I am working with a experienced client who just accepted a leadership position with an organization on the other side of the country. To displace his rumbling sense of guilt at his act of “disloyalty” – did he place his own career interests ahead of his allegiance to his current organization where he has been treated well for the past 13 years? – [...]
I am on vacation this week on Cape Cod. It has been a very hot summer, and I was looking forward to a pleasant week of relaxation, enjoying the warm sun, long walks on the miles of golden beaches, biking along the sand dunes and indulging in fresh seafood and summer ice cream cones as [...]
I am reading the novel Parrot and Olivier in America, by Peter Carey. It is based on the travels of a young French nobleman, Alexis de Tocqueville, who visited the United States in the early 1800s and wrote about the young country.
Organizations large and small benefit from the use of retained executive searches. Each nonprofit, and even each department within a nonprofit, has a unique set of leadership needs, and retained search is one way to plan an organization’s future. For the use of a retained search to be effective, it is important for clients to [...]
In preparation for an upcoming workshop I am conducting with a Board of Directors, I have been rereading the excellent book Difficult Conversations by Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton and Sheila Heen. The need for this workshop arose during the last Board Meeting I facilitated when it became clear that the work of the Board, and consequently of the organization, was hampered by poor communication.
As a recruiter for the nonprofit sector, I often find that candidates see my role as one of a sentinel hired to prevent them from gaining even just a glimpse at a dream job opportunity. But, it doesn’t have to be that way! By understanding the roles and relationships of all participants in the job search process, everyone can benefit. In my next post, I’ll address how clients can best work with a recruiter. Today’s focus is on the relationship between the recruiter and the candidate.
People often adopt a myopic attitude at work. They focus on what they, themselves, need to do, lock themselves into their own universe and are often blissfully unaware of the impact they have on other team members or stakeholders. Communications are scattered via cyberspace, and electronic noise proliferates while human voices grow silent. Unity, community and alignment [...]
A client of mine was told that, in order to be promoted, she needs to demonstrate greater “Executive Presence”, which is the new buzz-word phrase in Leadership Development circles. But, she is puzzled about what exactly that means. It seems to be an elusive quality, and different people have different interpretations and opinions of what it actually is. This is my attempt to come up with a common framework for recognizing and developing “Executive Presence”.
Last week, a client contacted me with the question, “How should I update my resume to meet this market?” I quickly realized that talking about updating the resume is just the beginning of the story because when seeking a new position, it’s not just about the resume anymore. It’s about making sure all written and media materials are in perfect alignment.
But, what does that mean?
Take a minute and survey all of the ways you are “out there” and accessible online (or all of the ways you could be …).
Giving, gathering and receiving feedback is on my mind this week as I have conducted thirty six interviews with managers, peers and direct reports of six of my executive coaching clients, five of whom are ending a six month program and one of whom is at the start of hers. Indeed, feedback is on my mind! Feedback [...]
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