New Client Relationships

Welcome to 2012. If there is one thing that all university presidents and corporate leaders share in common it is in the importance of their professional relationships with key clients and constituencies. It is what they must focus on every day ---all day long. It makes me think: how can I perform in a way that will continuously surprise, delight, challenge and help my clients?

Right now, I am researching the background of a major potential client in the hope of encouraging the prospect to select KULPER & COMPANY for a major search assignment. I have already been told that the search we will undertake for them will be critically important to the success of the company. There is so much information available about the company on the web, their leadership, their products, their operating philosophy, etc. that it is a bit overwhelming; but, I was instructed many years that there is nothing like taking the time to prepare for an important meeting. It is fascinating to learn about the culture of this company and how they have grown and developed over the years through the many concerted efforts of their employees and executives. With many companies, words and phrases like---"commitment to innovation", "entrepreneurial culture", and "minimal bureaucracy to encumber decision making"----are often used as a way to deflect people from what the culture of the company is really all about. After all, in America and the world the biggest buzzword in higher ed and the corporate world is, innovation!

The more we cross reference our research, though, the more we test if our prospective client is blowing smoke or is genuinely for real. We are at a point in the development of our firm where we know that we can tackle and succeed in any assignment we accept. We have done it consistently now for 15 years and will continue to do so. It is thrilling to meet other business and university leaders who feel the same way and can back it up---when that happens we end up working on many search assignments together.

I will let you know in my next blog how my prospective client visit goes. We are, frankly, thrilled to be considered as a finalist to handle their search need. The prospect company sought out KULPER & COMPANY because of the work we are doing with our current corporate and university clients and the results we achieve for them and our commitment to working at the edge of university research and corporate innovation.

Will keep you posted.

Keep up the great efforts and the best prospects will notice and.... you will always be in demand.

Warm regards,
Keith

R&D Manager /Director/ VP Searches

As we know there is a real dearth of available engineering talent but the prospects for improvement are showing some signs of progress . We recently accepted and completed a search for a Manager of R&D for a specialty chem and gases company that caters to the integrated circuit and photovoltaics industries. The search was successful because we worked in tandem with our client to create a critical mass of candidates who possessed the right attributes, skill sets and experience to tackle the job. The hired candidate is a terrific person who will make a difference in the long term growth and development of the company.

What we observed though is that there simply is not a deep or broad enough channel of qualified engineers---in this case, in electro/organometalic chem ready to step up to the opportunity we were marketing. What can be done about this issue?

Clearly, there are many organizations who are trying to encourage more young people to study engineering----civil, mechanical, chemical, electrical, etc., and they are to be applauded for their efforts. Here in New Jersey the Liberty Science Center is supporting STEM ( Science, Technology, Engineering & Math) education initiatives. At NJIT and other universities like them, they are encouraging their engineering students to not only learn these academic skill sets but also how to work in teams to develop innovative skill sets. On NPR this morning I heard that the 4H Club is promoting a program designed to educate 1 million new engineers . To the extent that we can all recognize the value of these efforts and support them we will be helping to close the engineering gap here in the United States and around the world.

Having acted as a judge of a recent engineering class showcase at NJIT about 1 month ago, I can attest that our higher education institutions are working hard to make engineering more attractive to its students. Can they do it fast enough and well enough, only time will tell. But to the extent that each one of us in a place of influence can support the work of universities to graduate more well trained engineers right here in the United States, we will be helping to address a critical need of our country.

A bright young person with an interest in and aptitude for STEM related subjects will have absolutely no problem becoming employed upon graduation. Clearly, the graduates of these programs must be more than one dimensional subject experts. If the work that NJIT is now doing to educate the whole student is any indication, the class of 2102, 2013, 2014 and those to come will have learned about the value of invention, innovation and how to be a real problem solver in the manner of Steve Jobs and his many antecedents. We need to keep at it----and keep graduating well prepared young engineers, business majors & scientists who will become tomorrow's successful entrepreneurs.

Warm regards,
Keith

FULBRIGHT Program makes a difference

I was about to get started on today's tasks when I saw the article about the Fulbright Program in today's Chronicle of Higher Ed http://http://chronicle.com/article/Interactive-Map-Countries-and/129471/?sid=wb&utm_source=wb&utm_medium=en


I hope you can access it using the link inserted because the Chronicle writers did such a good job explaining what is happening with the program and why it continues to have such an excellent impact on world development.

When our son, Sloan, told us that he would become a Fulbright Fellow it sounded very good to us, but frankly, we knew very little about it other than it was a famous program designed to send talented and motivated American scholars to countries around the world to learn, teach and help. Sloan was motivated to go to Bangladesh. We wondered why he picked this country....it is very far from his home in America in every way imaginable. Over the past 7 months he has been sending reports of his progress coupled with digital images and videos . We have been amazed by the beauty of the country, the warmth of the people and the depth and breadth of the challenges they face as a developing nation. It is an ancient place of civilization with records tracing back 4,000 years. Check out the attached link:

http://http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangladesh



Sloan's research is in the field of social entrepreneurship which in my estimation is a relatively new area of academic focus. Sloan is using his skills in product design learned at MIT and RISD to help developing countries improve the lives of their citizens. For example to help reduce indoor air pollution from the use of kerosene for cooking and heating ( a world wide killer) he and his colleagues are developing solar heaters and cookers that are cheap, simple and effective. Examples of his work can be seen at:
www.oneearthdesigns.org


The FULBRIGHT Program is looking at many, many global challenges and issues through the eyes of its Fellows and Scholars---very worthy and highly laudable. I hope my blog will encourage you to learn more about it.

Peace,
Keith

Leadership Forum: Sander Flaum at William Paterson University 10 4 11

As part of my service to our clients and friends of KULPER & COMPANY--both in higher ed and industry-- I enjoy helping to foster better understanding and communication among those who actually lead, and those that study leadership.

Because I am member of the Dean's Advisory Board at the Cotsakos College of Business at William Paterson University we have been considering various ways in which we can help the students and raise the profile of our fine college of business--which is AACSB accredited and boasts one of the finest sales leadership and investment training programs anywhere in the country. About 1 year ago we talked about initiating a LEADERSHIP FORUM where I would interview leaders from a wide variety of industries about their views on leadership, their field of endeavor, and how they got to where they are today.

Our guest leader on evening of October 4, 2011 at the CCOB/WPU is Sander Flaum. Sander is one of the thought leaders in the field of marketing for the pharmaceutical field. His firm FLAUM IDEAS is widely acknowledged to be a top national firm well regarded by CEOs and Presidents of global pharmaceutical companies for its help in developing effective new marketing programs.

The Leadership Forum is exclusively for the students, faculty, administrators and invited guests of Dean, Sam Basu--and me. Please let me know if you are interested in upcoming forums.

Best regards
Keith