wife Carrie.

Innovation-starved companies stuck in today’s slow-growth economic environment can look forward to better days ahead, because tech spending is going to pivot quickly to unleash their full potential in ways that many executives don’t yet realize.

It has been a shocking year for communicators. We have witnessed a stunning reversal of power between mainstream and social media: The ability to go direct to end users of information through social channels radically disrupted the mainstream news agenda.

“Your title makes you a manager, people decide if you’re a leader.” Not only is this one of my favorite quotes, it is also my personal philosophy on leadership. We all have the potential to be leaders. It has nothing to do with our title or whether we manage people, and everything to do with how we approach the world and impact the lives of people we interact with.

One of the things I enjoy most about my job is the opportunity to travel to new places, learn from others and see the world through someone else’s eyes. Reflecting on 2016, I’m struck by how many incredible people I’ve had the privilege to meet who are driving real impact in their communities and in society. Their work has moved me personally and have served as a reminder of just how much the rising digital era is empowering people to make things and make things happen. Here are the stories of a few of those who inspired me this year.

Brian Krzanich is the latest guest on the Fortt Knox Podcast: rich ideas, powerful people. iPhone and iTunes, subscribe here. Google Play, subscribe here.

It was just a few short years ago that Vine — and its catchy 6-second video format — debuted and companies raced to figure out how to cash in. Then this October, we learned the app would be officially shut down by current owner Twitter. Even before then, attention had already shifted to newer, more flexible video formats, especially streaming channels like the new giant on the block, Facebook Live.

I was invited to be one of 20 CEOs who are profiled in a new book by Peter Vanham, a contributor to Forbes and the Financial Times, called Before I Was CEO. It was the first time I really opened up with a journalist about my childhood and my career in the family business.

Editors note: The following are some of Edelman's insights from the book.

Article found on Linkedin Pulse. Originally posted on The Whole Brain Group blog.

Originally posted on Linkedin Pulse. 

What does it take to #BetheBoss ? What is a CEO ?

There are two types of bosses: Managers and leaders.

What is the real difference between a manager and a leader?