What kind of leader are you?

A recent article from the Financial Times online discusses the end results of those leaders who lead based on intense fear while focusing only on bottom line results vs. those leaders who listen and encourage 2-way communication with their staff as a way to positively impact the bottom line.

Before reading the article, I would encourage you to be honest and think about the leader your staff sees day in and day out? Are you leading in a way that will generate short term success only to watch the success slowly fade away over time? Are you a leader who listens to your employees, encourages feedback, and understands the need to adapt your style and pull your foot off the gas from time to time? Need help identifying how best to lead your team or your organization into the next level of sustained, long term success?

Give us a call to see how we can help!

John Madden and Leadership

BOOM! For all the football fans out there, you probably recognize this 'expression' right away as a staple of John Madden's commentary for the NFL. John Madden was a successful head coach, arguably the most recognized announcer of all times, and even bares the name of the most successful sports video game of all time. Interested in learning what John Madden can teach you about leadership? Check out this article from Harvard Business Publishing.

Communication and Influence...More then just the words!

Great leaders use communication as a way to motivate and influence people. As Bill Clinton said in the article, "The Art of Oratory" -


"You measure the impact of your words, not on the beauty or the emotion of the moment but on whether you change the way people not only think, but the way they feel."

Great leaders understand that the actual words they speak are not nearly as important as the tone they use to deliver the message, the rate at which they speak and/or their body language. Great communicators take their audience on a roller coaster ride of ups and downs, highs and lows, and twists and turns to influence not only how they think, but most importantly how they feel.

Need help becoming a more influential and dynamic speaker? Contact us to see how we can help you.

"Investing in training SAVES money"

Check out the article, "Training your way out of the recession," conducted by researchers from the Cranfield School of Management. The full findings will be published tomorrow, but I thought I would provide a few of the highlights.

Effective training can reduce staff turnover and absenteeism, improve motivation, increase productivity, and help boost customer satisfaction.

Three quarters of the 1,189 companies involved in the study felt that training their own staff was more beneficial to their business than recruiting people from outside.

Organizations must focus on nurturing talent if they are to survive, grow and succeed. The continuous development and growth of people is inextricably linked to business performance.

Half the companies discovered that training staff made them more likely to stay.

The full study will be out tomorrow so be sure to look for it.

Cornerpiece Consulting

Losing money on Leadership

I just read an interesting article on the Financial Times web site entitled, "Rise of a Headhunter." The article is about a man named Kevin Kelly who is the head of a large executive search firm. In the article, Mr. Kelly talks about a study conducted in his office that was based off of 20,000 executive searches. Mr. Kelly goes on to say, "We’ve found that 40 percent of executives hired at the senior level are pushed out, fail or quit within 18 months. It’s expensive in terms of lost revenue. It’s expensive in terms of the individual’s hiring. It’s damaging to morale."

40%! That is a huge number and an even higher dollar amount. The direct and indirect costs of turnover are often estimated to equal roughly three times the salary of the actual position. This number increases the higher up the corporate ladder you climb. In today's world and economy where budgets are tight and spending is being cut, companies cannot afford the added expense of hiring a new employee only to have him/her leave or under perform and be forced to leave within the first 18 months. Companies can greatly reduce this number and select and retain top talent if they remember a few simple rules.

1. You need to know more about the person then what his/her resume says or what you can find out in an interview. - How do you do this? Benchmark the position so you know exactly who and what you are looking for. Then assess each candidate against your benchmark to ensure you are selecting the person who brings the right behaviors, values, and skills to not only the position, but to the company as a whole.
2. Provide training and coaching. - Review the employee's assessment and identify any development opportunities. Make sure the new employee understands what leadership looks like in your company. Provide a solid foundation for the employee to begin with and your chances that he/she will succeed will naturally increase. One-on-one coaching is also a great way to invest in the long term growth and retention of any new employee.
3. Remember, you're not an island. - You and your company need to be experts in your industry and constantly monitor the needs of your customers. You don't need to keep up-to-date on the latest assessments or selection methods. Your top leadership and HR team does not always have the time to provide the required training and coaching for every new employee. Hire an expert who can save you time and money and focus your time and energy on your business and your customers.

Assessments, Assessments, Assessments....

I had a long discussion with a good friend of mine yesterday regarding his need to hire a new employee for his department. My friend, who works in the health care industry, went on to tell me how close his team is and how well they work together as a team. His biggest concern was not finding a person with the experience required for the position, but finding a person who would fit with the team. His team is productive, supportive of each other, and understand how their individual roles contribute to the groups success. His biggest worry is that he will find someone who has the experience and background required, but won't be able to fully connect with the team.

I suggested that he look into using an assessment to identify the behaviors and motivators required to not just get the job done, but to "mesh" with the team members and the team dynamics. My friend was shocked that there are assessments out there that can actually measure this. This was a great lesson to me, because this reminded me that not everyone is aware of the great advancements made in the area of personal and organizational assessments. So, if you are like my friend and would like to find more information on the types of assessments that are available and what they can do for you, your team, or your company as a whole, click here. This will get you started and if you have any specific questions, please don't hesitate to contact me at jeremy.wicks@cornerpiececonsulting.com.

It's good to get away from time to time...

I can't believe it has been one full month since I last posted. My sincerest apologies! I have been out of town quite a bit in February and March and I'm just getting back into the work routine. I spent 3 days in Puerto Vallarta with a group from the UIC Leadership Advisory Board. Since we had some extra time, I was able to work one-on-one with each member and further discuss the results of their 360 evaluations. It was a great experience and I know that each member left the retreat with a better sense of how his/her leadership style impacts the bottom line of the business.

After the retreat, I took a little personal time with my wife and spent a week in Negril, Jamaica. If you have never been to Negril, I highly recommend it. It's beautiful and a great place to relax.