Spring 2011

Dear Colleague,

Happy Spring! I don't believe there has been a spring as anticipated as this one! The spring of 2011 brings not only the promise of warm weather and sunshine but it also brings much optimism as we have experienced a rebounding economy and marketplace. As we begin the second decade of the 21st century, we have endured and learned much from the business and financial trends of the last decade. It has been exciting to see the growth and demand for initiatives focused on retaining talent. Contrary to past decades when these initiatives would be the first area to be cut, there has been more attention and investment in the development of valued employees. We all know this will serve these organizations well as we are seeing the traditional shift in the cycle as there is an increase in recruitment activity. Once this occurs, companies are vulnerable to a high level of turnover and the companies that have truly invested in developing, challenging and rewarding their highly skilled staff are ahead of the game in securing their growth. Investing in development initiatives to keep employees engaged, growing and motivated is much of what I have been seeing over the last several months.

Building high performance work teams creates an environment that enables these initiatives to happen organically. A culture that espouses and enacts high performing team characteristics sets a foundation for achieving and sustaining success. Operating at the utmost efficiency and effectiveness is what most teams strive for especially during these challenging times when everyone is doing more with less. This is an area I have seen a lot of demand within my practice specifically in the area of team leadership development - building high performance work teams. Every team has its unique set of objectives as well as differing roles and responsibilities but there are certain characteristics that are consistent for a team to be high performing. An article published by Tyrone A. Holmes very succinctly highlights these characteristics as follows:

Ten Characteristics of a High-Performance Work Team
by Tyrone A. Holmes, Ed.D.

1. Develop goals and plans with a clearly defined mission

2. Enhance communication among members

3. Develop and maintain positive relationships among members

4. Solve problems and make decisions on a timely basis

5. Successfully manage conflict

6. Facilitate productive meetings

7. Clarify roles and responsibilities for team members

8. Operate in a productive manner with metrics for effectiveness and efficiency

9. Exhibit effective team leadership

10. Provide development opportunities for team members

Another area of focus for many organizations is around generational differences in the workforce. For the first time in history, we have four generations in the workplace at one time - each with differing needs, preferences, values, motivations and challenges. The dynamics of these multi-generations are complex. The best way to manage, grow, develop, recruit and mentor differs for each generation. There is no one size fits all approach. Understanding each generation deeply is crucial to be able to effectively address their needs. Another added dimension is the global direction of every organization. Most companies are operating in countries all over the world and therefore not only have a multi-generational workforce but a multi-cultural one as well. Understanding, embracing and valuing the cultural differences are very important and essential within all levels of an organization. We have high context cultures and low context cultures working side by side but not always face to face which creates yet another challenge around managing remote teams. Successful remote teams are clear on their objectives, roles, expectations, authority, metrics and timelines. Technology and communications are also essential for success. All of these challenges create incredible leadership opportunities for organizations and individuals. Seeing the ongoing demand for leadership skills and competencies is evident when you hear executives discuss these sorts of challenges in the marketplace today.

A few good books I would recommend on these topics are the following:

• Generations at Work: Managing the Clash of Veteran, Boomers, Xers, and Nexters in Your Workplace by Ron Zemke, Claire Raines, and Bob Filipczak

• Leadership in a Diverse and Multicultural Environment: Developing Awareness, Knowledge, and Skills by Mary L. Connerley and Paul Pedersen

• Virtual Teams: The Manager's Pocket Guide by Richard Bellingham

We are experiencing some very exciting times as we continue to see a shift of focus in organizations to many themes within the area of talent management. Executives are concerned about attracting, developing, engaging and retaining top talent as a way of gaining and maintaining competitive advantage. This is creating on-going demand for leadership development, management training initiatives and career development programs across all industries. A lot of my work this past year continues to focus on the design, development and delivery of these programs in addition to a high demand for one-on-one executive coaching. Please be sure to visit my website where you can see a sampling of topics for which I offer programs and workshops as well as my approach to coaching.

I continue to be a big advocate of strategic partnerships and therefore am very excited to announce that I am also a recent member of the network of coaches within Cambria Consulting, a national leading human resources management consulting firm. It's been a privilege to have the opportunity to partner with my colleagues at Cambria Consulting! Another area that I am quite passionate is teaching and continue to be a Lecturer at Northeastern University as an adjunct faculty member where I teach a variety of business, human resources and leadership courses. Last year I had the opportunity to teach a class of students from China within their Global Leadership Fast Track Program which was a fascinating and rewarding experience for me.

It's great to see all this activity as I remain very optimistic and enthusiastic at the potential that exists in the marketplace today! This is what keeps me highly engaged in the offering of talent management solutions to my clients. As always, I feel grateful and fortunate to be presented with opportunities that allow me to do work I love and continue to grow my business in my specialty areas of executive coaching, leadership development, management training and career development. The mix of corporate clients as well as individual clients across a range of industries and disciplines has continued to flourish. Please visit my website to see some of my upcoming programs, new articles and events at www.ritaballenassociates.com. I'd like to highlight a few for you below:

• Best Companies - Best Practices: Keeping the Competitive Edge Annual Executive Forum - April 12, 2011, Bentley University
  (Read more)

• Due to the on-going demand, I am offering another half day "Personal Branding and Marketing Yourself" Workshop the morning of June 3, 2011 at my offices in Waltham
  See the flyer for more details.

• Recently published article in NEHRA Insights Magazine Winter 2011 Issue - Five Strategies for Personal and Professional Success in 2011
  See the PDF.

• Upcoming article to watch for in April 2011 NEHRA Newsletter -
  Tips for Effectively Communicating and Influencing Up
  (www.nehra.com)

• Bentley University Women Leadership Institute Gearing Up: Conference for Women, May 13, 2011 - The Connections that matter
  (Read more)

Many thanks for your support, your business and your referrals. I welcome the opportunity to be of assistance and continuing to provide a variety of talent management/career management consulting and coaching services. Please reach out and share some of your updates, observations and challenges with me. I look forward to hearing from you!

Best Regards,

Rita B. Allen

Rita B. Allen Associates | 460 Totten Pond Road, Suite 110 | Waltham, MA 02451
781-890-6803 | rita@ritaballenassociates.com | www.ritaballenassociates.com