Cynthia Reed

Winter 2012 - The Public Manager

Keeping up with the latest technology and allowing a contractor to explore technology options can promote creativity and innovation and bring cost savings to firm fixed priced contracts.

Provide Technology Training for Efficiency and Productivity

In reading the November 2012 address by Cynthia Trudell of PepsiCo to the Graziadio School of Business and Management at Pepperdine University, I found it resonated deeply with me for two reasons: First, because Pepperdine is my alma mater having graduated from the Graduate School of Education Psychology with my doctorate in 2009; Second, because the philosophy of the 5Rs to talent management is one that I ascribe to in leading my own business.  Trudell discussed that although HR at PepsiCo was doing many things well, they set their sights on helping their businesses achieve what she called the Five Rs: having the right people in the right place at the right time doing the right work the right way.The difference between our shared ways of thinking is that I substitute the last “R” in PepsiCo's perspective of “Right Way” with my paradigm of “Right Cost.” My reason being that everything in business comes down to cost. And cost is directly linked to key performance indicators, which can be used to measure current and future success.It has always been about people. Without them, what is a leader? What is an organization? And it’s a fact that leaders in the 21st century are faced with many challenges that previous generations never had to face: expanding global competition, a surge in loss of intellectual resources with the wave of coming Boomer retirements and a work force with different generational values. To lead effectively, you have to understand those you lead. And to do that best, I offer five keys to effective leadership.**Right People**Coach and mentor to cultural fit, not to job function. Developing and sustaining a positive and productive culture requires that people “fit.” It’s not just about talent or experience alone; you must make sure that the person you hire can align with the culture.**Right Roles**Be agile, not fragile. You have to be flexible and willing to learn in order to be an effective leader. If you are intolerant—brittle with those you lead and can’t see your way to make the right decisions because you’re unwilling to learn and adapt—then your leadership will fracture. And you can’t build a growing organization on a cracked foundation.**Right Skills**Make professional development a contact sport. Education is good. Training is good. Real world experience is better. When developing yourself and/or your organization—look to the benefits that come from actual work in the field—getting your hands dirty—seeing what it’s like in the trenches. You’ll come away a stronger leader and will build a more effective and productive work force with that understanding. What you, and your people, can actually do is much more important than any other aspect of business.**Right Time**Conduct stay interviews often. Understand why people want to stay with your company rather than fixate on why some choose to go. This concept ties back to the impact the leader and organization make at the granular employee level.Odds are if it’s unfavorable then at some point that person is going to leave and not many, if any, of their answers will be of importance. Leaders and organizations are better served if they try to find out what makes people enjoy working for them or for the company. It’s a reinforcement of the positives that eliminates the need for retroactive fixes of someone’s perceived negatives regarding a leader or company and in the long run proves to be far more important.Right CostAccept change as frequent visitor. Along with the fact that there are always problems and issues to deal with, is that change is constant. In dealing with change you can make mistakes and these are often caused by internal politics, generational differences and miscommunication. That last item also holds the key to minimizing and mitigating missteps. Leaders must communicate clearly when it comes to expectations and execution of policies within the organization.Become the type of leader that places more importance on the individual performance and less on their title. Most importantly—treat yourself the same way. Don’t get puffed up because of your title or position; instead show everyone that you earned respect by who you are and what you do as opposed to what’s on your business card.Make these action items the center of your preparation and mastery as a leader. Seek to influence and inspire, not to drive and direct. If you do you will connect with your people in a way to unlock your own door to being a more effective leader.

The 5Rs for Leaders

Hello. I’m your new community manager for the ATD Senior Leaders & Executives Community of Practice. I’ve rarely met a challenge I didn’t want to tackle, so I’m excited to accept the challenge of leading this community to new levels of excellence. While I’m new to this position, I’m not new to the ATD (formerly ASTD) community or the talent development profession. I’ve been a member of ATD for more than 30 years, so I know the value that membership adds to your career development and the support the organization can provide to grow your credibility and outreach. I served as a chapter president, and have been involved in ATD chapter volunteer efforts in Iowa, Colorado, and the Washington, D.C. area. I have also volunteered at the International Conference & EXPO in 2009 and 2014.   My work experience includes the private, nonprofit, and federal sectors in a variety of roles—from starting as a training specialist with a nationwide financial services firm to working as a human capital consultant with federal government contractors. Along the way I’ve dipped my toes in lots of puddles and ponds: instructional design and delivery, marketing, human resources administration and management, change management and communications, workforce planning, talent management, strategic human capital planning, leadership and management development, contracting and acquisitions, public speaking, writing and publishing, logistics and event management, measurement, analytics, and evaluation. Some of the challenges I’ve tackled include:managing the development and deployment of the Executive Capstone Leader Development Program for new Senior Executive Service members to the U.S. Department of Homeland Securitymanaging the development, assessment, and reporting for the Contracting Workforce Competency Survey for all federal civilian agenciesserving as the first HR director and member of the senior executive committee for a for-profit institution of higher educationstreamlining vendor management and reduced costs while managing a $50 million contract portfolio for the HR department of the American Red Crossbuilding a business from scratch in a new market; designed, developed, marketed, presented, and evaluated more than 200 programs for 6,500 people in three yearsdeveloping a comprehensive talent management solution that reduced turnover in an entry level sales position and saved the financial institution more than $3 million. The threads that have tied all my challenges together are made up of a desire to contribute to organizational goals, to make an impact in my sphere of influence, and to enhance the lives of others.  This position with ATD seems the perfect opportunity to tie all these threads together and achieve ATD’s mission to “Create a world that works better.”   I look forward to engaging with you over the next few months through blog posts, Twitter feeds, at ATD TechKnowledge 2015 and the ATD 2015 International Conference & EXPO, and through many other mediums and events. More important, I want to hear how you’re creating a world that works better as a senior leader or executive so I can share it with the community. Let’s keep the conversation going. You can connect with me via email at cschoeppel@td.org, on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/cynthialschoeppel, or through Twitter (@ATDSRLeaders).

Cynthia Reed

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