Oil and Gas Leadership Consultant Bob Acton Helps Reduce Risk During New Leader Integration at Oil and Gas Companies

CALGARY, Alberta, April 19, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Oil and gas organizations are in a war for talent in today's competitive marketplace, and finding high-quality leaders is no exception. Bringing in a new leader holds considerable risk as many new leaders fail to succeed, says Leadership Consultant Dr. Bob Acton, who provides executive and leader coaching to help leaders enhance their success in the workplace.

A report by Brooke Masters (2009) in the Financial Times described a study of 20,000 executive placements from a search firm that found that more than 40% of senior-level executives were pushed out, failed or quit within the first 18 months in the new role.

"What happens when your new leader is unsuccessful in the transition to the new job?" Acton asks, who speaks about influence strategies for leaders. "When leader assimilation or integration fails, there are significant cost implications for a business, including lowered productivity, negative impact on the work team, costs of rehiring, and downtime while searching for a replacement."

The key to managing this risk is to utilize a new leader integration program says Acton, who has worked with numerous organizations with leader development.

"Often leaders new to an organization receive the minimum orientation but do not get an opportunity to learn about key areas that will enhance their opportunities for success," says Acton, author of his new book Bill's Wisdom: Gaining Leadership Values Through Mentoring. "And doing the old 'sink or swim' approach just simply has too many costs associated with it."

Acton recommends a three-phase approach to help senior leaders transition well into a new role. Ensuring a successful and accelerated entry into a new position involves:

• Understanding the specific challenges and unique complexity of demands associated with the new role being entered, the specific business and organizational challenges confronting them, the talents, needs and dynamics of their new direct reports, and the expectations of peers and others with whom the new leader will now work;
• Forging new working relationships with the boss, their peers, and members of that new direct report team; and
• Building rapid and effective strategies to onboard quickly and find quick wins for operational improvement.

For more information or for a free chapter of Bob's new book, go to www.obairleadership.com  

Bob Acton, Ph.D., President of Obair Leadership, is a leadership consultant and executive coach, trainer, and speaker. He works with talented, knowledgeable leaders to build practical solutions with their employees, peers, clients, and leader teams. With broad professional training, he combines extensive experience with knowledge of cutting-edge research to optimize leader performance and bottom-line results.

SOURCE Bob Acton, Ph.D.