Professional Certified Coach
732-845-4833 (in US)
+1 011 732-845-4833 (outside US)
Education/
Credentials
- B.S. Psychology & Marketing
- Professional Certified Coach (PCC)
- Corp. Coach U Certified Graduate
- Certified MBTI® Practitioner
Testimonials
"Your approach is direct, yet compassionate. You are insightful, methodical and most importantly, you provide actionable tools to help people process and move on."
- Philip. Yee, CMO
"We've had a few different experiences with coaching…but the person who stands out in my mind is Karla Robertson. She demonstrated a thoughtful and smart approach to helping our group understand who we are, how we work best together and, moreover, how I… can elevate the entire work experience and results we get by being together.”
– Jack Myers, CEO- Myers Development Corp.
"[Karla’s] insights and recommendations were both practical and impactful. Perhaps it is because she has the courage to give you honest feedback. But she compels you to want to make changes and follow through. She coaches and she teaches, but most of all, she helps you find your own desire and determination to make effective changes. As a result, out of 70 sites, our office became the national customer service leader 3 years in a row and we won several other awards for meeting and exceeding metric targets.”
– Donna Inamine, Operations Manager-Wells Fargo Home Mortgage
Services
- Executive/Team Coach
- Business Consultant
- Leader
- Trainer
- Facilitator for meetings, retreats, etc.
- Speaker
Industry Background
- Consulting
- Healthcare
- Mortgage Banking
- Recruiting
- Telecommunications
March 2008
Innovation and Leadership
Steve Epner, CSP
Innovator in Residence, St. Louis University
Two key concepts in the world of business today are Innovation and Leadership. Both are very important, both are touted by gurus around the world, and both are often misunderstood. As stand-alone concepts, they do not have as much definition and impact as they do when they are integrated as part of a holistic approach to guiding organizations of people.. How they work together can be the difference between success and failure in a business. So, what do they mean in the real world of business?
Innovation is more than just a good idea. It is not just a different way to answer a need. An innovation in the real world happens for one of two primary reasons (of course there are many others than can be identified, but these are the ones we most often see in real business applications).
The first kind of innovation most of us think of is the introduction of something new, even if it is based on an existing idea, service or product. Think of the Geek Squad (service) as an innovative approach to helping people use their personal technology better and provide on-demand solutions to problems. There have always been people willing to help you out, but someone decided to make a national brand out of a service that more and more people wanted and needed. Another example is the iPhone (product), one of the most recent innovations. It is not a new product. Cell phones have existed for many years, but it is an innovative approach to the what a hand-held device can provide how it can interface with its human owner and the outer world of information and people. Read full article here. 
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Upcoming Events
Presenter -June 4th-IHRIM Conference (International Human Resource Information Management) June 1-4, 2008. Orlando, FL
Topic: "Didn’t I Just Say That?: Getting Heard"
Tip of the Day: Less Meetings/More Productivity
We are a corporate culture that is suffering from an increasingly tenacious and often fatal disease: Death by Meeting. Come on, you know what I'm talking about. How many people do you know who you can't reach because "they’re in a meeting." There is only one disease that comes close to this and that is "Email Paralysis"…which is usually caused by being in so many meetings. Here's what I recommend as a first step: Read Ron Hoff's Say It in Six. I have facilitated very well-received half-day workshops around this. It can have an observable impact on your presentations, meetings and value to an organization or team in a shockingly short period of time. If you're interested in hearing more about this, call me at 732-845-4833.
Quote of the Day
"Your big opportunity may be right where you are now."
~Napoleon Hill
What’s On Your Mind?
I'd like this newsletter to be as relevant and valuable as it can be for executives and emerging leaders of today so I am inviting you to send me your questions or topics you'd like me to expand on in future Executive Pit Stop issues. Bring it on! If your topic or question is used, you can take advantage of a complementary 30-minute coaching call with me.
For Executives on the Go...Quick Shots!™
Short videos (only 2:30sec) where I address timely and timeless topics to challenge your thinking and keep you relevant and on your toes. Click here to view http://shiftinggears.biz/quick-shots.html
Resources
• Are you looking to start 2008 with a clean slate? Get ready for the new year and learn about your preferred operating styles and how they impact your leadership style and performance. Contact Karla Robertson @ 732-845-4833 or email her at karla@shiftinggears.biz
• No time like the present to learn about what motivates and shuts down Gen Y workers. Fortune Magazine did a great article on this topic. I will add more articles around generations at work as I find them. Attracting the Twentysomething Worker
• Have trouble overcoming objections when in front of your prospect? Learn from some of the pros in Inc. Magazine's article. Want to work on your consultative sales expertise, give me a call! Putting the Performance in Sales Performance
• Does your elevator pitch need work? Read this article in Inc. Magazine to see how some executives learned how to develop their message. Need personal help with this? Let's talk. You Know What Your Company Does. Can You Explain It in 30 Seconds?
© 2008 The Karla Factor, LLC t/a Shifting Gears® Produced by Claire Communications