Relationships are built (or ruined) one conversation at a time. I have always seen effective conversation as a way to transfer energy between people in a way that fosters understanding, builds trust and inspires growth/change.

I can distinctly remember every single radical conversation I had with my peers/mentors/bosses that moved the needle for me and led me to growth opportunities. As someone who has immensely benefited from the conversations other people had with me, I try to use my conversations with others as a way to transfer positive energy that leads to learning, change and growth. This mindset of seeing conversations as a medium to exchange energy helps me immensely when I coach, train and facilitate people and teams.

Conversations are the currency of great leadership because they have the power to guide other people’s journeys, foster collaboration, build culture and tackle challenges as a team.

In their book “Managers as Mentors”, Chip R. Bell and Marshall Goldsmith write,

“Dialogues are interpersonal crucibles for blending facts, figures and feelings to enable learning and understanding.”

And yet, leaders having effective dialogues that move the needle for others is a rarity in many teams/organizations I work with. Why does this happen? Here are a few reasons that come to mind:

Poor listening (for verbal and non-verbal cues)

Dominating the conversation (ego, conversational narcissism)

Power struggle and authority

Extreme focus getting things done at the cost of others

Prejudices and constant judgment of others

Distractions

Lack of empathy

Here is a simple 10 point checklist sketchnote on how to have effective coaching dialogue with others.

Related Reading at QAspire:

Also Check out:

Raise the Bar: A collection of 68+ HD sketchnotes with timeless insights on leadership, learning and change.
Register for the upcoming “Visual Thinking and Sketchnote” workshop to reconnect with your visual thinking super-powers for better learning, communication and collaboration.

Relationships are built (or ruined) one conversation at a time. I have always seen effective conversation as a way to transfer energy between people in a way that fosters understanding, builds trust and inspires growth/change.

I can distinctly remember every single radical conversation I had with my peers/mentors/bosses that moved the needle for me and led me to growth opportunities. As someone who has immensely benefited from the conversations other people had with me, I try to use my conversations with others as a way to transfer positive energy that leads to learning, change and growth. This mindset of seeing conversations as a medium to exchange energy helps me immensely when I coach, train and facilitate people and teams.

Conversations are the currency of great leadership because they have the power to guide other people’s journeys, foster collaboration, build culture and tackle challenges as a team.

In their book “Managers as Mentors”, Chip R. Bell and Marshall Goldsmith write,

“Dialogues are interpersonal crucibles for blending facts, figures and feelings to enable learning and understanding.”

And yet, leaders having effective dialogues that move the needle for others is a rarity in many teams/organizations I work with. Why does this happen? Here are a few reasons that come to mind:

Poor listening (for verbal and non-verbal cues)

Dominating the conversation (ego, conversational narcissism)

Power struggle and authority

Extreme focus getting things done at the cost of others

Prejudices and constant judgment of others

Distractions

Lack of empathy

Here is a simple 10 point checklist sketchnote on how to have effective coaching dialogue with others.

Related Reading at QAspire:

Also Check out:

Raise the Bar: A collection of 68+ HD sketchnotes with timeless insights on leadership, learning and change.
Register for the upcoming “Visual Thinking and Sketchnote” workshop to reconnect with your visual thinking super-powers for better learning, communication and collaboration.

Navigating to your dream executive role that aligns with your passions is not just aspirational—it is critical for enduring leadership success and fulfillment. As an experienced professional, you are not just looking for a role but seeking a path that resonates with your personal ambitions and professional strengths.

This guide will help you with navigating to your dream executive role, ensuring your skills and goals align with organizational visions and succession plans.

Strategic Self-Reflection

For senior professionals, self-reflection goes beyond identifying interests—it is about evaluating your legacy and envisioning future impacts. What types of leadership roles have you thrived in? Which of your contributions have been the most fulfilling? In which areas have you received praise and positive feedback from superiors and mentors? Reflect on these highlights to understand your core competencies and values, which are vital in charting your path to executive success.

Deepening Passion through Strategic Engagement

As an experienced professional, deepen your engagement in areas you are passionate about. This could mean leading new initiatives, spearheading corporate social responsibility programs, or mentoring younger colleagues. Such involvement enriches your expertise and visibly aligns your passions with organizational goals.

Market Analysis and Positioning

Conduct an in-depth analysis of the executive job market. Identify organizations and industries that align with your values and have a track record of nurturing executive talent. Leverage your established network and industry knowledge to position yourself as a thought leader and a viable candidate for future executive roles.

Skill Advancement and Thought Leadership

Evaluate the evolving competencies required for executive leadership within your organization and in similar external roles. Consider pursuing advanced training, certifications, or even executive education programs. Share your insights and expertise through professional networks, publications and speaking engagements, cementing your reputation as a thought leader in your field.

Strategic Networking

Leverage your professional network for more than job opportunities. Engage with peers, mentors and industry leaders to exchange ideas and insights. Active participation in industry panels, boards and associations can provide visibility and strengthen your professional relationships.

Executive Branding in Resumes and Communication

Your resume and professional communications should reflect your executive potential. Highlight strategic leadership experiences, significant achievements, and your ability to drive organizational change. Each interaction is an opportunity to demonstrate your vision and executive presence.

Targeted Interview Preparation

Prepare for executive interviews by focusing on strategic and quantifiable discussions. Articulate how your experience and vision align with the company’s long-term goals. Be prepared to discuss your approach to leadership, change management and innovation, showcasing your readiness for higher-level executive roles.

Persistence and Continuous Learning

The path to an executive role or promotion often requires patience and resilience. Stay informed about industry trends and be open to feedback and new learning opportunities. A career coach or executive mentor can offer invaluable guidance and support during this journey.

Navigating to your dream executive role requires strategic thinking and a deep understanding of your professional journey. By aligning your career ambitions with your passions, you can carve a path that leads to executive success and provides profound professional fulfillment. Remember, the path to executive leadership is as rewarding as the destination.

OpenAI’s board took a tough call of firing the founding CEO Sam Altman without having trust from their organization/people or winning confidence of their investors like Microsoft.

Within 24 hours, Microsoft’s CEO, Satya Nadella, offered Altman an independent leadership role for their new AI initiative, pledging full support. Altman’s move to Microsoft initially seemed to conclude the saga until 700 OpenAI employees threatened to join Microsoft. Under immense pressure from both internal and external stakeholders, OpenAI reversed its decision, reinstating Altman as CEO and restructuring the board. In either scenario, Microsoft emerged victorious as a company and investor.

Microsoft’s size did not hinder Satya Nadella’s swift decision-making in the company’s best interest, backed by trust from its people and stakeholders.

Satya Nadella moved fast and fixed things, and in doing so, earned trust and respect. 

Mark Zuckerberg’s motto “move fast and break things” was popularized by Meta’s success and went on to inspire entrepreneurs and leaders across the globe. In their latest book, authors Anne Morriss and Frances Frei challenge the idea of breaking things while moving fast. They recommend that leaders should “Move Fast and Fix Things” which is also the title of their newest book.

Moving fast and breaking things may work when businesses are in early experimentation phase . However, prioritizing only speed as an organization grows can lead to overlooked mistakes resulting in lack of trust. The authors say,

We observed a clear pattern among leaders who were most effective at fixing things fast, the ones who fought their way to Accelerating Excellence. At a foundational level, these leaders had a distinct relationship with speed and trust. They treated pace and momentum as mission critical, and they also focused relentlessly on gaining and keeping the trust of their stakehold-ers. They experienced all the same things that hold the rest of us back, the same fears and doubts, but they believed that the antidote to those fears and doubts was fast, trust-building action. 

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this hands-on playbook on accelerating change and transform organizations while also building a culture of trust, inclusion and collaborative problem solving. Move Fast and Fix Things is an essential read for any leader looking for inspiration to raise the bar of excellence with their teams.

I particularly loved the 2×2 matrix of speed and trust which outlines the concept very well. Here is a quick snapshot of a few ideas from the book in form of a #sketchnote summary.

Related Reading at QAspire Blog

Updated: Visual Leadership Pack of 70+ HD Sketchnotes

If you liked the sketchnote summary above, check out the Visual Leadership Pack of HD Sketchnotes – a compilation of high-resolution sketchnotes with 70+ powerful (and timeless) ideas to elevate your leadership and learning game.

Leadership doesn’t make “a difference.” It makes “the difference.” That is true in all area of an organization, and especially true in creating extraordinary customer service.

You might be able to manage good service but you must lead to achieve great service. How? Here are ten key actions leaders can take to create extraordinary service for their organizations:

1. Empower employees. Enable your team to make decisions that benefit the customer. Don’t make them get permission from someone higher up. That takes time and aggravates the customer. Be clear on what employees are empowered to do to make customers happy: how much they can spend (money and time) and what actions they can take based on the situation. Empowered employees feel more invested and are more likely to go the extra mile for customers.

2. Exemplify behavior. Show your commitment to service by modeling the behavior in how you treat employees, vendors and customers. Foster a customer-centric culture. Put the customer at the heart of all business operations. Can you honestly say you have a service mindset? Employees will believe more of what they so you do than what they hear you say.

3. Train better. Regular training and development programs can significantly enhance the skills and knowledge of your staff. I’m talking about something more than “smile and grin training” which is too basic to be very useful. Your customer service reps need to be students of human behavior, know what questions to ask, what to see and most importantly what actions to take. The most motivated are discouraged by a lack of skills to get the job done.

4. Maximize feedback. Systems that gather customer feedback can provide invaluable insights IF you act on the information. This ties in with your advocacy for listening to and learning from customers as a way to drive improvement. Gather feedback at every opportunity, but don’t make it oppressive for customers to provide.

5. Personalize interactions. The goal isn’t just to create a sale, but to create connections. Personalization will greatly enhance customer delight. Neither customers nor employees want to be treated as a number or revenue unit. Learn more about each customer and what is important to them.

6. Leverage technology. Having good technology doesn’t count if it isn’t used well, and some technology can encumber employees who would like to give better service. Utilize technology to improve customer service efficiency and effectiveness. This could include CRM systems, chatbots, or data analytics tools.

7. Reward extraordinary. It you don’t recognize and reward extraordinary service, people won’t think it is a priority. Acknowledging and rewarding employees who deliver outstanding customer service can motivate the entire team. This idea resonates with your philosophy of recognizing and celebrating achievements.

8. Communicate better. Communicating more isn’t necessarily communicating better. Sometimes it creates information overload.  Clear, consistent communication, both internally and with customers, is critical. This is a principle that you’ve likely emphasized in your presentations and writings.

9. Convert complaints. Solving a customer’s problems shows you are committed to them. That’s how you convert complaints into commitment. Promptly and Effectively**: Efficient complaint resolution shows customers that their concerns are taken seriously. This approach is in line with your teachings about turning challenges into opportunities for growth. Nothing like a call from a C level exec to prove to a customer he or she is valued.

10. Intensify improvement. Regularly review and improve customer service processes. Schedule regular meetings to brainstorm how to add value to the customer experience. Design for positive customer emotion.This commitment to continuous improvement is a theme that runs through much of your work.

By implementing these strategies, rooted in leadership principles, you can transform customer service into an extraordinary experience for your customers.

Mark Sanborn is motivational keynote speaker and Leadership Expert in Residence at High Point University, the Premier Life Skills University. His presentations help the best leaders get better and inspire listeners to choose to be extraordinary. For more information about his work, visit www.marksanborn.com. 

Finding a Job After 50:A Guide to a Successful Career Transition

Finding a job after 50 can be a challenging yet rewarding endeavor. People often ask me if it is hopeless to look for a job after a “certain age.” Everyone has heard stories about ageism and the perception that older workers are not in demand because they are not current with emerging trends and technology or can’t keep up with the required pace. How can you overcome age-related biases and effectively leverage your experience to stand out in a competitive job market? In this article, I provide insights and strategies for navigating the job market after 50, addressing common concerns and offering practical tips for a successful career transition.

Embrace Lifelong Learning

A commitment to lifelong learning is one of the most critical factors in finding a job after 50. Building new skills and staying updated on industry trends is essential in today’s rapidly evolving job market. Consider enrolling in workshops, online courses or certification programs to enhance your knowledge and make yourself more marketable to potential employers. This proactive approach broadens your skill set and signals to employers your willingness to adapt and grow, which are crucial traits in today’s workforce.

Leverage Transferable Skills

People with extensive work experience often have valuable, transferable skills across various industries. Identify the skills you have developed throughout your career and highlight them in your resume and job interviews. Effective communication, leadership, problem-solving and adaptability are examples of transferable skills that employers highly value. Moreover, demonstrate how these skills can apply to new roles and industries by providing concrete examples of past experiences. Consider leveraging your skills to mentor others and help them grow in their careers.

Maintain Your Resume and LinkedIn Profile

Update your resume to highlight your achievements and showcase your breadth of experience, emphasizing your most relevant skills and accomplishments. Focus on your last 10–15 years with quantifiable achievements. Additionally, ensure your LinkedIn profile is continually up-to-date and reflects your professional journey. LinkedIn is a powerful networking and job search tool, so leverage it effectively by engaging with industry professionals, joining relevant groups and sharing insightful content.

For more tips on maintaining your LinkedIn profile, see my companion article, Maintaining a Powerful LinkedIn Profile: A Comprehensive Guide for Senior Executives.

Network Strategically

Networking is crucial in executive-level job hunting, especially for individuals over 50. Attend industry events, join professional groups, and connect with former colleagues and acquaintances. Networking can open doors to new opportunities and offer valuable insights into the job market. Do not hesitate to seek advice from mentors or industry professionals who can provide guidance based on their experiences. Additionally, consider corporate and nonprofit board service, volunteering and participating in community initiatives to expand your network and showcase your skills and expertise. A well-curated network is not just a path to new opportunities but also a source of support and advice, making your job search a more manageable and less isolating experience.

Showcase Adaptability

Employers often seek candidates who are adaptable and willing to embrace change. Be prepared to show how you have successfully navigated transitions in the past and how your skills apply to the evolving demands of the job market and your industry. Emphasize your ability to learn quickly and adapt to innovative technologies and work environments. Highlight specific instances where you have demonstrated flexibility and agility in response to challenges or changes in the workplace. This adaptability demonstrates resilience and a forward-thinking mindset—highly prized in today’s dynamic work landscape.

Address Age-Related Concerns Proactively

Addressing potential age-related concerns proactively during the job search process is essential. Emphasize your enthusiasm for learning, staying current in your field and contributing to a dynamic work environment. Focus on your value and experience rather than dwelling on age-related stereotypes. Additionally, consider incorporating modern technologies and tools into your skill set to demonstrate your willingness to embrace innovation and stay relevant in today’s workforce. Showcasing a proactive, energetic approach can help mitigate potential biases and highlight the unique advantages of your experience.

In conclusion, finding a job after 50 requires a strategic and proactive approach. Embrace lifelong learning, leverage transferable skills, maintain your resume and LinkedIn profile, network strategically, showcase adaptability and address age-related concerns proactively. By adopting these strategies, people over 50 can navigate the job market successfully and embark on a fulfilling and rewarding career transition.

There is no growth without courage. 

In my career of 25+ years, I had several moments that required me to exhibit courage. I was a functional head in year 2008 when my growth had plateaued. I walked up to my boss and sought his able counsel. He was very clear, “If you want to grow further, you need to demonstrably contribute to topline growth or significantly increase your bottomline impact.” 

What felt a bit too direct at the time was actually a window of opportunity. I spent next 8 weeks thinking about ways to turn my function into a business unit. I went back to my boss with a detailed business plan to set up a Quality Consulting unit as an independent business unit. After much deliberation, the business unit was formed and I was given all the resources required to run it as an intrapreneur. I was subtly nudged towards acting courageously. When I demonstrated readiness to leap, I was provided with all the required support. That opportunity allowed me to travel across the globe, meet customers, understand their challenges, offer solutions, provide consulting support, sell services and contribute substantially to organization’s growth. It enabled my evolution and defined the trajectory of my career.

This experience shaped a lot of my thinking about how to be courageous and help my people be courageous. Subsequently, as a business leader, I helped many individuals in taking leap of faith in the direction of their dreams. People exhibit courage only when they are surrounded by a supportive environment that offers safety, inspiration and meaningful challenges.

Three Buckets of Courage

In December 2023 Edition of The Leadership Development Carnival hosted by the amazing Julie Winkle Giulioni, I came across a brilliant post titled The Three Buckets of Courage by Bill Treasurer. The post expands on the topic of courage and introduces three buckets of courage. Courage manifests itself in action, belief and words – or as Bill describes – Try Courage, Trust Courage and Tell Courage.

TRY Courage is the courage of first attempts or as Seth Godin asks “When was the last time you did something for the first time?”. Trying new things in small bets is often a great way to see if it works.
TRUST Courage is about letting go of formulas that worked in the past, our preconceptions about how things should be and our need to control. Trusting requires some degree of surrender and belief. In leadership context, ability to win trust of people when taking bold decisions as well as providing an environment of trust where people can take bold decisions in their domain of work is a critical precondition to lead others.
TELL Courage is courage to express yourself authentically and fully. This has everything to do with creating Psychological Safety for people to express their true opinions without fear. According to Bill, this bucket needs the most filling in teams and organizations. 

I found out that Bill’s blog post is based on a fantastic book that he has written titled “Courage Goes to Work: How to Build Backbones, Boost Performance, and Get Results” which I recommend you to check out. In the book, Bill offers strategies to build a culture of Courage in teams and organizations. 

Bill’s work is fascinating and I took some visual notes while going through it all. I hope you find it useful in your context. 

Updated: Visual Leadership Pack HD Sketchnotes

If you liked the sketchnote summary above, check out the Visual Leadership Pack of HD Sketchnotes – a compilation of high-resolution sketchnotes with 70+ powerful (and timeless) ideas to elevate your leadership and learning game.

Maintaining a Powerful LinkedIn Profile: A Guide for Senior Executives

If you don’t frame your metrics right, they can distort behaviors. 

A bank executive once insisted that I do him a favor by getting a free credit card (even when I did not require it). He was one customer short of being eligible for a quarterly bonus. He suggested that get the card now, and as soon as I get it, I can block or cancel it. He was clearly focused on meeting his numbers at the cost of a customer.

Goodhart’s Law tells us that ‘when a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measure.’

We can see variations of this in all contexts – from people losing weight through crash diets only to become nutritionally deficient to politicians undertaking popular measures to win votes rather than solving real problems.

Narrowly defined targets can become proxy of the goal while ignoring several other factors that contribute to accomplishing the real and meaningful outcome.

In an organizational context, how do we manage this? A few things come to mind:

︎ Use holistic/systematic measures: Find and link measures that capture various interconnected aspects of the desired outcome.

︎ Use a combination of qualitative and quantitative measures to gain more comprehensive understanding.

︎ Reframe metrics as a tool to learn and adapt: Build team rituals to have a dialogue on leading indicators to learn, adapt and course correct.

︎ Assess impact of narrow measure on qualitative aspects – unintended consequences in things like delivering value, cross-functional collaboration, cultural precedence etc.

Over to you: How would you manage metrics so that they enable right behaviors?

Here’s a sketchnote summary on Goodhart’s Law.

Updated: Visual Leadership Pack HD Sketchnotes

If you liked the sketchnote summary above, check out the Visual Leadership Pack of HD Sketchnotes – a compilation of high-resolution sketchnotes with 68+ powerful (and timeless) ideas to elevate your leadership and learning game.

We are thrilled to announce that Forbes has once again named Pearson Partners International one of America’s Best Executive Search Firms. This marks the fourth year of this distinction for our commitment to excellence in executive search and leadership consulting.

As the recruitment landscape stabilizes from the tumultuous period known as the “Great Resignation,” more executives are expressing satisfaction with their current employment. A recent survey by ZipRecruiter reveals that over 86% of new hires are content in their roles, a stark contrast to the job-hopping trends observed in previous years. This increased job satisfaction poses renewed challenges for recruiting, as fewer leaders are open to new opportunities. Combined with the looming Baby Boomer retirement wave, an ever-greater need for effective succession planning, the integration of AI into human resources functions, and a continuing focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion, our role as leadership consultants has never been more vital. We are dedicated to helping our clients navigate these complexities to ensure successful executive recruitment, effective retention and robust succession planning.

Recognizing this shift in the recruitment landscape, Forbes has partnered again with market research firm Statista to rank America’s Best Executive Search Firms, highlighting leaders in executive search like Pearson Partners International. We have earned this prestigious accolade four times in the eight years Forbes has chosen the honorees, including 2017 (the list’s inaugural year), 2018, 2023 and 2024.

“It is a privilege to be recognized as one of America’s Best Executive Search Firms by Forbes for the fourth time. This honor reaffirms our unwavering commitment to excellence and the trust our clients place in us.”

– Keith Pearson, Chairman & CEO, Pearson Partners International

Keith Pearson, Chairman & CEO of Pearson Partners International, said, “We extend our heartfelt congratulations to our executive search peers joining us in earning this distinguished honor, particularly our colleagues at our fellow IIC Partners firms, Dinte Executive Search in Washington D.C. and Furst Group in Chicago. As we navigate a generational shift in leadership and prepare for a wave of executive retirement, Pearson Partners remains dedicated to connecting leading companies with talented professionals, ensuring seamless transitions and sustained organizational success.”

“Collaborating with our fellow IIC Partners firm leaders also earning this distinction is an honor that enhances our collective success.”

– Renee Arrington, President & COO, Pearson Partners International

Renee Arrington, Pearson Partners International President & COO, added, “We are thrilled to share this accolade with such distinguished executive search firms, who represent our shared commitment to quality and integrity. Collaborating with our fellow IIC Partners firm leaders Samuel Dinte, Bob Clarke, Sherrie Barch, and our team at Pearson Partners International is an honor that enhances our collective success.”

Partnering with Forbes, Statista surveyed more than 9,300 recruiters, HR leaders, hiring managers and candidates to solicit their recommendations and assessments of executive search firms with whom they had recently worked. The firms earning the highest rankings made it onto the list of the top 150 companies specializing in filling positions with base salaries over $100,000. As with all Forbes lists, there is no fee to participate or be selected. Learn more about the methodology.

View the 2024 Forbes list of America’s Best Executive Search Firms.