Vistage Survey Show Highest Quarterly Gain in CEO Confidence in Two Years –  Texas CEOs see both the economy and hiring improving in the coming year. Rafael Pastor, CEO of Vistage International, recently shared the results of the Q4, 2011 Vistage CEO Confidence Index at the Texas CEO Magazine Speaker Series event in Austin. Like [...]

WHETHER BY SUCCESSION OR SEARCH, BOARDS NEED TO BE READY FOR A CEO CHANGE By Jamie Ferguson One of the most commonly overlooked responsibilities by Boards of Directors is a strategically planned and executed succession plan. Surprisingly, as governance is one of the board’s most crucial responsibilities, 60 percent of large U.S. companies’ HR Directors [...]

5 MUST ASK QUESTIONS TO IDENTIFY THE BEST TALENT FOR YOUR ORGANIZATION By Amy Hardin No amount of sales management and training will make up for hiring a weak sales person – unfortunately, it happens too often. Interviewing sales professionals is especially challenging.  Really liking a candidate is not enough because most sales professionals are [...]

By Lee Leffingwell, Mayor If the topic is the economy, Austin has a good story to tell. We have the distinction of sitting on top of many “best of” lists. Kiplinger’s Best City for the Next Decade. Forbes’ Biggest Boom Town in the U.S. Fox Business’ Best City for Business. ABC News’ Best Place to [...]

WHY INVESTING IN THE MILLENNIAL GENERATION NOW IS SMART LEADERSHIP By Sharon Birkman Fink It’s time for businesses and other organizations to stop trying to recruit leaders and instead to start building them. Companies should discover that the best leaders are invested in the organization through more than just stock options. They understand the culture [...]

UNDERSTANDING AVAILABLE EMPLOYMENT TAX CREDITS By Thomas Jones, Jr. Our nation’s unemployment rate hovers at nine percent and monthly job losses continue to rise. That has generated discussions in Washington about innovative fiscal policy instruments, such as job creation tax credits, to help stimulate labor demand. In 2010 Washington took action and signed the Hiring [...]

By Annise Parker, Mayor These are tough economic times. If you have a job, you are worried about losing it. Those who are out of work are facing tough competition as they try to find new employment. Knowing this, I have made it a priority to highlight job creation and implement new programs that can, [...]

TEXAS CREATED ONE OF EVERY FIVE JOBS IN THE NATION Of all the new jobs in the United States created between June, 2010 and June, 2011, 20 percent of them – one in every five – was created in Texas. The state’s economy is highlighted in “Best Performing Cities, 2011 – Where America’s Jobs Are [...]

6 STEP ACTION PLAN TO STRENGTHEN EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT By John Casey The market for talent has turned this year in North Texas. Every day there are more new jobs and fewer quality candidates. Some company CEOs have already been affected by the growing war for talent and many more will be impacted by this change [...]

WHEN IT COMES TO HEALTH CARE BENEFITS SAVINGS – THINK LONG TERM, NOT WEIGHT A Commentary By Ragen Chastain It’s New Year’s Resolution time. If this year’s resolution involves saving money on employee benefits and helping employees be healthier and more productive then a focus on healthy habits is the key. It has become increasingly [...]

G&A PARTNERS’ CEO TONY GRIJALVA SPEAKS TO THE RISE OF PEOS AND JOB TRENDS IN TEXAS In spite of the economy, in spite of the recession, in spite of companies downsizing or right sizing, Tony Grijalva knows it’s good to be in the hiring business in Texas. Grijalva, the Chairman and CEO of G&A Partners, [...]

FIVE LEADERSHIP TACTICS THAT WILL PUT YOUR COMPANY AHEAD By John Carlson With a sputtering economy and congressional gridlock, it’s not difficult to see where the challenges are in the construction industry. The biggest issue facing the industry today is funding. The federal government is deep in debt, and it sets the agenda for state, [...]