Marc Effron

Filling C-level positions isn't just about ticking boxes; it's about finding leaders who drive success. Iris Schats delves into the strategic importance of evaluating commercial competencies, leadership qualities, and cultural fit in senior hires. 💼 Uncover the crucial role of commercial competencies in shaping business strategies. 🔍 Learn how to assess leadership qualities beyond traditional metrics. 🌐 Explore the impact of cultural fit on long-term organizational success. Discover how an integrated approach combining interviews, assessments, and immersive experiences can revolutionize your recruitment process. Read the full article below ⬇ #Leadership #Recruitment #CLevel #BusinessStrategy #CompanyCulture

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Executive Transition Coaching in M&A: 6 Factors for Success https://hubs.li/Q02DfWZ70

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As organizations navigate a shifting landscape, LHH’s latest research indicates that 73% are either undertaking or considering layoffs, raising critical questions about the future of work. The conversation around layoffs has intensified, largely fueled by the rapid rise of AI and its potential to both eliminate and create jobs. While some argue that we are already seeing the effects of AI-driven layoffs, others see technology as an opportunity for growth. Regardless, the nature of work is set for significant change. With 25% of HR leaders expressing concerns about employee burnout from layoffs and 36% of workers anxious about job security, the emotional toll is evident. Additionally, 31% of workers are considering a job change within the next year, signaling a shift in workforce dynamics. It is vital to understand and address these complexities. Our report provides insights, regional breakdowns, and practical strategies to navigate these challenges effectively. In my view, this is an opportunity for organizations to embrace thoughtful leadership and create an environment that supports employee well-being during uncertain times. #LHH #Outplacement #CareerTransition #Workforce #Layoffs

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More Evidence that Business is in a Bind with HR issues My previous post added material that didn’t fit into my Harvard Business Review article with Ranya Nehmeh about the bind that business has created for itself by continuing to squeeze employees in a tight labor market. https://lnkd.in/eGTeTapT.   The complaints of employers now focus almost entirely on not being able to hire the talent we want. We can’t find them or they cost too much. So what is the alternative? Grow talent from within, replace the boss who left with their subordinate, or at least let people take lateral moves to learn something new. How often does that happen? A new survey of employers from APQC reported in Human Resource Executive finds that we fill only 15% of vacancies from within.  That figure is consistent with other estimates for US corporations. It means, of course, that we are going outside to fill 85% of our openings, and the number is even higher for leadership positions. It is impossible to believe we have any intention to develop talent if we see so little evidence that it is happening.    We have gotten worse about this over time even compared to the brief dot.com period where we tried to make it easy for employees to get a new job with us because it kept them from leaving to find a different one elsewhere. We learned then that an open internal labor market cut turnover: Employees who wanted a different job could find one inside without having to quit. So what happened, why are we only now starting to think that the “internal marketplace,” which is the same thing as the bidding and posting models from 1999, might help us with talent issues? Well line managers didn’t like that because it meant losing someone who might be pretty good even if it meant being more likely to get someone good later on. After the Great Recession, quit rates fell because there were few jobs to go to if you left. So we restricted the ability of employees to move:  If we require that our current boss must approve or even just must be informed that we are trying to leave her, that’s shuts down movement because no one wants to tell their boss, who has power over them, that they want to try to work for someone else, especially knowing that they might not get the job and will then have to come back to that boss. Sure, you can tell the line manager that they will be able to get someone else good from within the company, but it’s hard to care about that if as a manager you think you may not be there long yourself. It is a classic example of the overall organization losing out – in the form of greater outside turnover - to the interests of its components.    How many jobs does your organization fill from within? Would it shock your leaders if they knew?    

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Psychological Safety in Cultures of High-Risk Innovation - Explore how cultivating psychological safety can drive innovation and enhance team dynamics in high-risk environments. https://hubs.ly/Q02-xYBL0

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Meet Frank Gartland, Chief Product & Technology Officer at Skillable, a visionary leader passionate about fostering meaningful organizational culture and delivering customer-centric products. He excels in team collaboration, strategic planning, and driving innovation. Frank thrives on mentoring others, aligning purpose with core values, and empowering individuals to reach their potential through impactful contributions.   This conversation highlights Skillable's focus on hands-on learning, its role in building confidence through real-world experiences, and its client applications. Frank discusses his responsibilities, the balance between innovation and customer needs, AI integration, and the importance of clarity, collaboration, and meaningful contributions in driving Skillable's product strategy and leadership approach. Link to watch/listen in the first comment below. #podcast #collab #collaboration #business #LeadAtTheTopOfYourGame #Leadership #skills #talentdevelopment #upskilling

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A sharp article by renowed polymathy researcher Dr. Angela Cotellessa Meyers on polymaths in organizations. "One problem with hiring in general, though, is that when managers are trying to fill a position, they typically want to see a story that shows commitment to a single career path when they review applicants’ résumés. Managers frequently look for a consistent “story” of specialization within a discipline. Hiring managers typically want to select an employee who has spent their career in a single career field and have a solid commitment and focus on mastering that area of expertise. Résumés with seemingly disconnected positions often tell a story that quickly turns off hiring managers, so those applicants rarely have an opportunity to interview for the position. While hiring single-discipline experts may be appropriate and strategic for some positions, such as more routine work in accounting or human resources, consistently hiring with that focus could backfire if employees are hired for jobs that are not routine or stable, such as information technology or product development. While deep experts can innovate, they can also hold a limiting bias toward their approaches to problem solving, influenced by the lens of their chosen discipline. Deep experts may have on “blinders,” based on the single lens through which they have chosen to see the world." #hr #polymath #hiringstrategy #humanpotential

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One thing that makes me feel uncomfortable, and I often call out, is referring to a group of people in workplace by their nationality (eg. the Indians, the Polish, etc.), when this is not linked to their de-facto location but to the “set of tasks or responsibilities performed”. In global organizations we should be extra-mindful about langauge and we should learn to call people by their name or their roles and avoid derogatory generalizations. True cultural transformation goes beyond diversity—it’s about creating inclusion. This happens when institutional and personal biases are actively challenged by: 👉Inclusive policies that embed fairness and equity into the system. 👉Inclusive behaviors that leaders and teams model and reinforce every day. Leaders play a pivotal role in this transformation. It’s not enough to set policies—they must also live the new norms, scrub outdated practices, and ensure inclusion becomes a positive and intentional habit of the organization. This requires self-reflection, curiosity and kindness (to yourself and to others). And sometimes also courage to call out conscious and unconscious bias or micro-aggressions. Diversity exists naturally; inclusion requires intentionality. Are you ready to act? #Inclusion #Diversity #CulturalTransformation #Leadership

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This article explores the intricate relationship between vulnerability and having institutional power. This is especially pertinent for DEI or HR leaders navigating within resistant organizations and having limited resources to build impactful cultural change. The question posed is not just rhetorical but a fundamental challenge to the conventional perception of DEI leadership strength. Read Article: https://bit.ly/4ddcQEz

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https://lnkd.in/gCDR4Vgd The coaching models since 2000s have served to make an industry bereft of systems thinking. However, the premise that individual effectiveness is possible without systemic intervention is what is flawed. Individual, group and organisational level effectiveness go hand in hand in OD. Coaching owes (like DEI does) much to the OD practice. Atomisation of the practice is harmful. It's like the lobotomy of the brain. Differentiation has a shadow or functional opposite : integration. Unfortunately the assembly of lobes is insufficient for the brain to function. Synthesis between lobes makes it effective. Allon Shevat

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Building teams and maximizing an organization starts with understanding the decision making process of your SLT. Can you define yours? Are you truly considering the impact you make when you are hiring without understanding your decision making environment today?

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What happened to design thinking? It used to be all the rage (as I remember), but it seems to have died down. Agree or disagree? Has it lived up to the hype? If you're an OD practitioner or a consultant in the field, join us to discuss at our next Global OD Practitioner's community of practice meeting here: https://lnkd.in/gcZY_yFp

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Where should a leader focus: bonding their employees into a tight high-performing team or bridging their team externally to gain additional insights? I had the pleasure of listening to an excellent discussion on the "Edge of Work Podcast" with Al Dea hosting Michael Arena https://lnkd.in/dJXXp_Xp They offered valuable insights on intentional collaboration, social capital and how leaders can deal with change and prepare for the future. As Bill McDermott has stated, the pace of change will never be slower than it is now. In a world of constant and accelerating change, the key is to create a high-performing, agile, and adaptable team with strong bonding and bridging capabilities. To embrace change and focus on improving your team's adaptability. Effective leaders understand the importance of balance. While bonding employees enhances performance, an external focus is crucial to anticipate and respond to market shifts. Leaders who strike a balance between internal cohesion and external engagement achieve the best results. Falling short of your targets or noticing employee disengagement with your priorities are symptoms of problems that need to be addressed. Take the time to reassess your approach. Look at your employees. Do you have the right mix of talent to drive internal cohesion and external connections? Do your systems, practices, and culture enable you to foster both sets of skills? What about your leadership style? Does it help or hinder you in achieving this balance? #Leadership #TeamPerformance #ChangeManagement #EmployeeEngagement

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Need a stronger leadership bench? You might have to crack some skulls. Or at least some mindsets. Bench Strength is now a rare organizational asset possessed by only 12% of organizations. Surprising to no one, the 12% also does far better at retaining top talent, engaging employees, preventing burnout, building leadership quality, and yes, bringing profits to the bottom line. How do they do it? They start by crushing toxic mindsets. In my article for StrategicCHRO360, I unpack three toxic perspectives that quietly poison #succession systems. Check it out for more #LeadershipDevelopment myth-busting. https://bit.ly/3WfC51G  

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Interested in what networking is really about? Joshua Cutler provides you with a clear roadmap on the purpose and approach to networking in his candid, direct article found here: https://lnkd.in/g-hNGKh7

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If culture eats strategy for breakfast, leadership vomits them both before lunch. You need all three working together: strategy determines the purpose and direction, culture defines your norms and standards, and leaders enact behaviors that support the culture and advance your mission. Boeing's recent challenges show how leadership behaviors poisoned the culture and derailed the strategy. Gerstner, an outsider, turned around IBM by promoting the culture and leadership behaviors needed to underpin the strategy. Are they working together as you intend? How do you know they can't be even better?

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🤝🏼 Yes, Employee Engagement Matters 🤝🏼 A 2020 Gallup study is just one of the studies confirming that engaged employees drive organisational growth. Here’s just a few of the impressive findings: ✅ 81% less absenteeism  ✅ 64% fewer safety incidents ✅ 10% higher customer loyalty/engagement  ✅ 23% higher profitability As a leader, these statistics are hard to ignore. So, how do you keep your employees engaged? Understanding team members’ different thinking preferences and creating opportunities for individuals to leverage their strengths can significantly enhance team effectiveness, engagement, and workplace productivity. At Carole Cooper Consulting, we apply Whole Brain® Thinking to improve employee engagement at all levels. Learn more about our Certified HBDI Assessments and Consulting here: https://lnkd.in/gAErSEZV #herrmannasia #wholebrainthinking #leadership #hbdi #peopleandculture #employeeengagement #DEI #neurodiversity

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While this FAST COMPANY article by David Rock and Laura Cassiday revisits many classic problems with isolated, individual, and decontextualized #training, it clearly summarizes why most #leadershipdevelopment programs rarely change participant behavior (and better #leader behavior is the point!). Reinforced in the article are the sound practices of distributing training over time and measuring results. Another central theme is the absolute need to train leaders in a social context, such as a group. The article reports positive workplace change from both live and virtual leader group training, and implicitly reinforces that if you'd like training to transfer to the workplace you should train skills in a similar context to which they're applied. #Leadership is about relationships and any training that neglects that reality is in jeopardy. The Organization Systems International (OSI) Paper Nation simulation provides group training in a business context, can be distributed over time, and has been recognized by ATD as a “Best Practice” in leadership development. For more information about this simulation contact Crystal Matsuura at [email protected].

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