For more than 25 years, Roberta Matuson, president of
Matuson Consulting, has helped leaders in highly regarded companies, including General Motors, New Balance and Microsoft, and small to medium-size businesses, achieve dramatic growth and market leadership through the maximization of talent. She is known globally as "The Talent Maximizer®."
Roberta is the person top employment site Monster and global retail giant Staples turns to for advice on talent. She is the author of the forthcoming, "Evergreen Talent," the newly released, "The Magnetic Leader," and the international best-seller, "Suddenly In Charge," a Washington Post Top 5 Business Book For Leaders. She is also an expert blogger for Fast Company, Forbes and Glassdoor, and was a former monthly columnist for The Boston Business Journal.
Roberta is one of a handful of people who have appeared as a guest of Bill O’Reilly’s on Fox’s "O’Reilly Factor," and who left the show unscathed.
Contact Roberta Matuson:
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Tuesday, September 24, 2019
People reach out to me daily asking for my advice. They tell me they want to fill jobs more rapidly or improve their retention rates, followed by all the reasons why no matter what they do, nothing will work. I even had one guy ask me, "Does what you do really work?" I replied, "I’ve had my consulting practice for 22 years. Do you think I’d still be in business if my clients weren’t better off having worked with me?" I then placed him on my list of people I will not be working with, as it was clear to me that no matter what I said or did, he’d never be happy.
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Wednesday, September 18, 2019
What do you think the most important job of a leader is? Is it to motivate the team to achieve departmental business objectives? Engage employees to ensure they are highly productive? Drive home business results? While thoseare essential, none are the most important job of a leader. Why? Because a leader cannot accomplish any of this without the right people on his or her team. Therefore, the most critical job of a leader is to hire the right people.
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Thursday, September 12, 2019
I used to work for a CEO who got terribly excited every time someone presented a new idea. He’d say things like, "That’s great! Let’s give it a try." Or, "That’s a terrific idea. Can you move this forward by Monday?" His enthusiasm was contagious, which meant that his direct reports did the same thing. You can imagine the chaos that resulted. We’d all scurry like mice to work on the next potentially game-changing idea. As you might have guessed, eventually we tired. In a nutshell, we were exhausted. We had no focus.
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Monday, August 26, 2019
"Psssttt…Can you keep a secret? I’ve just been made a manager and I haven’t a clue what to do!" This was exactly what went through my head over 20 years ago when I found myself suddenly in charge. My focus should have been on what I could do to shine from day one. But instead, I worried that it would only be a matter of time before my secret was out. It's no secret that those who find themselves tossed into management with little more than a hope and a prayer aren't ready to fully engage in all that is required of more experienced managers. But there is certainly something about you that indicated you were right for this job.
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Friday, August 16, 2019
In preparation for a recent prospect meeting, I attempted to look up the profiles on LinkedIn of the executives whom I would be meeting with. To my surprise, half the team wasn't on LinkedIn and the other half might as well have not been, as their profiles and connections weren't very robust. Ironically, the purpose of my meeting was to explore a project related to pulling in top talent. Here's what I told them that might be helpful to you.
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Tuesday, August 13, 2019
Another company is about to lose a star employee. But they don't know this yet. You see, their star employee hired me a few months ago as his coach to help him better manage his relationship with his boss. We discussed his situation over a few sessions, and it became clear to me that his efforts to change his boss' way would fall on deaf ears. He said he wanted to see if he could make things work with his current employer. That was six weeks ago. He's now seen the light and is ready to move on.
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Thursday, August 01, 2019
I met with a prospect recently who asked me what the industry average was for employee turnover in high-growth companies. I responded by saying, "You want to be average? You can do much better than this. You can set the standard that others aspire to!" Think about it. When we compare ourselves to the industry average, whether it be for sales, cost per hire, or employee turnover, we do ourselves a disservice.
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Wednesday, July 03, 2019
A few years ago, I rode my new bicycle 21 miles on Martha's Vineyard. For some of you, that may not be a big deal, but for me this was an event. I'll admit, there were times that I watched the local bus go by with bike racks and thought to myself, "I should be on that bus." But instead, I kept peddling. I know a lot of businesses who have decided to take the bus with the hopes that they will ultimately reach their destination faster and in better condition than if they had slowed down a bit and gotten into fighting shape. Here are some best practices from my most successful clients who are in tip-top shape.
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Wednesday, June 26, 2019
No doesn't always mean no. Here's what I mean by this. You're probably hearing a lot of "no's" these days when extending job offers to candidates, given how hot the market is for talent. Most of you have accepted this and moved on. This is a huge mistake and one that can be easily rectified. Keep this in mind: "No" isn't forever. It's no, for right now. Let's say you made a job offer about a month ago and the candidate declined. These days, it's easy to reach out to people through LinkedIn's In-mail with a, "Hey, how's your new job going?" message, followed by, "Any chance we can grab a coffee?"
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Friday, June 21, 2019
There’s so much noise these days about executive presence that it’s hard to separate fact from fiction. Here are a few myths that need dispelling. The first myth is that if a woman wants to make it to the top, she needs to act like a man. While there’s much we can learn from the men who’ve come before us, that doesn’t mean we have to do things the same way to be equally successful. The most successful leaders I know, many of whom are women, don’t try to be something they’re not.
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Tuesday, June 18, 2019
I was recently asked the following question: "What do you do if you like your job but your boss is a micromanager who doesn’t have a clue how to manage projects, and his boss put him in that position due to nepotism?" Micromanagement is about lack of trust. The person who is micromanaging doesn’t believe anyone can do something as well as he or she can. Once you understand this, you’ll be better able to manage a micromanaging boss.
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Wednesday, June 12, 2019
I do a lot of executive coaching, and when I ask clients to tell me about their core strengths, they’ll say things like, "I have solid communication skills." Or, "My team enjoys working with me." I’ll then ask their direct reports the same question about my clients. Their responses are usually a stark contrast to what the leader has told me. I’m often left wondering if we’re talking about the same person here! Here’s the reality. No matter how good (or bad) someone is, all that matters is perception.
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Friday, June 07, 2019
Is it just me or is anyone else tired of the excuses executives give when they can’t find talent? This article includes six of my favorites. For example, one I hear is, "there are no people out there." Really? Then explain to me why your competitor has people lining up outside her door waiting to work for her? There are plenty of people who are willing and ready to work. You have to be worthy of having them. Are you? If not, what can you do to change this?
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Wednesday, May 29, 2019
The May 9 Wall Street Journal featured a full-page story on a course at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School: "How to Be a Boss 101." Launched in January, the course is full of practical lessons aimed at building better managers. What's interesting to note is that this course is focused on undergraduates, as opposed to graduate students who often have work experience. This move is intentional. As more young people graduate and move into jobs at technology companies and consulting firms, they are finding themselves suddenly in charge.
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Friday, May 24, 2019
I don't know about you, but I'm growing tired of hearing leaders complain that they can't fill jobs. When asked, they can come up with a dozen reasons why this is so. Are you guilty of this as well? Imagine a VP of sales telling her CEO that she is unable to bring in deals. Do you think she'd be told, "That's okay; everyone else is having a tough time selling." No, of course not! Too many organizations are delusional when it comes to their hiring practices. They have a system in place and continue to use it, regardless of the dismal results. Here are some of the more common delusional hiring practices that I see.
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Monday, May 06, 2019
I did something recently that I wasn't sure I wanted to do. I attended a Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons concert. When I first considered buying tickets, I thought to myself, "Do I want to be like one of the audience members that you see on PBS fundraising shows?" You know the kind I mean. Stuck in the ‘60s, singing every word to every song, with no worries regarding who might see them moving their hips to the beat of the song. I decided to throw caution to the wind. I bought tickets, and boy I'm glad I did. Here are some business lessons that I learned from Frankie Valli.
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Tuesday, April 30, 2019
Online job recruitment is here to stay, and just about everyone is doing it. Like print ads, your goal is to stand out from the competition. But that's where the similarity ends. In today's fast-paced environment, job candidates are quickly surfing the internet for the next big wave, or in this case, job opportunities. Here are some tips to help you capture their attention and optimize your online recruiting investment.
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Thursday, April 25, 2019
I'm often contacted by people who tell me they are looking for a coach when what they need is a trusted advisor. The words advisor and coach are frequently used interchangeably. However, they are actually quite different. Understanding the distinction will ensure that you hire the right person for your needs.
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Friday, April 19, 2019
Earlier this week, I had the opportunity to watch the Boston Marathon. If you've haven't seen this race, which happens to be the oldest marathon in the U.S., I'd encourage you to do so. It's quite a sight to behold. Here are some of my key takeaways from the race that can apply to business.
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Thursday, March 28, 2019
I'm all for doing things yourself when you can. However, there are certainly times when bringing in an outside resource is well worth the investment. Some of the most vital times to consider working with a coach or mentor include when you are preparing yourself for a promotion, when you need to adjust quickly to a new circumstance, or when you have employees you find challenging to manage. After you've determined having a coach or a mentor would be beneficial to you, the next question is: How does one determine which coach or mentor is right for them?
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Tuesday, March 26, 2019
I've been in business for over 20 years and have seen my share of mistakes made by business owners — many that certainly could have been avoided. Here’s my list of common mistakes business owners make, along with advice on how to avoid following suit. For example, think about a job that you worked in that didn't work out. Was it because you didn't have the skills to do the job, or was it because your values did not align with the organization's?
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Thursday, March 21, 2019
I was on vacation last week and reluctantly dragged myself through a museum because others told me that this was something I couldn't miss. If you've ever attended an event because you were told you must go to or ate at a particular restaurant because everyone else was going, then you know exactly how it feels to do something out of obligation. Of course, no one was holding a gun to my head. I could have chosen to spend my time elsewhere. I see the same type of behavior with clients that I work with.
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Tuesday, March 19, 2019
I was recently asked to coach an executive who was having a difficult time assimilating into her new leadership role, even though her company had invested a ton of money sending her to an executive leadership program. She confided in me that she could barely recall what she had learned six months ago. I'm not surprised. I'm going to let you in on a secret that will save your organization millions of dollars a year. Real learning takes place in real time. Think about it. You can't learn how to ride a bike by reading a book or attending a two-day session on the theory of bike riding
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Monday, March 11, 2019
I was speaking with an executive the other day who told me he was thinking about quitting his job. I asked him why he didn't just do that. He explained that occasionally he had a few good days where he enjoyed coming to work. Making a life-changing decision like quitting your job doesn't come easy, especially when you've reached the top of the organization. Take it from me. There will never be the perfect time to quit. But that doesn't mean you should remain in your current situation. Here are six questions to consider when evaluating if the job you have is worth continuing.
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Tuesday, March 05, 2019
TINYpulse recently released its 2019 Employee Engagement Report, and the results are somewhat disturbing. Here's what I mean. What would you say if I told you that 43 percent of employees would leave their current employer for a measly 10 percent salary increase...or that employees think only 9 percent of their co-workers are very happy? And that in spite of this big push to improve company cultures, most organizations are barely moving the needle. Less than one-third of people believe their company has a strong culture. OK, so now that you know this, what will you do with this information? Here are some ideas to consider.
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Thursday, February 28, 2019
I’m from New England, where I guess you could say we know a lot about teams here. After all, both the Patriots and Red Sox are currently world champions in their respective sports. If you truly have a team, then the team wins and loses together. This lesson is one that many companies still haven’t learned. Here’s an example that highlights what I mean. Aramark recently made the decision not to pay bonuses to thousands of low-level managers. These are the "team members" who are ultimately responsible for executing on the company's strategy. Those in upper management received bonuses.
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Monday, February 25, 2019
I recently received a call from a CEO who was concerned about the sudden increase in employee turnover in his organization. He couldn't understand why anyone would leave his firm. He then went down a laundry list of perks he recently added. I let him speak and then said, "Tell me something. Is this turnover happening throughout the organization or is there a particular area where you've noticed a spike?" He thought about it and said, "It seems most of the turnover is taking place in Bob's department. There are a few leaders in his operation who can be a bit abrupt at times — maybe even a bit abusive, but they're hitting their numbers." Boom! There you have it.
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Friday, February 22, 2019
Blatant discrimination against older workers is illegal. Yet, it happens every day. David Neumark, a professor of economics at the University of California, Irvine, and two other economists published a study in 2017. They sent out 40,000 resumes for thousands of real jobs. The resumes for any given job were identical except for age. "The call-back rate — the rate by which employers contact us and say we'd like to interview you — drops from young applicants to middle-aged applicants and drops further from middle-aged applicants to older applicants," Neumark says.
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Tuesday, February 19, 2019
Have you ever had a goal that you thought was unattainable? How’d you feel? Demoralized is the word that comes to mind. Yet companies continue to set what they call "stretch goals" thinking that if they set the target slightly out of the reach of an employee, employees will miraculously muster up the energy to hit these targets. This sort of thinking is entirely wrong. If you’re like most people, you look at a task that seems like a stretch and think, "I stand a better chance of reaching the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro than I do scaling this goal. Why bust my butt on something I know is out of my reach?"
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Thursday, February 14, 2019
Are people leaving your organization faster than you can fill jobs? If so, you're not alone. But that doesn’t mean it's OK! Steady, unwanted employee turnover leaves you in a constant state of recruiting, encouraging those who've stuck around to remain, plus training and re-training. Not to mention the exorbitant cost of employee turnover. A recently published report by Tinypulse pored over data collected from more than 25,000 employees around the world and found five main reasons why employees were flying the coop. Here are five key takeaways from the report.
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Tuesday, February 12, 2019
For years, I thought it was important that my employees loved me. Boy, was I wrong. You see, love is one of those things that can dissipate at a moment's notice. Here's what I mean. Remember when you were in junior high and you were so in love with one of your classmates? You were giddy as could be when you found out they felt the same way about you. Then, boom — you wake up one day to find out they've moved on. They've got a new love, while your world has fallen apart. I see the same thing happen in business.
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Wednesday, February 06, 2019
Companies are pulling up stakes and moving their headquarters to major metropolitan locations. I can assure you, they are not doing this for the view. They are coming for talent. Amazon's recent search for H2 is a perfect example of this. Many companies sighed in relief when the news broke that Amazon had chosen a location that was nowhere close to their headquarters. This relief is only temporary. Many companies are desperate for talent and will do just about anything. Here's my advice on how to steal talent without going to jail.
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Thursday, November 29, 2018
How I long for the '60s! Back in those days, you could receive a free decoder ring inside boxes of select boxes of Captain Crunch cereal! There were many times throughout my career when I wished I had kept that ring. I could have used it to better understand my boss and our relationship. Consider me your decoder ring! When you have a clear sense of where your boss is coming from, you can adjust your expectations and communication style. By doing so, you can achieve a prosperous and peaceful coexistence with one of the most important people in your life — your boss.
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Monday, November 26, 2018
I recently met with a prospect who told me about his grand plans to grow his business. I listened intently while he described his vision. Surprisingly, he never mentioned his people. When he was done speaking, I responded by saying, "A brand is nothing more than a promise. What if your people can’t deliver on your promise?" He looked at me for a minute, and then quickly realized it was going to take more than a plan to hit his key metrics. Are you in a similar situation — grandiose plans and no specificity regarding how you are going to achieve these numbers? If so, read on.
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Friday, September 28, 2018
The other day, we took a friend for drinks and appetizers at a restaurant called Stephanie’s on Newbury Street in Boston. In the middle of taking our order, our waitress said, "Excuse me," and dashed away to retrieve an empty glass of water from a patron. We sat there in disbelief. I compare this to my recent experience at the Capital Grill in Providence, Rhode Island.
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Thursday, September 27, 2018
Lots of companies are changing their tune when it comes to hiring former employees. In the past, this was verboten. However, today, this is a strategy well worth considering. Staffing decisions like these are rarely black and white. However, you can avoid having to address questions like these when you have a solid plan in place for succession and employee development. Before you jump on the bandwagon and hire an employee who wants to return, consider the following six things.
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Wednesday, September 12, 2018
I received an interesting question the other day from a woman who was watching my LinkedIn Learning course on Managing Up. She asked me how to handle managers who are emotionally dependent on their employees. Too often managers want to be liked by their people when, instead, they should be seeking respect. I advise my coaching clients to create boundaries between themselves and the people they manage. It’s important to do so for a number of reasons.
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Monday, September 10, 2018
I have a secret that I want to share with you. I took a day off from work last week. That's right. I ran some errands, went to a matinee, and didn't feel one ounce of guilt. Nor did my business fall apart. In fact, appointments were confirmed in my absence, I signed a contract for my new book, and people still reached out to me about speaking at their next corporate event. I coach senior leaders, who seem to mistakenly believe their departments will fall apart in their absence.
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Thursday, September 06, 2018
Are you one of the countless companies sitting around hoping applicants will walk in the door because you post a hiring notice? Employers in all industries are reporting difficulties in finding qualified candidates, and the shrinking labor market will not be expanding anytime soon. So, if you're sitting there hoping to wait this one out, you’ll be waiting by yourself for a long time. Here's how to move from hope to action.
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Tuesday, September 04, 2018
I've been sitting back watching as leaders continue to fill up LinkedIn threads with "We’re Hiring!" posts. The same leaders do this day in and day out, which tells me this strategy isn’t working. Would you continue to solicit for new clients and customers the same way if you discovered what you were doing was not resulting in new prospects? Of course not! Yet, here we are. Let me share with you why you can't fill jobs and what you can do to change this.
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Thursday, August 30, 2018
Recently, I was speaking with an owner of a recruitment firm who told me a story about a 26-year old tech worker who his firm just poached. The candidate wasn’t actively looking for a new opportunity and seemed satisfied making an annual salary of $450,000. In less than two weeks, the tech worker received and accepted an offer from a competitor, which included a 44 percent pay increase and the opportunity to work directly with the CIO. Here are some things you can do to ensure this doesn’t happen to you.
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Monday, August 27, 2018
There are two moments that stand out in the minds of experienced leaders. They are the first time they promoted someone into management and the day they had to tell that person, "Things aren't working out." But what is most troublesome to these leaders is the fact that they know, deep down inside; this person never had a chance. Here are five common mistakes leaders make when it comes to promoting high potentials and what you can do to avoid making the same mistake twice.
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Thursday, August 16, 2018
I’m always telling my clients to apply for a job with their company to see what the candidate experience is really like. I took my own advice recently and applied for a job on behalf of my client. When my client found out how many jobs candidates were getting recommended for after applying on job board sites, he was horrified. But at least he uncovered this and took steps to rectify the situation. Do you even have a clue how effective your recruitment strategy really is?
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Wednesday, August 15, 2018
Several years ago, a firm hired me to directly source talent from its competitor even though the owner had a gentlemen's agreement in place with the CEO whose company he was about to raid. Mind you, this was before these agreements were deemed illegal. The owner hired me as his secret weapon rationalizing that his company wasn’t doing the poaching, and therefore, he wasn’t breaking his agreement. In the end, he got the talent he needed. Some say that nice guys finish last. When it comes to finding talent, however, nice guys do not even cross the finish line.
