By Arlene S. Hirsch, July 6, 2022
“Leaders who work by a double standard send the message that they only care about themselves and that their employees don’t matter,” said Cynthia Adams, global president of products, certification and community at Leadership Circle, a Utah-based consulting firm. “If [employees feel] they don’t matter, they start looking for a new job,” she added.
By Aaronde Seckou Creighton, June 26, 2022
When you’re hiring new candidates, how much do you prioritize cultural fit? Your answer to this question may depend on whether you’d consider your company’s culture a broth or a gumbo.
By Betsy Leatherman, May 23, 2022
At the onset of the pandemic, many couldn’t grasp how much our lives would be upended by COVID-19. Absent a guidebook, most resorted to freestyling, with varying degrees of effectiveness. Managers eager to master this new work-from-home world were driven to work faster, increase efficiency, and strive for something “better.” It didn’t work.
By Michelle Ma, May 15, 2022
Others disagree. A former Better.com executive described that company’s Zoom layoffs as “barbaric” and “inhumane.” Large Zoom calls aren’t the right approach to layoffs, according to that exec. Betsy Leatherman, global president of Consulting Services for Leadership Circle, an executive coaching and assessment company, agreed. Instead, companies should either let workers know in groups of five or 10, or hold one-on-one meetings over the course of a couple of hours. “It would be an hour and a half or two hours of chaos,” Leatherman said. “But I bet you could do that.”
By Jackson Weimer, May 13, 2022
Whether you’re a manager at a company with 3,000 employees or three, something that leaders across industries have learned in the past two years is that giving employees more flexibility is key to retention and recruiting of new hires…Betsy Leatherman, Global President, Consulting Services at Leadership Circle – Every leader I’m talking to is thinking of everything in terms of giving their employees flexibility. At the same time, they want employees to maintain their personal boundaries. People were working super late or super early during the pandemic. They got burnt out far too often. I was recently in some in-person strategy sessions on a business trip and by the time I was home a few hours later, I had processed what happened before I got home. Usually, when I get off a Zoom at home, I don’t have time to really transition from strategy mode to mom mode.
By Alison Levitsky, May 13, 2022
… Betsy Leatherman, global president of Consulting Services for Leadership Circle, an executive coaching and assessment company, said she would avoid mass Zoom layoffs “at all costs.” Instead, Leatherman said managers should notify employees directly. “It would be an hour and a half or two hours of chaos,” Leatherman said. “But I bet you could do that.” Even laying off employees in groups of five or 10 is far better than telling dozens or hundreds of them at once, Leatherman said.
By Minda Zetlin March 27, 2022
Wayne Pankratz, a top executive at an Applebee’s franchise chain, sent a blast email to his colleagues this month crowing that rising gas prices were an “advantage” for the chain. He reasoned that cash-strapped people would have no choice but to take food-service jobs, even if the chain lowered its wages, which he encouraged his colleagues to do… There’s an us-versus-them view of employees that permeates Pankratz’s email. And he’s not alone. Leadership Circle’s Bill Adams noted in a recent Inc.com interview that too many managers think of employees as a necessary means to an end, rather than as the fabric of the organization they’re leading.
By Shalene Gupta March 23, 2022
Food prices are up, rent prices are up, and gas prices are so high that Uber and Lyft drivers are considering quitting. Inflation is 7.5%, the highest it’s been since 1982. Yet it’s unlikely that wages will rise correspondingly… Amy Felix Reese, the COO of leadership development company Leadership Circle, says her clients are also exploring ways to improve employee’s work experience by offering flexibility and trying to create a better working environment.
By Minda Zetlin March 20, 2022
What makes someone an effective leader? The best are creative rather than reactive, says Bill Adams, co-founder and CEO of leadership development company Leadership Circle. That’s the finding from a recent study the company did of 2,506 CEOs. “Creative leaders lead with vision and measure how results are achieved, not simply that they are achieved,” Adams explains. “Reactive leaders emphasize caution over creating results and self-protection over engagement.”
By Press Release February 16, 2022
Salt Lake City —Leadership Circle, the leadership development company that assesses, coaches, and develops some of the world’s most impactful business leaders and teams, today announced a $20M financing round with RF Investment Partners.
By JANE THIER February 16, 2022, 2:35 PM MST
Betsy Leatherman, Global President Consulting Services for Leadership Circle, asked to comment on setting boundaries and navigating friendships at the top levels of organizations. “Bosses and top employees have to think together, strategize together, and be aligned around the business,” she says. “Oftentimes, that feels like friendship, but you can’t let loyalty lead to breaking integrity and boundaries.”
