As the new year begins, managers across all industries are presented with the opportunity to set the tone for success. The first quarter of any given year allows for business owners and managers to set goals, boost morale and build new strategies that will set the business up for prosperity for the months to come. Here are four areas managers should focus on to start the year … [More]
Overcoming Fear and Resistance to Create Positive Change
In the dynamic landscape of today's business world, change is inevitable. However, fear is one of the biggest obstacles to creating positive change. With fear comes resistance and when both of them are at play, your organization becomes stuck in place and unable to overcome new challenges and market shifts. To enable your organization to be agile enough to adapt to and adopt … [More]
Why Introverted Personalities Make Great Project Managers
Some years ago, my manager, who was the Chief Technology Officer at a global professional business services company challenged an “exceptional rating” that I gave to one of my project managers who happened to be an introvert. An exceptional rating was rare in the firm, awarded to less than 10% of employees. This particular employee did not fit the profile of a typical project … [More]
Valley Leadership Selects 13 Arizonans for Explore Class 3
Explore participants will travel over 1,700 miles together to visit and learn about six cities across Arizona. Valley Leadership has selected 13 Arizonans to be part of the third class of its Explore program. The program takes participants out of their home communities to get to know the great diversity of Arizona and how our most pressing issues show up in rural, urban, … [More]
Why ‘Influence’ Is the 2023 Word of the Year for the Business Sector
Influence is what allows us to find the opportunity hidden in the uncertainty
As 2023 drew to a close, everyone was releasing their word of the year. The Associated Press chose “AI.” Oxford chose “rizz” (short for “charisma”). Merriam-Webster chose “authentic.” Now, I’ve put my own twist on the annual tradition: I’ve zeroed in on a word that captures the zeitgeist of today’s business world — and not just for 2023, but for the foreseeable … [More]
The New and Necessary Competencies for Executive Leadership
Navigating complexity and competition
Given trends in C-suite retirement, burnout and attrition (and presented with changing markets in talent, technology and supply chain), executive succession planning is the most relevant it has ever been. The pace of disruption across industries is unrelenting and continuous adaptation is paramount. Our environment demands executive leaders who can deftly navigate complexity … [More]
Collaborative Leadership: The CMO, HR and Chief DE&I Officer Triad
Values alignment has a statistically high impact on an organization
In the quest for meaningful progress in corporate diversity, equity and inclusion, it becomes increasingly clear that isolated efforts fall short. Companies need collaborative leadership to make their DE&I strategy successful, especially from three key players: the CMO, HR and the Chief DE&I Officer. Together, these roles form a triad capable of weaving DE&I into … [More]
Cultivating a Sense of Purpose in Your Business for Sustainable Success
Key components for integrating it into the workplace culture
“Hopeful people set meaningful goals they believe they can accomplish and identify ways to achieve them.” —Xiye Bastida, youth climate activist In today’s dynamic and competitive business landscape, companies are increasingly recognizing the importance of fostering a sense of purpose within their organizational culture. A strong sense of purpose not only enhances employee … [More]
Feedback: February 2024
Q: Trust has emerged as a cornerstone of business success, but social media can make maintaining it a challenge. What is an example of trust making a difference for your company, either internally or publicly? Andrea Aker CEO Aker Ink PR & Marketing Sector: Public Relations & Marketing Trust is imperative to client acquisition and retention in any professional … [More]
Possible: How We Survive (and Thrive) in an Age of Conflict
Conflict is increasing everywhere, threatening everything we hold dear. With this groundbreaking book, bestselling author and international negotiator William Ury shares a new “path to possible” — time-tested practices that will help readers unlock their power to constructively engage and transform conflict. Part memoir, part manual, part manifesto, Possible offers stories and … [More]
Failing Fast?: The Ten Secrets to Succeed Faster
While the world demands more meaningful innovation from business leaders, the current paradigm for delivering that innovation is not working anymore! The prevailing workplace culture has inadvertently slowed the pace of much-needed transformations. What do you expect to happen when the popular culture in business embraces the principle of “fail fast, fail often”? More success? … [More]
The Secrets of Visionary Thinkers: How to Ensure New Ideas Get Real Consideration
When you think of famous visionary leaders, you often think that they have something, know something, or do something that the rest of us don't have, don't know, or can't do. The truth is, they don't. The only thing they have is an intuitive understanding of how to open their minds and consider new ideas. When you’re thinking about new ideas, you’re often thinking of the … [More]
January Guest Editor: Rick McCartney, InMedia Company
The Changing C’s – It Is More Than a Case of ‘Then and Now’
Arizona’s economy was once known for Copper, Cattle, Cotton, Citrus and Climate — or the “5 C’s,” as they were known. Our economy has transformed in recent decades to one dependent on cycles. Thanks to a concerted, collaborative effort among economic development agencies and the business community, we now again have a diversified economy — and one based on components that … [More]
Darin Roberge: Innovator in Collector Car Marketing
His love of cars culminates in Motorwerks Marketing
From a young age, Darin Roberge has loved all cool things on wheels. Fueled by his passion for classic and exotic cars, Roberge began his career journey in 2014 at top collector automobile auction company Russo and Steele. During his tenure running the marketing and media departments there, he identified gaps within the car marketing landscape. During the Russo and Steele … [More]
The BRAVE Leader: More courage. Less fear. Better decisions for inclusive leadership.
David McQueen has coached leaders across all sectors to step up to inclusive leadership, transforming their processes, policies and ways of working to support diversity and reap the rewards. Many leaders are terrified of doing the wrong thing, so they do nothing. That is not an option. McQueen’s book will help leaders discover how to think strategically about problem-solving … [More]
Prepare for Impact: Driving Growth and Serving Others through the Principles of Human-Centered Leadership
Prepare for Impact unpacks the playbook brothers Ryan and Chad Estis used to succeed, first by using 30 simple steps to achieve ambitious sales goals and then by following nine tactics that answer the question of how leaders can show up for their teams, help them achieve their potential, and find fulfillment at work and in life. Today, Ryan is a globally recognized sales and … [More]
Are You Directing Most of Your Resources to Market-Facing Innovation? Here’s Why You MUST
Once upon a time, your company’s founder was laser-focused on delivering superior, differentiated value to customers. Those customers had specific needs, and the company set out to fulfill them better than anyone else. But as the years passed and the business grew, that intense focus, well…drifted. Leaders got caught up in other priorities—say, tweaking productivity or quality, … [More]
19 Top Leaders of 2023: Our list of Valley leaders who are making a real difference!
Each year, we select top leaders who have had great success over the preceding year. This year, we selected 19 leaders in varied established sectors within our business community. We asked hard-hitting questions of these leaders to get a sense of what they see for 2024. Each of them is truly entrenched in growing their companies and our economy, in developing policy, managing … [More]
