Corporate coach Cindy Solomon has trained individuals from Google executives to Mayo Clinic physicians. Recently, she stopped in The Hilton Rye Town for KeyBank”™s 2011 Key4Women Forum and left the crowd atwitter with stories of courage and leadership in business and in life. Following are edited excerpts from a conversation with Solomon before her presentation.
What”™s going on with the unemployment situation?
Solomon: “The reality is, companies are still hiring talented people. As a matter of fact, people are having a hard time finding good people. Talent is always talent. It doesn”™t matter what the economy is doing. I think it depends on what you need. Do you need somebody whose got a depth and breadth of experience or do you need some really new, true fresh ideas, someone who can grapple with a new-technology issue? That”™s when you want to go after those Gen-Ys ”“ to look at your business and your technology and your relationships with customers in a new way. Whether we like it or not, Gen-Y is going to be 60 percent of our consumer and employee pool.”
Will employers see talent jump ship once the economy turns?
Solomon: “It”™s frightening. A stat out there says 70 percent of A-players are looking to move after the recession is over because of how they were treated during the recession. It”™s because people, for the most part, were not treated well during the recession. Everybody”™s doing more with less. I unfortunately see it in corporations more now, they”™re making across-the-board cuts. ”¦ but in smaller organizations, you would usually be included in those conversations (about realigning staff).”
What makes a leader? What”™s the biggest misconception?
Solomon: “I think first and most important is that leaders are born and not made. I disagree with that. I think anybody can learn to be a great leader, should they choose to put the effort in. Leadership is not about charisma, it”™s about skills. ”¦ Some of the best leaders I”™ve ever worked for are tough but fair and there”™s a difference between somebody being a mean boss and trying to beat performance out of somebody versus somebody who”™s going to hold you accountable for their expectation of you and give you critical feedback, so you can keep getting better. The best bosses give both and that”™s something, particularly in the U.S., that we”™ve lost sight of. Positive feedback helps build skills more quickly than negative, and most of our leaders haven”™t understood that.”
