By Bryn Meredith

There is a well known story that goes something like this……. Dan was coming to the end of a long overseas business trip that had seen him visit a number of different cities and countries. He was looking for a gift to take home for his young son and came across a rather unique puzzle that had a map of the world on the front side with the option to have your own picture printed on the back. As he had his family photo with him, this was perfect. He felt this would be a fun gift that would give his son some fun putting the puzzle together while at the same time show him where he had travelled. Read on…

By David Parks

I am not an economist by any stretch but Pareto was, so I’ll rely on an interpretation of his 80/20 principal to state my case:

Eighty percent of leadership development professionals in 2009 tell a consistent story of budget cuts, axed programs, initiatives on hold, and a general state of waiting for the economy to recover.

The other twenty percent tell a quite different story. Theirs is much more ‘leader-like’ as they confront the real challenges of the economic downturn such as the aftermath of layoffs, doing more with less and maintaining morale. Their view of the crisis offers more optimism. Many see it as an opportunity for change, the burning platform needed to recalibrate and reset their businesses. Waiting for the troughs of the economic cycle to recover is definitely not their strategy. They see themselves positioned in the best possible way to lead and drive recovery. After all, isn’t that what leadership development professionals are supposed to do? Read on…