By Simon Caulkin, originally published in Financial Times on January 24, 2016. 

One of the paradoxes of business is that the most profitable companies are not those that are most profit-focused.

In a survey titled “The Business Case for Purpose”, a team from Harvard Business Review Analytics and professional services firm EY’s Beacon institute declares “a new leading edge: those companies able to harness the power of purpose to drive performance and profitability enjoy a distinct competitive advantage”.  This is a reprise of the findings of Jim Collins and Jerry Porras, who in 1994’s Built to Last found that between 1926 and 1990 a group of “visionary” companies – those guided by a purpose beyond making money – returned six times more to shareholders than explicitly profit-driven rivals.

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By Kristen B. Frasch, originally published at Human Resource Executive Online on March 1, 2017. 

The latest chapter in the ongoing book on employees and what they really want from their employer finds them pursuing a slightly different Holy Grail than previously reported: challenge.

In a recent global Korn Ferry survey of nearly 2,000 professionals, nearly three-quarters (73 percent) say that if they were to plan on being in the job market this year, it would be because they’re looking for a more challenging position while the quest for greater compensation comes in almost dead last as a reason to leave.

Trailing far behind that 73 percent, 9 percent say they would be looking elsewhere because they either don’t like their company or their efforts aren’t being recognized, 5 percent would blame the fact that their compensation is too low and 4 percent say it would be because they don’t like their boss.

“What that answer tells HR is if people are thinking of moving for challenge, how do we challenge them?” says Kevin Cashman, senior partner at Los Angeles-based Korn Ferry.

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By:  Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief, Hunt Scanlon Media.  Originally posted on HuntScanlonMedia.com on February 9, 2017. 

Eighty five percent of respondents to a recent survey said they would rather be CEO of a company than chief executive of the nation. Here’s some surprising reasons why.

A vast majority of corporate professionals would much rather take the helm of their own organization than become President of the United States, according to recent survey by Korn Ferry. In a survey of nearly 1,500 respondents, only 15 percent said they would choose being chief executive of the highest office in the land over being CEO of their own company.

“In a way, you could consider the incoming U.S. President as the next national CEO,” said Korn Ferry Hay Group senior partner Rick Lash. “While serving as a corporate CEO is generally considered a very challenging role, executives acknowledge the U.S. President faces hurdles that are much higher than those faced by a leader in corporate America.”

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By Roy Maurer, originally posted on Society for Human Resource Management Online, January 30, 2017.

The desire for a new challenge is the top reason workers switch jobs, according to a survey conducted by executive search firm Korn Ferry International.

Nearly three-quarters of 1,958 respondents (73 percent) cited the lack of a challenge in their current role as the main reason why they would look for a new job in 2017. Other reasons given were not feeling recognized and not liking their employer (both at 9 percent), compensation that is too low (5 percent), and not liking their boss (4 percent).

Of those planning to seek a new job in 2017, most (76 percent) said that they would look for another job in their current career, while 13 percent said they would apply for a job in an entirely new career field.

Kevin Cashman, a senior partner with Korn Ferry, said that the survey results mirror a series of studies he’s seen that show that money tends not to be the main motivator for job switching.

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By Kevin Cashman, originally posted on Forbes.com

We are witnessing an impassioned debate playing out in our political and cultural worlds. Should we serve our own interests or the broader interests? Should we put America first or the world?  Should we place our company interests first, our customers’ interests, or the environment? Should we place our career success as primary or our team’s success? The answer to these and other salient questions is obvious. “Yes.” We need to do it all.

However, today’s debate tries to force a decision—one or the other— on issues that call for dynamic and tough reconciliation.  All our leadership research spanning millions of senior leaders globally suggests that leadership involves the constant reconciliation of the “I” and the “We” domains of leadership. When do we push and drive for our own way, excluding the views of others, and when do we involve others: listen, collaborate, and synthesize their insights for a more diverse and inclusive view?

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By William Vanderbloemen, originally posted on Forbes.com.

The secret to better and bigger work may not be better and bigger numbers. A recent study from Korn Ferry showed that companies with teams focused on their organization’s purpose had annual growth rates nearly three times the annual rate for their entire industry.

According to the survey, 90% of people who worked in a purpose-driven organization reported feeling engaged in their work. In companies that aren’t as focused on purpose, only 32 percent of employees reported feelings of engagement and connectedness with the work they were doing.

But practically, how do you accomplish this? In a sales-driven world, it can be hard to shift focus without feeling like you might suffer in your business. Here’s some ways we’ve focused on driving purpose and increasing work engagement at Vanderbloemen.

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Although organizations obsess over technology and its promise, people hold huge, measurable value, and they can’t be neglected in the future of work, Korn Ferry research finds.

Visit Korn Ferry Institute for an interactive exploration of The Trillion Dollar Difference whitepaper, as well as the whole Future of Work study.

By Kevin Cashman

This article was originally published in Caring Magazine; volume 22, no. 04, Winter 2016/2017. 

What is authentic influence?  It is the true voice of the leader, and when we speak it from our character, it creates trust, synergy, and connection with everyone around us.  Authentic influence is not simply refining our presentation style; it’s deeper than that.  Some of the most authentic leaders I know stumble around a bit in their delivery, but their words come right from their hearts and experiences.  You feel their conviction and the integral connection of who they are and what they say.  As Benjamin Franklin wrote, “Think innocently and justly, and, if you speak, speak accordingly.”

Authentic influence is about straight talk that creates value.  It’s not about hurting people with bluntness or insensitivity.  Expressing yourself authentically is sharing your real thoughts and feelings in a manner that opens up possibilities, and sometimes it’s the most difficult messages that can open up the most possibilities if shared in a thoughtful, compassionate manner.  Influencing authentically is what one CEO I know calls “caring confrontation”– the unique blend of straight talk with genuine concern for people.  Like many leaders, my CEO friend had been uncomfortable with such interaction for years.  As his career progressed, he realized, “Real caring involves giving people the tough feedback they need to grow.”

Carl Jung said it this way:  “To confront a person in his shadow is to show him the light.”

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