BLOG
BOLD GROWTH: FOR PROFESSIONAL SERVICES LEADERS
3 Strategies for Developing the Frontline Leader
What's the top challenge we see facing organizations today? From our perspective, the answer is obvious: the development of frontline leaders. When given the opportunity to submit a guest blog for Columbus CEO Magazine, our Amy Franko jumped at the chance to address this issue. Frontline leaders are typically responsible for teams of eight to 10 people, and often are in the trenches with their teams in day-to-day operations. Their time is dedicated to the current issues at hand, with little time to substantially develop their teams’ skills, let alone devote time to their own development. But despite their importance, frontline leaders receive the least amount of investment—the forgotten middle. We invite you to visit the Columbus CEO blog to read our Amy's three strategies for developing the frontline. Then tell us... what strategies are you leveraging in your organization to address this challenge? Read...
Your Leadership Identity: Do You Respond Like a Leader
Think for a moment about how you respond to what’s happening around you. Many times you probably don’t give a conscious thought to your responses. There’s a difference between reaction (unconscious) and response (thoughtful and conscious). When we move from reaction to response, it indicates a shift in our mindset around what it means to lead. Amy Franko shares three ways your responses can communicate the wrong leadership message. Read the full article on the Talent Development blog. This article is the fourth in Amy's series on creating leadership identity. You can also read about building a personal brand, leading through your actions, and leading through your visual and verbal presence.
Creating Social Capital: A Formula for Success
Building relationships is a topic that’s near and dear to my heart. Recently I had the opportunity to speak before the Women Lawyers of Franklin County and help them kick off their new program year. They asked me to share insights on creating social capital. Attorneys, like many of us professionals, are conditioned to focus on the value brought to an organization by physical assets and financial capital – that’s what’s on a P&L, right? But one often-missing element is social capital; while you won’t find it on a balance sheet, it’s every bit as critical to organizational and individual success. What is social capital? According to bettertogether.org, “the central premise of social capital is that social networks have value. Social capital refers to the collective value of all ‘social networks’ [who people know] and the inclinations that arise from these networks to do things for each other [‘norms of...
3 Strategies for Living Each Day Creating Impact and Influence
Conversations about impact and legacy often come later in life as we look back at what we’ve accomplished and contributed. Instead, what if we looked forward and consciously designed our path of impact and influence? Check out Amy Franko's strategies in this article on the Switch and Shift blog. Read more.
Leading Through Visual and Verbal Presence
Do you dress the part of a leader and professional? What does your physical presence exude? In addition, do you treat every communication, spoken or written, as an opportunity to showcase how well you organize your thoughts and articulate yourself? Do you sound like a leader? In this article on the Association for Talent Management blog, Amy Franko delves into the impact you make through your visual and verbal presence. Read more. This post is the third in a series on creating leadership identity.
Leading Through Your Actions
You’ve probably heard the saying, “Your actions speak so loudly that I can’t hear a word you’re saying.” Indeed, your actions, or self-initiated behaviors, speak to your level of assertiveness, decisiveness, and confidence—all traits of a strong, effective leader. Your job in enhancing your leadership identity is to elevate your awareness of your actions with colleagues, direct reports, and the CEO. What are your actions saying about you? Are they saying you have confidence and strong leadership abilities, or are they saying you aren’t quite ready for the next level in your leadership journey? In this article on TD.org by Amy Franko, take a few minutes to assess yourself, and consider how these five strategies can help you elevate your leadership identity. This article is the second post in a series on creating leadership identity. Read more.
Inside the Mind of the CEO: 7 Tips for Accelerating Path to C-Suite
By Amy Franko We see their pictures in the media, and we hear them make speeches before shareholders and stakeholders. But how well do you know your CEO? Have you ever wondered what’s going on in his or her mind? With all that they’re responsible for, you’re probably not surprised to learn that a CEO’s mind is a busy place. About 100 Central Ohio executives were given a sneak peek into the experiences and insights of four of the area’s most admired leaders at a recent panel discussion, hosted by the Women for Economic and Leadership Development (WELD). I was honored to serve as moderator of the panel, which included John Ammendola, President and CEO, Grange Insurance; Kim Jacobs, Chief of Police, City of Columbus; Elaine Roberts, A.A.E., President & CEO,...
Building a Leadership Identity for a Personal Brand
Your workday is likely consumed with leading your team and delivering results for your organization. But what about you? How much time do you think about your future goals and leadership identity? Impact Instruction Group's Founder and CEO, Amy Franko, takes a look at the topic of building a leadership identity in the Association for Talent Development Human Capital Blog. The first article in the series outlines steps for defining a leadership identity and personal brand. Read more on TD.org.
Columbus Women to Know
By Amy Franko There’s a saying that you should surround yourself with people who will lift you higher. As a practitioner in the area of leadership development, I couldn’t agree more. And as a woman business owner in the Columbus Region, I’m grateful to be surrounded by some of the smartest, strongest women leaders around. I’ve befriended many of them through the Women for Economic and Leadership Development (WELD) and NAWBO Columbus—two fantastic membership groups – as well as through my role on the Board of Directors of the Girl Scouts of Ohio’s Heartland. Learning from these women has helped me become a better business owner, and a stronger leader myself. Recently, Business First of Columbus published its list of “Central Ohio’s Influential Women to Know for 2015.” Powerhouse is the first word that came to mind! Many of honorees are women I’m proud to know: Catherine Lang-Cline, Kristen Harris, Darla...
Talent Management: Earning Acclaim for Stealth Development
This month's issue of Talent Management magazine takes a look at "stealth" development. For some organizations, weaving career development into work flow makes for an organic and powerful tool for talent managers. But does becoming too stealthy risk the effort going unnoticed? The magazine asked for readers to weigh in. I did. My opinion is that career development shouldn't be stealth. It's a top reason why people are engaged and best talent stays.
Our Strategic Selling signature sales training program is now available online. This online sales learning program is ideal for professional services and B2B sales. Get started with 2 free lessons.
