Insights on Leadership from the Top Down

Susan Annunzio is the president and CEO of the Center for High Performance and an international strategic advisor to senior leadership teams. Her powerful messages about team leadership, managing success, and creating ethical corporate cultures resonate with executives and managers across the country. Late last year, Susan wrote a compelling article for Chief Executive maagazine. Below are some excerpts from that article:

During more than 20 years of working with top leaders at a wide range of companies, I have observed that what goes on in the C-suite sends shock waves throughout the organization. Behaviors that originate with the CEO and his direct reports filter down, where they are repeated and magnified. And just as business failures can be traced back to the conduct of the leadership team, so can business success. High-performing leadership teams breed high-performance companies . . .

The best leadership teams naturally and often unconsciously learn from one another. In their 2008 book, Senior Leadership Teams, authors Ruth Wage man, Debra Nunes, James Burrus and J. Richard Hackman reported on their research into what is required for leadership teams to perform superbly. Based on data from120 teams around the world, the authors found, "The best teams are continually being coached-and are coaching themselves -to evolve, learn and grow. They learn from their leader, each other, and their experiences."

Hard times are a fertile breeding ground for fear-based behavior. During such times, leaders often obsess about what they have to lose, rather than think rationally about what steps they need to take to win. In contrast, high-performing leadership teams commit to proactive, fact-based decision-making rather than reactive, emotion-driven decision- making. They balance the needs of the short and the long term.

As reporters continue to dissect what went wrong with the world's financial system, publishing books such as Street Fighters: The Last 72 hours of Bear Stearns, the Toughest Firm on Wall Street; Fool's Gold: How the Bold Dream of a Small Tribe at J.P.Morgan was Corrupted by Wall Street Greed and Unleashed a Catastrophe and Dumb Money: How our Greatest Financial Minds Bankrupted the Nation, readers will learn a great deal about the confluence of greed, hubris, lax regulation and bad luck that led to the global financial meltdown. But readers would do well to learn another lesson: The outcome might have been different had the senior leadership teams of the felled companies welcomed dissent and debate, upheld values such as honesty and decency, and paid attention to the people within their own companies who saw the dangers ahead.

Call Jane at 703.243.1620 if you'd like to have Susan address your organization on high-performance leadership.

Speaker, Healthcare Advocate, and Patriot Receives Honor

One of the luminaries in the Esparza Speakers cadre of outstanding speakers, is Betsy McCaughey. In addition to speaking before a wide variety of audiences, Betsy is the founder/chairman of the Committee to Reduce Infection Deaths, and a tireless advocate for patients rights, medical excellence and personal liberty. She is also a Constitutional historian, published author, popular pundit on various radio and TV talk shows, and an adjunct fellow at the Hudson Institute.

This Sunday, Valentine's Day, Betsy will not only keynote an event for the Queens Village Republican Club, in Queens, New York, but that organization - the oldest Republican club in the country - will present her with American Freedom Award.

A former Lt. Governor of New York, Betsy stays on the front lines of the ongoing fight for safety in our healthcare system and patient rights. She is also committed to exposing the dangers of federal health bills. Betsy is one of the few individuals to immediately read through the thousands of page of proposed legislation that comprised the House and Senate healthcare bills in late 2009. She was seen in a variety of venues, as well as TV and radio, explaining in plain talk the impact that these bills would have on our country's healthcare system, as well as our Constitutional rights and the pocketbooks of American citizens.

Congratulations, Betsy!

A Little Good News ...

Most of us are acutely aware that 2009 was a tough year for anyone involved in the meetings industry. When the economy took a nosedive in late 20089, few of us were shocked to see organizations limit the number and scope of events that were to be conducted the following year.

But this time it wasn't just an economic slump . . . at the same time, leaders in organizations across the county decided to reject long-standing practices to conduct winter meetings in warmer climes, reward employees with special destinations for must-attend meetings, or expect people to get on plane for anything as mundane as training. After all, the media were shining bright spotlights on companies that took "bailout" money but continued to hold meetings at luxury resorts. No one worried about work for the employees at high-end hotels or the success of various vendors serving the meeting industry-it was far more important to be P.C. and not appear extravagant.

But it appears that things will be different in 2010.

A recent survey conducted by Meeting Professional International and American Express indicates the number of events, the length of those events, and the anticipated attendance are all on the rise. (Good news, Speakers!) However, the same survey also tells us that tight budgets and limited staff will mean that meeting planners and conference organizers in 2010 will need to stretch every possible resource available to them.

So budgets will continue to be strained for the foreseeable future, but at least there should be a few more opportunities for speakers to address meeting attendees or training program registrants over the same period. And I'll just bet that, like me, you'll take all the good news that we can get!

Elevator Honesty

Love it or hate it, the elevator pitch is something everyone must have!

Recently, I was an honoree at the National Association of Women Business Owners' "Good to Great Roundtable" luncheon. The women at my table had specific questions on their minds, all related to communication and success as a female executive or business owner. The first question? "I know I need an elevator pitch, but I hate them! They always seem phoney or promise too much. I've never liked any of the scripted ones I've made. But I still need one!"

I loved grappling with her concern because the Elevator Pitch is one of our exercises at ImprovEdge, and is also featured in the Yes! Deck. An elevator pitch is an introduction that lets people know who you are, what you do, and why they should care in the same time it would take to ride the elevator a few stories up.

My elevator pitch is pretty consistent-I'm lucky to have improvisation in my business which is an immediate hook! "I'm Karen Hough with ImprovEdge. We create learning experiences, consulting and training using improvisation to teach business skills."

But yours can change from day to day. "I'm Susan Superwoman, and my company, Grill Master, makes you the King of Barbeque!" or "I'm Susan, and I work for Grill Master. I just got promoted and I'm so excited!" or "I'm Susan Superwoman, and Grill Master was a perfect fit for me-I got a job and finally learned how to throw a perfect backyard party!"

The key is to HAVE an elevator pitch. No matter what, you must be able to represent yourself and your company smoothly, clearly and in about 30 seconds. Practice different pitches . . . always on your feet and out loud. Then when the opportunity arises, you'll be ready and relaxed.

Maxey's Keys to Networking

It's a new year and time to expand your horizons, right? How? Attend a networking event alone where you don't know anybody! Sound stimulating or terrifying? Well, that's just what I did recently-a breakfast networking event sponsored by a convention bureau at a downtown nightclub venue. The two-hour event included a hearty brunch buffet, mimosas, coffee, and a sampling of the club's musical entertainment. Different from most events I attend . . . I was intrigued by how people navigated it.

As you might expect, the event was heavily attended by hospitality, restaurant and convention suppliers-a fairly young and mostly fashion-forward female crowd of about 130 people. Here's what I noticed the best networkers were doing:

Keys to networking a large crowd when you're alone

• Wear something upbeat and professional that you feel great in.
• Bring out the actor in you and smile, stand straight and look confident even if you aren't
• Avoid the alcoholic choice, especially at 8 AM in the morning!
• Even though food abounds, don't get encumbered by large plates and drinks. Select a small plate with easy-to-eat food.
• Don't stay with the group you work with and came with, especially if you were funded to attend with company dollars.
• Use the food line for networking too; it's not wasted time!
• Ask questions of your conversation partner first.
• If you have information that will help your conversation partner, provide it ASAP
• Find a way to link what you do to what the person you're meeting does.
• Return to the buffet or bar to meet new people.
• Be ready to provide a 30-second statement of how you connect to the event-your common ground

One networker who impressed me was a young painting contractor named Paul who specialized in murals. As several of us stood around a high cocktail type table munching brunch, Paul walked up and introduced himself with a bright smile. Now his business didn't necessarily fit the hospitality draw of the event, but you'd never know it. After introductions, he stated clearly his specialty (painting and murals) and one woman immediately asked for his card.

When he spoke with me, I admired his ability to ask questions about my work as opposed to talking about his. He asked how I connected with clients and if I was on Linked In. When I said I was, he suggested an online resource that gives tips on Linked In connections in 20 minutes-for free. Even though Paul and I "didn't fit" the demographics of the general crowd, we were able to share valuable information. I then gave him the name of my realtor who refers painting contractors. We both promptly wrote these resources on our cards.

During my conversation with Paul I noted that the four at our table were all staff members of the convention bureau sponsoring the event-the very people who should have been mixing and mingling! I wondered what the boss would think if she knew her marketing dollars for four employees were being spent this way.

I have long believed in the "Ya Never Know" theory-that no matter where you go, the right people are in the room, somewhere. Thank you, Paul, for proving my theory to be true!