Dear Friends,

Thank you for the strong, positive feedback you provided to April's ezine on "burnout." This topic clearly resonated with our readers, many of whom are feeling the pressure in this current economic climate.

Another related issue many of our clients are facing is poor work-life balance. So many of the CEOs and presidents we place (and coach) lament about working too many hours and not having enough time or energy for family or a personal (social) life. Most, if not all, would embrace the mantra of "working smarter, not harder" if they could only figure out how and what to change. And in these times, it seems we are working more for the same compensation.

Be sure to read the article on this issue, which includes a 10-step SMART goal checklist.

We debut a new section today, as well, where we highlight some of the searches we are currently undertaking. We also highlight our talent alert and upcoming conferences we'll be attending.

As always, we welcome your comments and input, as well as your questions to our Ask our Coach service.

All the best,

Jeff Gundersen, CEO jgundersen@executiveconnects.com
Executive Connections, LLC 941-323-8300
Executive Search, Coaching & Consulting
http://www.executiveconnects.com

Working Smarter

Successful CEOs and presidents are those who set priorities and focus on doing just two to three things--and doing them well. Too often, grandiose strategies are established without the resources or realistic time frames for accomplishment. This sends everyone into in the organization into overload; inevitably, nothing is accomplished, resulting in a sense of failure. Allowing themselves and the rest of the organization to pursue an over-ambitious agenda is where many leaders miss the mark right from the start. Read full article.

Search Highlight

Executive Connections has obtained two new exclusive retained executive searches for a CMO in Asia with a global insurance and financial services company and a CFO at a midwestern independent marketing services organization. We greatly appreciate your help in providing leads, both sources and potential candidates, for these exciting opportunities.

Below are links to both new searches:

New Executive Search: CMO Asia
New Executive Search: Engauge CFO

TALENT ALERT!

The EC Talent Alert! service offers our select executive coaching clients in career transition the vast resources of the Executive Connections team to explore a range of new opportunities.

This month's highlighted "Talent Alert" executive is Robert DeBartolo, former EVP & Head of Client Services for Corbett Accel Healthcare Group. Jeff Gundersen at EC is making selective and targeted introductions for Bob to our "executive connections" that are in a position to assist him in identifying his next career opportunity.

In addition to making introductions, EC is partnering with Bob as his personal advisor to support him in evaluating and choosing among various career opportunities, whether identified by us or not. We look together to assure Bob's decisions are based upon choosing a career "fit" that is aligned with his strengths, personal brand, vision and values. Our advisement services also include: critique of Bob's overall executive search campaign strategies, input on his resume and other written communications, and preparing Bob and giving him feedback on meetings and conversations during the search process.

For more details or to learn more about Robert DeBartolo, please go to
http://www.executiveconnects.com/cs_downloads/resumes/Bob_DeBartolo_Resume.pdf

Please contact Jeff Gundersen at 941-323-8300 to learn more about how EC can assist and support you!

ASK OUR COACH

As part of our commitment to provide assistance and support to executives wanting to further their professional and personal brand, we have created the ASK OUR COACH email service where you can get confidential answers to your career questions. What's on your mind? Don't hesitate to ASK OUR COACH.

Here is our answer to a question we received last month:

Q: I am the global president of a consumer products company, and I have been turning this business around and restoring it to profitability after a few year period. My current problem is the CEO, who is an entrepreneur and someone who insists on my working seven days a week, including coming into the office for the day on Saturdays and meeting him for weekly dinner meetings (our weekly update) on Sunday evenings. I really have no (personal) life. What should I do?
~Turnaround President Without Time for a Personal Life

A: Dear "Turnaround President Without Time for a Personal Life,"

First start by asking the question, what do you really want? What is the real truth here? If all your demands are met, then what? Will that be enough?

Is the problem the CEO, or is it that you are thinking differently about you and what your needs are?

We see this happen a lot. You train your environment, (Board, CEO, direct reports) to interact with you in a certain way, and this becomes the "norm" behavior. You seem to have reached the point of "this does not work for me anymore" or "it is time to take my personal and professional brand to the next level." You want to make a shift, and this issue seems to be the signal that it is time to make a MAJOR change. If you let this go on, resentment will build and work, productivity and health start to diminish. Things from here can start to get ugly.

The good news is that this situation has been created by you, and you can change it. However, there is also a team responsibility, and it will take two to make the shift. Unfortunately, one of the "persons" (your CEO) may not want to see that happen.

To begin, do your personal homework. What do you want to be different? Are you being compensated according to the work you are doing? What works and what does not work for you any longer? Know what you want. Have a conversation about change. Set new boundaries. Ask for what you want. You have allowed the CEO to cross your boundaries repeatedly to the point that he feels this is normal behavior and everything is fine. How do you communicate your message powerfully so that you both can make adjustments? Start from where you are and make a plan.

You need to establish strong boundaries with the CEO at this stage, given the improvements in the business. For instance, take a stand that you will no longer be working on Saturdays or meeting him for weekly dinners on Sunday evenings, and that you need to start a new process. All of your business dealings will have to be conducted between the boundaries of normal business hours Monday through Friday. Put that stake in the ground and then hold the line. If he responds badly, you know he is basically asking you to leave because his values and yours can never be aligned.

Clearly, at this stage, we feel you have nothing to lose. You either have to change this dynamic or find something that is more aligned with your goals. You definitely have the credibility of having turned around the business, so it's doubtful the CEO will want to see you leave, but it's not clear whether he can personally make the change.

Good luck and keep us updated.

Connect with EC at These Conferences

June 10, 2008
DM Days NY 2008
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June 22, 2008
2nd Annual Mobile Commerce Summit 2008
The New Dynamic of Banking, Payments and the Customer Experience