Most businesses will be happy to turn the calendar to 2003. A difficult economic environment, fallout from major corporate disasters, and an unsettled political climate in some of the world's most sensitive regions have all conspired to make 2002 a year many executives would like to put behind them.

As businesses look ahead to 2003, what steps are they taking to develop the organizational leadership they need to grow? Addressing this issue is Rabia de Lande Long, leader of WJM Associates' organizational effectiveness practice. Rabia collaborates with clients to improve organizational effectiveness by aligning business strategy, processes, structure, and people. Many of her engagements involve post-merger integration, restructuring, culture change, team building, and leadership development. She earned a BA in psychology from the University of Virginia and an MBA focused on marketing and organizational behavior from Yale University.
 

Q. What are companies doing these days to become more effective?

More companies are focusing on leadership and talent-planning issues. They're making sure they have the right people in the right roles with the right capabilities to make good decisions that will lead companies forward.

Many organizations have spent a lot of time and money to develop their strategies. However, many of these strategies are quite similar -- to be the best at this or the best at that. At the end of the day, what will differentiate the successful companies will be the people who are implementing their strategies and plans. As a result, we are seeing more investment in human capital, especially at the upper levels of companies.

Q. Why now?

Partly because things are a bit tougher now. In the Eighties, things were "go-go"; in the Nineties, things became a little more realistic. And now, with so much uncertainty in the marketplace, when companies spend a dollar, each dollar has to count.

Businesses are looking at investments more critically now. They want to make sure they're spending their dollars more wisely and deploying resources as effectively as possible.

Q. Is there any particular dimension of human capital that organizations are addressing?

Companies are looking to exceed expectations. They realize that their people may not have all of the capabilities required to do this. So we are delivering work that defines "success factors" -- what successful people do more often and better than everyone else. Instead of going to a poorly lit and ventilated training room, companies are saying, "Let's build dynamic, experiential and sustaining learning programs that will foster the thought processes, decision making and execution that will differentiate us in the marketplace."

Remember, at a certain level, all managers are competent technically. What differentiates top performers is their emotional intelligence -- their ability to work with people, to communicate, to motivate, to inspire, to deal with conflicts. We can help companies identify what their people need to do to build capability and competence.

Q. What makes a company or a leader a good candidate for this investment? What do you look for besides technical knowledge?

To identify high-potential people who will be good coaching candidates, start with someone who is technically strong, but has something that could keep them from going to the next level or achieving their business objectives. The issue might be as simple as polishing their presentation skills, or it could be as complex as improving how they deal with conflict.

Organizational issues are different. Many companies find that there are barriers to good performance: it may be process, structure, technology, or people. We can help them identify the gaps and collaborate to develop action plans to address those areas. We are doing a lot of work in the area of change management now. We can help companies think through how to apply static amounts of resources against the right priorities.

Q. Looking ahead to 2003, do you think more companies will begin to hire, now that they've gone through a period of downsizing and restructuring, in addition to making these organizational investments that you've described?

Unfortunately, no. I'm seeing head count being held level or being cut back, and I expect to see the use of contingent resources, either temporary employees or consultants, to fill those gaps. That way, companies are not increasing their fixed costs, but can still meet expectations.

When you're a supplier to some of the world's largest restaurant chains and food companies, you not only have to recruit top candidates for your management team, but you also need to integrate them into your organization as quickly as possible -- especially when you're making international acquisitions.

That's the challenge that faced HPR Partners, a Lisle, Ill., food processor and distributor with more than 2,200 employees and operations in the United States and Asia. HPR Partners recently needed to find a chief operating officer and chief financial officer for one of its subsidiaries, at a time when the company was expanding abroad and members of top management were trying to juggle demanding travel schedules.

Kevin Duffy, chief operating officer of HPR Bakers, a division of HPR Partners, was chief human resources officer at the time.

"These were important hires for us, people who could take us to the next level in our international expansion, and we wanted to make sure they received the appropriate support in their first few months on the job," says Duffy.

The company's expansion plans required Duffy and other senior executives to spend a great deal of time traveling. He was relieved to discover that WJM Associates could help orient the new executives to the responsibilities and culture of their new company through a service called SearchComplete™. For the same fee as a traditional executive search, SearchComplete™ provides clients with recruitment, assessment and onboard coaching of the final candidate.

WJM Associates provided the new executives with a coach who himself had held senior corporate positions. "The coach met with me as head of HR to clearly identify what we expected from these new members of our management team," says Duffy. "Then he met individually with the two new executives and helped orient them to our company.

WJM Associates' coach worked with the new executives on their assimilation into HPR Partners for several months. " The mere fact that the coach was there and available for that kind of assistance was critical to their successful orientation to our company," says Duffy.

Men and women approach the boss quite differently.

In their book, What Every Successful Woman Knows, WJM Associates Chairman Bill Morin and Janice Reals Ellig point out that women generally want to be friendly and liked; consequently, their instinct is to build a relationship with their supervisor on a personal basis. In contrast, men tend to regard their supervisor simply as "The Boss" in a more or less command-and-control way, and not as someone with whom you would build a personal relationship.

To help build an effective working relationship with their supervisor, women need to learn how to "manage the boss." This doesn't mean "manipulate"; it means learning enough about the boss's personality and style to make a difference in his or her career.

To start the process, women in management should ask themselves three questions:

What makes the boss tick? Bosses are people, too. They have good days and bad days. They have "hot buttons" that incite enthusiasm or anger, and "cold buttons" that can chill even the best ideas. Learning to manage the boss begins with learning to read his or her personality -- early in the day and early in the week. Check with a trusted colleague to divine the boss's mood before presenting him or her with heavy news -- good or bad. Delivering even good news to a boss in a foul mood can result in a lost "win." Pay attention, too, to other clues about the boss's style. Does she like to stop by someone's office and chat, or is she more formal with subordinates? Is his office filled with pictures of the family, or just neat rows of books and stacks of paper? A keen eye will tell you a lot.

What is the boss's management style? To make real contact with the boss, it's important to understand him as a professional and to connect with him on those terms. Does he lead by dictate, consensus, committee or delegation? What kind of manager is she -- an analytical thinker who needs time to deliberate, or someone who shoots first and asks questions later? Observe your boss at meetings, in impromptu discussions with peers, and at company functions. How he or she behaves in those situations can be telling.

What does the boss need (whether he knows he needs it or not)? Once you begin to understand the boss as a person and professional, figure out what's missing -- and provide it. Is he a "big-picture" guy who's fuzzy on the details? Then be ready to offer them. Or is she strong on strategy, but weak on implementation? Then become her best "go to" person. If the boss is any good, he or she will quickly recognize your value and become an asset to you in your own career development.

As we look ahead to 2003, many of us will make "New Year's resolutions" to create a fresh start in some aspect of our lives. Some of us may pledge to join a health club, while others may vow to increase savings or devote more time to a favorite charity.

But how many of us will make a New Year's resolution for our careers?

During the holiday season, it's natural to reflect about our lives. One question we may ask is , "Am I really happy about my career?" For Ronny, the baker in the film Moonstruck, "happy" was an unattainable state of mind:

"They say bread is life. So I bake bread, bread, bread …. And the years go by! By! By! And I sweat and shovel this stinking dough in and outta this hot hole in the wall and I should be so happy, huh, sweetheart?

Perhaps a better question to ask would be, "Are we integrating our lives vs. balancing our lives?" If you could define happiness, you usually would define it as an integrated life, rather than a balanced life; spending time with your spouse and family, but not doing it so monotheistically, serving one god, which is usually The Job. We all talk about it, we want to be integrated, but we really don't do much about it. Year-end is a good time to do that.

As you survey the status of your career, here are some questions to ask as you consider your New Year's career resolution:

If you are employed, is your field growing? Is your company growing? Is your work interesting, and is it giving you the chance to develop new skills? Too often, people stay in jobs because they like the security and comfort blanket of the familiar. But what if your work has become routine, and you're not growing and not learning? That's a good indication it may be time for a change -- or at least a new opportunity with your current employer.

If you're in transition, are you working your plan? It's understandable to become frustrated and down on yourself around the holidays when you're out of work. The thing to do is to continue to work your plan and view "getting a job" as a full-time job in and of itself. Don't hesitate to re-contact people in your network; it's probably been a while since they heard from you. You may need to restart your campaign with a fresh communication. Send out your resume again, make contact with all the people and organizations that can give you assistance, and make sure you're registered with search firms, placement agencies and the appropriate Internet job sites. Draft and rehearse your one-minute pitch. And don't read recruitment ads too literally. Respond, respond, respond -- even if you don't have all of the qualifications that the ads list. The companies behind those ads may have other positions for which you would be the perfect candidate.

How fresh is your network? Whether you're actively searching for a job or not, the New Year is a good time to review your network. Do you have at least 200 people in your network? If not, get busy. Most people who have been working for any length of time should be able to compile three lists for their network: 

·         An "A list" of people who could be influential in your search,  people you check with regularly, people who want to hear from you because you can help in their businesses and careers. Remember, networking is a two-way street. The people who gain the most are the people who share the  most.

 ·        Your "B list" should comprise associates like ministers, 
      rabbis, priests, lawyers, doctors, and other influential
      individuals you may not have considered as part of 
      your "career network." This list should also include 
      family members and other social contacts, such as 
      neighbors, fathers of friends, mothers of friends, and
      so forth.  

·          Finally, your "C list." This would be made up of former
colleagues and acquaintances. Whatever happened to that  high school friend, that college classmate, a favorite teacher, your first boss, and those colleagues you worked with two or three jobs ago? The Internet makes it easier to find people with whom you have fallen out of touch. You never know where a renewed contact will lead.

Never stop working on your career. Whether you are employed or in transition, you are always in the business of advancing your career. Never forget that.

I hope these thoughts prove to be of value to you in your career or search. As we near the end of the year, I would like to extend my best wishes to you and your family for a happy and healthy new year, from all of us at WJM Associates.