Archive for the ‘Career Development’ Category

Effective Executive On-Boarding Practices

Posted on: May 3rd, 2012 by Tamara Tasche

Depending on the source, 40% to 60% of executive hires fail in the first 6-12 months on the job.  It has been said that the failure and departure of a newly placed executive can cost between two and three times the executive’s annual salary.  For every leader that fails, there are many others who survive but never realize their potential.  Implementing an executive on-boarding program is critical to the successful integration, retention and performance of new leaders.

Effective executive on-boarding programs have certain common denominators.  They tend to be long-term (up to 12 months).  They provide multiple sources of support (internal and external).  They are customized to the individual and often provide coaching resources to shore up development areas that surfaced during the selection process.   Key stakeholders are identified and held accountable for creating and implementing a clear plan to integrate the newly hired executive within the organization.  During the on-boarding period, an individual plan for growth and performance is developed, deliverables are jointly defined for the first three months, and ongoing feedback is given so that course correction is possible.  New executives are also placed on cross-functional teams to gain strategic perspective.

Emphasis is placed on helping the new executive understand the history and culture of the organization, assessing the current state of things, building relationships and pursuing easy wins during the first three months versus putting a “stake in the ground” by driving major change.  Often a mentor is assigned to the new leader to support the on-boarding process and learning plan, identify or develop structured networking activities, and assist the newly hired executive in navigating the cultural and political landscape of the organization.

Hiring managers play a key role in the successful on-boarding of executives.  This includes delivering proactive communication – messages that address underlying emotions and help to create buy-in among internal employees who will be directly impacted by the hire – and minimizing surprises to eliminate potential distrust toward and avoidance of the new hire.  They should facilitate relationship-building with established team members.  They should create and articulate clear role definition for team members to avoid confusion, overlap, and turf wars.

New executives should also create a plan to facilitate success during on-boarding and discuss it with hiring managers.  Plan components may include:

 1.       Assessment of Current Situation – Stakeholder meetings; team / employee meetings; business or function and team assessment; short-term and long-term objectives;  early wins

2.       Accelerated Learning Plan – Cultural dynamics; industry knowledge; technical Knowledge or skills; transition to the next level of leadership

3.       Alignment Strategy – Goals and timelines; communication plan; team member role clarification

4.       Followership – Team-building; on-going stakeholder relations

5.       Corporate Championship – Identification and relationship-building

 

Given that many executives fail in their new roles, we believe that executive on-boarding is an essential process to avoid unnecessary anxiety and cost, and to facilitate the successful integration, retention and performance of new leaders.

A Tribute to the Movies

Posted on: April 5th, 2012 by Irene Rossman

One of my great passions in life is going to the movies. I don’t mind renting movies but I truly love seeing movies in the theater. This is a spiritual experience for me—the darkened theater, the hushed anticipation of the audience, the aroma of fresh popcorn, the glory of cinematography, watching great actors transcend their art into reality. I find it all thrilling. I read all of the movie reviews, and carefully evaluate movies based on the credibility of the reviewer. Academy Awards season is as important to me as any holiday and I give it my full attention. So with all of that said, you can understand my interest in W Magazine paying tribute to the movies in its spring publication. The article discusses how movies this year mirror the mood of the culture—and that we are living in a cautious, alienated, and uncertain time.

This article greatly intrigued me as I thought back on my favorite movies of the year: Moneyball, The Help, The Descendants, The Artist, Young Adult, Bridesmaids, and A Separation.  The article mentions that 2011 was not full of happy endings in movies.   The author describes the main character in Moneyball (wonderfully portrayed by Brad Pitt as Billy Beane, the real-life manager of the Oakland Athletics) “as evoking the pain of men everywhere: the startling realization that, after a lifetime of believing otherwise, your best may no longer be good enough.” Rather than the typical happy Hollywood ending, the main character successfully initiates change but comes up short in the big win. He’s faced with choices regarding his values, not necessarily popular and accepted choices. The Academy Award winner for Best Picture this year went to The Artist, a throwback to the era of black and white cinema. Jean Dujardin, who also won the Best Actor award, played George Valentin, a silent movie star who is unwilling to adjust to talkies.  “Like individuals everywhere who feel replaced by the innovations of the modern world, he fights the system. He loses. George’s happy ending is not perfect. He makes certain adjustments that allow him to return to the spotlight. It might not be what he imagined, but it is the reality he has to accept.”

We are all faced with these dilemmas in our lives. Dealing with change, adjusting to innovation, living with uncertainty, realizing the world we grew up in is a different place than what we knew, the complexity of relationships, doing our best while maintaining our values.  The world of work is a microcosm of the larger culture. Where do I fit in? If I do my best, is it good enough?  Am I keeping up, and am I adapting quickly enough to change?  And, many times, things don’t work out the way we had hoped. But we plug on.

Albert Einstein said that “imagination is more important than knowledge.” Despite uncertainty and disappointment, our imaginations allow us to persevere in finding a great job or career and never giving up on our dreams.

Going to the movies will continue to exhilarate me. It is my time to escape into magnificent story telling. Like other great art forms, movies convey the essence of our culture and the dilemmas of individuals. We can learn a great deal by reflecting and integrating some of these lessons into our own lives.

Achieve Superior Results — The Extra Degree

Posted on: March 6th, 2012 by Kari Berg No Comments

Today I was looking at the bookshelf in our CEO’s office, a small red book seam with 212° printed on the side caught my eye. What I found was 212°: The Extra Degree by S.L. Parker. I skimmed through the book in a few minutes, but discovered a very motivational analogy for how to achieve superior results:

 “At 211 degrees, water is hot.

 At 212 degrees, it boils.

 And with boiling water, comes steam.

 And with steam, you can power a train.”

“Applying one extra degree of temperature to water means the difference between something that is simply very hot and something that generates enough force to power a machine” (Parker, 2005). One extra degree. One extra degree can make such a significant change and contribution. When water is at 211°, there is no reason not to add the extra degree to achieve results. The same analogy can be used in thinking about career transitions. What is the extra degree that you need to achieve your goal? One more job applied for each week? One more networking conversation?

 “The line between failure and success is so fine that we… are often on the line and do not know it. How many a man has thrown up his hands at a time when a little more effort, a little more patience, would have achieved success?”

– Elbert Hubbard, American Writer

Check out this video, which is based on 212°: The Extra Degree: http://www.212movie.com/.

What can you do this week to add the extra degree?

Interview with Patricia Berg, CEO

Posted on: February 16th, 2012 by Irene Rossman No Comments

Patricia Berg, the CEO of Career Partners International Twin Cities and Recipient of the MCDA 2011 Jules Kerlan Outstanding Achievement Award, was interviewed for the Winter Newsletter of the Minnesota Career Development Association and the complete interview follows:

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Patricia Berg was the 2011 recipient of the MCDA Jules Kerlan Award. During her impressive 25-year career, Pat has been a business owner, coach, and career counselor. She is the Chief Executive Officer of Career Partners International, a Career and Executive Coaching organization. Patricia is active in numerous professional and community endeavors and serves on the board of SHIFT as Board Chairman.

 Tell us about your background and what led you into the field of career development.

For a number of years I worked in Human Resources – as an administrator, recruiter, and ultimately as a Director of HR.  I found that much of the employee relations and coaching I was engaged in focused on careers – how to engage a workforce, how to provide career feedback, how to build skills, how to coach and mentor a staff, etc.  While on sabbatical with young children, my former employer was acquired and a major downsizing occurred.  They asked me to come in and work with the employees on developing their resumes and helping them prepare for the job search process.  That ultimately led me to the field of career development and shortly after I joined Personnel Decisions International as a Career Coach.

 What do you feel are your greatest accomplishments and why?

The first accomplishment is seeing clients succeed.  Navigating through a career transition can be challenging for all kinds of reasons.  When clients successfully land in a position that’s a good fit, it’s our reward as career coaches.  I love to hear clients tell their stories and listen to what was important to them in the process.   Secondly would be putting together a business model and strategy that recognizes the individuality of the process.  It isn’t a one size fits all business, and our clients regularly remind us that what we do and how we do it makes a difference to them. Finally, having the pleasure to work with an outstanding team, people who are committed to helping clients, and who share my values of individualization, innovation, and relationship based delivery.

 You are a business owner, career consultant/counselor, executive and entrepreneurial coach….so many roles in your career! What do you enjoy the most about your job/career?

Most of all I enjoy working with people on a 1×1 basis to help them figure out what’s next in their career and then create a strategic plan to help them reach their goal.  When you work with people during a period of transition, you often establish deep and on-going relationships.  These people call for years to get advice, touch base, and refer friends or colleagues.  It is these relationships that mean the most to me.

What advice would you give a young person starting out in our profession?

I would advise them to really understand their underpinnings.  My values have driven all of my career choices.  What do they believe in, what’s most important to them, how do they want to be perceived in the marketplace, and what kind of a reputation do they want to build.  Secondly, professional development is important for everyone.  Joining in and participating in MCDA and other professional development groups keep you learning.

 Final Comments:

I would like to extend my thanks to MCDA and the career community. It is an honor to be recognized with this award and I am deeply appreciative. When I reflect on the importance of the work we do, and how next to family, careers are a central part of people’s lives, the impact of the career profession cannot be emphasized enough.

Create, Nurture, and Maintain Your Relationships

Posted on: December 28th, 2011 by Irene Rossman No Comments

“Relationships are all there is. Everything in the universe only exists because it is in relationship to everything else. Nothing exists in isolation. We have to stop pretending we are individuals that can go it alone.” – Margaret Wheatley

I had the pleasure of attending the workshop by Jason Alba, career strategist, author of I’m on LinkedIn—Now What???, and founder of JibberJobber.  Jason presented on December 13th at Metropolitan State University. This event was sponsored by CPI Twin Cities, MCDA, and Meaningful Connections. Jason was a delightful speaker, very engaging, witty, and knowledgeable. He captivated his audience for the entire two hours.

I attended this event expecting an afternoon of LinkedIn insights, but Jason mixed it up with common sense job search advice and wisdom. His number one recommendation for any job searcher is to use informational interviews on a daily basis. Get out there, meet people, engage your audience, and create, nurture, and maintain your relationships. Follow up with people. Do what you say you are going to do. Jason recommends leaving your resume behind during informational interviews.  This allows for more give and take and you can follow up with the resume at a later time.

Yes, it is a technological age and we all need these tools to survive in a complicated world and economy, but the message that rang true from Jason’s presentation was that relationships are more necessary than ever in our jobs and in our lives.

Jason touched on branding and encouraged authenticity in your brand and in all aspects of your job search. For those in the audience who didn’t have a brand he asked the questions: “How do others perceive you?  If you had a brand, what would it be?”

Jason also had some great book recommendations:

RX For a Change-Weary Workforce

Posted on: May 6th, 2011 by Debra Magnuson 1 Comment

According to a December, 2010 Manpower study, 84% of Americans would like to find a new job in 2011. Economic signals are looking up and there seems to be a (slight) scent of opportunity in the air. The result is that employees want to head for greener pastures. We shouldn’t be surprised, the past three years have been tough for workers at all levels; people have experienced mass lay-offs, pay and benefit cuts, and greater productivity demands because fewer individuals are doing more of the work. People are anxious about job security and frustrated about lack of upward movement in pay and promotions. For many, there is a general sense that they’ve been dancing as fast as they can in a work environment with too few rewards–and too many bosses that either hide in their offices or tell employees they’re lucky to have a job.

What can leaders do to turn the tide toward greater engagement? Here are five things you can do today:

1. Ask. Job one for leaders is to look at the current work environment through employees’ eyes. If you’re afraid to ask your people satisfaction or engagement questions, that’s a good indicator that you need to do it.

2. Be there. Show up, and make a positive difference. “Bosses who hide” are a real drag on morale. True accountability means being out there coaching, acknowledging, and lightening the load. And sometimes just hang out with them.

3. Connect with people. Most of us fear being just cogs in a wheel or numbers to our bosses. As one outplacement client said recently, “After 23 years, I was just a RIF to them”. This isn’t just about being nice; it’s about the bottom line.

4. Get out in front of workforce trends. High quality talent is always in demand, and opportunities for high-potentials are opening up all the time. What are you doing to maximize diversity, embrace social media as a business strategy, and offer more workplace flexibility? These “employer of choice” trends are only going to get stronger.

5. To lead best, be your best. Many of us truly are change-weary. Practice good self-care to find new energy and re-engage your mind, heart, and body. Go fishing. Take a walk. Enroll in a yoga class. Get outdoors. Eat great foods. Take a course. Get-away with your sweetie, your friends, or find blessed alone time.

Debra Magnuson is an executive coach and career counselor at CPI Twin Cities. She is a regular speaker and author on generational differences, employee engagement and ethics in leadership topics.

New – CPI Twin Cities Social Media Tools

Posted on: April 19th, 2011 by Patricia Berg No Comments

Career Partners International, Twin Cities (CPI Twin Cities) take seriously our commitment as a premier career, leadership development and coaching firm that works with corporate clients and their employees through the delivery of innovative and customized solutions to meet a spectrum of talent management and career transition needs.

That’s why we are pleased to announce the debut of several new Social Media Tools, expanding our portfolio of resources help you stay current with issues, trends and tips of interest to help you accelerate the career potential of your employees.

• Subscribe to our blog, Career Source to receive insightful articles on trends and forecasts affecting companies today. Save articles for your files for reference or share them readily with your colleagues and peers.

• Become a “fan” of CPI Twin Cities on Facebook, and keep up to date on all the latest news and events, and jump in on our discussion boards to give your opinion on topics and trends impacting businesses today.

• Follow our news feed on Twitter, to keep appraised of all the news and events as headlines.

Today, according to recent surveys, more than half of all HR professionals now use social media tools to help them recruit new candidates, identify career development resources, and build and sustain meaningful connections with peers in the industry. Similarly, more than 50% of Fortune 500 companies use social media as an important part of their outreach efforts. We invite you to “get your feet wet” by visiting our social media tools, clicking around on the content you find interesting, and fine tuning your social media skills here, among friends.

Above all, we look forward to the opportunity to deepen our relationship with you and to help you achieve your business goals by helping you, and your employees, Accelerate Career Potential.