momentum
monthly leadership news from Karlin Sloan & Company
February 2009
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Coming in November 2009 "Leading a Resilient Organizaiton" wtih Karlin Sloan
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Letter from the CEO |
From failing banks in Eastern Europe this month to the latest global climate change announcements to a change in the White House, we've seen a series of powerful, mind-boggling changes and the speed seems to be increasing with every step.
Albert Einstein once said, "We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them." It's time for us to tap into our innovation, our amazing capacity for creativity and collaboration, in order to shift our companies into greater levels of relevance for the coming times.
We have great opportunities to shift ourselves away from the doom and gloom of wild daily fluctuations in the markets, and into problem solving and action. For leaders and managers this change is an opportunity to set a new pace, to deliver a message of hope and meaning, and to engage your teams in using their innate intelligence to find new ways of working "smarter, faster, better."
Sincerely, Karlin Sloan Chief Executive Officer Karlin Sloan & Companybe the change.
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| "Katherine the Great" on Leadership Courage
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Katherine Garret-Cox, Chief Investment Officer of Alliance Trust, dubbed "Katherine the Great" and "Superwoman" by the British press, recently told Davos world leaders to invest in people and use coaching during these uncertain times: "The human dynamic in any organisation defines it. Culture is not created by technology, PowerPoint presentations or numbers on a spreadsheet. It is our people that create the long-lasting and sustainable threads that will continue to be woven throughout our organisational histories. Periods such as these will be defined by the leadership that is displayed. In essence, when the going gets tough, the fundamental difference between the right sort of leadership and the wrong sort will be exacerbated. "It will be a courageous leader who continues to focus on the investment in human capital during the coming months. Of all leadership traits, courage is one of the most vital, it differentiates leaders from followers. It will be ever more important to make the right decisions. In order for companies to gain true competitive advantage, they will need to attract, retain and develop the right people. Regardless of role or title, we owe it to all our people to enable them to maximise their performance potential. "It will take a courageous leader in these troubled and uncertain times, to take the long-term view and continue to develop their people. It is perhaps too easy to focus on the short-term and for many, this is exactly what they will be doing. However, it is precisely at moments such as this that leaders should be seeking to fulfil the potential of the people who they lead."
Click here to view her speech.
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Inspiration: Quote of the Month
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Good leaders make people feel that they're at the very heart of things, not at the periphery. Everyone feels that he or she makes a difference to the success of the organization. When that happens people feel centered and that gives their work meaning. - Warren Bennis
How are you engaging those in your organization in feeling a part of the solution? What is your request during the current turbulence that will give people a message that they matter, and their work is important to the collective success of the whole? What we've found in our recent work in organizations is that during change and confusion, small words of encouragement and appreciation make all the difference. Tell your team that they are important, how they matter, and that they are making a difference for their colleagues and their customers.
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World Changers Radio: Karlin Sloan Interviews 9/11 Survivor Mike Jaffe
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Listen to Karlin's February 23 interview with Mike on World Changers Radio: Getting a Wake Up Call: Mike Jaffe on Corporate Life, Coaching, and Rewriting Your Tomorrow. Mike Jaffe, aka the "human wake-up call," got his own wake-up call on 9/11 and used it to take control of his life and rewrite his future. In this show he'll help you to identify a key turning point - or wake-up call - in your life; how to use your life lessons to live a more meaningful and authentic life; how to achieve confidence through personal accountability; and how to reconnect with your core values every day. As a corporate consultant who cares deeply about bringing more humanity to the workplace, Jaffe has taught his methods of personal empowerment to audiences at The Network of Executive Women, Columbia University and elsewhere, sharing approaches for planning and achieving an authentic life by introducing more passion and balance into every action, every day. He is a member of the Karlin Sloan & Company network of consultants and is proud to serve our executive clients as a facilitator and coach. World Changers Radio airs each Monday from 9:00am to 10:00am CST (10:00am to
11:00am EST). Shows are re-broadcast 12 hours later and archived
for on-demand listening. |
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Now More Than Ever: Why Companies are Investing in Leadership Development During a Downturn
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By Kevin Cuthbert By now you have read or heard a lot about companies that have stopped or slowed their leadership development efforts in response to the economy. While we can't know all of the financial and other realities that have driven these decisions, we do know that there are many firms that have continued to invest in leadership development in this tough time. In fact, the majority of our clients have continued to invest in executive coaching and leadership development. And, as reported in this Wall Street Journal article, other companies such as Philips, Accenture and Estee Lauder are doing the same. The top two reasons that these companies continue to invest are to retain high performers and to keep their leaders focused and on track as they grapple with doing more with less. While the overall job market is down considerably, there are many companies that are actively poaching great talent. Last week one of our clients lost a great performer to a competitor -- doing the same basic job for 30% more in salary. While this may be an anomaly, most people believe that we are only in a bit of a lull in the war for talent. Companies that really cherish their talent understand that the more they can do to support these stars the more likely they will stay when the job market recovers. With that in mind, there are two supporting reasons that companies are staying in the game: It works. There is a great deal of evidence that initiatives like executive coaching and other leadership development programs provide enhanced individual and organizational performance (click here for information on return on investment for executive coaching). Leaders need support. None of our leaders has ever experienced anything like these times before. Now, more than ever we all need to step back and think strategically, prioritize effectively, and keep ourselves focused as individuals and in teams. Mangers have less time to spend per person, and need to find new ways of connecting and leading their teams without losing momentum. There are a number of tactics that these companies are using that take into account their financial realities. First, they are being more selective and focused about where they are devoting resources. Who are the key resources you need to be as focused and powerful as possible right now? Second, they are being more creative -- in some cases using more internal resources to support leaders. Finally, they are reaching broader audiences in the form of groups or intact teams. We at Karlin Sloan & Company are devoted to helping leaders use everything they have to make their organization and their world a better place. Let us know your challenges in this marketplace, and what resources you need to keep developing the most important asset your organization has -- human capital. For more information on companies investing in talent, see this February 6, 2009 Wall Street Journal article on investing in leadership development.
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Karlin Sloan's acclaimed leadership book, Smarter, Faster, Better: Strategies for Effective, Enduring, and Fulfilled Leadership (now translated into Thai and Russian), is being offered at a 25% discount for organizations ordering 10 copies or more through March 31, 2009.
To order, please email kwoolf@karlinsloan.com with our coupon code "SFB2009" and include the number of books you'd like to purchase as well as your complete contact information. We will also include a complimentary readers guide for book groups in your organization.
Offer Expires: March 31, 2009
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