After a great deal of work with the best and brightest Deans, professors, students, consultant and coaching practitioners, and senior executives from organizations and academic institutions throughout the globe, we are proud to present you with two new membership organizations: The International Association for Developing Leaders (IADL) and The International Association for Human Resources Development (IAHRD). Our vision for the IAHRD and IADL is to bring members the opportunity to network through the U.S and the globe, brand themselves, provide new business opportunities and increase their body of best practice knowledge and skills provided by the top brass in leadership, organizational and social change. Perhaps more importantly we seek to create strong alliances through a more partnership-centric view of branding, networking and identity- management - that is - letting our most succesful skills and knowledge build an organization greater than any one of us and positively impact what possibly could be one of our most unstable and chaotic domestic and global economies. We have been working closely with practitioners and organizations in the U.S., China, South America, Africa, South Asia, Europe and India in developing new best practice publications, analyzing and consulting on best practices, and developing new and innovative ways to create active, vibrant communities, impactful experiences and value for our members. Many of the practitioners, thought leadership, and best practices are derived from our newly published books Best Practices in Leadership Development and Organization Change with Pfeiffer/Wiley and the Change Champions. Many of the practices within this newsletter are written about in- depth in both the new Best Practices book and in Change Champions. The research, tools, models, and instruments within both books is the culimination of years of new research on the most succesful practices in the field of leadership and human resources development and forms the foundation for both of our new membership organizations. Exclusively for subscribers of this best practice newsletter, we are offering membership for both the IALD and IAHRD for $135 - that's 45% off of the normal membership rate of $245 - a savings of $110!

This is an exciting time as we embark in a new era of leadership development and change. Organizations in countries around the world are embarking on a more partnership-centric, results-oriented journey of management, human resources, and leadership development. More than ever before, our organizations are requiring practitioners, executives, and consultants in our field to do more of "the work" of the organization - and bring about the very best methods and practices for their unique and individual strategic needs. Our new chaotic and sometimes contrarian's world of leading through competition, mergers, growth, decline, globalization, socio-economic and political diversity, isolationism, customer demands, and changes in the psychology of the new workforce and consumers impact the way in which we do business. It is imperative that we come together- united in our efforts to bring success for ourselves, our communities, our families, and our workplaces. I look forward to reading more about you, meeting you, continuing to research and provide you with leading edge practices, and helping you to reach your goals in the months and years to come. Thank you,

The Best Practices Institute performed a research study that formed the basis of the new Pfeiffer/Wiley best practices book on the most recent trends and practices in leadership development and organization change. Among a host of major key factors and findings the study outlined were the top reasons our best organizations were investing in leadership development and change:

1. Productivity Needs;
2. Competitive Pressures;
3. Consumer Needs;
4. Growth; and
5. Corporate Vision.

Do you love what you do? This may be the seminal question of our age. In yesterday's world, where professionals worked 40 hours a week and took four weeks of vacation, this question was important, but not nearly as important as it is today. I remember visiting, in the early 1980s, the corporate headquarters of one of the world's most successful companies at 5 p.m. There was almost no one there. You could fire a cannonball down the hall and not hit anyone. Those days are gone. It was much easier to find meaning and satisfaction in activities outside of work when we were under a lot less pressure and worked far fewer hours. Not only did people have more time, they weren't as tired.

Indian Business Scene and the Dynamics of Change Management and Change Championship (in response to BPP's Change Champion's Fieldguide) India has been traditionally known to be one of the leading participants in world trade. One thousand years ago, in the year 1001 the world was divided roughly into three main trading blocks: China, India and the rest of the world. Each of these had about 33 per cent share of the world trade. Goa, Cochin (now Kochi) and Calicut (now Kozikode) were the main ports of Asia where entrepot trade used to take place. When the British arrived in India some 250 years ago, the country had 27 per cent share in the world trade (Ohtaki and Bucknall, 2005). But it failed to retain this status over a period of time. This was due to, among others, the policy of rigorous state controls of the economy through licenses, controls, bureaucratization and planning. In the year 2004, India's share of world trade got reduced to just 0.62 per cent. As per the statist philosophy followed by nearly half a century, miracles were expected from the huge public sector that was created by post- Independence India. It was expected to be taken to commanding heights so as to be a role model for employers in the private sector as also to subserve the common good by focusing on mainly the core sector. Industrial working was highly regulated during the pre-reform period in relation to almost all aspects of its development. This model, however, did not deliver results as per the goals envisaged. It resulted in bureaucratization, inflexibility, inertia, corruption, non-accountability. It also legitimized running the public sector and even other organizations on principles similar to those involved in state administration rather than those of business enterprises.

Most organizations today are engaged in some type of change effort to leverage diversity and create a more inclusive work culture. Yet very few organizations are accomplishing their intended goals. While there are certainly success stories to be told, all too often organizations abandon their change effort when the effort seems stalled, faced with resistance, or a crisis diverts organizational attention elsewhere; the question becomes, how does an organization stay on the path to success? How can an organization work through the barriers that seem to prevent the possibility of making real change? In this article we identify some of the elements necessary for sustainable change based on our experiences in working with clients. Ten Lessons 1. Positioning, Positioning, Positioning 2. Work with Senior Leaders 3. Structure the Effort Strategically 4. Provide Sufficient Resources to Sustain the Effort 5. Identify Pockets of Readiness as Models of Success 6. Education is a Critical Component to the Process 7. Move Beyond Personal Change 8. Assure Business Controls 9. Manage the Cycles of Change and Celebrate Progress 10. Uncover the Next Challenges: Continuous Improvement

As a 47,000-person Silicon Valley "start-up," Agilent Technologies was presented with an opportunity to begin anew. The senior leadership team set out to pursue the company's future strategy and new corporate values. A focused leadership development program aligned with the company's strategic initiatives, including an integrated executive coaching program, quickly became a corporate imperative. From the cutting edge research and case studies within the newly released Pfeiffer/Wiley book: Best Practices in Leadership Development and Organization Changehow the best companies ensure meaningful change and sustainable leadership, this highly results- driven case study describes the success factors, tools, pragmatic methods, and step-by-step approach taken for the design and implementation of a corporate-wide executive coaching program for high-performing and high potential senior leaders at Agilent Technologies called APEX.  APEX features a customized 360° feedback leadership profile, an international network of external coaches, and a "pay for results" clause linked to follow-up measurements. The case study highlights the development and implementation of Agilent's APEX (Accelerated Performance for Executives) executive coaching program. APEX has served over 100 leaders through a 60-person, worldwide coaching pool over the past two and one-half years. Based on feedback from raters, over 95% of the leaders have demonstrated positive improvement in overall leadership effectiveness while participating in the program. The lessons learned by Agilent Technologies in the implementation of the APEX program serve as valuable insights for any organization committed to the continuing development of key leaders.

Senator George Mitchell is an extraordinary example of a leader who leveraged his passion, commitment, empathy, focus, drive and patience to bring about peace in Northern Ireland - literally saving millions of lives. In this interview, Senator Mitchell discusses his views on leadership, appreciation, the process and specific experiences of building consensus in Northern Ireland, the role of fear in negotiation, how patience, perseverence, and painstaking follow-through are critical elements in successful negotiations, and his own reactions to the process.