Posts by Mary Lorenz 

If the recession seems to have taken a toll on your workplace morale, you’re hardly alone…

A new CareerBuilder survey, released today, indicates that nearly a quarter of employers (23 percent) rate their organization’s current employee morale as low. According to Jason Ferrara, CareerBuilder’s Vice president of corporate marketing, low morale is an unfortunate side effect of this recession.  

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• Posted by: Mary Lorenz on November 18, 2009
• There are 2 Comments. Join the discussion.
• Categories: Employee Engagement, Survey Results

Last week, I listed the top traits recruiters and hiring managers look for when identifying their organization’s next leaders. Now, I’d like to follow up that post by discussing why now, more than ever, businesses need to put focus on developing their leaders (if they’re not already doing so) – and what areas they should concentrate on to get the best return on their investment.

Spending money on leadership development may seem like a lot to ask during a time when budgets are already tight, but it is critical that employers invest in ways to engage and retain their leaders right now, according to Elizabeth Craig, a research fellow at the Accenture Institute for High Performance in Boston, in a recent Business Insight podcast.

Unfortunately, businesses tend to see employee training and development programs as an expense, making these programs among the first to go when companies look for ways to cut costs. On the contrary, it is these very programs – these investments – that will better position companies’ competitive standing when the economy turns around. Continue Reading…

• Posted by: Mary Lorenz on November 16, 2009
• There are 3 Comments. Join the discussion.
• Categories: Employee Retention, Leadership Development

While you were busy getting suspended for your “wild” Bengals haircut, threatening to walk off the set of “Larry King Live”, or making a case for “Bikini Fridays,” here’s what was happening in the world of hiring and recruiting this week…
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• Posted by: Mary Lorenz on November 13, 2009
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• Categories: Week in Review

(Actually, this list is one better than a “top 10” list, because it goes up to 11.)

Last week, readers, I challenged you to tell me what qualities you consider most important when identifying new leaders.  I guess this question struck a chord, judging by the number of passionate responses I received in general, and the number of responses that referenced how a leader emerges during times of uncertainty in particular. 

No doubt several of you were drawing on your own experiences from these past several months, as you witnessed those around you being forced to make tough management decisions, seeing who emerged as true leaders – keeping employees motivated, adapting to stay ahead in a difficult economy, thinking outside the box to keep business going – while perhaps witnessing others “falter and fail,” as one commenter put it. 

While sorting through the over-200 comments, there were several words that emerged over and over again to describe leaders. Here, I give you the most frequently mentioned leadership characteristics - and a few of the reasons given for singling these traits out. Continue Reading…

• Posted by: Mary Lorenz on November 12, 2009
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• Categories: Uncategorized

Well aware that searching for quality job candidates can often be – to borrow a phrase from one of the best TV shows of all time – “about the most fun you can have without having any fun,” CareerBuilder recently released, “Better Recruitment Starts with Better Search: CareerBuilder’s Search Smart eBook.” 

This quick and easy read – available for a free download below – is essentially a guide for making candidate searching as painless a process as possible.  

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• Posted by: Mary Lorenz on November 11, 2009
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• Categories: Employee Attraction, Free Tools You Can Use

This week, while you were busy collecting your 27^th World Series title, debating whether or not to move your syndicated talk show to cable, or observing the anniversary of the invention of time travel, here’s what you may have missed in the world of hiring and recruiting…
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• Posted by: Mary Lorenz on November 6, 2009
• There is 1 Comment. Join the discussion.
• Categories: Week in Review