Manda Hunt
TalentQuest
(404) 441-3455
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TalentQuest, a developer and designer of talent management solutions, today announced that the firm has established a consulting practice dedicated specifically to helping corporate directors and officers accomplish organizational goals and navigate change. Seasoned business leaders and executive coaches, Jim Lientz and Pepper Bullock, have been hired to lead the practice, focusing on working with individuals to assimilate into new roles, optimize interactions with others, and further define organizational strategies for the future.
“As business leaders who have had extraordinarily successful careers and served on several boards of directors themselves, Pepper and Jim are more than qualified for this role,” said Dale Jones, vice chairman at Heidrick & Struggles and long-time business associate of Bullock and Lientz. “As outsiders with no agendas, they can objectively provide feedback and help individuals understand how they are perceived by others and how they can be more successful in their interactions.”
In today’s ever-changing business environment and ever-evolving competitive landscape, the most successful organizations are arguably those that remain in a constant state of change. But with change comes increased risk, which board members and company officers have a fiduciary responsibility to mitigate. However, Kevin Sessions, president of TalentQuest, asserts that TalentQuest’s new D&O practice is about much more than just managing risk.
“It’s about capitalizing on the opportunities that change presents to take an organization to the next level,” Sessions said. “Whether the organization is experiencing a leadership change or simply taking on a new project, the ability to effectively navigate change can determine whether its impact on the organization is positive or negative.”
For the last several years Bullock and Lientz have led a successful executive coaching practice. They began working with TalentQuest clients in 2010 as external consultants, but both parties soon realized that the businesses were highly synergistic and that a more formal arrangement would benefit everyone involved, especially clients.
“Our area of expertise is coaching senior-level executives,” Bullock said. “By joining the TalentQuest team, Jim and I are able to focus on what we do best and, at the same time, offer clients a broad range of complementary talent management services and solutions that enable them to deepen the organizational impact.”
Boards of directors are generally comprised of highly successful and influential business leaders who, in the board setting, are equals. Directors work closely together for many years, developing personal and professional relationships in the process.
“Boards can become great ‘clubs’,” Lientz said. “The challenge is, they are charged with making very serious decisions that impact numerous stakeholders and ‘clubs’ have a tendency to make poor decisions under pressure. Boards need to be polite groups that are able to have awkward conversations.”
“It’s simple really,” Bullock said. “All social interactions can benefit greatly from an outside, objective perspective. For businesses, there are no more important interactions than those of the board of directors and officers. ”
About TalentQuest
TalentQuest is a developer and designer of talent management solutions that reflect organizational goals, culture and required skills. The firm’s consulting expertise and powerful software enable businesses to integrate components of talent management processes, achieving both strategic and operational excellence. Whether an organization needs to build a foundation of custom competencies, or help analyzing and applying insights gained from talent data and metrics, TalentQuest offers a level of support and service that will not be found anywhere else. That’s the power of authentic integration. For more information, please visit www.talentquest.com.
