Executive Leader's Perspective Interview with Kymberly Garrett!

Our Executive Leader’s Perspective interview this week is with Kymberly Garrett, an amazing leader, consultant, and expert who has over 30 years of experience working as an Human Resources Professional for major companies and organizations such as the Hyatt Corporation, Oakwood Worldwide, Unicare, and Wellcare to name a few.

As a leadership/business consultant to several top level executives within business, what are the top five leadership skills student leaders must develop if they desire to become a future CEO or Senior Executive?

As the bar continues to shift and refocus ... I am seeing that the critical competencies on Leadership readiness include the following:

Critical Thinking:Information comes in droves today. Being able to sift through mountains of data in order to facilitate informed decision making will require honing critical thinking skills to the point of almost a science. Those that haven't developed this will find themselves, left behind the pack due it lack of readiness.

Intellectual Curiosity: Not only within their organizations but what’s happening in the world around them! Take a lesson from Sears. They started as one of the original mail order catalog companies. Really, the precursor to online shopping. Yet they are lagging behind instead of leading the pack...their original founders were curious about the world they lived in and created a business solution from that curiosity. The current leadership lost that ability and now, sadly, Sears is not doing very well.. This currency will prove invaluable to a forward thinking Leader instead of someone riding the coattails of yesterday's business model.

Extraordinary listening ability: Being able to synthesize information that Leaders disseminate is critical in today's new economy. Listening to the immediate team members but also to the external buzz will once again create a well-rounded Leader whose ego will allow thought compilation.

Subject Matter Expertise: Broad skills are definitely important to future leaders but their foundation should be built upon a strong basis of expertise. Whether it’s in Technology, Business, Marketing or Operations...being known as a Specialist will prove to be key to your future success. Leaders gain credibility when they are seen as having an area of expertise and just as important...keeping up/staying relevant in that area!

Excellent People Engagement: Leaders have one thing in common...a Following! This derives from crafting strong AND authentic relationship building. Taking the time to "be interested" in WHO others are will go along way when critical support is needed. This is from the first level employee all the way to the Directors of the Board.

What has been your greatest leadership lesson as a senior executive within the business industry?

The importance of relying on others. I was brought up in the business world to cultivate a rising star mentality. Not a good path..and one that I have learned many hard lessons. Much more important to the overall success of an organization and my colleagues is to have ambition for the overall vs. yourself. A well-oiled machine will create the kind of success that we all hope for individually .. but so much more gratifying and sustainable.

What is the number one thing that is most important for students to know about in the 21^stCentury job market?

There are still great opportunities created or vacated everyday but as students become first job candidates...it is critical for them to have researched, rehearsed and readied their professional story so that they can shine above the rest of the pack. This job market is so different than any other time. There are four generations in the workplace at one time...and three for sure that are in the same talent pool. The distinction of ones abilities needs to be told in a succinct and validated manner.