EXECUTIVE BLOG
The Actualized Executive Blog
Learn to lead, to give your best talents, and to thrive. The Actualized Executive Blog teaches you up to date strategic thinking and methods on leadership , teamwork, and moves to take your company to the next level.
Considering your professional options? Improve your mindset with executive career advice to give you the highest return on your skills.
Become an Actualized Executive, the best version of your professional self!
4 Open-Ended Questions You Must Ask Potential Executive Candidates
When hiring a high-level executive, there is a double-edge sword for the HR professional: nearly all of your potential candidates are well-qualified! What next?
You Need To Know The 7 Types Of Power If You Want To Succeed
Back in the 1950s, psychologists identified five major sources of power. Now 7 types exists, but there are many different ways to get power. Is one better than the other? See how you may have power that you didn’t even know you had.
How To Take Control of Your Career In 2023
iCIMS CPO Laura Coccaro says 2023 will offer a unique window of opportunity to shape the future of work.
5 Ways People Sabotage Their Careers
Many people are unknowingly damaging their career prospects with words and actions that leave a bad impression. Here are five of the most common mistakes.
3 Steps That Will Save Your Job In A Recession
Layoffs might be coming, but you’re in more control than you think.
What Does Emotional Intelligence Mean for Teams?
Teams can improve their emotional intelligence by being open about discomfort and encouraging direct communication and collaboration.
Tips For Managing Career Obstacles
We all experience obstacles throughout our careers. What sets us apart is how we handle those barriers. Do we allow them to define us or figure out a way past them?
3 Ways to Become a More Visible Employee
How employees can remind their bosses—and colleagues—that they’re doing great work.
5 Questions to Ask Before Accepting a New Job Offer
Experts says offer time may be the best time to negotiate.
To the Extent I am Protected, You Are Protected!
In down times, we just need to know that someone cares. That someone will stand up for us. Even a small amount of care and protection will feed our resilience!
The First 100 Days: 5 Ways to Make Your Mark
As with a president, how new employees show up during the first 100 days can be critical. Some key steps to distinguish yourself.
4 Ways to Get Promoted
A weakening economy could decrease the number of promotions in 2022. How to get ahead.
4 Ways to Raise Your Professional Profile Online
Strategically sharing your thoughts could help you in your current role… and a future one.
8 Questions All Leaders Should Ask Their Employees
Effective leaders create a sense of psychological safety for their reports and find ways to show appreciation for them as they offer opportunities for growth.
7 Crucial Strategies to Facilitate Competitive Business Transformations
Business transformation require everyone working together, although succeeds starts with having teams that have the right purpose, mindset and resources.
Never Overlook These 7 Classic Job Interview Questions
Korn Ferry CEO Gary Burnison highlights the questions nearly everyone gets asked—and how to answer them.
Our Better Selves
Korn Ferry CEO Gary Burnison argues that we must first lead ourselves if we hope to lead others.
‘I Quit My Job. Now I Regret It’
Get answers to these five questions before asking for your old job back, suggests Korn Ferry CEO Gary Burnison.
5 Questions to Ask a New Boss
Switching jobs soon? Here’s what you need to know about the person you’ll be working for.
7 Traits That Get Teams Through Tough Challenges
A TV show that forced teams to travel hundreds of miles by biking, hiking & swimming offers lessons in teamwork, celebrating small wins and keeping a sense of humor.
How to Answer a Job Interview’s ‘Why’ Questions
More than half of candidates fail job interviews because they are unprepared essentially for the key “why” questions.
The Biggest (but Common) Resume Mistakes to Avoid
Don’t let seemingly small errors squash your job prospects.
Here are 4 Steps Effective Leaders Follow
Leaders can’t make improvements unless they are clear on what’s working and what’s not with their strategy, processes and people.
How to stand out in online recruitment processes
The pandemic has meant more employers looking online to find candidates, here are some easy ways to make sure you shine during online recruitment processes.
4 Ways to Handle a Counteroffer
How to respond when the boss asks, “What will it take to keep you?“
5 Tough Job Interview Questions Answered
Be prepared when the recruiter asks, “Why do you want to leave your current job?” and other questions designed to separate great candidates from everyone else.
Why HR Can Be a Good Fit for Veterans
HR might not look like a natural fit for military vets seeking to make the move to civilian life. But depending on the path veterans took while in the military, HR might be a logical next step.
Making Believe
These days, the critical role of leaders is to inspire belief in others, says Korn Ferry CEO Gary Burnison.
Five Steps to Preventing Burnout Blues
Many of us are overworked and uncertain about the future. Here are five strategies that may help you re-energize, re-invigorate, and enjoy work once again.
The 6 Stages of Career Growth: Where Are You?
Korn Ferry CEO Gary Burnison lays out a master plan for just about every career journey.
The Difference Between Hearing and Listening
Finding a successful post-pandemic path will involve leaders making others feel engaged and validated, says Korn Ferry CEO Gary Burnison.
Twelve Tips To Effectively Onboard, Train, & Develop Employees In Remote Workplaces
To help organizations effectively set new hires up for success, we asked HR professionals & business leaders for their best onboarding & training advice.
Ten Ways Employers Can Build Trust in Remote Work Environments
To help organizations build a trusting work environment, we asked HR influencers and thought leaders this question for their best tips.
5 Ways to Explain Employment Gaps
How to talk about a COVID-related, or any other, extended time away from work.
Where Ambiguity Meets Agility
The pandemic’s perpetual uncertainty shows how leaders must be comfortable acting even when so much is out of their control, says Korn Ferry CEO Gary Burnison.
Our Brain Games
Paradoxes abound these days, but great leaders will find connections between two seemingly opposing ideas, says Korn Ferry CEO Gary Burnison.
7 First-Impression-Destroying Mistakes During a Job Interview
Even in a hot job market, these sloppy slipups can kill your prospects, says Korn Ferry CEO Gary Burnison.
Why Networking Works
What Networking is and what it isn’t. Tips to maximizing your networking efforts.
The Reluctant Sales Representative – Selling Yourself During Career Transition
What it really takes to network yourself to a job and how to get there.
It’s Our Why, Not the Where
Companies that are overly focused on where employees work are looking backward, not toward the future, says Korn Ferry CEO Gary Burnison.
How to Handle the Emotional Side of Job Loss and Job Search with Resiliency
Losing your job through no fault of your own can wipe you out emotionally. Here are guidelines for skillfully handling the emotional challenge of dealing with job loss and searching for new employment.
The Stories We Tell
Korn Ferry CEO Gary Burnison explains why all leaders, whether they like it or not, must be good storytellers.
Adjusting to Job Loss: Part 3
Adjusting to the job loss is the first stage in your career transition process. Lear how to process your emotions, understand the process of change, manage stress, and open yourself to new opportunities.
Adjusting to Job Loss: Part 2
Adjusting to the job loss is the first stage in your career transition process. Lear how to process your emotions, understand the process of change, manage stress, and open yourself to new opportunities.
Adjusting to Job Loss: Part 1
Adjusting to the job loss is the first stage in your career transition process. Lear how to process your emotions, understand the process of change, manage stress, and open yourself to new opportunities.
How To Prepare For & Ace A Virtual Interview
If the thought of meeting a potential recruiter over the internet is enough to bring you out into a sweat, fear not. We have very best virtual interview tips to impress your potential employer.
The Transition of Leadership Power
Leaving an old role ideally means you’ve left a good foundation for your successor, especially in terms of institutional knowledge, networking and the team’s talents.
Own the virtual room in your next presentation
Practice and preparation still apply with video-based presentations, but there are added considerations in terms of understanding the technology, having help with interactive features and knowing that things sometimes go wrong, writes Stephanie Scotti. “
5 Work Habits to Change Now
The remote work routine has created some bad behaviors. Our experts offer ways to change them in 2021 before it is too late.
4 Characteristics of Transformational Leadership
Crises demand transformational leadership that focuses on positivity and an imperative to create new value, whatever that looks like, writes Angeline Licerio. “By responding to the uncertainties with a positive mindset, transformational leaders inspire their employees, stakeholders, and clients to embrace the changes,” she writes.
Virtual “Storming”: How to Work through Tensions with New Teams
Remote teams face special challenges when working through tensions and difficult conversations. These best practices help move the team through “storming” to “performing”.
‘We-dership’
Korn Ferry CEO Gary Burnison finds a shared purpose among people coming together to help after recent tragedies.
Interviewing Virtually: 5 Ways to Nail It
With virtual interviews now standard, candidates will need to be on top of their game in whole new ways.
4 Ways to Get on a Recruiter’s ‘List’
HR pros and headhunting experts say the pandemic has made it even more grueling for professionals to get on their radar.
How Leaders Can Cultivate Patience in an Impatient World
How Leaders Can Cultivate Patience in an Impatient World
Learn It All
Acquiring knowledge is critical all the time but it’s vital at this particular time, says Korn Ferry CEO Gary Burnison.
Mastering the Top 10 Communication Skills
The #1 issue identified in every workplace is always the lack of effective communication. Find out how to have more impact in all your relationships!
Creating a Powerful Workplace Culture
The top three take aways for creating a powerful workplace culture.
5 Tips for Leaders to Effectively Motivate and Manage Remote Employees
Take a look at the top five communication strategies leaders can use today with their remote team to set expectations, maintain productivity and support their workforce.
How to Create an Effective Onboarding Program
An effective onboarding program is needed to transform a new hire from a nervous newbie into a fully integrated and productive team member.
Meeting Others Where They Are
How leaders can effectively communicate today, when emotions are off the charts, according to Korn Ferry CEO Gary Burnison.
Could you be screening out your next STAR hire?
There’s a new online jobs matching platform that makes it easy for employers to find, screen, and hire talented professionals, who are Skilled Through Alternative Routes (or “STARs”).
Advantages of the Non-Traditional Hire
Think about mavericks like Elon Musk and Steve Jobs, like Oprah Winfrey and Arianna Huffington. How many would have been shown the door by HR? Let’s not make that mistake.
It’s OK to Celebrate
Korn Ferry’s CEO offers five reasons why it’s good to highlight the things that go well during these difficult times.
5 Signs of High Emotional Intelligence
Research shows a link between emotional intelligence and career success. So, how can we tell if someone’s got it or not?
10 Ways to Stand Out In a Job Search
Whether you’re looking for a new job, aiming to get a raise or promotion you need to demonstrate that you have all of the qualities employers are seeking.
7-Step Practical Guide To Leading A Remote Team
The Team at Trello gives the recipe for setting up your remote team for success. Use these seven steps to help your team thrive remotely.
Always Learning and Experiencing!
Even in the adverse times – it is necessary to learn, grow and experience new things!
How Purpose and Emotional Intelligence Connect
Having high amounts of so-called soft skills is the only way a purpose-driven company can succeed, says best-selling author Daniel Goleman.
‘The 3 Best Resumes I’ve Ever Seen’
Korn Ferry CEO Gary Burnison has been interviewing candidates for 20 years. These are the best types of resumes he’s seen, based on experience level.
Workforce Planning Is Essential to High-Performing Organizations
Organizations need an approach that moves workforce planning from the domain of “futurists,” where only a few people live, to the domain of operational effectiveness, where management is accustomed to spending its time and energy.
Leading in a Crisis
No one thinks much about this leadership quality—until the you-know-what hits the fan. It’s crisis management.
4 Emotional Intelligence Skills for Handling Crises
Best-selling author Daniel Goleman explains how these key “domains” of EI may be valuable in helping leaders through today’s trying times.
Bringing HR and Finance Together
How can it be that HR and finance professionals agree on people as a source of competitive advantage, yet the finance dept. continues to so routinely decline HR’s spending requests?
The Opposite of Fear Is…
When we face fear the natural inclination for any of us is to be paralyzed. But taking no action is an action. If knowledge is power, then people need to be empowered by information
The New Must-Have: Good Phone Etiquette
As companies strive to limit face-to-face meetings, your skills at handling phone calls suddenly matter—big time.
Orientation or Onboarding?
Developing a structured, integrated employee onboarding program with new employee orientation at its core is the key to retaining employees.
4 Keys to Successfully Onboarding A New Leader
One of the major downfalls for any leader is the failure to successfully onboard into a new role. What a new executive does and doesn’t do in those first days, weeks and months will be remembered for years to come.
How to Tell an Employee It’s Over
It’s fair to fire someone if you’ve made a whole-hearted attempt to help. Don’t couch the dismissal with praise, and keep the conversation succinct while respecting the employee’s need to exit gracefully.
3 Challenges New Managers Face and How Training Can Help
There are many hurdles first-time managers must overcome. Learning to navigate these challenges is critical to their success. Fortunately, training can help.
You Have a New Job! Now What?
Korn Ferry CEO Gary Burnison highlights six critical steps to take after you accept a new position.
Leave This Off Your Resume
Seeing this at the top of a resume almost guarantees that the rest of the document doesn’t get read, says Korn Ferry CEO Gary Burnison.
5 Ways to Identify a Toxic Workplace – Before You Accept The New Job!
With historically low unemployment, it is a buyer’s market for sure. Job seekers these days are paying close attention to company culture – for good reason.
Groundhog Day! The Mistakes Hiring Managers See Over and Over Again
Hiring managers see these same mistakes over and over. Avoid them, and you can move past repetitive mistakes and into a job.
A Strong Culture Can Help Companies Survive Disruption
Companies must have a strong culture to recognize and avert “5 D’s of decline” that can occur when business is disrupted, causing division and distraction.
Are You Stuck in “Planning Mode” or Are You Taking Massive Action?
It’s crazy how quickly we will spend our time planning, but there is no sense in planning to do something if nothing actually happens with those plans!
13 Expectations That Can Harm Your Leadership
“Taking the time to clearly identify your expectations, communicate them to others and check that you have been understood will improve your relationships and your ability to achieve the desired results.” he writes.
What Does it Mean to Lead With Grace?
Values determine the ways in which we connect. They reflect respect & dignity are those that emerge from grace. Grace, then, becomes our how, just as purpose is our why.
How Hiring Veterans Wins The War For Tech Talent
You would think it would have been a piece of a cake to place vets in tech jobs. Surprisingly, it is not always the case.
7 Things That Make Great Bosses Unforgettable
Few things are more demotivating than a boss who is bored with his or her life and job. … Unforgettable bosses are passionate about what they do. They believe in what they’re trying to accomplish, and they have fun doing it. This makes everyone else want to join the ride.
6 Loaded Interview Questions (And How to Handle Them)
Interviewing for jobs is not something that necessarily gets easier with age. See how to handle loaded questions when you inevitably encounter them.
How to Connect Better as a Leader
There’s no such thing as a ready-born leader. However, being able to connect with your employees on a personal level is the first step to being able to get the best out of them.
Ten Ways To Spot A Truly Exceptional Employee
A recent international study wanted to know why some people are more successful than others at work, and the answers were surprising; leaders chose “personality” as the leading reason.
The Top 10 Things Interviewers Are Looking For
Korn Ferry’s CEO explains why candidates get asked “What’s the last book you read?” and other out-of-nowhere questions.
To Care for Others, Care for Yourself First
Make small, positive changes in your routines. TOMS founder Blake Mycoskie urges HR professionals to focus on self-care so they can continue to help others.
Brené Brown: Drop the Armor, Dare to Lead
Brené Brown, renowned for her research on courage, vulnerability, shame and empathy, wants HR professionals to help cultivate brave leaders who will humanize work.
Are You Listening, Or Are You Waiting To Speak?
It’s important to make an effort to listen to diverse points of view – Doing this opens up possibilities for better solutions.
Leadership Perspectives: Power Vs. Force
All great leaders lead from a place of influence and authority. They are committed to enlarging the talents and skills of others – to helping others grow.
9 Words To Stop Negative People From Sucking The Energy Out Of The Room
We’ve all been in those meetings where there’s that one person who oozes negativity over every good idea. Learn these 9 words to put a stop to negativity.