There’s nothing worse than a new hire that’s not the right fit. While that’s discouraging for any position within your organization, it’s especially frustrating when you’re talking about a high-level position. You need your senior vice president, CFO, or another key player to hit the...
Whether we want to admit it or not, company culture does matter. It seeps into the hearts and minds of everyone on your team, to become an essential component of your organizational DNA. I learned about company culture, and its unwritten rules, while still in...
For years, I served as a senior executive with Federated Department Stores (now Macy’s), which was a Fortune 100 company at the time. Throughout my tenure I had to negotiate high-stakes deals, related to my career progress. As a leader you have to continually build...
If you aren’t willing to invest where you have the greatest potential for robust ROI, namely in your human capital, it’s like raising a child with tons of potential and fantastic DNA, and then not sending them to school. The money saved on textbooks and...
Everyone knows that if you want to get to the top in today’s business world, you need genuine and consistent executive presence. But how do you define and develop it? I sometimes use the acronym PRESENCE to help convey 8 of the core traits of...
Listen to the podcast [audio mp3="https://illustraconsulting.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/afraid_success_than_failure.mp3"][/audio] One of my clients shared a powerful story with me that I know will resonate with many of you. His was a wonderful experience of long-awaited success that he had been dreaming of his whole career. After working very hard to...
The Illustra tagline is “Advancing Leaders in Record Time.” We selected it because I love to work with people who are ready to advance and increase their own success. Those are my ideal clients. They yearn to learn, stretch, and accelerate way beyond their status...
Listen to the podcast [audio wav="https://illustraconsulting.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/PODCAST_03312015_utilize_3_keys.wav"][/audio] Here are three incredible keys to career acceleration that we should all keep in the forefront of our vision and in the daily toolkit of our executive presence development. #1 PERSPECTIVE I love when I’m working with a client and gain insight into...
I have watched many smart and talented people get nowhere because they spent their most critical “prime time” looking for some easy fix. But there is no cakewalk to greatness. Exit the Comfort Zone It’s easy to rationalize, “I can’t afford to hire a private coach” or...
Each of us presents ourselves a particular way. We give off a certain aura. People get an instant impression of us. How we carry ourselves, look, and speak triggers subconscious snap judgments and conscious evaluations. When that personal presentation comes across as authentic leadership it...