September 2024
TIM'S CORNER
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Do you remember the first boss you ever had? You might have had a shift supervisor at a local fast-food joint or movie theater, construction superintendent, or manufacturing line manager. My first boss was the production manager of a local concert venue. I have good memories of him and his leadership, but I also remember a lot of him “telling” and me “doing”.
This was very common. In the past, the role of the first-line manager was straightforward: direct the team, monitor performance, and ensure tasks were completed efficiently. Managers were often seen as the enforcers of the organization’s rules and the ones responsible for telling individual contributors what to do. But today, the role of the first-line manager has evolved far beyond that. They are no longer just supervisors—they are the glue that holds teams together, the architects of culture, and the face of the organization for the employees who keep the wheels turning.
As the nature of work has changed, so too has the role of the first-line manager. In modern workplaces, especially with the rise of remote and hybrid work, the first-line manager is expected to be a connector, communicator, and a source of support for their team. They are responsible not only for delivering results but also for ensuring their team’s well-being in an increasingly complex organizational environment. Their role is critical in shaping the employee experience and, by extension, the overall success of the organization.
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President & CEO, Turknett Leadership Group | |
AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH TLG COACH, CINDY CHEATHAM, MBA
What skills do people need to develop and hold to be effective leaders in the 21st century?
Well, I think that almost everybody that I coach gets feedback that they could improve their executive presence. And I think that was always a thing, but executive presence is defined in a lot of different ways. I think a lot of it is about how much you capture people's attention and how much people want to follow you. So it really does resonate with leadership.
I also think the world is changing rapidly. So change management skills are important, and an ability to work across an organization, not just in your function. Functional leadership of “I'm just a marketing person” or “I'm just an IT person” was never good. Ideally there were always general managers that could work across an organization, but the bar is even higher around being able to work across different functions and with different people in an organization. So change management, an ability to work with lots of different styles and personalities, and an appreciation of working with a lot of diversity. And I don't mean just diversity in race or ethnicity. There's a lot of diversity - personality, style, and communication - that just raises the bar on having those very good people skills and being able to adjust yourself to the different types of people that you work with.
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CONGRATULATIONS TO AGNES SCOTT COLLEGE
Congratulations to Agnes Scott College for being named #1 in Innovation and #3 for First-Year Experiences in the 2025 U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges rankings! This recognition is a testament to the college’s unwavering commitment to fostering an environment that nurtures creativity, leadership, and student success. At Turknett, we have had the privilege of engaging with Agnes Scott through our involvement in SCALE (Sophomore Class Atlanta Leadership Experience) over the past four years, witnessing firsthand the incredible talent and drive of their students.
We are also grateful to have both Agnes Scott faculty and students as guests at our Women in Leadership series. The partnership between Agnes Scott and Turknett has been a source of inspiration, and we look forward to continuing to support and celebrate the incredible work being done by the college. Here's to more innovation, leadership, and success in the years ahead!
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THE LEADER AS COACH
HBR Article by Herminia Ibarra and Anne Scoular
In the face of rapid, disruptive change, companies are realizing that managers can’t be expected to have all the answers and that command-and-control leadership is no longer viable. As a result, many firms are moving toward a coaching model in which managers facilitate problem-solving and encourage employees’ development by asking questions and offering support and guidance rather than giving orders and making judgments.
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We are thrilled to announce Sandy Gordon as our next event speaker!
Sandy Gordon has been leading organizational design and change management initiatives for more than 20 years at two of the most recognized global brands, Amazon and Delta Air Lines. She leverages her extensive operations background in complex, multi-site environments to fuel revenue growth, business process optimization, and HR best-practices informed by data, measurable KPIs, and rigorous accountability goals.
Over the course of her career, she has managed M&A integrations and corporate restructurings, integrated previously unionized employees into non-union environments, elevated quality standards, improved NPS, ensured regulatory compliance, and championed DEI goals during some of the most challenging industry/economic disruptions in the past few decades, including the global pandemic, The Great Recession, and 9/11.
Don’t miss the opportunity to learn from one of the industry’s best. Register now to secure your spot and gain valuable knowledge from Dr Bergquist's extensive experience and innovative approaches!
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Facilitated by Anne Quiello, M.S., PCC
Senior Consultant & Host of Women in Leadership
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Hear more from our speaker using these wonderful resources!
- The Whole Health Cure
- Join Dr. Bergquist and other pioneers within lifestyle medicine and wellness, for intimate, behind the scenes conversations about the science of health and longevity. Get access to cutting edge research and discover natural ways to improve your wellbeing in your daily life.
- The Stress Paradox: Why You Need Stress to Live Longer, Healthier, and Happier
- A paradigm-shifting approach to wellness that reveals how the right levels of stress are actually good for you and how stress can help you unlock the body’s natural ability to stave off aging, prevent disease, and improve metabolic health.
- Plantology: A Cookbook Based on the Science of Plant-Based Eating
- After years of asking what to eat, Dr. Bergquist teamed up with dietitian Jenny Bilko to co-author this book around the science of plant-based eating.
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Leadership Labs with Sheila Heen
We were grateful to attend a Leadership Lab hosted by the North Point Community Church and sponsored by our friends at Jackson Healthcare with Sheila Heen, Harvard Law School professor and co-author of Difficult Conversations. Sheila shared practical insights on how to navigate difficult conversations—whether managing team conflict, saying no, or collaborating through disagreement.
A key takeaway was the importance of addressing the “real issues” from all perspectives and ensuring our conversations strengthen relationships rather than damage them. In today’s evolving role, managers must master these skills, as the ability to facilitate honest, trust-building dialogue is crucial to leading successful, resilient teams.
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Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most
We attempt or avoid difficult conversations every day-whether dealing with an underperforming employee, disagreeing with a spouse, or negotiating with a client. From the Harvard Negotiation Project, the organization that brought you Getting to Yes, Difficult Conversations provides a step-by-step approach to having those tough conversations with less stress and more success. you'll learn how to:
- Decipher the underlying structure of every difficult conversation
- Start a conversation without defensiveness
- Listen for the meaning of what is not said
- Stay balanced in the face of attacks and accusations
- Move from emotion to productive problem solving
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Executive Presence: The Missing Link Between Merit and Success
Are you “leadership material?” More importantly, do others perceive you to be? Sylvia Ann Hewlett, a noted expert on workplace power and influence, shows you how to identify and embody the Executive Presence (EP) that you need to succeed.
You can have the experience and qualifications of a leader, but without executive presence, you won't advance. EP is an amalgam of qualities that true leaders exude, a presence that telegraphs you're in charge or deserve to be. Articulating those qualities isn't easy, however.
Based on a nationwide survey of college graduates working across a range of sectors and occupations, Sylvia Hewlett and the Center for Talent Innovation discovered that EP is a dynamic, cohesive mix of appearance, communication, and gravitas. While these elements are not equal, to have true EP, you must know how to use all of them to your advantage.
Filled with eye-opening insights, analysis, and practical advice for both men and women, mixed with illustrative examples from executives learning to use the EP, Executive Presence will help you make the leap from working like an executive to feeling like an executive.
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Corporate Headquarters
100 Crescent Center Pkwy
Suite 600
Atlanta, GA 30084
(770) 270-1723
Tim Huff
President & CEO, TLG
thuff@turknett.com
(770) 270-1723
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