ExecuNet Executive Insider http://insights.execunet.com en 2013-05-22T07:20:18+00:00 Job Stress is Stealing More Than Morale http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/job_stress_is_stealing_more_than_morale/#When:07:06:09Z
The stresses of some jobs just have a way of sucking the enthusiasm and morale right out of you. Whether related directly to the work, the boss and/or the overall environment, sometimes all the wrong elements can combine to land you in the middle of an executive career maelstrom.

Now, it seems, there's hard medical evidence that suggests work-related stress can do significant damage to the most stressed executives' hearts, according to the research findings of a study from Tel Aviv University and published in the journal, Psychosomatic Medicine

Specifically, the report's authors found, job-related stress did more damage than smoking or lack of exercise. So, it seems, burned-out executives would be wise to view a career change as a possible life-saving or life-extending measure.

Recently in this same space, I explored the topic of bravery and asked about the courage required to take bold action in the face of business and career challenges. But in light of this new and emerging research, it would seem that, for the most stressed-out and overworked of business leaders, it's not bravery that's required to make a move, but rather, common sense and self-interest.

After all, no job is worth hacking five or 10 years off your life, or worth exchanging for any degradation of your health and wellbeing, physical or mental. This new medical research probably only confirms what a lot of healthcare providers have already advised many of us. That is, anything that causes you frustration, anxiety, stress and worry ought to be kicked to the side and replaced with things that make us feel good, or at least better.

This new wake-up call for people at all levels of the workplace should be heard loud and clear by those with the biggest responsibilities — those who put too much on their own plate — the very same people who heap too much on others' plates, too.]]> Your Career 2013-05-20T07:06:09+00:00 Why You Need a Personal Board of Advisors http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/why_you_need_a_personal_board_of_advisors/#When:07:26:54Z
ExecuNet Managing Editor Will Flammé attended one of our monthly networking meetings where he found some ExecuNet members who were also part of an accountability group. Basically, Will said, they met at a networking meeting and decided to form tighter bonds and dedicate themselves to helping each other achieve their goals.

Will was so inspired by the goal-setting success this group was having, he worked with the ExecuNet editorial team to research and develop a white paper about the merits of having a "personal board of advisors." He said, "As a leader, you know it's essential to be accountable for what you do, and what you do, — your actions and decisions, will help lead your organization and your career to success... as long as they are the right actions and the right decisions."

"But," Will wondered, "Where is their support system? They spend hours working on what stakeholders need (clients, board/superiors, employees), but are they still on course with their own goals for their company and career?"

Learn how an accountability group can help you to gain the motivation necessary to stick to your goals in the ExecuNet white paper Your Personal Board of Advisors Can Help You Achieve Your Goals.]]> Your Career 2013-05-16T07:26:54+00:00 This is Why You’re Not Interviewing (and How to Get Them) http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/this_is_why_youre_not_interviewing_and_how_to_get_them/#When:07:11:08Z
Want to know why you're not getting interviews for positions where you're sure you meet the qualifications? Your résumé is immediately being screened out for a reason you don't even realize or a detail you might think is minor, but is sending a huge red flag to a recruiter.

There's an active discussion underway in ExecuNet's Job Search and Career Roundtable about beating the applicant tracking system with great suggestions for how to maneuver through technology and get to the "human" who is involved with human capital decision-making.

But what if your résumé beats the technology system only to be tossed aside by the person responsible for calling you for an interview because you did one of the things that recruiters told us will screen you out?

According to our March survey of executive recruiters, your résumé can get you screened out or called in for some easily rectified reasons.

Top Reasons Recruiters Screen Out Résumés
  1. Grammar mistakes
  2. Typos
  3. Gaps in employment history
  4. Inconsistent formatting
  5. Missing metrics
Source: ExecuNet, 2013


The complimentary résumé review that is a benefit of ExecuNet membership can solve many of the problems that screen out your documents, and also help you highlight the assets recruiters said they looked at first on résumés.

Top Attention-Getters on Résumés
  1. Most recent title
  2. Most recent company
  3. Employment dates
  4. Candidate's location
  5. Previous companies
Source: ExecuNet, 2013


While the methods for beating the applicant tracking system can get you to a person, and a well-crafted résumé will keep you from elimination, there was one variable that recruiters reported would cause them to spend more time looking at a résumé and give it more consideration: a personal referral. Networking always wins.

Reasons Recruiters More Highly Consider Résumés
  1. Referred by someone they know
  2. Recognizable company names
  3. Great cover letter
Source: ExecuNet, 2013
]]> Your Career 2013-05-13T07:11:08+00:00 While You Were Out… http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/while_you_were_out11/#When:16:54:56Z
Trying to sell yourself to prospective employers is a deeply personal and oftentimes humbling experience. Essentially job seekers are saying, "Pick me! I can help you. Really, I can!" And what comes next, after you spend hours researching the company – and if you're thorough, the hiring manager too? Often candidates are told they are overqualified.

When hiring managers, or the HR department, use the term "over qualified" it is often thought to be a sign that there is concern the candidate is too old or will expect more salary than the company is willing to offer.

As one of ExecuNet's Founder Dave Opton's guests once said on his weekly Six-Figure Hotline call with members, "What's wrong with being overqualified? Wouldn't you want an overqualified heart surgeon? Why wouldn't you want an overqualified person to run your company/department?"

Rather than approaching interviews with a "Pick me!" mentality, focus on projecting, "I can help your company, and here's how." Convince the interviewer that the fact that you are over qualified is exactly why they need you. Overqualified is better than simply qualified; they have a plethora of qualified candidates. But the overqualified candidate is going to be equipped to do special things with the company/department he is responsible for overseeing.

You are probably going to run into a spectrum of people. Some will be closed to the possibility that someone with so much experience will remain in a lower position for long, and conversely, there will be some who only care about what you can do to help them overcome their problem. Most are going to be somewhere in between — biased but willing to listen. Network your way in to see the people willing to listen, and be ready to explain why they are so lucky an overqualified person is interested in their company.

Read on for the monthly career and business insight that helps you advance in your current role, find a new one, gain expert advice and learn what's happening in the marketplace:

Most popular in April:
3 Ways to Shorten Your Job Search
Positive Attitude Can Get You the Position
Facing a Brave New World with a Brave Face
When a Top Performer Just Needs to Leave
It Doesn't Really Matter Where the Work is Done

What you may have missed:
Leading Today's Diverse Workforce
Fewer Companies Expected to Put New Jobs on Hold
Search Assignments Expected to Increase
Something's Gotta Give

The blog posts that keep on giving:
The Scam Artist All-Star List
Having a "Knocked Down" Moment?
Managing Time and Expectations
Is Your Résumé Recruiter-Ready?
Xerox CEO Ursula Burns on What it Takes to Drive Innovation]]> Best Practices 2013-05-10T16:54:56+00:00 The Keys to Earning and Building Trust http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/the_keys_to_earning_and_building_trust/#When:07:58:57Z
Trust. There are few intangibles in the world of business as valuable and as sought after.

Trust cements relationships between goods and services providers and their customers. It sets the table for important, sometimes sensitive discussions between professional colleagues, and it speaks to the spirit of collaboration in joint ventures, mergers and acquisitions, and other important business initiatives.

Michael McLaughlin, principal consultant of MindShare Consulting LLC, helps professional services organizations design innovative strategies to reach more clients, land profitable work, and build resilient businesses. He's the author of Winning the Professional Services Sale, which offers professional service providers, business development managers, and firm leaders new strategies to identify, qualify, and close any services sale. In addition to his consulting work, McLaughlin speaks for clients at sales meetings, planning events, and conferences. He also conducts seminars, workshops, webcasts, and offers individual and team coaching services for his clients.

McLaughlin sat down with me for a personal and on the level conversation about the opportunities that reside in earning and building trust between leaders, organizations and potential business partners.]]> Best Practices 2013-05-06T07:58:57+00:00 When is the Right Time to Micromanage? http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/when_is_the_right_time_to_micromanage/#When:07:27:41Z
What kind of leader are you? Do you empower your team to make their own decisions or do you micromanage? Is there ever a reason to micromanage? That's an active discussion in one of ExecuNet's community Roundtable groups.

"From my perspective, micromanagement is never necessary," said an ExecuNet member, the CEO of an Internet company. "In my career, I have seen the need for so-called micromanagement and disagree with the uses… One of the most successful organizations that handles every scenario mentioned without micromanaging that I had the pleasure of working with straight from college is Toyota."

"I strongly object to the need for micromanagement ever. The right kind of management will prevent the issues originally noted and there are so many other solutions to deal with them," said a chief marketing and sales officer.

"I do not believe that micromanagement should be utilized as a technique ever," a senior project manager concurred.

However, there were some who saw purposeful value in applying extra attention at times, as the president of a consulting company pointed out: "Micromanagement is necessary when there is lack of skill or knowledge, particularly knowledge of process or program or skill in dealing with people."

Learn more about the best people management skills when you read our new Lessons from Leaders: Is it Ever Necessary to Micromanage Employees?...]]> Best Practices 2013-05-02T07:27:41+00:00 When a Top Performer Just Needs to Leave http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/when_a_top_performer_just_needs_to_leave_ei/#When:07:04:27Z
The JETS got it right. As a JETS fan, I really don't get to say that very often. But when they traded all-world defensive back Darrelle Revis to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this week, the JETS did indeed get it right.

Revis, the unquestioned best player on the team, is coming off a serious knee injury and JETS nation wondered if he'd be the same player when he returned. Additionally, he was entering the last year of his contract, so if the JETS didn't deal him now they could have ended up seeing him depart via free agency and only receive a compensatory draft pick for him. With his history of absurdly high contract demands, re-signing him seemed unlikely — and the money would be better spent on a quarterback.

We hear all the time how sports is a business. The business end of football burned Revis this week, left him covering a crossing pattern when it was a go route. Yes, he is the best in the industry at what he does; he's universally respected for his talents and achievements; and he's a home-grown talent likely to give first rate production in the future — all reasons to treasure him and retain his services. BUT as senior executives revealed in ExecuNet's annual executive job market intelligence survey, almost 88 percent of executives would prefer to have a lesser skilled team member with a good attitude than a more talented team member with a less than desirable attitude. That's what the JETS ultimately decided they wanted. They were no longer willing to tolerate the frequent negativity, the uncertainty and drain on team morale, created by Revis' exorbitant contract demands.

This is no less true in the business world where they wear collared shirts instead of jerseys. One executive, no matter how talented, will wear out his welcome if he makes large contract demands or brings negativity to the office. No matter what the nature of the business, cultural fit is vital, especially for the leaders. Revis, as the best player on the team, was a leader, yet his constant griping about his contract created a distraction and air of negativity that was not productive. If the JETS had paid him what he wanted, they would have been unable to afford the other assets they desperately require.

When leaders put their own payday ahead of the company's ability to compete and retain other skilled team members... they need to go.

Revis was the 14th overall pick six years ago. He was traded for the 13th overall pick in this week's NFL draft and another selection next year. Who is to say their new player, selected earlier in the draft than Revis, won't able to better fit into the team concept and therefore make an equal or great contribution? No matter what industry you are in, there is always someone else who is also talented and driven to succeed, so it's best to make sure you are an A-player with a winning attitude. Being just an A-player isn't enough. After all, being left alone on an island is no fun at all.]]> Your Career 2013-04-25T07:04:27+00:00 It Doesn’t Really Matter Where the Work is Done http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/it_doesnt_really_matter_where_the_work_is_done/#When:07:17:11Z
Recent news headlines have raised the question of whether working from home or working from a corporate office is the best way to get workers to reach their full potential and productivity.

Those who argue that working from home is best overlook the fact that critical workplace intelligence is routinely shared by colleagues who work in the same physical environment.

Those who believe working from a corporate office is the best course likewise fail to recognize all the drains on productivity (and energy) when one is forced to commute to and from the office and provide 'face time' when so often it goes unnoticed and isn't necessary every day.

The critical aspect of this debate is that it needn't be an either or proposition.

There are benefits to working in an office environment, and surely, there is also much to be said for working in a home office or some other remote location where one can focus on his or her work with fewer interruptions and reduced/no commuting time. Additionally, those executives working from home with older, yet still school-aged, children benefit emotionally and financially from knowing their children have come home from school and are in the next room. Being there if there's an emergency and avoiding the exorbitant costs of after school care for children capable of getting a snack and doing their homework or playing on their own is a huge factor in job satisfaction. This scheduling flexibility may very well be the thing that keeps employees from looking for a new position. Peace of mind can't be replaced.

What it all really comes down to is motivation. Is an employee motivated to work and to succeed regardless of their environment? Would a flexible work arrangement or full-time at-home work assignment actually enable an individual to be more productive given his or her family or health circumstances? And can the individual consistently demonstrate their capacity for being productive and engaging with other members of their team?

Forcing people to work from a corporate office seems an unnecessary step in this age of technology. Top performers understand when they need to report to the office, when they need to travel, and when they can use the relative isolation of working remotely (although Skype, email and the phone bridge much of the gap) to catch up and reach their productive peak.

Most employers are learning that tapping the true potential of human capital requires an individual, not uniform approach to engaging people on terms that make work more efficient for employer and employee — and more rewarding for both sides, too.]]> Best Practices 2013-04-23T07:17:11+00:00 3 Ways to Shorten Your Job Search http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/3_ways_to_shorten_your_job_search/#When:07:45:30Z
Can you go a year without a salary or in a job where you're not happy? That's about the length of time to find a new executive-level job. Actually, 11.9 months is the combined total of how long respondents to our executive job market intelligence survey said they have already been searching and how much longer they expect it will be before landing a new role.

Before the depth of the recession in 2007 and 2008, expected time in job search was under 10 months. It began to elongate through 2012 and now executives are hopeful that it will drop further under the one-year mark again.

  1. Use job boards for research; use your network to find and create roles. The overwhelming majority of search firm and corporate recruiters reported to ExecuNet that they do not openly post $200K positions on public job boards. However, you can learn about hiring trends and growth patterns from watching what your target companies are posting on job boards. Ask for referrals from your network to contact company decision-makers and request informational meetings to learn more about what's happening on the inside.

  2. Be "recruiter-ready." Even though executives told us they would be motivated to look for a new job if they got viable calls from recruiters, the recruiters told us that fewer executives are returning their calls! Keep your résumé up-to-date, know your unique value proposition, and have a clear understanding of your market value and you'll be ready for every conversation with recruiters.

  3. Get social. Now. Roughly one-quarter of executives placed into companies by search firms in 2012 were originally identified or contacted through a social network. If you don't have an online presence, you've just decreased your chances of being found for your dream job. Recruiters are searching for demonstrations of your thought leadership, your network connections, online recommendations, press releases, civic and volunteer activities — anything that presents a holistic view of you as a leader and can elevate your candidacy. If you don't have online profiles filled with the right keywords to attract opportunity, get professional help.

]]> Your Career 2013-04-18T07:45:30+00:00 Fewer Companies Expected to Put New Jobs on Hold http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/fewer_companies_expected_to_put_new_jobs_on_hold/#When:07:26:14Z
ExecuNet's Executive Job Creation Index strengthen a bit in March. One in five companies continue to indicate that they will be adding executive jobs in the next six months. The good news is that companies previously suggesting that they were putting jobs on hold declined to just over 3 percent. If there is good news, retained recruiters are more bullish than their contingency counterparts. This suggests companies are having trouble finding the right talent and turning to retained recruiters as a result.



ExecuNet's Executive Job Creation Index is a nationally recognized measure of expected hiring at the executive level and compares the number of companies expected to add executive positions over the next six months versus those planning to downsize their management teams or delay filling vacant management roles.]]> Market Trends 2013-04-17T07:26:14+00:00 While You Were Out… http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/while_you_were_out_88/#When:07:33:17Z
With over 1,000 registrants, our recent webinar, Stories that Move Mountains: Storytelling and Visual Design for Persuasive Presentations, demonstrated how to move beyond PowerPoint presentations to a more engaging visual approach.

Martin Sykes, whose recent book was the basis for the webinar, said, "It's not just telling a story that makes for active communication. It's also the combination of that narrative with a visual that can help to [elicit] an emotional response and clarify the message."

To help accomplish that goal, Sykes created a framework through CAST (Content, Audience, Story, Tell). "It's more of a framework than a process," explained Sykes.

Content: Why, What, How, What, If
Audience: Who, Learning and Decision Styles
Story: Structure, Character, Sense of Urgency, Delivery Plan
Tell: Design, Test

A proposal is an invitation to change, but people don't want to change. Therefore, engaging your audience is vital. You must answer "Why should I care?" to engage your audience. "When we use the storytelling techniques, you instead talk about what the change is going to give them. Give them a passion for the end result and how doing the work is actually going to be meaningful to them and something they personally want to achieve."

Rather than loading slides up with words and basically reading them to the audience, Sykes advised using simple images that visualize the content and telling a story around that content. The audience travels through the stages of any good story: a beginning, middle and end, complete with false hope, a reaction, a struggle and resolution. All the while, you are reminding the audience why they will be doing this and building a sense of urgency.

Read on for the monthly career and business insight that helps you advance in your current role, find a new one, gain expert advice and learn what's happening in the marketplace:

Most popular in March:
Are You Looking in the Right Place?
Having a "Knocked Down" Moment?
Employment Prospects for Executives Improved in February
The Timing May Be Just Right for the Entrepreneurs Among Us
Why a Dysfunctional Congress Matters Even More

What you may have missed:
How I Got Here: Bryan Mattimore
Managing Time and Expectations
Sheer Madness
Follow the Leader: A Conversation with Russell Stevens (4 of 4)

The blog posts that keep on giving:
The Scam Artist All-Star List
Are Hard or Soft Skills More Important?
How I Got Here: Guy Kawasaki
Branding and Marketing the Over-50 Executive
They Are Family — But You're Not!
]]> Best Practices 2013-04-15T07:33:17+00:00 Facing a Brave New World with a Brave Face http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/facing_a_brave_new_world_with_a_brave_face/#When:14:31:02Z
We've all heard the term "It's a brave new world."

In some industries, regions and executive careers, the pressures of the global economy, fierce competition and frustratingly slow growth have combined to create a tipping point for organizations and leaders. For these companies and leaders, now is the time to face new challenges with a renewed sense of internal commitment and strength.

After all, if we can't summon strength in uncertain and volatile times, we will most certainly be held back by our fears.

Bravery is extolled by the poets, the military, civic organizations and others as a virtue that separates the winners from everyone else. Regardless of the outcome — be it on a battlefield, in a sports venue or a highly competitive business situation — the brave demonstrate an ability to overcome their fears and face potential hardship in pursuit of noble causes. They are revered and remembered for their commitment and what they invested to achieve their aims, often in confusing circumstances and foreign environments.

There's no doubt that the US economy needs brave business leaders to help stimulate growth that will lead to more hiring, more industrial output and more investment in things ranging from technology, security, infrastructure and yes, people, too.

Yet in order to achieve enterprise-wide results in what remains a challenging though improving business climate, executive leaders may need to reconcile their own commitment to corporate objectives and whether they are willing to take the kinds of risks others might caution as too risky for their careers.

It's time to establish our own commitment to enterprise goals or to create new objectives elsewhere. That requires facing our fears and demonstrating the kind of courage that is most visible when others fail to rise to the occasion. Bravery, after all, may have already become part and parcel of the executive leader's job description.]]> Skills 2013-04-09T14:31:02+00:00 Positive Attitude Can Get You the Position http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/positive_attitude_can_get_you_the_position/#When:07:46:34Z
Contrary to the song, one bad apple can spoil the whole bunch, much like a poor attitude can quickly become contagious in a close working environment. Conversely, happiness can be infectious. That's why when given a choice between an "A-Player" with a bad attitude and a "B-Player" with a good attitude, senior managers overwhelmingly choose disposition before qualifications.

Corporate business leaders are emphasizing the importance of cultural fit and think a positive attitude can have a great effect on team morale, particularly as economic factors cause companies to struggle with employee engagement and motivation.

Nearly 88 percent of the senior-level executives recently surveyed by ExecuNet said they would rather enhance their team with that individual who possesses a good attitude, even if he or she does not perform to the highest level or have top qualifications. Only 6 percent of the surveyed executives said they would accept an A-player's bad attitude, and another 6 percent were unsure.

In reviewing initial data from our 21st annual executive job market intelligence survey, there is a dramatic attitudinal contrast between those who are happy at work and those who are not. The negativity of the unhappy executives can quickly become contagious and drag down overall performance. Additionally, B-players with great attitudes can likely become A-players in the right environment.

For job seekers who are concerned their skills are not as strong as their competitors', an attention-getting résumé can generate a face-to-face interview where you can then demonstrate a positive, professional attitude that aligns with the organizational culture and how you'd be a good fit for the team. Networking and a good résumé may get you in the door, but a good attitude will get the offer.

A-players with bad attitudes are advised to adjust their behavior and make a better effort to fit in, as advancement based on the quality of their work alone will be unattainable. Or, find a new environment where happiness can flourish.]]> Your Career 2013-04-04T07:46:34+00:00 Something’s Gotta Give http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/somethings_gotta_give/#When:14:41:17Z
How can enterprise expectations for better performance continue to escalate when the resources required to achieve it continue to dry up?

That's the question many ExecuNet members are asking as they log incredibly long hours and seize on gains in efficiency only to feel that their own work levels are simply unsustainable. Welcome to the 'What have you done for me lately?' economy.

Today's executives are stretched thin, tired, frustrated and stuck in neutral from a career point of view. With little to no movement in and out of 'C-suite' roles, most executives find the best they can do is continue doing more with less indefinitely, or at least until something gives.

That something could be a real, sustainable move toward growth for the US economy, or perhaps the eventual retirement of older executives in numbers large enough to lubricate the wheels of executive hiring and give executives new options for taking their careers in new directions. It could be anything that injects new levels of confidence in an economy that for too long has been creating stress at the executive level.

It's not getting any easier to drive results in an executive role these days. And for the unemployed, it's even more difficult to find a new executive opportunity because many employers aren't hiring, and those with good management jobs aren't about to give them up – even if expectations have become unrealistic.

Some executives see their businesses making whatever decisions will satisfy shareholders in the short-term, even if it means weakening the organization in the long run. That's the nature of this economy. But, hopefully, for not much longer.

The best any executive can do these days is make the most of their role, lift the morale of their people and look to the future with some hope that business growth will eventually create new opportunities for enterprise and career renewal.]]> Market Trends 2013-04-02T14:41:17+00:00 How I Got Here: Bryan Mattimore http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/how_i_got_here_bryan_mattimore_ei/#When:07:50:55Z
Recently, I had a conversation with Bryan Mattimore, one of America's top experts in applied creativity, ideation facilitation and innovation management. Mattimore is the inventor of the creativity training game, Bright Ideas and bestselling author of 99% Inspiration. I was particularly curious to know what led him to explore the power of creativity and why organizations need to be open to them. Here is an excerpt of what he had to say on that topic:

"There were two pivotal moments in my life. The first was when I grew up with my father. He was an entrepreneur with Time Inc., and he started a company called SAMI. That environment really encouraged me and made me wonder how he got his ideas. That really set me on a lifetime search and a passion for understanding the creative process."

Mattimore said the second pivotal time was when he was trying to get a job out of school. "I came up with an idea called Jogging for Jobs. I promoted it with The New York Times, and I was trying to get a job in advertising. We ran around, dropping off résumés. This was when jogging was hot in the 70s. I got a job out of that. That said to me, 'Boy, ideas are so powerful!' I could transform myself from this young kid who is walking in hat in hand, feeling very 'unpowerful,' if you will. With this idea, I went on to have a choice of jobs in advertising. This is the power of wishing. I got it through the wish technique. It was the power, frankly, of a new idea."]]> Skills 2013-03-27T07:50:55+00:00 Managing Time and Expectations http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/managing_time_and_expectations/#When:07:43:54Z
It may well be that the two most important executive skill sets in this economy are managing one's time effectively and managing up to consistently lofty performance expectations.

To hear executives describe the pressures they face in this volatile business climate, their jobs haven't gotten any easier and don't appear to be lightening up anytime soon. Ask any executive leader and he or she will tell you that the demands on their time are nothing short of unprecedented, ditto for the expectations on the most senior management leaders and shareholders.

That may help explain some of the frustration leaders are facing when it comes to squeezing 30 hours into a 24-hour day. There's no time to think critically and strategically. There's no time to reflect on decisions, to reassess judgments about investments, people and business plans. And there's precious little time to connect to the outside world.

This latter point is becoming more of a pain point for executives. While they are being asked to raise performance, find efficiencies and get more out of their people and teams, they are feeling somewhat isolated and disconnected from the technological and competitive trends that are shaping markets and the work style of a younger generation of managers.

Staying relevant, connected and ahead of the curve requires a commitment to learning, discovery and self-awareness. Yet that's not how executive performance is being evaluated these days. The focus, unfortunately, is squarely on short-term results and the bottom line.

Yes, something is being lost in times like these. It is time itself, and the opportunities that came and are now gone for us to step back from the day-to-day firefighting that has characterized executive leadership for the past four-and-a-half years and focus on the new, the imaginative, the impossible and the potential that resides in each of us.

That's why today, and how you'll spend it, matters so much.

You may also be interested in How to Manage Executive Burn-out.]]> Market Trends 2013-03-25T07:43:54+00:00 Having a “Knocked Down” Moment? http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/having_a_knocked_down_moment/#When:19:41:05Z
If you stayed up late enough to watch the Oscars a few weeks ago, you might have heard Ben Affleck remark as he accepted the Best Picture award for Argo: "And it doesn't matter how you get knocked down in life because that's going to happen. All that matters is you gotta get up."

A business crisis, lay-off or bad movie called Gigli are all recoverable events, despite the depth of devastation you might feel at the time. The pain and damage are real, but it's often not permanent.

Executives frequently join ExecuNet because something knocked them down in their careers and they find themselves in unfamiliar territory. If you're having a "knocked down" moment, we're here to help.

Draw inspiration from ExecuNet members who got back up!]]> Your Career 2013-03-21T19:41:05+00:00 Sheer Madness http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/sheer_madness/#When:13:34:02Z
There aren't a lot of distractions from the busy executive's typical workweek that are as fun, exciting and filled with such potential for improbability as the annual NCAA men's Division 1 basketball tournament, or what most of us with a favorite team in 'the dance' refer to as March Madness.

The storylines alone are enough to attract even the most committed executive leaders. Just consider:

  • There are "David versus Goliath" games pitting the smallest of colleges against the largest of universities.

  • There are "Cinderella" teams with terrific upsets in mind.

  • There are stories of resilience and redemption and the sheer joy of competing on the largest stage.
And most of all, there are stories about exceptional talent, great teams and teamwork, of selflessness, leadership and overcoming adversity — together.

Whether you're a college basketball fan or not, I hope busy executives with even a passing interest — or even those just looking to watch something new or simply get away from all the pressures they face back at the office — find the time in the coming weeks to catch a game and witness some of these stories unfold.

Perhaps today's business leaders would be wise to stop for a moment, appreciate the excitement of this annual rite of spring, and consider the makeup and chemistry of their own teams and how they might be strengthened in the weeks and months ahead to achieve your organization's biggest goals.

Yes, the NCAA men's basketball tournament is really an exercise in teamwork, leadership and commitment. Those are exactly the same things that will lead your team to new heights, or, lacking those, the very things that could keep it from meeting objectives.

So go, enjoy a game, cheer for your team and celebrate a few hours away from your desk. And look for the lessons in teamwork that might apply to your team when you get back to the office.]]> Best Practices 2013-03-19T13:34:02+00:00 The Timing May Be Just Right for the Entrepreneurs Among Us http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/the_timing_may_be_just_right_for_the_entrepreneurs_among_us/#When:07:00:00Z
Executive leaders are tired, frustrated, stymied and waiting to achieve sustainable business growth so they can get on with their plans — and the next step in their careers. But many of us have been consumed by these feelings for the better part of the past four-and-a-half years. We've been waiting for the next shoe to drop on the global economic or political map — only to realize there's another one further out on the calendar that people have shifted their attention to.

We're living in uncertain times. This much we know. But the question of whether we're paralyzed by inaction or desperation and ruled by our fears is one we must each answer of our own accord.

For most of us, it's time to get on with business, professional commitment and building our futures — even if that means assuming the absolute worst about the outside world. If we expect the very worst out of Washington, D.C., if we don't allow ourselves to be surprised by conflicting economic data, and if we commit to get on with all the things we want to achieve, we may well find they are closer to our grasp than the pessimists would have us believe.

Business owners, ditch the frustration about a lack of venture money, doubting bankers and government regulations. Focus on getting the right people committed to your business objectives.

Executive jobseekers, for some of you, it's high time to pursue your entrepreneurial dreams. If you can't find meaningful employment, it doesn’t mean that you can't find your utmost professional fulfillment by starting something new, perhaps daring.

Executive leaders, invest in yourselves. Take stock of your work and whether it's really enough to fulfill you for the balance of your careers. If not, build and strengthen your networks and seek out the executive peers who might help connect you to opportunity. Keep an open mind. Explore. Learn.

If I've learned anything from the economic, political and business spheres since mid-2008, it's that negativism can be contagious and that, even with signs of economic growth, the depths of recession and executives' own fear-laden emotions can sabotage our collective psyches.

Let's seize our moment and turn things around. It's incumbent on employers, leaders and executive peer groups to lift ourselves up, brush ourselves off and get to the business of staying positive and learning how we can lead through the storm. After all, the darkest of storm clouds appear to have passed. Now it's time to move to the light.]]> Your Career 2013-03-15T07:00:00+00:00 Employment Prospects for Executives Improved in February http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/employment_prospects_for_executives_improved_in_february/#When:07:00:12Z
There was some good news from February's US Jobs Report. The Labor Department reported that 236,000 jobs were added in February, which is well above the average of 195,000 jobs added over the last three months and the average of about 150,000 added over the last year. Further good news was the unemployment level fell from 7.9 percent to 7.7 percent.

A picture the number of jobs created month-by-month is shown below.



What's important is that despite all the negative news about the "fiscal cliff," the "sequester" and the debt crisis, business seems to have started hiring. In three of the last four months, over 200,000 jobs have been added, and though this is not as robust as previous strong recovering, appears to be the start of a trend.

The "good news" continues to be that the private sector continues to add even more jobs as 246,000 were added in February. Executive level unemployment has dipped from 4.2 percent to 3.8 percent over the last 12 months.

Industry growth prospects continue in healthcare (+32,000 jobs in February) and have been strong throughout the last several years. What's important is that professional and business services added 73,000 jobs in February, and the construction industry added 48,000 (and 151,000 since September). The retail industry added 24,000 jobs in February and has added over 250,000 in the last year.

Overall for the job seeker or the recruiter there seems to be a significant change in tone and possibly in direction.

Many people ask how the stock market can be attaining all time highs when the employment market lags. Importantly, the stock market is a leading indicator and the employment picture is a lagging indicator. The stock market is responding to the rebound of the world economies (though not in Europe) that are starting to grow again after a pause — the employment picture will improve if this continues. Hopefully, we are seeing a more constructive tone in Washington that has the potential to reduce uncertainty even more and support a broader recovery.]]> Market Trends 2013-03-13T07:00:12+00:00 While You Were Out… http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/while_you_were_out10/#When:15:38:04Z
"What does success look like?" That's the question I usually ask during project meetings so we can all solidify and envision the same outcome. In interviews, it's a good question for candidates to ask the hiring manager so that expectations are well-understood and defined.

It may be a question that is asked of you — What best defines you as a successful company executive? — and that's the active discussion currently underway in ExecuNet's Job Search and Career Roundtable.

One ExecuNet member simply stated his definition as "One who would reach and exceed corporate and personal goals while keeping all aspects of life in balance."

A senior finance planning and analysis executive said he "ensures the organizational goals are done today that need to be done today; the team and I determine, define and communicate the goals for the future, and I develop the leadership team for the years to come."

"Provide the resources and tools to perform the job and most importantly, 'Listen!'" said a regional director of sales and marketing for an environmental services company. "Most great ideas come from the field not the corporate office. As an executive, spend time in the field and listen to your people and customers!"

"In addition to listening and getting out in the field (absolutely important), it is essential that we give our staff the authority to carry out the jobs we have given them. In too many organizations I have seen job tasks given with no authority to carry out the function," the executive director of a government service organization replied.

"Additionally, we must resist the temptation to seek answers we WANT to hear, rather than listening to responses from staff members who already know what we want to hear. This goes with the previous comment of listening... respect the comments you hear and respect those who have the nerve to tell whoever the CEO is how they see any situation we/you have asked about."

Read on for the monthly career and business insight that helps you advance in your current role, find a new one, gain expert advice and learn what's happening in the marketplace:

Most popular in February:
How to Manage Executive "Burn-Out"
They Are Family — But You're Not
The Economy and Opportunity are What You Make of Them
Follow the Leader: A Conversation with Russell Stevens (3 of 4)
How I Got Here: Guy Kawasaki

What you may have missed:
Assignments Expected to Increase in 2013
Executive Job Creation Index Takes a January Dip
Business Climate Improves While the Political Climate Frustrates
How I Got Here: Nancy Di Dia's Career Journey

The blog posts that keep on giving:
How to Make the Leap into a New Industry
Don't Leave Money on the Table
Federal Reserve Offers Companies a Roadmap for Growth in 2013
Peer Inside: The Scam Artist All-Star List
Cultural Intelligence: How a High CQ Can Help You Land Your Dream Job!
Top 5 Ways to Land on Recruiters' Radar]]> Best Practices 2013-03-11T15:38:04+00:00 Why a Dysfunctional Congress Matters Even More http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/why_a_dysfunctional_congress_matters_even_more/#When:17:31:41Z
Most business leaders – no matter their political persuasion – would agree that the gridlock and division that has permeated the nation's capital in recent years is creating material, negative impacts on business growth.

The partisan sniping we've witnessed has led to a sharply divided and largely dysfunctional Congress and has created an unprecedented level of uncertainty and lack of confidence among business executives. There are so many issues at hand, the US economy is now especially sensitive to the political currents – and that's not good for the business climate.

The irony, however, is that as the business world looks to Washington for signs of support or obstruction, the legislative decisions and human posturing with the walls of Congress now make that body even more influential at a time when many Americans would rather see more separation between our economy and our politics.

The US economy needs clarity from Washington. Business leaders need to feel some level of confidence and support from the capital. Voters and investors need something to believe in.

Of course, there remains a stark divide among the American people. Anyone in need of convincing of this point ought just have a look at the electoral map from the last presidential election to see that America is itself divided along political lines.

But it's not enough for business leaders to rail against Washington's political follies and outright missteps. More business leaders with a keen sense of this country's long-term financial challenges, a desire to serve their country when it needs them most, and the willingness to stand on principle – come what may – need to run for public office.

We need change in Washington, but it's abundantly clear to too many Americans that change isn't going to happen unless we get a fresh infusion of committed individuals on both sides of the aisle (and more Independents) who are willing to engage, willing to avoid absolutism and mindful that compromise is key.

The political fracture in America is deep. But the challenges facing our nation will linger far longer than the political careers and lives of those now holding seats in Congress. It's time to focus on what this country needs for the long-term, and what businesses need in the short-term to catalyze more hiring, more business confidence more business growth.

We need a more business-minded agenda in Washington – and more business minds in public office.]]> Market Trends 2013-03-05T17:31:41+00:00 Follow the Leader: A Conversation with Russell Stevens (4 of 4) http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/follow_the_leader_a_conversation_with_russell_stevens_4_of_4/#When:17:23:10Z
In this candid conversation with ExecuNet, innovative branding strategist Russell Stevens tells us about his newest venture, innovation and collaboration.

"There's nothing better than a big idea," he says. His company doesn't try to solve every idea. Instead they focus on solving a very specific problem, using the very best that data and technology have to offer.

Mr. Stevens' insight will inspire you to think about and look at the world, your career and your business differently, and then act on that shift in perspective.

In part three of ExecuNet's exclusive interview with Russell Stevens, he shares his views on how great leaders encourage creative thinking within an organization.]]> Your Career 2013-03-01T17:23:10+00:00 How I Got Here: Guy Kawasaki http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/how_i_got_here_guy_kawasaki_ei/#When:13:27:34Z
I was fortunate enough to have a conversation with former Apple chief evangelist Guy Kawasaki. Born in Honolulu, he attended Stanford before joining Apple. Kawasaki "started some companies," including an investment bank and venture capital firm. Now, he is primarily a writer and a speaker. His latest book is a self-publishing guide called APE: Author, Publisher and Entrepreneur.

When asked when he decided to follow his passion as career path and what resistance he encountered, Kawasaki had this to say:

"You could make the case that I've been following my passion almost my entire career. I can't say that I ever took a job where I did it just for the money, just to make a living, out of a desperate need to make ends meet. It's not that I was born rich. I always took jobs and had jobs that I truly loved. I truly loved working at Apple. I truly loved starting the companies that I've done. It's not like I've been a wage slave and one day I got emancipated. It's a romantic story, but not true, in my case."

For more with Guy Kawasaki:
Personal and On the Level
Follow the Leader: Guy Kawasaki]]> Skills 2013-02-27T13:27:34+00:00 Executive Job Creation Index Takes a January Dip http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/executive_job_creation_index_takes_a_january_dip/#When:19:34:49Z
ExecuNet's Executive Job Creation Index dipped from +15 to +8 in January, 2013. Recruiters still expect about one in five companies will add executive level jobs in the next six months but they also saw an increase on the number of jobs placed on hold and a slight uptick in the number of companies saying they would eliminate jobs.

Companies expecting to eliminate jobs moved from 2 percent to 4 percent, and those saying they would put jobs on hold increased from 6 percent to 7 percent. Recruiters did see that 55 percent of companies indicated that they were interested in upgrading executive talent, though they may not be actively searching for talent at the current time.



There continue to be some "clouds" hanging over the employment market at least for some sectors, and that explains the small increase in positions being put on hold or eliminated, but recruiters are, overall, somewhat optimistic for executive employment in 2013. Recruiters expect the industries with greatest growth potential in the new year to be healthcare, technology, pharmaceuticals and medical, manufacturing, and energy.

ExecuNet's Executive Job Creation Index is a nationally recognized measure of expected hiring at the executive level and compares the number of companies expected to add executive positions over the next six months versus those planning to downsize their management teams or delay filling vacant management roles.]]> Market Trends 2013-02-25T19:34:49+00:00 They Are Family — But You’re Not! http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/they_are_family_but_youre_not/#When:07:04:57Z
"If you think family business is just business, try firing your mother-in-law and then go to Thanksgiving dinner." Or, worse, try being an outsider in a family business and firing the well-liked, but underperforming, golden child. Those are some of the situations that arise when working in a family business.

According to the Conway Center for Family Business, 60 percent of US employment and 78 percent of all new job creation can be attributed to family business, so, statistically, you may find yourself in a role where some of your colleagues — and even direct reports — have the same last name. If you thought office politics was already complicated, wait until you add nepotism to the mix.

Learn how to succeed in a family business when you're an outsider in a new, expanded ExecuNet white paper, Lessons from Leaders: They Are Family — But You're Not!]]> Best Practices 2013-02-21T07:04:57+00:00 Assignments Expected to Increase in 2013 http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/assignments_expected_to_increase_in_2013/#When:07:11:52Z
Recruiter confidence in the executive market rebounded in January. Forty-six percent think the executive employment market will improve over the next six months, up from 32 percent two months ago.

Recruiter optimism extends to the expected increase in search assignments as recruiters predict a 20 percent increase in 2013. This came after a year where recruiters reported an 11 percent increase in assignments.



At 46 percent, recruiter confidence is just below the important 50 percent level that historically indicates a broad-based expansion of the overall market. As important, the percentage of recruiters who are "Not Confident" that the market will improve over the next six months dropped from 28 percent two months ago to 8 percent in January. This is a real sign of positive change in market tone as we start 2013.

Recruiters also are reporting improved confidence over the next three months, which indicates that this improvement in the market is likely happening as we speak, rather than just some expected improvement later in the year.

For job seekers this is a positive improvement in the overall market and indicates a much more positive tone for the market in 2013. It is still not signaling a major expansion in overall hiring in the near term.

Introduced in May, 2003, ExecuNet's Recruiter Confidence Index is based on a monthly survey of executive search firms and is recognized as a leading indicator for the economy and the executive job market.]]> Market Trends 2013-02-20T07:11:52+00:00 Business Climate Improves While the Political Climate Frustrates http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/business_climate_improves_while_the_political_climate_frustrates/#When:07:17:52Z
The US economy has improved in a variety of ways in recent months, but that progress has been obscured by the fog of years and disappointments past and frustrating current events ranging from layoffs across the financial services sector, troubling societal headlines and Washington gridlock.

The real estate market as a whole is improving. Household debt is shrinking — thanks in large part to record-low interest rates — and state governments continue to confront serious budget challenges with serious, but certainly painful spending cutbacks.

There are reasons to feel better about where our economy is heading. And yes, there are also reasons to be very concerned about where our country is heading, particularly when one takes a dispassionate look at the numbers relating to the federal deficit and our national debt.

A proverb often attributed to the Chinese states, "May you live in interesting times."

Yet our calling now as business leaders is to manage, inspire, innovate and find opportunity in challenging times. In order to realize and sustain business growth, we need to remind ourselves that good news will come — as will bad news. Many things are beyond our control. We can only control our focus, our commitments and our decisions as we navigate around obstacles and toward opportunities.

Let's assume more of the same political paralysis in Washington, and be pleasantly surprised if any positive news comes from our elected leaders.

But let's not be ruled by negativity — by the news, by Washington, or by anything else that threatens to eat away our confidence in our organizations, our people and our own ability to rise above the realities of the times we're now living.]]> Market Trends 2013-02-18T07:17:52+00:00 The Economy and Opportunity are What You Make of Them http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/the_economy_and_opportunity_are_what_you_make_of_them/#When:07:38:48Z
There are really only two choices to make when it comes to navigating your enterprise around the uncertainty that now permeates the US economy.

You can sit idle, hoping the politicians in Washington come to their senses and find a way to create the conditions that will lead you to hire, or you can get on with your business and invest for the long run knowing that neither the competitive, legislative nor the economic landscape is going to hand you any big gifts in the near-term.

Sure, easier said than done. But what big, successful decision to grow a business didn't require some sense of risk taking and courage?

A recently released book, and a television commercial have each used the words "all in" to convey the kind of commitment under fire necessary to overcome long odds and reach one's objectives. Now it's time for American businesses to go all in for this economy, lest we be saddled with the malaise and fear that has permeated the business world for much of the past four years.

Placing a confident bet on the things you believe most, and on the people you trust the most, seem less risky the more you consider the alternatives.

It's time to take hold of this economy — one leader at a time — and to set aside the investment paralysis that comes with holding one's enterprise hostage based on the headlines of the day. It's time to go all in — for ourselves and for one another.]]> Market Trends 2013-02-15T07:38:48+00:00 How I Got Here: Nancy Di Dia’s Career Journey http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/how_i_got_here_nancy_di_dias_career_journey/#When:07:11:36Z
In a conversation with ExecuNet's Senior Contributing Editor Joseph Daniel McCool, and ExecuNet members, organizational development and change management expert Nancy Di Dia discussed her career journey and views on workplace culture. Here is an excerpt from that teleconference.


I was actually not born into being a diversity practitioner. At the time when I was going to school, they didn't have this as an area of study, nor was it anything when I was growing up as a Baby Boomer that corporations looked at. I spent the majority of my career at a major financial services organization in a variety of business management positions on the retail side of the house. In that time, I lived through some really remarkable managers and some pretty unremarkable leaders and managers. The unremarkable ones are primarily the reason why I'm doing this work.

What I mean by that is I began to see, early in my career, a lot of marginalization, unconscious bias occurring, micro-inequities. Although we didn't know what that term was until the mid 90s.

I really wanted to make a difference in terms of a workplace and a culture — in our society. I started to get more involved, and in the early 90s I took a risk at a chairman's town hall meeting. At the time, this was before JP merged with Morgan. We had just finished merging with Manufacturers Hanover and the chairman was talking about how we were becoming an inclusive culture and how important diversity was. I remember standing up, legs shaking, and I said to myself, "Di Dia, this is either going to be a career-breaker or an opportunity that could get you into diversity and inclusion work." I asked the question about when was Chase was going to introduce domestic partner benefits, because it felt to me like it was an unfair benefits offering we had since we didn't cover domestic partners. He politely deferred to the head of human resources to respond and I was told, "We're looking into that. We're exploring the costs." I went back to my office and there were a flurry of emails from people around the globe thanking me for asking that question.

Two days later, I got a call from the chairman's office to invite me to join his national diversity council and that's how it all began. It was an example of courageous leadership and taking a risk and not knowing where it was going to take me, but doing it in a respectful way that created pause and invited the company to explore the "why nots?"]]> Skills 2013-02-13T07:11:36+00:00 While You Were Out… http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/title_while_you_were_out_jan33/#When:07:13:19Z
"Have you noticed that your industry is changing and you may now need a new set of skills to more effectively compete?," ExecuNet Contributing Editor Marji McClure asked senior-level executives in ExecuNet's General Management Roundtable. "For instance, when you earned your degree, social media didn't exist. Now, your company and its competitors utilize social media technology on a regular basis. But you don't know how to make it work best for your organization and your career. What new skills must you acquire to continue to be successful in both your industry and job function? How can you get those skills you need — get them quickly — and close that gap?"

"This is where adaptability, fleet-footedness and willingness to be flexible are needed," replied one member, a senior finance planning and analysis executive. "As we are often our own harshest critics, we may tend to remember more vividly the negative experiences associated with failures (whether tiny or large). As a result, this may cause people to become more and more gun-shy during their careers. How many of us have heard (anecdotally, of course) of the well-seasoned employee who 'just wants to make it to retirement' because changing jobs now might 'be too difficult because they think I'm too old.'

Children have an almost undying curiosity and an associated willingness to explore and learn — it's their true calling at that point — and as a result don't worry about skinning knees or breaking bones or looking silly.

In order to continue our successes we must be willing to grow and learn; we must be willing to learn new things and play with them — maintaining that childlike curiosity about life and all it contains."

A divisional vice president and general manager stated: "I have definitely witnessed a skills gap. While the major reason behind this gap appears to be the 'resting on my laurels and previous experience' tendency that occurs with managers who have reached the level of GM or higher, another prevalent reason is the lack of training opportunities available through your current employment or a culture that lessens the value of continual education or skills training.

In either case, it still rests with the manager to overcome those barriers by finding avenues to pursue those fields of interest, either through online training opportunities or in local community college or university offerings.

Deferring the new approaches to your subordinates without having a fundamental understanding of the techniques applied will not provide you, as the GM, the best chance to incorporate these tools or techniques in executing the strategies for your business, company. Insight in finding new solutions to problems can be discovered in a variety of ways and ongoing training provides you those additional opportunities."

Read on for the monthly career and business insight that helps you advance in your current role, find a new one, gain expert advice and learn what's happening in the marketplace:

Most popular in January:
Don't Leave Money on the Table
How to Make the Leap into a New Industry
Top 12 for 2012
Why a Good Sense of Humor Can Sustain Leaders in Challenging Times
Follow the Leader: Don Tapscott

What you may have missed:
How I Got Here: Don Tapscott's Career Journey
Perks Matter
Rising to the Occasion
Executive Job Creation Index Closes 2012 Inching Upward
Recruiter Confidence Still Lagging
Federal Reserve Offers Companies a Roadmap for Growth in 2013
Follow the Leader: Lynda Gratton

The blog posts that keep on giving:
Top 5 Ways to Land on Recruiters' Radar
Compensation Forecasts Point to Improving Business Conditions
Are Hard or Soft Skills More Important?
Networking in Unexpected Places
Career Advice from World Leaders
Cultural Intelligence: How a High CQ Can Help You Land Your Dream Job!]]> Best Practices 2013-02-11T07:13:19+00:00 Follow the Leader: A Conversation with Russell Stevens (3 of 4) http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/follow_the_leader_a_conversation_with_russell_stevens_3_of_4_ei/#When:07:19:19Z
In this candid conversation with ExecuNet, innovative branding strategist Russell Stevens shares his views on how great leaders encourage creative thinking within an organization.

He says creativity must be risk-free for the creative types. "You have to take the sense of risk out of it. You can't have people be truly creative if you're going to punish them for it not working. The leaders have to stand side by side with the creatives. You can't just talk about it. You have to commit to it."

Mr. Stevens' insight will inspire you to think about and look at the world, your career and your business differently, and then act on that shift in perspective.

In part two of ExecuNet's exclusive interview with Russell Stevens, he shares his views on why social engagement is so important to business today, the future of monologue brands, and other aspects of executive life.]]> Your Career 2013-02-05T07:19:19+00:00 Signs that the Business Cycle Remains Relevant http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/signs_that_the_business_cycle_remains_relevant/#When:07:57:15Z
Improvements in the US real estate market, higher rates of employment and hope for better economic conditions in the new year are combining in some really positive ways to give business leaders some level of confidence that the business cycle many of us learned about in college remains a relevant signpost of growth. What's that? Is it possible that some of you haven't heard of the 'business cycle' for years?

Well, if that's the case, it's probably because the US economy has, over the past four-and-a-half years, been stuck in a historic trough so deep and filled with bad news about business growth and pessimistic views of the economic landscape it's been hard to envision a return to the boom years we knew over a decade ago.

Yet, the recent good news about economic growth and recovery — yes, there's still a long way to go — reveal the real truth that is the business cycle. That is, that no matter how deep or prolonged the downturn, the economic currents will indeed shift again and may even set the table once more for the kind of investment and hiring this country needs.

Rather than focus on the near-term, business leaders would be wise to start making contingency plans in the event the US economy ramps up in 2013 and opens up new business and career opportunities for the first time in years.

That's important because once the doors to a robust hiring environment are again thrown open, many leaders who've been forced to do more with less for too long will leave, creating opportunities to upgrade talent and take the most critical roles into new directions with new people.

The economic conditions that forced nearly all of us into a period of real retrenchment are beginning to shift as the business cycle again reveals its cyclical nature. Will you be ready?]]> Market Trends 2013-01-31T07:57:15+00:00 How I Got Here: Don Tapscott’s Career Journey http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/how_i_got_here_don_tapscotts_career_journey_ei/#When:07:09:04Z
In a conversation with ExecuNet's Chief Marketing Officer, Anthony Vlahos, and ExecuNet members, author, speaker and business strategist Don Tapscott discussed his career journey and business philosophies. Here is an excerpt from that teleconference.

In my life, if there's one theme that's been problematic and a challenge for me, it is that I've been doing research and coming up with ideas that the world was really not able to absorb or was not ready for. In the late 70s, we said computers are going to be tools for communication; it's not just data processing. Everyone will use computers. For years, people said I was wrong. The reason is bizarre. The reason they said I was wrong is managers and professionals will never learn to type. It came down to the question of typing efficiency, so I became a typing evangelist. "Typing is fun." That was challenging.

Then, in 1992, I made a huge decision. I was with a very large management consulting company. I decided to become an entrepreneur again. That was the second time I did that. The first was a huge decision for me because I was at [a research company]. I had a bunch of promotions, a big corner office. I was still young – in my 20s. I had a very bright executive career with stock options and all kinds of other things. One of my colleagues convinced me to leave the company and set up a company. She dragged me there, almost kicking and screaming. I wasn't sure I was doing the right thing because I don't come from a family of entrepreneurs, and the idea of entrepreneurship was strange to me. But it worked out. We created a successful company in the 80s, which we sold.

Later, I left another large company and created New Paradigm, based on paradigm shift. I still essentially have that company, although a couple of iterations of it have been sold. It's been a pretty interesting ride of trying to be not too far out there and trying to be practical and helpful to people. You want to make sure you are providing true thought leadership and just not becoming one of these glad handing management gurus and motivational consultants who just get up and say a bunch of platitudes in an inspiring way.

All kinds of big things have happened. The significant one is that I started studying kids as a generation when I noticed how my own children were effortlessly able to use all of this sophisticated technology. At first, I thought they were prodigies, but then I noticed all their friends were like them, so that was a bad theory.

I started working with several hundred young people in the mid 90s, and that led me into this whole stream that I've been pursuing since, about understanding a generation of digital natives and how they think, learn, work and play differently.

I'm fortunate to be a curious person. I look for that in others, people I hire, people that I surround myself with. This is a time when many, many things are changing fundamentally and having an attitude of openness, of wanting to learn, of hearing an idea and your first reaction is not to try and kill it. Your first reaction is to try... and how it might be important. That's a real stance that I take.

Integrity thing is important for me. I want to do the right things, and I think increasingly that will lead to people who have integrity will be more successful, as will companies. I don't think that's been true in the past.]]> Skills 2013-01-28T07:09:04+00:00 How to Make the Leap into a New Industry http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/how_to_make_the_leap_into_a_new_industry_ei/#When:07:27:54Z
Whether it's by choice or necessity, you may find yourself facing an industry transition. However, for the 93 percent of executives we surveyed last year who reported they were considering or may consider an industry change, it's easier said than done.

Companies typically don't widely embrace industry-changers; it requires the candidate to formulate a well-executed strategy to position themselves so hiring managers and recruiters can see the unique and transferable value they bring.

We recently gathered key insight from executive recruiters so you can make the leap from where you are to where you want to be. They forecast 18 percent of 2013 executive placements will be industry outsiders — higher than they've ever reported to us, which indicates they are more open to understanding the value of multi-sector experience and candidates are getting better at conveying their transferable skills.

See which qualities and functional areas executive recruiters said are most transferable in our new infographic and let us know what you think.]]> Your Career 2013-01-24T07:27:54+00:00 Why a Good Sense of Humor Can Sustain Leaders in Challenging Times http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/why_a_good_sense_of_humor_can_sustain_leaders_in_challenging_times/#When:07:56:04Z
The US economy has been in a bad mood for too long, but you needn't let any lingering uncertainty get you down. Actually, in times like these, stepping away from the day-to-day firefighting and routine meeting schedule can give business leaders time not only to re-charge their batteries, but also the kind of perspective that gets us asking the big-picture questions, like:

  1. Am I in the right role? Am I in the right organization? And am I heading in the right career direction?
  2. Is all this travel and time away from family and friends really worth it?
  3. Am I doing what I love or can I find something I'm passionate about, through work or in my personal life?



As we take time to ponder these and other big questions, we not only come to realize our shortcomings as people and as leaders, but we also come closer to terms that put business goals in a secondary place to our life goals. As they say, our elders rarely look back on their lives and wish they had worked longer hours.

Recognizing the occasional folly of business pursuits eventually leads us to laughter. The power of laughter and humor has become even more critical in today's world because it moves us away from darkness and into the light.

A good sense of humor can help us cope with disappointing business results. A good joke can brighten someone's day. And interrupting the everyday routine with something unexpected — something funny — can lift morale and remind others to keep things in perspective.

We could all use a good laugh and a steady stream of good humor in times like these — otherwise, the joke is on us.]]> Best Practices 2013-01-23T07:56:04+00:00 Perks Matter http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/perks_matter/#When:07:07:36Z
I have no clue how many surveys have been run in the just the past five to 10 years on the subject of what happens as the employment market turns from one favoring the buyers vs. one where the sellers have the leverage. While we are not there yet, "barring injury" as they say, overall we seem slowly to be headed in that direction. I know that could change by dinnertime, but I still prefer to think of it in positive terms.

As this happens, organizations might want to dust off some of those surveys and remind themselves that after bucks and benefits, what matters, especially to the GenXers (and indeed) lots of Boomers as well.

In the stats that have come across my desk in recent years, one perk that keeps coming up again and again and is usually at or near the top of the list is work schedule flexibility. That stat by itself comes as no surprise. What does make me scratch my head, however, is that many bosses still think that "by the book" structure is still what makes the world go round.

Here at ExecuNet, we see these things manifesting themselves in any number of ways as the senior-level executives who make up our community report to us things like: people landing at a significantly higher rate; new members who report their status as "currently employed and thinking about making a change," to name a couple. They are, of course, responding to what they see in terms of the increased demand (e.g. our postings from recruiters year over year continue to be up).

So my question is this: If all those who say they are making a change because they want to find a work environment and/or a culture that is more in tune with their "wants," to what degree do they "get it?" Do they "get it" enough to really work to transform the cultures of the organizations to which they are going so that they meet the real needs of those already there and as part of which and as members of the executive team, they will be trying to recruit and retain?

If one examines the behavior of organizations in the past as they have attempted to adapt to the changing values of differing generations, it explains all too clearly why when it is a seller's market that retention is always a big time issue. And the "war for talent" stats notwithstanding, it isn't just about numbers of warm bodies available.

There is in all this, it seems to me, both lesson and learning. The companies that have not made addressing retention issues a strategic priority must be made up of people who believe the old saying: "History is something that happens to other people."]]> Market Trends 2013-01-21T07:07:36+00:00 Rising to the Occasion http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/rising_to_the_occasion/#When:07:25:35Z
There comes a time for every business leader — if not just once, perhaps several times over the course of a career — when the future of their organization and its people hinges on the decisions he or she is about to make. The business as they've known it will never be the same. And the individual executive may also be forever changed.

It's easy to see how the call for leadership manifests itself in times of war or conflict. Bravery on the battlefield is as much about courage and intestinal fortitude as it is the combination of serious challenges and equally serious men and women committed to their cause and willing to risk it all to achieve what they believe is right.

Maybe that's why some business leaders like to look to history for insight on how to be a better leader. How to lead their charges more effectively. And how to be courageous when all seems lost.

Rising to the occasion in today's business world doesn't carry the same life or death consequences as military commanders face on the battlefield. Rather, it may best be revealed in some of the toughest decisions faced by business executives in the face of incredible competition, technological pressures or perhaps even a loss of customer or shareholder confidence.

For it is in such trying times that the best leaders go where they need to go to make the right decisions. That is, deep inside, in search of the foundational beliefs that first moved them to invest so much of themselves in climbing the corporate ladder and ultimately, accepting the reins of leadership.

Too often, business leaders look outside in search of answers, when many of the real, best answers lie within.]]> Your Career 2013-01-18T07:25:35+00:00 Executive Job Creation Index Closes 2012 Inching Upward http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/executive_job_creation_index_closes_2012_inching_upward_ei/#When:07:22:59Z
ExecuNet's Executive Job Creation Index increased from +11 to +15 in December as recruiters indicated that one in five companies would be adding executive level jobs in the next six months. This was up from one in six last month. The number of companies expected to upgrade their talent climbed from 44 percent to 51 percent. This positive shift suggests a firmer environment as we begin 2013, but still does not indicate a major breakout we would all like to see as Recruiter Confidence continues to languish below 50 percent.

For job seekers, this means one needs to network into companies looking for talent rather than waiting for companies to come to you. For recruiters, this suggests targeting companies that want to upgrade talent.



Recruiters indicate that only in selective industry sectors, healthcare and some technology, is there much growth.

To open the most opportunity, executives need to target companies based on how they can add immediate value to the company. Networking to executives already employed by the 70 percent of companies willing to add or upgrade opportunities will enable executives to uncover the "hidden" job market that goes often goes unnoticed in these slow growth periods.

ExecuNet's Executive Job Creation Index is a nationally recognized measure of expected hiring at the executive level and compares the number of companies expected to add executive positions over the next six months versus those planning to downsize their management teams or delay filling vacant management roles.]]> Market Trends 2013-01-16T07:22:59+00:00 Follow the Leader: Don Tapscott http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/follow_the_leader_don_tapscott_ei/#When:07:19:18Z
Don Tapscott is a globally recognized author, speaker and advisor on the convergence of media, technology and innovation who sees a corporate revolution on the horizon. But the question is: who, exactly, will lead it? Who will overthrow and for what purposes?

Tapscott outlines his view of the future in this exclusive ExecuNet interview, taped behind the scenes of the 2012 World Business Forum in New York City, where he shared his views on the future of business, the convergence of technology and media and what leaders can do to exploit new opportunities.

"The industrial age is over." He noted how institutions of the industrial age are in different stages of stalling or failing. Tapscott noted the struggles of industrial age corporations and the financial system, as well as many newspapers that have filed for bankruptcy. "Our systems for global problem solving can't seem to solve problems," he said. "Are these problems too hard to solve, or do we have an old model?"

Social media is becoming a new means of production. "Social media is beginning to change the way we work as a society to do things." Tapscott believes social media and social networking collaboration are creating a more open world. It's also changing the structure and architecture of the corporation. Peers, inside and outside of companies, are helping organizations accomplish their goals.]]> Skills 2013-01-14T07:19:18+00:00 Don’t Leave Money on the Table http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/dont_leave_money_on_the_table/#When:20:25:09Z
It's one of those topics that close associates and even friends don't discuss with one another — compensation. Yet, when you're negotiating a new deal, it's something where more information and guidance is helpful.

When you're an executive, your compensation package is typically comprised of more than salary: there are contracts, bonuses, stock options and other elements to negotiate. But how do you know if your package is in alignment with market trends or you’re getting a fair deal?

ExecuNet has tracked executive compensation packages over the years and we've compiled a handy chart so you can benchmark what you're getting against your peers. You'll learn how the deals have fluctuated since 2007, what's in the packages, and how much negotiating leverage you have when you download ExecuNet's Don't Leave Money on the Table.]]> Market Trends 2013-01-10T20:25:09+00:00 Top 12 for 2012 http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/top_12_for_2012/#When:07:31:55Z
Thank you to everyone who read, commented, visited and shared content from Executive Insider this last year. Much of what we publish here comes from information gleaned inside our membership, with experts who interact in our executive communities, on-site at exclusive events, and the ongoing conversations we have with professionals like you.

We're pleased you continue to find value in this executive-level career and business insight; here are the articles that were the most read in 2012. You'll find a mixture of downloadable white papers, interesting infographics, expert commentary, "how-to," opinion and other information to get you thinking or moving toward an action. Enjoy!

12. Do Your Vision and Values Inspire Others?
11. Is Your Résumé Recruiter-Ready?
10. Welcome Back, War for Talent?
9. Chief Executives Focus on Company Top Line but also Tend to Career Bottom-Line
8. What Haven’t You Done Yet?
7. When You’re Very Young
6. Branding and Marketing the Over-50 Executive
5. 6 Steps to Help You Run, Walk or Get You to What's Next
4. Leadership is Transferable Across Industries
3. What's the CEO's Primary Role?
2. Top 5 Ways to Land on Recruiters' Radar

And the most read article for 2012 was...
1. Are Hard or Soft Skills More Important?

On behalf of everyone at ExecuNet, we wish you a happy and fulfilling 2013!]]> Market Trends 2013-01-07T07:31:55+00:00 Federal Reserve Offers Companies a Roadmap for Growth in 2013 http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/federal_reserve_offers_companies_a_roadmap_for_growth_in_2013/#When:07:16:11Z
The recent, unprecedented move by the Federal Reserve to tie an eventual increase in short-term interest rates to certain unemployment and inflation targets now provides business leaders with some of the policy-making guidance they can use to assess the business climate for growth in 2013 and beyond.

What the Federal Reserve did, in essence, was to remove a bit of uncertainty from the minds of CEOs, CFOs and investors, too, by telegraphing interest rate hikes based on unemployment and inflation thresholds rather than forecast dates roughly 24 months into the future.

That was a positive sign that may just give the federal government the momentum it needs to spur CEO confidence in the economy and push companies to start hiring again by pushing beyond the kind of partisan politics that has had business leaders shaking their heads in resignation for far too long.

This move by the Federal Reserve took away the smoke and mirrors that confused investors and contributed to the kind of economic uncertainty that frustrated corporate budget planners. From now on, thanks to this move, everyone can see just how close we are to a raise in interest rates based on the unemployment and inflation figures.

This economy, our business leaders and our nation need clarity on government policy and insight on global economic currents and emerging growth opportunities. In this case, the Federal Reserve delivered.]]> Market Trends 2013-01-04T07:16:11+00:00 Follow the Leader: Lynda Gratton http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/follow_the_leader_lynda_gratton_ei/#When:07:50:21Z
As the business world continues to globalize and a projected five billion people become socially and professionally interconnected over the next 10 years, London School of Business professor Lynda Gratton sees many possibilities for the future of work.

So what are the implications — and potential — for high performing individuals and teams? And what will organizations expect of executive leaders that they aren't now providing?

Gratton shares her views on these critical leadership questions in this exclusive ExecuNet video interview at the 2012 World Business Forum.]]> Skills 2013-01-02T07:50:21+00:00 Career Advice from World Leaders http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/career_advice_from_world_leaders/#When:20:00:49Z
I've referred to the annual World Business Forum as a two-day crash MBA headlined by all-star professors. If the event is the course, then the executive summary would be the textbook.

ExecuNet has been the exclusive content partner for many years, producing the official executive summary for World Business Forum delegates and conducting on-site interviews with presenters. This year, global leaders shared key insight that can help you reach career goals, deliver corporate objectives and get to your next level.

Download the entire executive summary of the World Business Forum to learn who said...

"Great leadership is partly a consequence of circumstances and timing."

"The job market is hollowing out, a situation created by structural changes in the labor market. If you don't want your job to be replaced by the robot or to be outsourced, you need to learn to do something better than anyone else can."

"A great leader is a generous coach."

"...the clean economy is where the jobs are going to be."

"The best leaders...are excited to reward their people, to see them grow, to see them promoted."

"The role of mentorship was vital in my career."

"I believe strongly that leadership is much more than managing well."]]> Your Career 2012-12-27T20:00:49+00:00 Compensation Forecasts Point to Improving Business Conditions http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/compensation_forecasts_point_to_improving_business_conditions_ei/#When:07:12:01Z
The economic challenges of the past four-and-a-half years have stifled executive compensation, save for the incredibly overcompensated (and in some cases, completely shameless) big company CEOs we've read too much about during that time.

For the vast majority of executives, there's been scant — if any — movement to the upside in salary and bonus terms, and far greater pressures on their ownership shares or stock options, in some cases putting them underwater for some time. But there is light at the end of the tunnel… actually, maybe even sooner.

Modest gains are expected for executive compensation in 2013, based in part on improving economic conditions. (No, they're not great, but they are getting better and they're far from the tough times we've already been through). Executive recruiters surveyed by ExecuNet said they expect base salary compensation levels to increase an average of 2.26 percent in 2013. Almost one quarter of the recruiters (24.2 percent) said they expect pre-recession compensation levels to return in two years.

The other element putting upward influence on management pay plans is a sense that if companies don't move now, they may well lose some of their top performers if the economy and the white-collar job market really open up in the coming year.

Will 2013 be the year your stock portfolio or retirement plan posts double-digit gains? It's too early to tell. Will it present the kind of executive job market that would make executive job transition a smart move? Only time will tell.

But if there is one thing we can cling to some hope of, it's the realization by employers that they've enjoyed a buyer's market for senior talent for a long time, and the pendulum will eventually swing back to the point of putting more leverage (and more options) in the hands of the most sought-after executive leaders.

The pendulum will move in a positive way in 2013, at least in executive compensation terms. But just how far it goes, and how quickly we all return to growth mode, is something we'll have to wait out with optimism and cheer when we get there.]]> Market Trends 2012-12-26T07:12:01+00:00 Follow the Leader: A Conversation with Russell Stevens (2 of 4) http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/follow_the_leader_a_conversation_with_russell_stevens_2_of_4_ei/#When:08:37:25Z
In this candid conversation with ExecuNet, innovative branding strategist Russell Stevens shares his views on why social engagement is so important to business today, the future of monologue brands, and other aspects of executive life.

He says there is an incredible amount of downward pressure on CMOs to do more with less and that advertising on TV is not the only way to build a brand, nor does it guarantee engagement. He states that if "marketers can figure out how to engage people, at scale, using all this great media, you now have a much more emotionally engaging, but measurable, way of connecting with people. That's the foundation toward moving toward social media."

Mr. Stevens' insight will inspire you to think about and look at the world, your career and your business differently, and then act on that shift in perspective.

In part one of ExecuNet's exclusive interview with Russell Stevens, he shares his views on when to follow one's passions as a career, what to do when you find yourself at a career crossroads, and other aspects of executive life. ]]> Your Career 2012-12-21T08:37:25+00:00 Executive Job Creation Dips, Indicating Low Recruiter Confidence http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/executive_job_creation_dips_indicating_low_recruiter_confidence/#When:07:36:13Z
ExecuNet's Job Creation Index dipped in November from +17 to +11. Recruiters lost some of the confidence they had seen prior to the election, as the number of companies expected to add positions in the next six months, declined from 27 percent to 17 percent.



Recruiters continue to report they are not confident that Washington is going to address the lack of economic growth which has plagued our economy for the last few years. For job seekers, this means that they should not expect a major change in job creation over the next six months; networking into positions remains the best way to find a new position in this, or any, economy.]]> Market Trends 2012-12-19T07:36:13+00:00 Follow the Leader: Nathan O. Rosenberg http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/follow_the_leader_nathan_o._rosenberg/#When:07:02:00Z
As a founding partner of Insigniam, an international consulting firm dedicated to driving transformation and catalyzing breakthrough results, Nathan Rosenberg has gotten a front-row seat on the kinds of change initiatives that can lead to phenomenal growth.

Rosenberg says there are four steps any innovation-minded company must take in order to embark on the kind of change initiative that could reap significant new results, and he outlines them in this exclusive ExecuNet interview shot behind-the-scenes at the 2012 World Business Forum.

Rosenberg believes that executives focus on arguing for their view and don't truly open themselves up to listening to others' views. This inhibits innovation and true breakthroughs. He believes the potential of an organization hinges on the quality of its conversations, yet almost nobody standardizes the quality, content and structure of those conversations.]]> Skills 2012-12-17T07:02:00+00:00 Networking in Unexpected Places http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/networking_in_unexpected_places/#When:20:00:19Z
Networking can definitely be one of those activities that forces people out of their comfort zones. Even though ExecuNet facilitates monthly meetings in dozens of markets to enable executives a more relaxed environment to meet, learn and connect, it can still feel awkward if you're unaccustomed or resistant to networking with strangers.

With the next big opportunity or business deal just a conversation away, who you know elevates in importance and it should be a mission to connect with people anywhere and everywhere. ExecuNet members revealed some of the non-traditional networking places where they had success meeting the right people and connected with opportunity.

Learn more when you download this new ExecuNet white paper: You Met Them Where?]]> Best Practices 2012-12-13T20:00:19+00:00 Follow the Leader: Barbara Corcoran http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/follow_the_leader_barbara_corcoran/#When:12:12:10Z
The hyper-competitive market for Manhattan real estate taught Barbara Corcoran some tough business lessons, some of which she uses today on the hit television show Shark Tank to assess the merit of investing in a wide range of startup companies.

So do you really have to have gnashing teeth or sharp elbows to compete and win in a wildly competitive or regularly disrupted industry? And are successful entrepreneurs really wired a bit differently from the rest of us?

Corcoran brings her unique flair for straight talk and high-octane conversation to this exclusive ExecuNet video interview at the 2012 World Business Forum and helps us explore how executives can be better leaders, how to spot a talented entrepreneur, and the kind of change that new leadership expectations might require of us all.]]> Skills 2012-12-11T12:12:10+00:00 While You Were Out… http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/while_you_were_out_dec07/#When:12:15:21Z
"What does it take for a company to survive and thrive in a competitive market environment? Is innovation the answer? Better people? Something else?" ExecuNet Senior Contributing Editor Joe McCool asked executives in ExecuNet's IT Roundtable about creating a sustainable competitive advantage.

"The answer clearly depends on the stage at which the firm and the market are in terms of their evolution," replied a product line manager in the electronic components and semiconductors industry. "If it is an emerging market space or a start-up firm, innovation — in technology, process, business models or position in the supply chain — is the key. If the firm is established and competing in a mature market space, innovation does matter, but other aspects of the business (like scale, brand, advertising, macroeconomics, etc.) tend to dominate."

Another member, a vice president of sales in the telecommunications industry, responded: "There is no simple answer, innovation is a must, cost-effectiveness is the second factor. But the most important factor is people involved. A company can survive if they have the right culture and the right people who are loyal to the company, not loyal to individuals within the company. People are the biggest asset of any company, if they believe in the vision of the company and are motivated, they can even compensate for other shortcomings."

"I think creating thriving and innovative culture is one of the most important goals organizations must own," said the leader of infrastructure architecture for a multinational biotech company. "I clearly see a transformation in our organization wherein creating a competitive advantage through innovation is in our DNA. Historically, we saw corporate strategy and CTOs [in the] organization leading [the] chart for innovation, but now we see functions like IT are fundamental parts of innovation."

Read on for the monthly career and business insight that helps you advance in your current role, find a new one, gain expert advice and learn what's happening in the marketplace:

Most popular in November:
How They Successfully Built It — You Can Too
Why Job Hunting Shouldn’t Take a Holiday
Expanding Your Network of Conversations
The Humility Test
Gratitude Surfaces More for Leaders

What you may have missed:
Recruiters Want to See the Real You
Follow the Leader: Clay Shirky (3 of 3)
Executive Job Creation on the Rise in October
Recruiter Confidence Jumps in October
What Presidential Elections Really Provide

The blog posts that keep on giving:
Top 5 Ways to Land on Recruiters' Radar
Sorting Leadership from Everyday Management
Are Hard or Soft Skills More Important?
Where's Your Influence Coming From?
What's the CEO's Primary Role?
]]> Best Practices 2012-12-07T12:15:21+00:00 It’s Time To Grow… With Optimism http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/its_time_to_grow_with_optimism/#When:11:32:16Z
Business leaders have been stymied, frustrated and held back by the indecision and uncertainty that has clouded the US economy for more than four years. It is for this reason some economists, authors and other notables have described the global business condition with the term "VUCA" – representing volatility, uncertainty, change and ambiguity.

Yet, now with the results of the November election known, and likely more of the same gridlock on Washington's docket, it's time for business leaders to get on with the business of rebuilding their companies. It's time to take our collective fingers off the "Pause" button and strive for the kind of growth we used to know.

But that's going to require significant measures of personal and enterprise resolve, re-investment, confidence and a commitment to pursue business expansion even if the politicians in Washington can't find room to compromise and get the nation more firmly on the path of economic renewal and financial sustainability.

Business executives actually might be well served to assume the worst out of Washington and to plan accordingly. That is, maybe today's employer organizations would be better left to focus on their own agendas and view any economic stimulus or job-creating legislative acts as a pure bonus.

Even the most cynical of business leaders can remove political uncertainty from the list of things holding them back from new hiring and making investments in technology and continuing education and training for their employees.

Sure, they might conjure other excuses, but after four difficult years in the economy and the job market (including the white collar employment market), doesn't leadership for today and tomorrow demand new measures of optimism, resolve and inspiration?

It was former Vice President Spiro Agnew who once referred to "nattering nabobs of negativism." In today's business climate, the very best of executive leaders shouldn't be counted among them. It's time to grow with optimism!]]> Market Trends 2012-12-05T11:32:16+00:00 Follow the Leader: A Conversation with Russell Stevens (1 of 4) http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/follow_the_leader_a_conversation_with_russell_stevens_1_of_4_ei/#When:12:42:48Z
Until recently, Mr. Stevens was a partner at the strategic communications agency SS+K, guiding the company’s consulting group and business development operations. In May 2012, he left to begin Saddle River Group, a boutique consulting and investment practice, with long-time friend and former AOL President Ron Grant.

In this candid conversation with ExecuNet, Mr. Stevens shares his views on when to follow one's passions as a career, what to do when you find yourself at a career crossroads, and other aspects of executive life.

He says executives at a career crossroads must figure out what they are really good at and what they really like to do. It is a mix of passion and opportunity, keeping one's ideal in mind and to see "if you can construct a career around it." He believes "we are in a world of free agency and, companies are not only hiring from the big agencies or very high level freelance people. They are now able to piece together solutions from a number different places." He advises jumping off the path one is supposed to take when they reach a certain age and finding their inner passions.

Mr. Stevens' insight will inspire you to think about and look at the world, your career and your business differently, and then act on that shift in perspective.]]> Your Career 2012-12-03T12:42:48+00:00 Recruiters Want to See the Real You http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/recruiters_want_to_see_the_real_you/#When:12:35:16Z
What headhunters see should be what they get, as 62 percent of recruiters say it's crucial to have a current, professional headshot on online profiles. With a previous ExecuNet study revealing that 90 percent of recruiters check out executive candidates online, you want to be sure that the picture they found of you is going to be a close match of who they meet in person.

There's no denying age discrimination is an unwelcome reality for the 50+ executive, but more recruiters accept the decision to display no photo than one depicting you at a younger age.

ExecuNet surveyed executive recruiters about best practices for online profile pictures for the over 50 executive. Here is what they said they would like to see when they look for you:

Current, professional headshot       62%
Not displayed at all (default avatar)       26%
Candid shot or action shot where they are doing something       5%
Less recent photo where they look younger       4%
Something interesting or relevant, even if it's not a picture of the candidate       3%
]]> Best Practices 2012-11-29T12:35:16+00:00 Follow the Leader: Clay Shirky (3 of 3) http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/follow_the_leader_clay_shirky_3_of_3/#When:12:44:12Z
So what should be asked of business leaders when it comes to innovation? NYU professor Clay Shirky says leaders have to cede control of the conversation with customers in order to achieve the kinds of surprises that can lead to real business breakthroughs.

In an exclusive offstage video interview at the 2012 World Innovation Forum, Shirky shared his perspective of the role executives must play to engage customers and set the table for sustainable business results.

Download Follow the Leader: Clay Shirky (1 of 3)
Download Follow the Leader: Clay Shirky (2 of 3)]]> Skills 2012-11-28T12:44:12+00:00 Gratitude Surfaces More for Leaders http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/gratitude_surfaces_more_for_leaders/#When:07:33:29Z
The Roman author, orator and politician Cicero is credited with acknowledging the gifts of gratitude with these words: "Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others."

A lesser-known, modern-day author, likewise, expressed the same sentiment with these words: "Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision of tomorrow."

So what does gratitude have to do with executive leadership?

For starters, it helps keep us all grounded and mindful that others helped create the conditions that led to our success. Sure, there are a lot of "self-made" men and women of distinction throughout the business world. But to say they achieved success without the work, investment, encouragement and/or guidance of others would be a stretch. None of us works and achieves in a vacuum.

Gratitude also forces us to look at the past and to learn from it. If we do, we might forge ahead into volatile circumstances and an uncertain future with the confidence of leaders who know us – strengths, weaknesses and limits.

Gratitude for what we've been given also moves us to empathize with those who have little, if anything, to be thankful for because of their dire need, whether it be for food, shelter, clean water or a safe environment to live, work and/or raise a family.

The call to be grateful is a call to be ourselves and to be human. We may pause from our typical schedules to celebrate Thanksgiving once a year, but we may be well-served to take a moment each day to reflect on all that we've been given, and what we might give if we challenge ourselves to see our own full potential.]]> Your Career 2012-11-26T07:33:29+00:00 Executive Job Creation on the Rise in October http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/executive_job_creation_on_the_rise_in_october/#When:07:43:49Z
ExecuNet's exclusive Executive Job Creation Index jumped from +9 in September to +17 in October. This change was driven by the almost doubling in the number of companies expecting to add executive level positions in the next six months. In October, the number of companies expecting to add positions jumped from 13 percent to 27 percent.



The good news for job seekers is the broader base of companies that are expecting to add jobs. Since there was little change in the industries that were expected to grow or the functions that were in high demand, this suggests a broader attitude toward growth across the board. If this holds after the election, it should bode well for the rest of this year and early next year.

ExecuNet's Executive Job Creation Index is a nationally recognized measure of expected hiring at the executive level and compares the number of companies expected to add executive positions over the next six months versus those planning to downsize their management teams or delay filling vacant management roles.]]> Market Trends 2012-11-21T07:43:49+00:00 The Humility Test http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/the_humility_test_ei/#When:07:56:36Z
There is something highly revealing (and also far more predictive of executive performance) in the language executives use to describe what they've done, where they've been and why it mattered to their previous employers. It is their use of the word 'I'; in describing how their organizations overcame adversity, beat the competition or turned things around. And it may exhibit a startling lack of self-awareness and humility for those interested in vetting the kind of leader required by today's enterprises.

We've also heard leaders wax poetic about how they did this, how they did that and how their organizations were saved by their judgment, their leadership and their prowess in whatever function they served in. Surely, in some cases, if it were not for the individual's bold masterstroke in strategy, marketing, technology or innovation, their company might well have collapsed.

But even in such cases, savvy leaders come to new career opportunities with the awareness that what worked somewhere else may not work in a new environment nor with a different brand, different set of people and resources.

The task of selecting leaders and successors to key senior-management roles is not an easy one. Interviews must not bias or preordain the outcome. Companies must not fool themselves into thinking everyone wants to work for their brand. And human resources leaders must continually and consistently convey corporate culture while weeding out potential misfits.

What's also important to remember, however, is that some candidates should serve to disqualify themselves from further consideration due to their self-centered behavior and language about the results they drove elsewhere that is too often punctuated with the word 'I.' Look, rather, for leaders steeped in the 'We' — and give them a chance ... even when that requires a little bit of faith, courage and humility.

If you found this article helpful, leave a comment and also share it with others. ]]> Best Practices 2012-11-20T07:56:36+00:00 While You Were Out… http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/while_you_were_out_Nov2012/#When:07:47:03Z
"Can great salespeople sell anything?" That was the question posed by the president of a software consulting company in one of ExecuNet's business Roundtables.

"I don't necessarily agree that great salespeople can sell anything," replied a senior vice president of an online services company. "I've run into this question many times, and my favorite analogy is car sales. You can have a salesperson on the lot of a local Ford dealership who is selling Mustangs at $26k a piece, and he can have a sales quota of $2.6 million, and be a great salesman and blow through his quota."

The SVP continued, "You can have a salesperson doing fleet sales and selling Mustangs 50 at a time to state police departments with the same quota, and that person can be just as great and blow just as far through his quota. But there's no guarantee that the fleet salesperson would get anywhere near the same quota number if you put him out on the lot — and vice versa.

Saying that a salesperson is 'great' is almost certainly only true within a certain context. If you carry the analogy forward — if you take that fleet salesperson selling to state police departments, and hire him at an office furniture company to sell desks to the state police department, will he do just as well?

Sure, some of the skills are transferable. And sales of a given 'type' — b2b, b2c, solution, etc. — may cross-over between industries with even more transfer of usable skills. But, particularly for senior salespeople, and particularly for large dollar sales, a lot of what you're seeking on the hiring side is a combination of industry knowledge and a Rolodex. Maybe the guy selling $50m worth of fire extinguishers to the federal government with great success can sell $50m worth of switches and routers to AT&T, but why should I take that risk? And why should I invest the time to bring him up to speed on all the stuff he definitely won't have, if I can go hire someone who already has it?"

A customer operations manager for a major beverage brand shared her opinion: "I believe that a great salesperson understands their customers' business, the environment, and what issues the customer needs to solve. From that point, the great salesperson applies his particular product to the customers' business need. So, the great salesperson CAN sell anything if they face the customer.

A great salesperson spends their beginning days learning the features and benefits of their products and those of the customer. So, yes, I believe the right salesperson can sell anything."

Read on for the monthly career and business insight that helps you advance in your current role, find a new one, gain expert advice and learn what's happening in the marketplace:

Most popular in October:
Top 5 Ways to Land on Recruiters’ Radar
What’s the CEO’s Primary Role?
Recruiters Not Overly Optimistic on the Executive Employment Market
Follow the Leader: Mohanbir Sawhney (2 of 2)
The Magic of Moving Teams to Greatness

What you may have missed:
Sorting Leadership from Everyday Management
Where’s Your Influence Coming From?
Follow the Leader: Ray Kurzweil (2 of 2)
Do Your Best Performers Really Know Where They Stand?
Executive Job Creation Ticks Up in September
Six-Figure Hotline: It’s Not a Scavenger Hunt for Business Cards!
Building a Better Business Reality

The blog posts that keep on giving:
The Scam Artist All-Star List
Exclusive Insights from Some of the World’s Best Business Minds
Follow the Leader: Ray Kurzweil (1 of 2)
Are Hard or Soft Skills More Important?
6 Steps to Help You Run, Walk or Get You to What’s Next
]]> Best Practices 2012-11-16T07:47:03+00:00 Why Job Hunting Shouldn’t Take a Holiday http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/why_job_hunting_shouldnt_take_a_holiday/#When:07:31:37Z
With Halloween behind us, attention begins to turn toward the end-of-year holidays, at least here in the US. For many job seekers, there is a perception that hiring activity takes a holiday as well, so we surveyed executive recruiters to learn what they're really doing the last couple months of the year.

ExecuNet's research found that it was business as usual for executive recruiters and hiring managers, with search assignments, job postings, interviews and hiring decisions pretty much at the same level as other times of the year — and in some cases, even increasing!

If you maintain your pre-Halloween level of focus and intensity in your search activity, you're likely to have fewer competitors because of the common belief that hiring is dormant in November and December.

Find out how you can get the competitive edge when you download ExecuNet's white paper: Why Job Hunting Shouldn't Take a Holiday.]]> Your Career 2012-11-12T07:31:37+00:00 Expanding Your Network of Conversations http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/expanding_your_network_of_conversations/#When:12:31:49Z
Where is your company going? How fast will it grow? And will it be able to attract the kind of people and innovation capital necessary to reach its objectives? It likely all depends on the network of conversations currently underway within your enterprise. Just consider the prospects your sales team may be talking with, or the technology suppliers already engaged with your IT team. Then there are prospective employees who may be interviewing right this minute with your HR leaders and hiring managers.

It likely all depends on the network of conversations currently underway within your enterprise. Just consider the prospects your sales team may be talking with, or the technology suppliers already engaged with your IT team. Then there are prospective employees who may be interviewing right this minute with your HR leaders and hiring managers.

As the pace of business continues to accelerate, and we leverage new technology to open up new frontiers and opportunities, we must recognize the critical nature of meaningful conversations, be they complex, exploratory, emotional and/or pivotal to achieving business strategy.

The quality and depth of your own business conversations will no doubt speak volumes about the time you're investing to expand your knowledge, your relationships and your own career growth. The tenor and tone of those ongoing between your colleagues, superiors and subordinates add to the chorus of voices that will reveal the real potential of your organization.

So if you want to take stock of where your enterprise is going, delve into its conversations. They may well reveal a lot about the future of your organization, and its true identity, too.

If you found this article helpful, leave a comment and also share it with others.

]]> Your Career 2012-11-08T12:31:49+00:00 What Presidential Elections Really Provide http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/what_presidential_elections_really_provide_ei/#When:12:52:39Z
I can't remember a time when so many business people were anxious to learn exactly who will be president of the United States for the next four years. Perhaps because of the tough economic climate we've all been fighting through for the past four years, it seems many business leaders yearn for the certainty of knowing exactly how government policies, regulations and tax frameworks will impact them and their enterprises moving forward so they can effectively plan for the future.

No matter what your political leanings or current preference among the two major party candidates, one can glean some optimism that a large measure of the uncertainty about the next four years — politically and probably economically as well — will finally be known to us.

So what else, exactly, do presidential elections provide for us?

The office of the president of the United States provides the global platform from which to espouse hope, vision and a strategy for the American people. It is the president's job to advocate for change, create new policy, restore hope and inspire great work that propels our great country forward.

The person who is elected will have a historic opportunity to set the right tone for the country, to challenge its people, to muster its resources for the greatest good, and, hopefully to invest for the future. No single political party can lay claim to these responsibilities — they are American responsibilities and duties of the office — and therefore, things we can all hope to see realized no matter who wins the upcoming presidential election.

There will, undoubtedly, be lots of business executives watching the election very closely. Yet, the president can only deliver so much. The only thing we can hope for is a message, a movement, a rallying call and a tone that lets us get on with our important work and enables us to see the road ahead a bit more clearly.

If you found this article helpful, leave a comment and also share it with others.]]> Market Trends 2012-11-06T12:52:39+00:00 How They Successfully Built It – You Can Too http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/how_they_successfully_built_it_you_can_too_ei/#When:20:00:02Z
The journey of entrepreneurialism can be as individual as a fingerprint, as was learned during the small business panel discussion led by The Wall Street Journal's Small Business Editor Vanessa O'Connell, during a private breakfast for delegates at World Business Forum. What motivates one to start a business, the challenges met along the way, and the obstacles that become opportunity are all part of every entrepreneur's unique story.

But commonality lies in their passion to keep moving forward, despite setbacks, slammed doors or lack of funding. The three start-up entrepreneurs on the WSJ panel, where ExecuNet exclusively reported, have met the gamut of experiences on their pathway to success, and shared what they learned along their individual upward trajectories.

Alexa Hirschfeld is co-founder of Paperless Post, an online invitation service that launched in 2009. She had to "prove" her business model by first raising $1 million dollars in private money to show revenue traction before securing bigger funding that reached $12 million.

Paperless Post runs as a "freemium" service, whereby some functionality is free to users and at higher levels — premium — is paid. As an example, Hirschfeld cites their best-selling product, envelope liners, created about a year after Paperless Post launched. "My brother thought we needed to make these but I didn't, so he went off and did it with one of our developers."

Hirschfeld admits the initial pricing structure for the envelope liners was "terrible and didn't make sense. But it taught us we have a lifestyle product. We had to figure out how to have a free product and not cannibalize the paid product."

That "figuring it out" is a common trait for entrepreneurs who often don't have a guidebook, successor or executive team. For Jonathan Adler, founder and co-CEO of Jonathan Adler Enterprises, a modern home furnishings company, didn't have a business plan.

"I'm a potter and never intended to start a business," said Adler. "When I was 26, I started potting, and my parents said I better sell a pot. I bumbled along, and while Alexa had a business plan and raised $13 million, I was borrowing money for rent. I'm an accidental entrepreneur."

Adler said he came into the business completely backward and "had a million disasters along the way,” eventually building a 22-story home furnishing empire over 19 years. "I only went 'varsity' eight years ago," admits Adler when he took on private equity partners.

"Similar to Jonathan's trajectory, I had 10 years of darkness, and now I have private equity partners," said Daniel Lubetzky, founder and CEO of KIND Healthy Snacks and chairman of PeaceWorks, Inc. "Getting too much cash up front can be dangerous because you can use it," which would limit an entrepreneur from making the kind of valuable mistakes one would learn from.

PeaceWorks, a food company where products were co-created by Arabs, Israelis and Palestinians, said Lubetzky, was borne out of his passion to make peace in the Middle East. "Initially I made a ton of mistakes, and I started out of my basement. I was unsophisticated and dumb, but there was opportunity. KIND came out of the mistakes we made on the Peaceworks products. Four years later we got $15 million from PE."

Adler said that he also had many mistakes along the way but none came with regret. "I've learned from them, and it's been experimental. You can try, try again, and no one is keeping score."

"A flop will inform success," said Lubetzky, recalling a product he launched out of "greed" for more shelf space, rather than consumer consideration. "It's extraordinarily dangerous, and you should never forget why your consumer buys your product."

The result? "People didn't only not buy the product — we broke the brand promise, and they stopped buying the brand. My lesson was to be true to your brand, and keep your brand promise," said Lubetzky. "We now have the top 12 SKUs in our categories. We are obsessive about keeping our brand promise. Because of our obsession, all our products do very well."

If you found this article helpful, leave a comment and also share it with others. ]]> Skills 2012-11-01T20:00:02+00:00 Sorting Leadership from Everyday Management http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/sorting_leadership_from_everyday_management/#When:07:49:20Z
Former US Secretary of Defense and ex-university president, Dr. Robert Gates is one of those rare species in the public sector who says what he means, means what he says and doesn't care whose feathers he ruffles so long as it meets with what's best for the American people in our turbulent and divisive political age.

"I believe strongly that leadership is much more than managing well," Gates told the audience at the recent World Business Forum in New York. "Real leadership is a rare commodity."

Gates went on to share that, in some cases and in some situations, the true leader has to be willing to put it all on the line to advocate for what he or she really believes is best for the enterprise, either in the private setting or the world of public affairs and running a country.

In the purely political sphere, it boils down to leaders being willing to lose an election if it means choosing between what they believe is right and what would likely get them re-elected. In this business climate, however, the choice may not be as stark.

Today, leadership is being defined in the eyes of followers as they assess who is inspiring them, who is spending time with them to understand the challenges they face, and who is really exhibiting the cultural commitments and behaviors with synch with corporate strategy and workplace culture.

For Secretary Gates, who served presidents of both major political parties, leaders have to know their own core principals and when and why to fight for what they believe in — no matter the consequences to their careers. If what's best for the enterprise is change beyond the appetite of senior leadership, the best course for the leader is to step away and search for the next opportunity.

That's part of what separates a leader from an everyday manager.]]> Skills 2012-10-29T07:49:20+00:00 Where’s Your Influence Coming From? http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/wheres_your_influence_coming_from/#When:11:20:13Z
Engaging with Bob Frisch, author of Who's in the Room: How Great Leaders Structure and Manage the Teams Around Them, during an ExecuNet webinar proved a revealing exercise in both the organizational context we all work and how situational and environment variables weigh heavily on business performance.

Take, for example, Frisch's view that deciding which colleagues, peers, mentors and associates to confide in and from whom to seek assistance actually does impact the course of executive decision making regardless of the hierarchical chain of command expressed on the typical organization chart.

Frisch contends that it is often the so-called kitchen cabinet, that inner circle of confidants to whom an executive most frequently turns with the most challenging of business problems to solve, that actually wields tremendous impact on enterprise performance. That's especially interesting if you consider that these outside influencers are just that — they are non-employees with no real responsibility attached to the advice they give or when it's sought after by an executive in his or her network.

Who's in the room at the point of a major corporate decision or announcement to the business media or shareholders is actually far less consequential than the series of discussions had between top executives and their own trustworthy peers had days or weeks leading up to the public disclosure of something new, big and/or bold.

Yet, besides just an accounting of who is being consulted on major enterprise decisions, there are other factors and influences that likewise contribute to the end result. These include: who is setting the agenda; who is holding management accountable and how is that manifest; the timing of the decision; and whether any stakeholders were purposefully kept out of the loop.

Of course, the right path demands superior leadership demonstrated by leaders who understand that process, research, commitment to organizational values and strategy are all either strengthened or weakened by what they set in terms of tone and example for all to see.

If you found this article helpful, leave a comment and also share it with others.]]> Best Practices 2012-10-26T11:20:13+00:00 Follow the Leader: Ray Kurzweil (2 of 2) http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/follow_the_leader_ray_kurzweil_2_of_2/#When:11:32:01Z
Leading futurist Ray Kurzweil shares his view about what innovation impacts will be felt in healthcare and the practice of medicine and how data and a wealth of information now available about the human genome will transform the healthcare sector for years to come.

Kurzweil tells ExecuNet in this exclusive video interview at the 2012 World Innovation Forum, that companies can predict the sources of information that will most shape their enterprises a year or more before those impacts are felt. Leaders, he says, have to be focused three years ahead when it comes to making decisions today.

Want to hear more of Ray Kurzweil at the World Innovation Forum? Download part 1 of ExecuNet's exclusive interview.]]> Skills 2012-10-24T11:32:01+00:00 Do Your Best Performers Really Know Where They Stand? http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/do_your_best_performers_really_know_where_they_stand/#When:11:27:46Z
How could it be that some of the top performers in your organization don't really know where they stand with regard to their advancement potential, their rewards for superior output nor their future with your enterprise?

That question has been raised many times by former General Electric chief Jack Welch, and it was raised yet again at the 2012 World Business Forum in New York City, where ExecuNet exclusively reported, because the message of putting people first apparently still isn't gaining traction with business leaders.

"Jack," as he is still known to his many fans, says that candor is often stripped out of performance appraisals, yet it remains "the absolute missing link in companies," he said. No manager should ever surprise an employee with a negative performance appraisal, especially someone who has been giving it their best and would see such a review as a real blindside.

No matter whether you're gathered for a budget review, a strategic planning session or a regular marketing meeting, Welch said, everyone in the room needs to understand that each of these is nothing more than a human resources exercise, and the outcomes on each priority a true reflection of who's living up to expectations and who is not.

Jack bristled at the "rank and yank" moniker applied to his tenure at GE. But he bristles even more when it comes to the topic of evaluating performance and leaders failing to provide candid, honest feedback for their people, because that really amounts to a missed opportunity to improve unit and business performance — which, after all, is built one employee at a time.

If you found this article helpful, leave a comment and also share it with others. ]]> Skills 2012-10-22T11:27:46+00:00 Top 5 Ways to Land on Recruiters’ Radar http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/top_5_ways_to_land_on_recruiters_radar/#When:11:06:47Z
It's not likely you'd cold-call a C-suite executive and audaciously ask for a job at their company, so why would you dial up a recruiter and expect them to find you a position? Yet, search firm recruiters report they get requests all the time from unknown job seekers asking for help, résumé advice, and, of course, jobs.

But, it is critical to form relationships with recruiters, as they are key connections in your network. However, the relationships should be mutually beneficial and formed in advance of when you need something.

We surveyed executive recruiters about the best ways you can get their attention. Here's the top 5 ways executives can get on recruiters' radar:
  1. Become connected to peers and industry influencers who will refer you.
  2. Offer to be a referral resource for them in exchange for their help.
  3. Offer to be a source about information related to your industry.
  4. Maximize your online résumés and profiles with keywords and industry-specific buzzwords, so it will come up in online searches.
  5. Attend industry events and seminars.

]]> Your Career 2012-10-18T11:06:47+00:00 Executive Job Creation Ticks Up in September http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/executive_job_creation_ticks_down_up_in_september_ei/#When:07:20:47Z
ExecuNet's exclusive Executive Job Creation Index ticked up seven points in September. This is a rebound from the low level reached last month. Recruiters report that one in five companies are now looking to add executive level positions in the next six months.


If there is good news, it is that companies are not eliminating positions, just taking a "wait and see" approach until after the presidential election.

Recruiters report that many companies are still looking to trade-up their talent but are not actively looking to add new jobs at this point, except in distinct industry pockets of growth in healthcare, high tech, energy and other more rapidly growing segments.

For job seekers, this means the hidden job market of finding companies with needs remains the way to search. Relying on posted open positions is not the best strategy at this point.

For executive recruiters, this means much the same thing – finding companies with latent needs and finding candidates who can be solutions for them.


ExecuNet's Executive Job Creation Index is a nationally recognized measure of expected hiring at the executive level and compares the number of companies expected to add executive positions over the next six months versus those planning to downsize their management teams or delay filling vacant management roles.]]> Market Trends 2012-10-17T07:20:47+00:00 While You Were Out… http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/while_you_were_out9/#When:11:26:19Z
"Organizations today are far more sophisticated than they once were when it comes to supply chain, logistics and other operational measures. So where is there room for a breakthrough? Where do you expect to see the focus of the next big operational breakthrough?" asked ExecuNet Senior Contributing Editor Joe McCool of the ExecuNet members in the Operations Roundtable.

"Indeed organizations are much more sophisticated now in many of the operational facets of a business with the exception of maximizing what companies claim to be their most valuable asset 'People,'" responded a Board member in the energy industry.

"Most organizations have a chief technology officer to bring focus and efficiency to the company's IT infrastructure and communications. Most organizations have a chief administrative officer to bring focus and efficiency to the supply chain processes. Most organizations have a chief financial officer to ensure the company's financial structure maximizes return on investments.

But have you ever seen a company with a chief people officer? I believe the new innovation in operations has to come from an elevated level of focus and commitment to the people of the organization."

A software engineering manager in the defense/aerospace industry offered: "I think the next innovation is already here, although I am not sure people en masse are ready for it. It is about learning to lead people, help people, support people and grow people in a new way. It is about how to collaborate, influence and take responsibility.

The innovation is about understanding self-deception in the workplace and creating a language around which this problem can be resolved. Once I understood it and began to see how harmful it can be both at home and at work, it really changed the way I see people.

The problem of self-deception is that I don't see that I have a problem. Feeling right, I make all sorts of bad decisions and provoke others to do the same. I become a problem for others, someone who must be tolerated, managed, confronted, etc. Worse, I see them as the problem!"

Let us know what you think is the next operational breakthrough before you read on to the monthly career and business insight that helps you advance in your current role, find a new one, gain expert advice and learn what's happening in the marketplace:

Most popular in September:
6 Steps to Help You Run, Walk or Get You to What's Next
Low Recruiter Confidence Reinforces Overall Slow Growth in Executive Hiring
Exclusive Insights from Some of the World's Best Business Minds
What Do You Have in Common with Mitt, Kate and Paris?
Three Things You Can Do to Help Others Find You the Right Job

What you may have missed:
Enlist Your Job Search Scouts to Help You
Follow the Leader: Ray Kurzweil (1 of 2)
Executive Job Creation Ticks Down in August
Moving Beyond Broken Promises and Finding Grace
Follow the Leader: Henry Chesbrough

The blog posts that keep on giving:
Ben Zander Shares His 6 Secrets to Success
Managing Vision and Culture: The Makings of a Global Brand
The Secret to Happiness
Does Your Brain Need an Upgrade?
There IS an I in Team — It’s You]]> Best Practices 2012-10-15T11:26:19+00:00 Six-Figure Hotline: It’s Not a Scavenger Hunt for Business Cards! http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/six-figure_hotline_its_not_a_scavenger_hunt_for_business_cards/#When:11:26:19Z
As part of ExecuNet membership, I conduct a weekly teleconference called Six-Figure Hotline where members call in to ask the questions keeping them up at night, and to gain market and trend insight from the career experts who join me in talking about issues that are important to executives today.

In one such teleconference, Tim Tyrell-Smith, an executive search expert, joined me, and a member asked, "What are some ways to effectively use LinkedIn when in job search?" Here's some of what we had to say:

So many people use LinkedIn in a lazy manner! They send out all these genetic invitations to connect but don't actually talk to their connections. A connection you don't actually talk to, is useless. Just because you have a ton of contacts doesn't mean you have a connection, a viable connection takes work. How can you expect people to help you if you haven't taken the time to develop a relationship with them?

To help your contacts help you, develop a list of target companies and how you can ease their pain. Search your LinkedIn contacts and identify which of your contacts works at one of your target companies. If you have a relationship with that person, it's easy to contact them and voice your interest in the company. Make sure you are able to communicate to your contacts what specifically you are interested in pursuing. If you leave it to your network to connect the dots for you, you will not meet with success.

If you found this article helpful, leave a comment and also share it with others.]]> Your Career 2012-10-12T11:26:19+00:00 The Magic of Moving Teams to Greatness http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/the_magic_of_moving_teams_to_greatness/#When:11:54:05Z
Well, it's that time of year again. Football season is once again upon us, and lots of intellectual and physical capital will be spent preparing, assessing, coaching, executing and critiquing the performance of Pee Wee, high school, collegiate and professional football teams — from every angle.

So what do the great teams have in common?

Surely, they all have remarkable coaches dedicated to getting the best from every player and getting the team to play like a truly committed team. Yes, they likewise all have talent and development programs and pre-season conditioning regimens for players to follow to improve team preparedness for the road ahead.

Winning, surely, is elusive for many teams because they lack just a few of the necessary ingredients for on-field success. Others, of course, will see their aspirations blown away because of off-the-field disciplinary infractions and related distractions.

If you consider the obstacles to greatness and superior team performance, it's no wonder that most teams fall short of our collective expectations, no matter how passionate we are as fans or casual observers. Sometimes, expectations alone are enough to frustrate a team and its coaches.

Yet, for a small number of teams, all the difference and the magic of moving teams to greatness — to reaching their full potential — rests in a simple challenge. It really all comes down to whether the coaching staff can teach and inspire and hold a vision of what each player can contribute at their very best up to each of them, and then develop a deeper vision of what the team might achieve if each of its members commits fully to one another.

That's the magic of winning football games — and winning the game of life, too!

If you found this article helpful, leave a comment and also share it with others.]]> Best Practices 2012-10-08T11:54:05+00:00 What’s the CEO’s Primary Role? http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/whats_the_ceos_primary_role/#When:00:17:08Z
Marketers market; salespeople sell; owners own; managers manage. The Chiefs have their own fiefdoms: the CTO over technology; the CFO, finances; COO, operations.

But, what's the CEO's primary role? That's the question we posed in a few of our ExecuNet communities, and we got A LOT of opinions — from those who lead and those who follow the leader.

Our executive members have continued to add their comments about this hot topic inside the membership:

"A CEO must have a clear vision; show his passion not through words but through actions. Lead with trust and integrity. They also have to be present, visible and not mute!"

"The primary role of the CEO is the responsibility and accountability for all the activities of a company. He/she is also the person accountable to the Board of Directors for the activities and profits of the company or firm. However, this role is changing. With an increasing demand for better performance and productivity and competency, most senior executives are also involved in the learning and development of the company or organization. This role increasingly includes many organizational development (OD) or management by objective (MBO) roles as well. Why? Because we now live in a technology savvy and global economy, therefore, the CEO must embrace or create an ongoing learning culture with the organization, one that will not only benefit the employees but the CEO as well."

"Simply put, the CEO establishes the vision for the organization and serves as the example of how that vision should be realized."

"I have been a CEO in my career and learned that there are two major responsibilities of a CEO. 1) Making sure that the various strategies and operational activities are aligned across all functions and 2) making sure you have the right people in the right roles at the right time. If you do that well, everything else that CEOs are typically responsible for; i.e., vision, communications, measurement, etc. becomes a lot easier."

If you're the CEO, an aspiring head honcho or want to know how to be in the chief executive's focal point, download our new Lessons from Leaders white paper and let us know what you think.]]> Best Practices 2012-10-05T00:17:08+00:00 Follow the Leader: Mohanbir Sawhney (2 of 2) http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/follow_the_leader_mohanbir_sawhney_2_of_2/#When:17:11:20Z
Northwestern University Kellogg School professor Mohanbir Sawhney tells ExecuNet that there are significant human resources implications from the integration of technologies, ideas and market expertise. He shares one example of the virtual workplace and how it could portend change across numerous industries in this exclusive video interview at the 2012 World Innovation Forum.

Professor Sawhney also explores the potential of collaborative innovation and what it will require of individuals and executive management leaders in particular in this ExecuNet interview.

Download part one of the interview with Professor Mohanbir.]]> Skills 2012-10-03T17:11:20+00:00 Building a Better Business Reality http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/building_a_better_business_reality/#When:07:16:03Z
When conference keynoters the likes of Jack Welch, Bill Clinton, Bill Gates and others take the stage, their remarks are usually filled with references to achieving what's possible and pushing people and organizations to the very limits of their true potential.

Particularly in times like these, the gulf between consistently achieving optimum enterprise and human performance and assessing what companies and people are truly getting from this collective focus on business objectives should be a motivating force in the lives and minds of every executive leader.

Yet, in order to truly ascertain the opportunity that exists to inspire teams and individuals to better business results, leaders must also question whether they're measuring up, staying relevant and helping to create a better environment around them.

As our ExecuNet team prepares to engage this week with some of the world's most recognized voices on leadership topics — including Jim Collins, Robert Gates, Ursula Burns, Jack Welch, and Richard Branson among them — at the World Business Forum in New York, we're inviting your questions for the speakers. This dialogue will continue for months to come through ExecuNet membership.

Branson, for example, will address the topic of "Changing the Way We do Business." Central to his topic, I'm sure, will be insights on what must be expected of leaders and how they can meaningfully put their own personal style of leadership into action — for the betterment of the enterprise, the customers it serves and even the wider world we share.

To help catalyze our conversation, I'm inviting your thoughts about how you see your executive role changing along with expectations for your own brand of leadership. After all, shifting business currents require continual change among the most visible and influential of business leaders, and the lessons you've learned and share with peers in this forum will go a long way to helping shape the executive leadership mandate at a time when people are looking to leaders more than ever for answers.

If you found this article helpful, leave a comment and also share it with others.]]> Skills 2012-10-01T07:16:03+00:00 Enlist Your Job Search Scouts to Help You http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/enlist_your_job_search_scouts_to_help_you/#When:17:22:43Z
In the article, Three Things You Can Do to Help Others Find You the Right Job, I made a reference to "job search scouts" as people you've deputized to help you seek new opportunities. An ExecuNet member fairly asked "who those job search scouts are?"

Job search scouts can be categorized into two groups:
  1. People you know — those who want to help
  2. People you don't know — those who can help



The people you know are those already in your network: friends, family, former colleagues, business associates, vendors. They know you, some love you, others may have worked with you and know your skills and capabilities.

People who know you but have never worked with you will benefit from your clear explanation of what you do, where you "remove the jargon and the job title and tell them what problems you solve for companies in concise, plain language."

It will also be helpful for those you know to understand where you want to work. "People can more immediately connect you to the places you want to be when they know where you want to go."

Providing a target company list to people you know then opens the door to the next tier of job search scouts: those you don't know but can help you. If you let your daughter's soccer coach know you are interested in working for Company X, and the coach realizes he has a friend employed there, he can make an introduction for you.

Additionally, searching ExecuNet's member directory for executives in your target companies will lead you to those who have opted in to referring you to others. "Use all the tools available to learn how close your connections can bring you to the right people within Company X, and then ask for an introduction."

If you're going to reach out to a stranger, ask for information instead of a job. Your initial goals should be to learn more about the company, whether you'd be a good fit for the culture, their upcoming growth plans, challenges, etc. You want to gain corporate intelligence so you can eventually have a planned approach to how you can best help them and solve their problems. Or, you might find that you can eliminate them from your target list, narrowing your targeted best places to work.

How do you balance your time networking between contacts you know and those you don't when you are searching for a new job?]]> Your Career 2012-09-28T17:22:43+00:00 Follow the Leader: Ray Kurzweil (1 of 2) http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/follow_the_leader_ray_kurzweil_1_of_2_ei/#When:17:13:20Z
Recognized as one of the world's leading futurists, Ray Kurzweil shares his view that the democratization of information is having a profound impact on business, on lives and societies and how they interact and provide value for each other.

Information and the tools of disruptive change are in everyone's hands, Kurzweil observes in this ExecuNet exclusive video interview at the 2012 World Innovation Forum, and business executives would be wise to view them as both threats and opportunities to their enterprises. He also explores the pace of innovation and what it means for the future.]]> Skills 2012-09-27T17:13:20+00:00 What Do You Have in Common with Mitt, Kate and Paris? http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/what_do_you_have_in_common_with_mitt_kate_and_paris/#When:13:17:25Z
A lack of privacy.

Mitt Romney's "47%" video, Kate Middleton's topless sunbathing photos [safe for work] and Paris Hilton's recent conversation in a cab were private moments that were secretly captured and made public.

You probably won't be surreptitiously exposed at the same level of Mitt, Kate and Paris, but you now live in a world where you have to expect that any information that can derail your career will be found online:
  • Gossip about why you were fired
  • Political rants you posted on blogs or message boards
  • Photos of you that create negative perceptions
  • Discrepancies between your submitted résumé and online profile

You can't control everything that is about you online, but for information where you can hit a "submit" button ExecuNet founder and CEO Dave Opton proposes that you ask yourself two questions first: Would you want your mother to find out? And would you want to see it on the front page of the Wall Street Journal?

Recruiters consistently reported to ExecuNet since 2005 that they disqualified executive candidates for hiring consideration when they found negative information online; therefore, it is your personal responsibility to ensure your digital reputation is well-managed.

Here are the steps to control and optimize your online reputation:
  1. Go to the popular online search engines (Google, Yahoo! Bing) and put your name (in quotes) in the search box.
  2. If you have a common name, add something only attributable to you in the search term to help narrow it down, like a company name, city/state, or function.
  3. If there are positive results, great! Now, build on them.
  4. If there are negative results, you have to deliberately publish positive information to suppress the negative results.
  5. If there is nothing, get busy creating your brand.

Conversely, the overwhelming majority of executive recruiters reported to ExecuNet that they look more favorably upon a candidate when they find positive information online.

The bottom line about being online: You need to be visible, and the information needs to be reflective of a strong, professional executive brand.

If you found this article helpful, leave a comment and also share it with others.]]> Best Practices 2012-09-25T13:17:25+00:00 Exclusive Insights from Some of the World’s Best Business Minds http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/exclusive_insights_from_some_of_the_worlds_best_business_minds/#When:10:42:32Z
Just as we've done for the past several years, ExecuNet will be back on-site at World Business Forum, live reporting the sharp leadership insight on-stage and backstage for our members. For two days in early October, iconic business and world leaders share their best — and next — practices that help inspire individuals and drive high-performing teams.

Among those we'll be covering and interviewing this year at World Business Forum 2012: Jim Collins, Mark King, Barbara Corcoran, Marcus Buckingham, Sherry Turkle, Lynda Gratton, Don Tapscott, Robert Gates, Fareed Zakaria, Jez Frampton, Jack Welch, Ursula Burns, Michael Porter and Richard Branson.

To prepare for the World Business Forum 2012 experience, here's the best of last year's ExecuNet reporting:
Managing Vision and Culture: The Makings of a Global Brand
President Clinton Positive about Interdependent Future
Follow the Leader: Patrick Lencioni
Does Your Brain Need an Upgrade?
Ben Zander Shares His 6 Secrets to Success
The Secret to Happiness
Follow the Leader: Tal Ben-Shahar
Follow the Leader: Bill George (1 of 2)
Follow the Leader: Bill George (2 of 2)
There’s a Lot More to See When You Look Up
Follow the Leader: Tammy Erickson
Are You Ready for the Third Revolution?
Is the Shower the Final Frontier for Great Ideas?

Also, as a bonus, we're making the 2011 World Business Forum executive summary available to you in its entirety. Download it here, and let us know what you think.]]> Best Practices 2012-09-20T10:42:32+00:00 Executive Job Creation Ticks Down in August http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/executive_job_creation_ticks_down_in_august/#When:11:12:19Z
ExecuNet's exclusive Executive Job Creation Index ticked down five points in August to plus five. This is the lowest it has been since last October. This drop reflects the fact that recruiters report only 13 percent of companies will be adding jobs over the next six months, versus 20 percent in our July survey.



If there is good news, it is that companies are not eliminating positions, just taking a "wait and see" approach until after the election.

Recruiters report that many companies are still looking to trade-up their talent but not actively looking to add new jobs at this point, except in distinct industry pockets of growth in healthcare, high tech, energy and other more rapidly growing segments.

For job seekers, this means the hidden job market of finding companies with needs remains the way to search. Relying on posted open positions is not the best strategy at this point.

For executive recruiters, this means much the same thing — finding companies with latent needs and finding candidates who can be solutions for them.

ExecuNet's Executive Job Creation Index is a nationally recognized measure of expected hiring at the executive level and compares the number of companies expected to add executive positions over the next six months versus those planning to downsize their management teams or delay filling vacant management roles.]]> Market Trends 2012-09-19T11:12:19+00:00 Three Things You Can Do to Help Others Find You the Right Job http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/three_things_you_can_do_to_help_others_find_you_the_right_job/#When:11:27:23Z
Looking for a new job? Help someone to help you.

I think we've all been on the receiving end of emails or phone calls from friends, former business colleagues, acquaintances or network connections that are positioned similarly: "I just lost my job. Do you know anyone who might be hiring?"

Or, maybe you've sent some of those messages yourself, and felt satisified that you've deputized an army of job search scouts on your behalf.

Do you really expect to get great results that way?

If you really want someone to help you find a new job — and not any job, but the right job — you have to give them enough of the right information. Don't just send them your résumé or point them to your online profile and expect them to figure it out for you.
  1. What do you do? Remove the jargon and the job title and tell your scouts what problems you solve for companies in concise, plain language.

  2. Where do you want to work? People can more immediately connect you to the places you want to be when they know where you want to go. Have a list of target companies that can trigger associations for your scouts.

  3. Do the research and make specific requests. If you know that you want to work for Company X, become a student of Company X. Use all the tools available to learn how close your connections can bring you to the right people within Company X, and then ask for an introduction.

These simple tips will more clearly enable others to help you on three different levels. They'll have new keywords to listen for in their everyday lives that can bring you closer to target opportunities and companies. They will also feel more involved in your search so when you do ask for more specific help, they have better context and understanding of your goals and needs and will be better able to open doors for you.

If you found this article helpful, leave a comment and also share it with others.]]> Your Career 2012-09-17T11:27:23+00:00 Moving Beyond Broken Promises and Finding Grace http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/moving_beyond_broken_promises_and_finding_grace/#When:07:30:13Z
There really are few faster ways to injure a great reputation — outside of committing a crime or building a career on false education or experiential claims — than to promise what you cannot, or simply fail, to deliver.

Can you remember the last time someone you know promised you something and then failed to deliver? Maybe it was to recognize a good deed you had done on his behalf. Maybe it was in a response to an immediate need or hoped-for outcome. Perhaps it was just a matter of circumstance. When was the last time you promised something you didn't deliver?

I'm thinking of a few things now, and working to make things right.

Whatever the case, smart business leaders would be wise to recognize this fact: Some people will promise the moon and the skies but will never lift a finger to deliver even a brief glimpse of them.

In today's business climate, this is especially troubling. There are a lot of good people out there looking for their next management role. There are many organizations and executives in need — especially when you consider how most business leaders are doing the job of more than one and that's been a few years running now.

A Chinese proverb says, "Time is the wisest counselor." In times like these, we must all be extra selective in terms of how we spend our time, who we spend it with and toward what outcomes. People do their reputations great harm by spending time with individuals who take and who do not give, who ask without acknowledging favors done in answer to their entreaties, and who expect help but lack the scruples to see their own behaviors are only self-serving.

Every day presents a set of choices. But the clock is ticking. We must all decide who to help, who to support, and from whom to solicit help when the time and situation are right. Ideally, these acts of kindness and support are reciprocated. The best we can do is to under-promise and politely turn down offers when we know an offer doesn't fit with our business needs. There is a graceful way to do that.

Gracefully dismissing a job candidate. Gracefully and honestly sharing a disappointing performance review. Gracefully building relationships with a spirit of generosity and a recognition that gift giving shouldn't create expectations for payback — these are just some of the elements of great relationship and reputation building. No matter what you're doing, if you do it with tact, honesty and grace, you will be remembered and respected.]]> Your Career 2012-09-14T07:30:13+00:00 Low Recruiter Confidence Reinforces Overall Slow Growth in Executive Hiring http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/low_recruiter_confidence_reinforces_overall_slow_growth_in_executive_hiring/#When:13:02:16Z
ExecuNet's exclusive Recruiter Confidence Index (RCI) dipped lower in August and continued for the third consecutive month below 40 percent. Recruiters continue to say that there is no broad-based expansion in hiring in this slow growth economy. An RCI above 50 percent would signal a broad-based expansion.


Our Recruiter Confidence Index continues to be a leading indicator of hiring, but unfortunately at this point, recruiters are not overly optimistic that the executive employment market will soon be significantly expanding.

Recruiters report in our recent surveys that Washington's inability to address the "fiscal cliff" and the implications of the upcoming election are impacting company decision making processes on hiring. Companies are taking and recruiter expect them to continue to take a "wait and see" attitude toward hiring for the next several months.

The strong resurgence of consumer products, retail and manufacturing industries we saw in the latter part of the fourth quarter of 2011 and first quarter of 2012 seems to have waned with consumer confidence that declined in recent months. Still, recruiters report some industry hot spots for growth remain in healthcare, high-tech, pharmaceuticals and medical devices, business services.

Introduced in May, 2003, ExecuNet's Recruiter Confidence Index is based on a monthly survey of executive search firms and is recognized as a leading indicator for the economy and the executive job market.]]> Market Trends 2012-09-12T13:02:16+00:00 While You Were Out… http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/while_you_were_out_91/#When:11:14:16Z
"How much of a link, or perhaps cause and effect relationship, is there between the senior leadership in an organization and what the internal culture looks and feels like to employees and other constituents?" asked ExecuNet Senior Contributing Editor Joe McCool of the leaders in the General Management member Roundtable.

"Senior leadership needs to help in setting direction for the company. It needs to be a direction in which all senior leaders are going and striving for. Without such, there is chaos which leads to low morale, less productivity and potentially higher turnover rates," replied a director of a large electronic components company. "Senior leadership should be setting and living the culture of the company in my mind. The cause and effect is how they act is how others will start acting, not everyone mind you, but many will."

A Board member in the energy industry weighed in: "One of the essential duties or responsibilities of the top leader in an organization is to define the values that are important to their organization while it is conducting its business. If a high level of ethical behavior is not clearly stated as a value the organization will live by, then behaving in an ethical way is left to interpretation of the ranks within the organization. Therefore, in my opinion it is critical that the top man, i.e. the CEO, clearly define the values of the organization. It is also critically important that they surround themselves with a management team that aligns with these values and hold accountable those who may tend to deviate along the way."

"From my experience there is a definite, direct and detectable relationship between senior leadership and corporate/company culture," said an executive in the banking industry. "It has been quite obvious in my career when the culture was a 'non-negotiable' way of life, that was actually part of who we are as a company and a meaningful way we are going to differentiate from the competition. Not creating robots but a more effective group of individuals with a common thread of values that worked well together to create the best results and experiences for our customers."

"This kind of reminds me of the long-time debate over whether leaders are born or made," said Dave Opton, CEO of ExecuNet. "In my own view, I think that cultures play a major role, and certainly the CEO is the focal point for setting the tone of the culture. Since companies are usually around a lot longer than the CEOs, the culture can certainly be impacted by the tenure of that CEO — sometimes for good and other times for not so good. I also think that once a certainly culture has been ingrained in an organization, it is harder to change it, but if the leader is strong enough it can be done."

Let us know your thoughts on the link between leadership and culture before you read on to the monthly career and business insight that helps you advance in your current role, find a new one, gain expert advice and learn what's happening in the marketplace:

Most popular in August:
Chief Executives Focus on Company Top Line but also Tend to Career Bottom-Line
Follow the Leader: Guy Kawasaki (2 of 2)
How to Get Ahead
Failure as a Necessary Ingredient for Innovation Success
Who's in the Room?
Executives with Proven Innovation Skills Command Premium Pay

What you may have missed
There IS an I in Team — It's You
The Waiting Game
Follow the Leader: Mohanbir Sawhney (1 of 2)
Recruiters Don't See Signs of Broad Rebound Over Next 6 Months
Follow the Leader: Clay Shirky (2 of 3)
Follow the Leader: Andrew Winston
Recruiters Report Pockets of Executive Job Opportunity in Overall Slowly Growing Economy
Follow the Leader: Clay Shirky (1 of 3)

The blog posts that keep on giving:
Branding and Marketing the Over-50 Executive
The Scam Artist All-Star List
Follow the Leader: Guy Kawasaki (1 of 2)
Talent that's Not Worth the Trouble
Welcome Back, War for Talent?
]]> Skills 2012-09-10T11:14:16+00:00 6 Steps to Help You Run, Walk or Get You to What’s Next http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/category_your_career_title_6_steps_to_help_you_run_walk_or_get_you_to_ei/#When:20:00:28Z
I participated in my first 5K recently and, in doing so, learned more about myself than I expected. Most specifically, I learned that I don't like running — but that won't prevent me from probably doing it again. There were many parallels between how I trained and completed the 5K and how I approach much of everything else in my life, and during this self-assessment I learned lessons that can be universally applied:

  1. Take motivation where you can get it. Always intrigued by tech-enablement, I downloaded the app Couch to 5K to my iPhone first and then decided to take on the running challenge. Being self-directed is great, but sometimes you need something else to give you that first push.

  2. Find an accountability partner: I issued a call on Facebook to any of my friends with good knees and Elizabeth was willing. She also text-motivated when I was too hot, tired, or disinterested to leave the house. In the end, it was she who got me to the finish line.

  3. Have a goal: A local advocacy group scheduled a 5K in my town the day after my birthday. It was a great way to begin a new year of getting older, providing extra incentive.

  4. Tell on yourself: I let everyone know I'd be participating in the 5K; and the iPhone app also enables you to send social media updates every time you complete a training session, so I was building lots of support leading up to the run. Also, so many people knew — I had to do it.

  5. Even sprinters have to moderate pace: I’m initially enthusiastic so my inclination is to begin with a big burst of speed but a 5K newbie can’t do that and expect to complete. I had to learn how to ration my energy.

  6. Lower expectations when trying something new. It was hard to take on a new challenge knowing I wasn't going to perform at the level I would have liked. I had to accept that I wasn't prepared to run the whole 5K, and just hope to finish ... and I did in just under 45 minutes.

ExecuNet members commented and shared their approaches to goal-setting:

"The positive experience increases your level of confidence and the learnings help you approach things differently!"

"The best way to get to what's next is to keep an eye on the goals of today. While we plan for long-term accomplishments, keeping a keen eye on today is essential for accomplishing the successes we hope for tomorrow. One day at a time, one task at a time, with the hope of achieving long-term goals."

"Like you, I participated in my first 5K recently. Reflecting on your lessons learned I thought I would share mine. Being my first 5K I wanted to 'be ready' so I prepared in two ways: 1) I listened to friends who run regularly and tried to learn from their experiences of what to do and what not to do; and 2) I practice to ensure I could get around the course in a reasonable time.

Both actions could apply to career development. I've found that learning from others through observation is a great way to learn what to do more of (and what to do less of). On a similar note, practice makes you better, whether it be writing a cover letter or reviewing your answers to the most frequently asked interview questions — the more you prepare the easier it becomes."

"My takeaway is to focus on the long-term goal(s) and don't get distracted. That's not easy... It takes persistence."

How do you make sure you get things done?]]> Your Career 2012-09-06T20:00:28+00:00 Follow the Leader: Henry Chesbrough http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/follow_the_leader_henry_chesbrough/#When:13:01:57Z
Henry Chesbrough, globally recognized expert on open innovation, shared his unique perspective on revisiting and renewing the process of innovating with ExecuNet in this video interview, taken at the 2012 World Innovation Forum. His views on open innovation and cross-functional collaboration can raise engagement with customers in many markets around the world.

Chesbrough believes there is a major shift underway — from products and technologies to business models and value. Fostering innovation can more effectively package and commercialize innovative ideas.]]> Skills 2012-09-04T13:01:57+00:00 There IS an I in Team — It’s You http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/there_is_an_i_in_team_mdash_its_you/#When:13:44:09Z
Most business people have heard, "There's no I in team;" however, when you are the leader, the team can ultimately be a reflection of you. Highly effective teams are typically managed well, while long-term underperforming teams can often have poor leadership at the helm.

Even though Patrick Lencioni asserts that "all teams are potentially dysfunctional," largely because they are comprised of fallible, imperfect human beings. It is up to the leader to ensure that trust is maintained despite difficulties, disagreements and debate. The methods used to manage through the trouble times are as individual as you are.

At Zappos, CEO Tony Hsieh said new managers spend 10 to 20 percent of their time outside the office with their team members. The goal is to build trust, relationships and understanding, which they believe leads to much greater productivity.

Microsoft's Ross Smith, who leads a Windows security team, said that increasing trust within organizations is an idea worth innovating for. He advocated for expanding autonomy among teams as a means to "unleash the best of everyone."

Autonomy leads to independent thinking, which should be the goal for team development. Daniel Harkavy, CEO of Building Champions Inc., explained, "We're so busy [as leaders] that we are always giving our people the answers. Instead, be quiet. Challenge them to come up with the solutions. We need to build a culture of solution finders. It takes time, but you must force them to take the time to go away and come back with solutions."

To be a leader is to be conscious of always being on stage, and how your words, actions and decisions are seen, internalized and perceived by your team. What you do as "one note" becomes part of what others see as a whole song, a song that characterizes your leadership style.

Display a healthy and consistent leadership style and your team will perform like an awesome "cover band" that represents you, yet brings its own nuances to each project.

How would your team describe your leadership style?]]> Best Practices 2012-08-31T13:44:09+00:00 The Waiting Game http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/the_waiting_game/#When:13:09:48Z
The business world is still waiting for clarity, for certainty and for signs of sustained economic growth.

As the presidential campaign politicizes any debate about whether investment or some level or badly needed financial discipline makes the most sense for the American people, millions of Americans remain jobless and many employers remain stuck in the "idle" position.

In a world where the news cycle is truly 24-7, there will always be news that both optimists and pessimists can use to their respective advantage. There will be shifting global issues and challenges to consider on a humanitarian and economic scale, and there will be companies and leaders called into question for not recognizing what others will perceive as the telltale signs of pending disaster.

Yet, while most of us follow a wait and see course, there are others — innovators, disruptors, investors and new entrants to established markets — who are using this veritable pause on hiring and business spending to get a leg up on entrenched interests and a jump start toward competing effectively when the roots of economic expansion finally and sustainably take hold.

If your organization is treading water, it's up to you not to simply stand by as others prepare for the future — be it related to the role they're currently holding — or the one they want to occupy (maybe somewhere else.)

While the economy continues to frustrate, don’t let the uncertainty that remains paralyze your performance or your career planning. Invest in potential breakthroughs, find time for strategic opportunities, and take time to think about where you're really heading — and what it's going to take to accelerate your plans when the business world eventually shifts to growth mode again.

If you found this article helpful, leave a comment and also share it with others.]]> Market Trends 2012-08-29T13:09:48+00:00 Follow the Leader: Mohanbir Sawhney      (1 of 2) http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/follow_the_leader_mohanbir_sawhney_1_of_2_ei/#When:13:15:37Z
Kellogg School Professor Mohanbir Sawhney, recognized among the most influential global business voices, elaborated in this ExecuNet exclusive video interview at the 2012 World Innovation Forum on his recognition that there may be "strange new people entering your marketplace" and what these new entrants into a variety of global markets means for established companies and leaders.

Digital convergence, Sawhney said, is breaking down the barriers to entry for many upstart innovators and investors and this will have profound, long-term impacts even for businesses that may still foster some insular view of what it takes to serve customers in long-established market spaces. In some cases, customers are becoming competitors, so the time to realize that is now.]]> Skills 2012-08-27T13:15:37+00:00 How to Get Ahead http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/how_to_get_ahead/#When:19:40:18Z
Every year for the last two decades, ExecuNet has surveyed executives, search firm professionals and human resource leaders to get their perspectives on the marketplace, and, as a result, we produce our annual Executive Job Market Intelligence Report.

Companion to the report, is a special webinar for ExecuNet members conducted by President Mark Anderson, where he dissects and provides deeper storylines around some of the data, helping executives sharpen their next career moves.

Of course we think the insight is great, but we always survey attendees about the value of our content, so we’ll let them tell you what you can expect from the webinar:

"I've just started looking for a new job and found that many of the presentations key points around networking to be very helpful."

"Good insight to what companies and CEOs want."

"How to overcome the age paradigm."

"I would especially recommend it for someone who is considering a change in industry or career."

"There is a tendency for tenured execs to rest on their laurels and in today's environment new or relevant ideas are critical."

"It provided practical info and tips to make an executive search fruitful."

"I learned hiring trends and it reinforced the best ways to tap into the hidden job market."

"I would recommend this workshop to my friends who are currently looking for a new job. I found that the presentation offered a great way to look at the job hunt that many of them have not considered."

"Others who have a limited perception of the ins and outs of job finding would definitely benefit from the knowledge provided by these experts."

"I am going to change the focus of my résumé from a niche specialist to a generalist with a technical background."

"I got helpful information on how to change my cover letters to show how I can help a company."

"Reinforcement of changing times, and the level of success experienced in adapting/incorporating emerging trends."

"Current information helps make better decisions."

"A lot of insights from a recruiter's perspective and the Q&A gives us an opportunity to get guidance on our specific situation."

"Particularly liked data on industries needing executives and how that has changed over the last few years."

"I thought it was no nonsense and appreciated the fact that while building brand equity for ExecuNet, it was NOT a sales pitch... thank you for that. The Q&A portion was excellent."

"Best webinar to date. So much practical information and data that can be used in my job search, everything from industry targeting to personal branding and positioning/value proposition. WELL DONE!"

Learn more when you view the on-demand webinar previously available to ExecuNet members only, How to Get Ahead: ExecuNet Presents its 20th Annual Executive Job Market Intelligence Report. Click here to download it with our compliments and let us know what you think.]]> Market Trends 2012-08-23T19:40:18+00:00 Recruiters Don’t See Signs of Broad Rebound Over Next 6 Months http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/recruiters_dont_see_signs_of_broad_rebound_over_next_6_months/#When:13:02:41Z
ExecuNet's exclusive Recruiter Confidence Index was flat from June to July and still below 40 percent. What this means to you is recruiters are not seeing a broad based improvement in the overall executive employment market for the near-term. Since 40 percent are confident or very confident — it seems there are pockets for opportunity, but not across the board. When the index climbs over 50 percent is an indicator or a more broad-based improvement in the executive hiring market.

Confidence in the Executive Employment Market — Next 6 Months

Our Recruiter Confidence Index is recognized as a leading indicator of the economy so this low level of confidence also indicates that the overall economy is not expected to rebound soon.

Recruiters report that industry hot spots for growth remain: healthcare, high-tech, Pharma and Medical Devices, Business services. The strong resurgence of consumer products, retail and manufacturing industries we saw in the latter part of the fourth quarter of 2011 and first quarter of 2012 seems to have waned with consumer confidence that fell to low levels last month.

In August, we will be reporting on more details on industry growth and what is fueling the wait-and-see attitude among employers.

Introduced in May, 2003, ExecuNet's Recruiter Confidence Index is based on a monthly survey of executive search firms and is recognized as a leading indicator for the economy and the executive job market.]]> Market Trends 2012-08-22T13:02:41+00:00 Executives with Proven Innovation Skills Command Premium Pay http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/executives_with_proven_innovation_skills_command_premium_pay_ei/#When:12:42:34Z
Nearly half (49%) of the executive recruiters surveyed by ExecuNet revealed that executives with proven innovation skills were hard to find, compared to other skills, and 31 percent said companies were willing to pay a premium for innovative talent — even in today's job market.

With product lifecycles declining rapidly, increased global competition and pressure from changing customer needs, executives who have demonstrated they can challenge business assumptions and find the areas of opportunities in current business models are in demand. We counsel executives every day that they have to do more than claim they were "innovative" on their résumés. They need to show a quantifiable history of innovating and its impact on their previous organizations.

To negotiate top pay for top innovation skills, executive recruiters revealed that 32 percent of hiring managers "want concrete examples of innovation by the candidate in previous positions."

In ExecuNet's survey of 188 executive recruiters, corporate culture was the driving factor in fostering innovation, more so than the CEO's risk tolerance or any executive's individual efforts.

Top 5 Most Important Factors Fostering Innovation, According to Executive Recruiters
  1. Culture/environment in which one operates (39%)
  2. CEO's willingness to take calculated risks and invest in innovation (21%)
  3. Inherent traits of a person or business leader (19%)
  4. Quality and quantity of other innovative thinkers in an organization (12%)
  5. Role in which one serves (5%)

The moral may be that everyone in the organization can be a partner to innovation and clearly, you "can't be an island" and effectively drive a company to high levels of innovation.]]> Market Trends 2012-08-21T12:42:34+00:00 Follow the Leader: Clay Shirky (2 of 3) http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/follow_the_leader_clay_shirky_2_of_3_ei/#When:12:58:25Z
At the 2012 World Innovation Forum, social networking expert Clay Shirky explored the business impacts he sees from the emergence of collective intelligence and social collaboration in an exclusive video interview for ExecuNet. Shirky provided some examples from the business world about what companies are learning from their customers and other influencers. Shirky also outlined the right set of expectations for the business impact of mass collaboration and the power of organizing.

Watch Follow the Leader: Clay Shirky part 1]]> Skills 2012-08-20T12:58:25+00:00 Follow the Leader: Andrew Winston http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/follow_the_leader_andrew_winston_ei/#When:13:01:40Z
At the 2012 World Innovation Forum, global green business and sustainability thought leader Andrew Winston shared his perspectives in a video interview for ExecuNet on how the rise of the consumer, increased global demand for natural resources and demands for more corporate transparency are changing the performance metrics organizations measure themselves against.

The pressure from employees, shareholders and public policy influencers is mounting, Winston said, and leaders have to learn how to address them because they have become business imperatives. Winston told ExecuNet that green and sustainable business practices have more to do with business growth than compliance with government regulations.

Watch for more of ExecuNet's exclusive coverage of the 2012 World Innovation Forum.]]> Skills 2012-08-17T13:01:40+00:00 Recruiters Report Pockets of Executive Job Opportunity in Overall Slowly Growing Economy http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/recruiters_report_industry_and_functional_pockets_of_executive_job_opportun/#When:13:08:34Z
ExecuNet's exclusive Job Creation Index ticked up slightly in July to +10 from +8 in June, showing slightly higher expected growth in executive job creation for the next six months.

Executive recruiters continued to report that there are pockets of opportunity in the current marketplace with 20 percent companies looking to add executive jobs in the next six months and another 25 percent of companies who are likely to freezing hiring for the next six months.



What this means to do you:
Do your research and develop a target companies list. Be sure to show how you are a solution for one of their key problems.

To help in that effort, here are the top growth areas according to recruiters:
  1. Healthcare
  2. High Tech
  3. Life Sciences (Pharma/Medical/Biotech)
  4. Business Services
  5. Energy/Utilities

Functional roles where executive recruiters expect the greatest demand in the next six months:
  1. Business Development
  2. Sales
  3. Marketing
  4. Engineering
  5. Operation Management


ExecuNet's Executive Job Creation Index is a nationally recognized measure of expected hiring at the executive level and compares the number of companies expected to add executive positions over the next six months versus those planning to downsize their management teams or delay filling vacant management roles.]]> Market Trends 2012-08-15T13:08:34+00:00 Follow the Leader: Guy Kawasaki (2 of 2) http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/follow_the_leader_guy_kawasaki_2_of_2/#When:17:25:54Z
What do you do when your boss is a "bozo?" In this exclusive onsite at the 2012 World Innovation Forum video interview Guy Kawasaki, Silicon Valley venture capitalist, bestselling author and Apple Fellow, answers that question; plus, he offers advice on how to innovate your way into a new position.

Click here for part one of ExecuNet's World Innovation Forum video interview with Guy Kawasaki.]]> Skills 2012-08-13T17:25:54+00:00 Chief Executives Focus on Company Top Line but also Tend to Career Bottom-Line http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/chief_executives_focus_on_company_top_line_but_also_tend_to_career_bottom-l/#When:13:54:40Z
I was a big fan of the show Undercover Boss, where the CEO of a big company masquerades in different roles throughout their own organization. I liked the premise the first few times I watched but then the formula became painfully obvious: CEO leaves big house for crummy hotel room; performs tasks poorly; finds employees who are overcoming challenges; discovers employees have good ideas; learns life lessons while undercover.

The concept of the TV show is a good one; it was the execution that became stale. I think CEOs should routinely step into the shoes of those they lead and learn what it takes to get things done. After all, it's often the people who are customer-facing who come up with the best ideas.

Just as Undercover Boss helps to bridge the understanding between employee and CEO, ExecuNet reveals what's on the bosses' minds in our exclusive CEO Functional Briefing. Based on our research with more than 560 employed presidents, CEOs, COOs, partners and chairmen, we've learned what's important to their businesses and careers, better enabling you to become the go-to problem-solver, executive talent or well-connected leader they seek for their networks and teams.

Learn more when you download ExecuNet's CEO Functional Briefing with our compliments and let us know what you think.]]> Market Trends 2012-08-09T13:54:40+00:00 Follow the Leader: Clay Shirky (1 of 3) http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/follow_the_leader_clay_shirky_1_of_3/#When:14:45:32Z
NYU professor Clay Shirky, a recognized thought leader on the intersection of technology and innovation, says the transformative potential of social and business networks to change human behavior and elevate corporate performance is only now becoming visible to executive leaders.

Shirky explores the business impact of cross-network collaboration, sharing, value exchange and generosity and how it relates to corporate engagement with contributors and end-consumers alike in this exclusive onsite at the 2012 World Innovation Forum video interview for ExecuNet.

Watch for more of ExecuNet's exclusive coverage of the 2012 World Innovation Forum.]]> Skills 2012-08-08T14:45:32+00:00 While You Were Out… http://insights.execunet.com/index.php/site/while_you_were_out8/#When:13:33:28Z
Feeling stressed? Burned out on work? You're not alone. ExecuNet research recently revealed that 57 percent of executive recruiters' rate executive workloads very high, and an additional 25 percent say they're the highest they've ever seen. Fifty-three percent of recruiters also believe executives’ current workloads are unsustainable and that employers will feel significant repercussions because they’ve stretched management leaders too thin for too long.

Here are the consequences recruiters said employers will face if they keep piling the work on their executives:
  1. Unexpected executive departures when the white-collar job market improves
  2. Morale problems
  3. Loss of productivity among "burned out" executives
  4. Key performers will disengage or get mired in operations
  5. Difficulty recruiting new executives
Source: ExecuNet

ExecuNet member shared some opinions on what could be causing feelings of "burn out:"
"I am seeing executive burn out; mainly in the Baby Boomer population whom intended to retire but held on due to economic instability. It appears as burn out, but is actually that their heart is just not in it. Their body is at work, but their mind is retired."
— High-ranking director for a well-known big box retailer

"I don't see it and I mean that there are a lot of executive disengagement but not burn out.

If you love what you do, it usually gives you extra energy! I always considered excessive tiredness as the signal that something was wrong in what I was doing. If you'd like to be somewhere else, if you'd like to do something else, if you don't want to go to work on Mondays and you start loving Fridays, you are not burned out ... you are just doing the wrong thing for you and for your company."
— COO of a luxury retailer

Let us know if you are feeling "burned out" before you read on to the monthly career and business insight that helps you advance in your current role, find a new one, gain expert advice and learn what's happening in the marketplace:

Most popular in July:
Branding and Marketing the Over-50 Executive
Can You Create Social Change Like a 9-Year-Old?
Buttoning Up on Service
Talent that's Not Worth the Trouble
30th Consecutive Month of Positive Executive Job Creation

What you may have missed:
Follow the Leader: Guy Kawasaki (1 of 2)
So What, Exactly, is the CEO's Primary Role?
Six-Figure Hotline: Is Your House Haunted?
The Ultimate Failure of Executive Leadership at Penn State
A Day with Stephen Covey
Recruiter Confidence Level Indicates Slow Growth
What it Really Takes to Innovate

The blog posts that keep on giving:
What Haven't You Done Yet?
The 11 Steps to Innovation
Screaming
Welcome Back, War for Talent?
How Recruiters Will Find You
Do Your Vision and Values Inspire Others?
]]> Best Practices 2012-08-06T13:33:28+00:00