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. (Need a few more reasons to invest in leaders? We got five right here.)

Because executives have been shown to leave their companies when market conditions improve and more job opportunities open up, now is the time for companies to give them a reason to stay. The best way to retain these employees, Craig says, is to provide learning and development opportunities that will not only engage your best people and compel them to stay with you, but help you better attract new talent down the road.

Based on research Craig conducted with colleagues on executive satisfaction levels (which you can read about in more depth here) companies that offer the following opportunities for executives see a higher retention rate:

1. Opportunities to work on challenging tasks and to take on more responsibility.
2. Opportunities to broaden their skills by exposing them to operations outside their areas of expertise, and providing training to polish their business skills.
3. Opportunities to cultivate relationships with their peers, enabling them to learn from their peers and increase visibility. As a bonus for the company, it also enables them to increase their understanding and collaboration among various business units.

What steps are you taking to invest in your leaders?

The latest employment indicators show that companies will be slow to hire in Q4, even as their profit outlook improves. Part of the reason for this is economic uncertainty among employers; however, on the upside, it’s also a reaction to the fact that companies have found ways to do more with less, according to this Wall Street Journal article.

As employers seek to maintain momentum in the uncertain months ahead, they will need to rely on the next generation of leaders to drive their companies forward – whether in the form of new hires or current employees taking on new responsibilities.

As you help organizations seek out these leaders, what qualities should you look for in candidates and current employees? The Hiring Site wants to put together a comprehensive list of the top qualities recruiters and hiring managers should look for in identifying leaders, and we’re asking you to share your own tried-and-true practices.

Share your thoughts with us, and you could win a new Kindle™ Wireless Reading Device.

How to enter:
Simply answer this question – “What quality or characteristic do you look for – above all else – when looking for your organization’s next leader, and why?” – in the comments section below, and you’ll automatically be entered to win a brand new Kindle™.

Contest details:
Entries will be accepted from 12 a.m. CST on Monday, November 2, 2009 until 11:59 p.m. CST on Friday, November 6, 2009.  Each account may only submit one answer for consideration; subsequent entries will not be considered. Spam responses will not be considered. The winner will be picked at random and notified via e-mail the week of November 11, 2009. Please read the full list of official contest rules and regulations.

During our conversation, we covered everything from boss attitudes in our current economy, to recognizing and understanding employee coping tactics, to the severe lack of communication in today’s workplace, to the one thing bosses need to do right now to become better employers–and more.  Read on for interview Part I (of three):

1.    What are the biggest complaints you hear about bosses from employees?

Katherine: I think the biggest general complaint is a lack of communication–-just in the sense of they not either communicating exactly what they want, or changing what they want, or not letting the employees know what’s coming down from above, or not even being clear about what their expectations are or what their priorities are.

Kathi: Yes, I think it’s that whole piece of, they may have an assignment but they don’t really know how they’re being judged on, they don’t know when it’s due, they don’t know when changes were made–-there’s a whole lack of communication.

Katherine: And a sort of a lack of a feedback loop–-here’s what I expect, here’s how you’re doing, here’s where you should put your efforts, and here, now I’m evaluating you. “Just do it.”

Kathi: And there’s a handful of people out there who don’t need much directive, and bosses are always looking for those people. But there’s very few, and those people are not that self-motivated. They need more input.

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2.    Have you noticed more feedback from employees since the economy has taken a turn for the worse?

Kathi: Yes, because now they’re really feeling more than ever that everything is secretive. So while they may not have known what the expectations of a certain project were, now they don’t know if the company’s going to exist. So that lack of communication is now really red hot.

Katherine: Also, the bosses themselves are under a great deal of stress, and  have to justify both themselves and their staff. And unfortunately, under stress we revert to our less constructive work habits. So if I’m a boss who has a hard time stating exactly what I want, as I get busier I probably communicate even less of what I need from my employees. Or if I have a hair-trigger temper, you’re going to see that temper more when I’m feeling pressured. Or if I give you mixed signals, if I constantly change my mind, I may trust that decision making even less in these conditions.

Kathi: I think employees are looking for all signs right now. If you close your door more often, that’s a worry sign, you look upset, that’s a bad sign, and without the communication, they’ll make it up. So if I see your door’s closed a lot and you’re not telling me why, you’re not saying, look I have problems with my medical insurance so I’m making a lot of personal calls–if you don’t tell me, I’m going to think you’re having discussions about who you’re going to let go. And then I may tell a co-worker, who’s going to tell another co-worker, and that’s how rumors begin. And fear.

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3.    Do you think bosses realize their employees are using coping tactics to deal with them, and are taking a look at themselves and what they may be doing to contribute to employee behavior?

Kathi: No, I don’t think they realize it’s a tactic, I think they just get a headache from it, and they rarely know how to address an employee who’s shutting them out or badmouthing them–-they don’t know how to address it. They just hope that person would go away. These coping tactics are very childish, but yet we all do them.

Katherine: Yeah, bosses really want their employees to be better behaved in tough times.

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4.    Do you think some employers are taking advantage more now because of the state of the economy?

Kathi: Absolutely. I think they’re using the power with, I can replace you with somebody younger–-you’re replaceable. We’ve spoken to some employees who are afraid of going on vacation, because if they’re missed, their boss is going to get rid of them. That’s a lot of fear.

Katherine: Right, and a boss can convey that without saying, “Don’t go on vacation,” subliminally, or expecting them to work on vacation.

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5.    Is there anything you would tell employers as far as treating employees and addressing their fear? Employers who might be taking advantage of that reality?

Kathi: Yes. That as soon as the economy comes back, they’re going to be looking at an empty office.

Katherine: Fear-based management does not create the best results—that’s all there is to it. Bigger problems arise–-even if that’s handy right now and you think it’s a clever way to keep people in tow, the fact is that if someone is afraid all the time of losing their job, they’re not going to give you their best work, they’re not going to give you their most creative ideas, they’re may not let you know when things go wrong, because they don’t want to get the ax. So, fear-based management, I don’t think, is the most effective tool.

And as Kathi said, with the mobile work force, it really behooves all of us to learn to appreciate differences. What I would say to bosses now is that as difficult as it may seem, your employees need to be seen and appreciated. And disciplined, when it’s required, but they mostly need to be seen. And get some recognition. I’ve met with plenty of employees who know they aren’t going to get a raise this year, but they are happy to work for their employer because they understand that they are valued members of the team. And that means their work is acknowledged, that their ideas are heard, and that the boss, even if that person can’t give them a promotion or a raise, is finding other ways to show their appreciation.

Kathi: In the book, we call managing business parenting. I think if you want to be a manager, you have to be willing to be somewhat like a parent. And you have to be willing to understand that you’re taking on a responsibility of caring for people, and helping them grow. Everybody wants to grow on the job. They don’t want to be stagnant, and that’s a job.

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6.    Is there any specific advice you would give to employers, in light of the recession, to help them improve?

Kathi: Yes, I would tell them to be more open about communication and about what’s going on. And if it’s daily, that’s not a terrible thing. But keep people posted, you know, have more meetings about what’s going on. And if you have to talk to them individually about things, don’t avoid those kinds of tough conversations. They know tough things are going to happen, but people are happier when they are prepared than when it comes as a shock. I just read in the Times that 60 percent of workers were let go with no notice; they were just let go on the spot. That’s a lot. And that’s quite upsetting, but if people know there’s something going on, it’s less shocking.

Katherine: And I would also say, help them prioritize. You know, chances are at many companies now there’s been downsizing, so your four staff members are now doing the job that eight people were before. If you want better work out of your staff, help them manage their workload. Help them look at what’s on their plate and make decisions about where to focus their efforts.

Stay tuned for next week’s Part Two of our interview with “Working for You Isn’t Working for Me” authors Kathi Elster and Katherine Crowley.

In CareerBuilder’s recent interview with Ben Roth, founder and chief executive officer of Roth Staffing Companies, L.P., Ben revealed his thoughts on the “three circles of the hedgehog,” his advice to other companies on how to create a values-driven company, the importance of his company’s “Ambassadors” in driving employee engagement, and more.

What was the mission you set out to accomplish when you created Roth Staffing?

Roth Staffing Companies opened its doors on August 15, 1994 with one office in Newport Beach, California. Anyone who has opened a business knows the excitement and trepidation that comes with those first days. From the start, I was faced with the challenge of operating within what some perceive as a mundane industry. “Aren’t all staffing companies the same?” I had already been in the industry for more than a decade and I knew that the best was yet to come. Our mission was to truly be different and better. We knew from the beginning that we were limited only by our own creativity, vision and ethics.

Many of the key philosophies of Roth were based on enhancing the lives of the people we serve, making our first priority our Ambassadors—the temporary employees who represent our company while on assignment. Don’t get me wrong, we love our customers and want to provide best-in-class solutions, but they don’t come first; our Ambassadors do. This initiative accomplished a broader social responsibility and provided our Ambassadors with greater respect and a more remarkable experience as a temporary employee. We raised the bar in the level of benefits offered to our Ambassadors. We offered benefits that equaled those provided to full-time employees. The bottom line is, we treat our Ambassadors like full-time employees, so they perform with the same passion and engagement in their work as full-time employees. The result is more fulfilled and committed talent and improved quality for our customers.

When we were starting out, our small team constantly discussed being uncompromising in our quality. We wanted to set a new, higher standard of quality and have people rave about the experience we created for them. We never wanted to be the biggest; we just wanted to be the best and to be recognized as a creative industry leader. Surprisingly, the better we became at fulfilling our mission, the faster we grew organically. After our first five years, we were ranked by Inc. magazine as the fastest-growing privately held company in America; we were the only staffing company to ever receive the #1 spot. We also won numerous awards associated with the Malcolm Baldrige criteria. Today, we operate in 22 states and out of 130 branch locations.

How have the mission and values of your company changed throughout the years?

In any business, there is a religion and science. The religion is vision and values, which define the soul of your company. The science is the systems and processes that help you fulfill your vision. As you evolve, you gain an understanding of who you are, why you exist, where you are going, and how to get there.

As Roth evolved, we brought definition to our mission, vision, and values, as well as to the purpose and promise of our company. Our company’s core philosophies are not just rhetoric, and do not simply reside in a statement on our Web site or on a poster in the lobby. Every co-worker at this company champions our philosophies. It all starts with fundamental principles such as our value statement: “Honesty, ethics and integrity guide our behavior and decisions” and “Respect the dignity and worth of every individual and act accordingly.” We work diligently to enliven these shared Values into our company and bring to life the experiences that have become a trademark of our company.

How did you go about formulating the purpose and promise of your company?

Most people reading this interview have read Good to Great by Jim Collins, so they’re familiar with the “three circles of the hedgehog” concept. This concept involves the intersection of three separate “circles” or questions: 1) What are you deeply passionate about? 2) What can you be the best in the world at? 3) What drives your economic engine? The goal is to answer these questions and use the results to guide your efforts.

At Roth, we surveyed our co-workers to determine what they were most passionate about. The resounding response throughout our company was that our co-workers were most passionate about listening to the needs of others, doing good things, always doing the right thing, and cherishing the moments of gratitude. That became the purpose and soul of our company, which is “to make life better for the people we serve®.” Staffing is a wonderful business. We have the opportunity to enhance the lives of all the people we serve – our Ambassadors, candidates for full-time placements, business customers, and our co-workers.

At Roth, we know we can be the very best in the world at creating remarkable experiences for the people we serve. This led to the creation of our brand promise, the Roth Promise, which is “We love to create remarkable experiences…every person, every time.®” We know that we either strengthen or weaken this promise each time we elicit emotions, as measured against our customer’s expectations, at each moment of contact.

Lastly, what drives our economic engine is net income. Without financial success, we cannot fund the impact we make on the lives of the people we serve.

Combine our core values with a company-wide understanding and commitment to our purpose and promise, and you get clarity of focus for our company direction and corresponding efforts that never come into question. The journey of fulfilling the values, purpose and promise is a quest to fill the gaps and create new staffing solutions, like our Ambassador Program™, that make our goals come to life. This is not esoteric, but very basic. When communicated with abundance, it allows an organization to come together and share common values, creating both a meaning behind our work and a consistency of experience for all we serve. For us, it ignites the passion which is the backbone of engagement.

Can you describe your system for measuring employee engagement?

I love this question. We created a full-time department that surveys and measures the engagement of our Ambassadors, co-workers, and customers. When I say engagement, I’m talking about people being passionate and fully-committed in all aspects of their role and responsibility. These engagement scores are leading indicators of how well our company is going to perform in the future. As a customer, you want the people who are rendering your service to be fully engaged, as opposed to not engaged or even disengaged. I am sure most leaders can attest to the difference. We are constantly working to optimize the level of engagement of our co-workers by engaging their hearts and minds, as well as those of the Ambassadors who are assigned to work at our customers’ sites.

How do you bring customers into this larger purpose of enhancing lives?

When a major airline recognized worldwide for its service selected Roth’s commercial staffing division, Ultimate Staffing, as their on-premise supplier of temporary labor, it was obvious why. Both companies shared similar values, contributed greatly to the community and spoke the same language regarding the importance of experiential management. Today, we successfully work together in sharing best practices and accomplishing corporate staffing objectives through a joint effort.

Recently, the CEO of a worldwide relief organization commented on the huge difference he observed following Ultimate Staffing’s replacement of their previous on-premise supplier of contingent labor. He noted that the most obvious difference is how we respect and treat our Ambassadors; it is the same way they treat their employees.

Most CEOs, human resource professionals and hiring managers want to do good things for people and love the fulfillment that comes with doing so. As we introduce our values, Roth Purpose, Promise, and Focus on Social Responsibility, we find that many companies are very similar in desire and intent. It makes it so much easier when both companies embrace similar values, treat people the same way and desire to create like experiences. This is especially important in a service industry as sensitive as staffing in which we assign people to work within another company’s environment and culture.

Most people change staffing providers because the current staffing company can’t provide the quality they desire on a consistent basis. All other concerns are a distant second to quality. The processes we design go beyond rhetoric, allowing the co-workers and Ambassadors of our operating divisions to gain a better understanding of quality and have a roadmap to successfully deliver remarkable experiences. It’s all about becoming one with the companies you serve.

What advice would you give to other companies on how to go about creating a values-based or visionary company?

The most successful companies understand the importance of vision, values, purpose, promise, engagement and what you can be the very best at. It’s a matter of formulating these concepts, communicating effectively, hiring people who share the same passions and aligning the process and technologies to support it. My advice to any business leader is to understand the essence of your company, realize all companies have a soul and define what you want that to be. [Then], cultivate it and nurture it. Business success flows when you create something unique and meaningful that you and all others associated with it are going to be proud of. The other parts always fall into place.

About Roth Staffing

Roth Staffing Companies is one of the nation’s leading staffing companies.  Roth Staffing Companies provides both temporary and temporary-to-hire placements, direct hire placements, and on-site staffing services for thousands of clients in a wide-range of industries. Recognized as a creative industry leader and celebrating 15 years this year, Roth is one of the largest privately-held staffing companies in the United States. For more information on this unique company and its specialized staffing divisions visit www.rothstaffing.com, www.ultimatestaffing.com, www.ledgent.com and www.adamsmartingroup.com.

How do you describe your leadership philosophy as it relates to people?

My biggest focus is engagement. In health care, where nearly 50 percent of expenses is human capital, I see Spectrum Health as the quintessential service provider with a very high-tech component. Fostering engagement begins by connecting each of our employees to a purpose. Whether they work directly at the bedside or indirectly support patient care, we must cultivate highly engaged staff. Each member of our team is responsible and accountable for providing an exceptional experience to our patients and their families.

How do you define engagement in your industry?

An engaged organization intentionally links to the hearts and minds of its staff.  We need to understand how to inspire people in order to build and sustain strong business performance. Our business metrics include patient satisfaction, staff perception, efficiency and superior quality care. In many cases, I can identify engaged leaders and staff as a result of the metrics and business outcomes they drive.

Fully engaged staff members need to know our direction, vision and action, and how we intend to achieve our plan. They need to understand how their contributions connect to our mission and vision.  These ideas are pretty fundamental. They convey the behaviors required to maximize our staff’s contributions to our success.

In our organization, if we can help people understand their purpose, and reinforce and reward their contributions based on that purpose, we can continue to recruit and retain the best and the brightest staff. It also helps us focus on our goal of caring for patients and families in a trusted, efficient and timely manner.

How do you engage your executive leadership team?

We focus on our mission to improve the health of the communities we serve. One third of our strategic plan is focused on our staff. The process of engagement is multifaceted and requires reinforcement. My executive leadership team and I have commitments that drive our daily interactions. We also demonstrate behaviors that we believe are vital to our success and to improving our key performance indicators. These behaviors are driving change, creating a safe environment, freely sharing information, holding people accountable, accepting responsibility and taking time daily to praise people.

These six behaviors create a culture that allows our leaders and staff to discuss important issues. We model these ideals in hopes that they funnel down to each person in our organization.

How else do you foster and measure engagement in your organization?

In addition to our leadership commitments and vital behaviors, we are dedicated to executive rounding. I conduct regular meetings every month with roughly 15 employees where we spend an hour discussing the strategic direction of Spectrum Health. My executive team and I have a goal to meet with 2,000 employees in a relaxed setting during the next year. These meetings foster engagement and give leadership an opportunity to meet with the people who support our large, complex organization. In addition to this, it is an organizational expectation that all leaders regularly meet with their staff.

We monitor business outcomes quarterly to get a snapshot measurement of engagement and conduct biannual employee perception surveys. Over the last three surveys, our overall score improved by nine points, a shift that’s statistically significant and often unseen in this type of survey.

It demonstrates that our improvement was not by pure happenstance. It occurred as a result of listening to our staff and making changes accordingly.

One of the major challenges for health care is losing skilled talent to competitors. How do you actively target high-potential talent in critical positions to retain them in your business?

We have a deliberate approach to recruiting, developing, managing and rewarding talented individuals. The right people help an organization achieve business results and maintain a competitive edge. Our talent management goal is to connect our organizational strategy with the quantity and quality of people required to execute it.

We look for individuals with drive and potential to participate in a mentoring program with members of our executive team. This program helps to grow the next generation of leaders in our organization. We also have a relationship with the University of Michigan. Once every other year, about 20 of our leadership members spend their time in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and return to Spectrum Health with experience in project-based work.

For our nurses, we try to support the intellectual and emotional aspects of their work. Our Relationship-Based Care Model teaches how to support and enhance relationships with patients and families, colleagues and ourselves. Our EXCEL Professional Development Model is a program that recognizes and provides monetary awards for nursing staff for academic and professional accomplishments, as well as community service.

At Spectrum Health, we try to preserve the fundamental, emotional connection that our staff members have with the great work we do. Whether it is an anesthesiologist in the operating room or someone restocking medications, each person plays a critical role in the care of our patients.

You are directly involved in identifying and retaining high-potential contributors. How else do you contribute to the overall talent strategy?

I am fortunate to have an incredibly talented vice president of human resources, Tanja Oquendo, who is a strategic collaborator and someone who understands employee engagement strategies. Her approach aligns the organization with national benchmarking to ensure we deliver high quality care. She works directly with the executive team to create models that allow us to recruit, retain and identify high performers, as well as ways to engage them even further.

We’ve begun referring to our staff as partners because we believe that partnership conveys share responsibility. Partners have common goals and work together toward a common purpose. A high performing culture, like the one we are creating at Spectrum Health, supports the overall objectives of our mission and vision. We are committed to cultivating the current and future leaders of Spectrum Health. We want to ensure the right people are in the right place at the right time, both today and tomorrow.

In the weeks to come, we will feature leaders in industries spanning from sales and marketing to health care. We will share their answers about their business insight, leadership strategy and philosophy, methods of finding and retaining top talent, and much more.

CareerBuilder recently interviewed Jon Luther, executive chairman of Dunkin’ Brands, and picked his brain a bit about his leadership philosophy, his role in Dunkin’s talent strategy, the secret to being a great leader, and how he balances inspiration versus reality in today’s economical environment.

Read the full interview:

How do you describe your leadership philosophy?  How do people make a difference in your business?

At the center of every leader comes a passion for people, because leaders never get to where they are by themselves.  They always get there because they have people around them who can be inspired, who believe in the journey ahead, and get the work done as you go forward.  So it’s really about a passion for people that can be inspired and believe in the journey and direction the company is on.  One time I read a little clip in the paper about Casey Stengel, where he said the secret to management (and I’ll sub “leadership” into that phrase) is to keep the five people who haven’t made up their mind yet away from the five people who are against you.  So you have to have the ability to rally people and inspire people to believe, and I think the secret is understanding where everybody is.  So I think that’s part of it.  But the other part of that is, you have to give people the respect, have to give people their dignity, and you have to be a good listener to people’s issues so you can manage very, very differently.  You can’t ever demand respect along the way, and if you don’t give people their dignity you’ll never get people to believe.

Regarding Dunkin’ Brands specifically, why are you so passionate about people and how do
they relate to your business?

Well, we are in a little different business than maybe most in our segment.  Because we are totally franchised, we don’t operate our stores, but we have to be able to convince people to operate them to our standards, to our growth requirements, with our philosophies.  Our values have to be believed in so all these things are factored in to when we select a franchisee.

People are to us the most important part of the equation. I tell people we’re not cloning genes here, we’re building relationships and making sure they’re the most profitable they can be so we can be the best franchisor in the world.

Jon, you are highly involved in the overall talent strategy. What priority do you give this in
your daily responsibilities and how does it pertain to the overall business objectives?

I also tell people, in order to become a leader, you have to learn early in your career how to follow.  Otherwise, you don’t have that understanding of what it takes to build a team and execute it against the strategy.  So I think I’ve used that premise when I step into these key leadership roles I have over my career.  Now as executive chair, it’s a step further back because now I have to take a complete step back and enable our new CEO to lead and drive our business while I create an oversight role and make sure that the strategies we enact are implemented.

You also have to have a lot of curiosity as a leader when you set courses.  And curiosity says you ask a lot of questions along the way: “How’s that going? What’s that mean? What are the roadblocks we anticipated when we set this new course?  Help me be better at this.  Help me guide the teams.”  We end up having a lot of transparency, which is one of our values.  I tell people honesty is one of our values and that means you can always recover from the truth.  So tell me the truth, because you ca always recover from it – good, bad, or indifferent – but we gotta know all the information so we can drive a business in the right time.

Do you have any specific examples of how people either positively or negatively affected your business?

When I think of people who go above and beyond, it’s the people I’ve worked for who have supported the direction I’ve taken.  Case in point: Philip Bowman, CEO of Allied Domecq.  When I first came here, we made radical changes to the slope of the business, the direction, the strategies, and rebuilt the team under this new leadership. And he was so supportive and enabled me to succeed. So leaders always have to have support above them to support their goals, enable them and clear the way for their leadership.

On the other side, people that have worked for me have changed the scope.  I would point to Joe Scafido, who leads our whole innovation, supply chain, and concept development teams.  When I was at Popeye’s, I changed the course of that brand from fried chicken to “Cajun Our Way” in developing our southern Louisiana and New Orleans heritage, and Joe helped me change the scope at great risk of his peers and the franchise community, and we were able to achieve great success together. He’s with me today at Dunkin as a result of the relationship we build together there.

What do you do to rally the team and reinforce your employment brand?

What we try to do to inspire teams is provide hope in any environment, especially this environment we’re facing; but we also have to be steeped in reality. We’re always focused on what needs to be done, but all the while looking forward to provide hope.  So I think that’s how we continue to engage with the teams as we go forward: creating hope and inspiring people to do better while facing the realities that confront us.

But values are the underpinning. The sole purpose of Dunkin Brands is to lead and build brands.  We wake up every day unified in that approach.  We exercise our values of honesty, transparency, respect integrity- all those things as we define them. We calibrate ourselves against those values each and every day. And if people are not role modeling those values, they have to make a decision: They either have to leave the organization or role model these values.

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*Keep an eye out for next week’s CareerBuilder Leadership Series post, featuring Jim Rose of Mosaic Sales Solutions Corporation.

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Take, for instance, the media speculation over how and to what degree “The Tonight Show” would change with a new host. Don’t we all wonder how the workplace will be affected with there’s a change in management?   

Then there’s the manager who’s challenged with honoring the expectations his or her predecessor set in place while simultaneously trying to establish his or her own.  Likewise, Conan is charged with maintaining the long-running show’s large fan base while introducing them to a comedic style unlike the one they’ve grown accustomed to with Jay Leno as host.  

So, taking into consideration these factors – and Conan’s preparation for his new job – here are 5 things new managers can learn from the new host:

1. Expect to Have Critics. Quite a few of the reviews today weren’t exactly glowing for Conan’s “Tonight Show” debut, but even Conan anticipated “uneasiness” from audiences and viewers over seeing someone else take over as host.  “People inherently don’t love change,” he said himself earlier this year – something that anyone making a career transition should remember as they move into their new roles.  Especially as a manager, you’re not going to be able to please everyone, and you shouldn’t try to; otherwise, you might drive yourself – and your new employees – crazy.  The best you can do is…
2. Find a Happy Medium. The toughest challenge Conan faces as the new host of “Late Night” may be striking a balance between honoring the “Late Night” name with everything that made it an American institution (including its huge viewership), without letting go of the unique, off-beat humor (”Pale Force,” anyone?) that differentiated him from every other late night host. New managers face a similar challenge as they attempt to set forth their own leadership style, but without alienating the employees who are used to a different management technique. To try to placate both sides, new managers need to figure out what their own leadership style is and try to fall somewhere in between. To do that, they first need to…
3. Test the Waters. The many Leno-style jokes and noticeably tamer sketches peppering Conan’s show last night indicate that he’s feeling out the longtime “Tonight Show” fans while he gradually incorporates the trademark “silliness” that dominated “Late Night” episodes. New managers would be wise to take a cue from Conan. As this Wall Street Journal online article, new managers shouldn’t try to change too much too quickly. Instead, they should apply a “listen and learn” approach in the first few weeks of their new position, in order to get used to their new employees – and let their employees get used to them. At the same time…
4. Stick to What Makes You You. “Johnny Carson, when I met him years ago, told me, ‘Just be yourself,’” Conan said in a recent interview. “That is basically all anyone who knows anything about these shows can tell you: You’ve got to do it your way.” Just as Conan got to where he is by being his endearingly awkward and self-deprecating self, new managers should have the confidence to adopt a management style that may be a departure from their predecessors – after all, your work earned you the promotion, so you must be doing something right. Just be sure you…
5. Make Your Expectations Clear at the Beginning. Pre-”Tonight Show” magazine interviews, TV appearances, and online promos provided for Conan what staff meetings and one-on-one’s provide for new supervisors: The opportunity to establish goals, expectations, and policies as clearly as possible.  As explained in this Associated Content article, new leaders who state their expectations “early in the game” will avoid misunderstandings (or, in Conan’s case, baffled viewers) later.

Do you count yourself as a survivor? No, I’m not talking about your obsession with the Beyoncé video (and you should probably keep that to yourself), but about company layoffs. As a leader, if you are a survivor of a layoff, you have a unique perspective on its effects on the employees who remain — after the employee boxes have been packed up, goodbyes have been exchanged (if that’s even an option) and the dust has settled.

Results of a new CareerBuilder survey of more than 4,400 workers nationwide have revealed that workers who have survived layoffs within their organizations are facing new challenges in the forms of increased workloads and heightened stress.

As a result of layoffs within their organization:

• 47 percent of workers reported taking on more responsibility
• 37 percent said they are handling the work of two people
• 34 percent are spending more time at the office
• 30 percent feel burned out

Workin’ on the weekend

So, how much time are workers now spending at the office to make up for their growing “To Do” lists? Well, nearly one-fifth of workers (17 percent) who have kept their jobs are putting in at least 10 hours per day.  To add to that stress, twenty-two percent are working more weekends.

“Companies today are having to do more with less as they contend with shrinking budgets and staff levels,” said Rosemary Haefner, Vice President of Human Resources at CareerBuilder.  “Employees are feeling added pressure as they shoulder heavier workloads and strive to maintain productivity levels.  It’s critical that managers and employees work together to prioritize and set realistic expectations, so work demands feel attainable and less overwhelming.”

Helping your employees

As a leader, you are likely experiencing your own types of challenges. Yet, as your workers are saddled with heaps of extra work and stress, you must make it a priority to help them through this tough time.

Haefner recommends the following tips to keep stress levels in check. (Pass these along to your employees):

1) Don’t over-promise. If two or more projects come up at the same time, work with your supervisor to identify which takes precedence and establish reasonable timelines.

2) Take time to recharge. Go for a walk on your lunch break.  Take a personal day.  Get eight hours of sleep.  Ultimately, recharging your battery will serve you and the company better.

3) Cut the e-leash. Unless needed, turn off electronic devices at a certain time of the day to designate the end of that workday and avoid getting caught up in discussions that can wait until the morning.

4) Explore flexible work arrangements. Cutting your commute one or two days a week can help shorten your workday.  More employers today are open to offering telecommuting and other options that may help to provide a better work/life balance.

5) Don’t get caught up in the rumor mill. Forty-two percent of workers reported they are fearful of layoffs within their organization.  Ignore speculation and focus on the task at hand.

Read the full press release here.

With this in mind, Apartments.com and CBcampus have provided results for the second annual Top Ten Best Cities for Recent College Graduates.

“Given the current economy, new grads looking to relocate are becoming increasingly concerned with the cost of living as they are faced with more competition for jobs than seen in previous years,” said Tammy Kotula, public relations and promotions manager at Apartments.com.

The results were based on three criteria:

1. Number of entry-level job openings
2. Cost of rent
3. Population of young adults

As it’s important for job seekers to understand their best living options, it is also important for employers to know where their city stacks up in the job atmosphere — and be aware of their competition in attracting top job seekers not only to their city, but to their company as well.

So… did your city make the list?

See the full list here.