Manage HR Magazine: Specials Magazine
Leadership gets much attention. Companies spend billions annually trying to develop it through workshops, frameworks, and certifications. However, despite all that investment, organizations still face the same issues. Teams operate in silos. Burnout spreads. Accountability becomes toxic instead of empowering. Echelon Front offers something different. Instead of pushing short-term fixes, the company challenges people to rethink their approach. The core idea is Extreme Ownership. When something goes wrong, the first step isn’t to look around. It’s to ask what you could have done to make it better. That shift doesn’t simply improve performance. It changes how people behave, teams function, and leaders emerge across all levels of an organization. “When companies struggle with silos, low morale, or toxic accountability, most turn to expensive consultants. Echelon Front asks them to look in the mirror and take ownership,” says Jamie Cochran, Chief Operating Officer, Echelon Front. Born in Battle, Built for Business The team behind Echelon Front didn’t start with business theory. They learned about combat leadership. Co-founders Jocko Willink and Leif Babin served as Navy SEAL officers during some of the most demanding missions in Iraq. What they discovered under pressure was that responsibility had to be shared. Everyone had to lead. The margin for error was slim, and the stakes were high. After their service, they began sharing those lessons with companies across industries. What they found was a common thread. Poor communication, unclear priorities, and reactive leadership—these problems appeared everywhere, from startups to public agencies. But the solution wasn’t more policy. It was mindset. A clear set of services now backs that mindset. Echelon Front is a leadership development and training company that works with organizations of all sizes. It offers keynotes, workshops, immersive team exercises, and long-term leadership alignment programs. It also provides assessments and consulting to help companies embed leadership at every level. The training itself is built around principles developed through lived experience. Cover and Move promotes collaboration. Simple encourages clarity and avoids over complication. Prioritize and Execute helps teams focus under pressure. Decentralized Command supports autonomy so that leadership happens across the organization, not only at the top.
Top Nonqualified Executive Benefit Plan Solution 2025
With over three decades of experience in executive benefits consulting, mapbenefits® emerged from a search for an administrative partner and a solution. When no existing platform could meet the firm’s standards for administering nonqualified deferred compensation (NQDC) plans, the firm built its own. A dedicated in-house development team brought the vision to life, creating a purpose-built, cloud-based SaaS solution tailored to the complexities of NQDC plans. Today, mapbenefits® has advanced through seven generations, from version 1.0 to 7.0. Seamlessly integrating consulting expertise with enterprise-grade technology, it delivers configurable tools for plan design, compliance, and administration. mapbenefits® sets itself apart from traditional administrators through a suite of advanced platform capabilities. It is the only known NQDC solution in the United States to offer mobile enrollment, among other things, expanding accessibility for participants. The platform also supports equity compensation deferrals, a rare feature in the market, and incorporates proprietary P&LIR Technology that automates asset-liability reconciliation, enabling plan sponsors to manage their P&L exposure and balance sheet impact more effectively. “Our decision was to be different and to be memorable. The commitment to differentiation has given us the competitive advantage we needed to better compete to win,” says Todd Mezrah, CEO of mapbenefits®. That competitive edge translates into an intuitive user experience, making traditionally complex plans, such as non-qualified deferred compensation, accessible and manageable for plan sponsors, corporate clients, and participants. The platform’s front-end interface is intuitive, making it incredibly easy to generate reports, access participant statements, and track fund-specific returns.
Top Executive Search Firm 2025
A thoughtful and strategic executive search partner does more than fill roles—it helps companies plan ahead, ease recruitment demands and build leadership teams. Morgan Fleming & Partners embodies this approach by becoming a long-term partner to organizations and working closely with them on transitions, including executive retirements and strengthening succession pipelines. “We aim to understand the organization’s structure, challenges and internal capabilities to recommend talent that supports long-term success,” says James Morgan, managing director and founder. Morgan Fleming & Partners specializes in leadership recruitment for manufacturing-driven industries, focusing on packaging and technical roles that demand a detailed understanding of plant operations and industrial nuances. The team brings extensive technical expertise and knowledge of plant-level processes, allowing them to identify relevant candidates. It serves multinational conglomerates and growing family-owned enterprises, offering guidance for urgent executive searches while supporting talent development through succession planning and internal promotions that shape future leadership stability. Preventing leadership gaps is central to its consultative approach. Each engagement begins by evaluating internal talent and identifying who can be promoted before turning to external candidates as a last resort. This reflects a broader mission to reduce turnover and recruitment costs by determining the kind of executive talent needed and how that supports the organization’s long-term direction.
Top Career Coaching Service 2025
For many ambitious women, whether stepping into leadership for the first time or returning to the workforce after a break, figuring out the next move is not always straightforward. That is exactly where Next Step Career Services shines. Founded by Stephanie Renk, a certified career coach and expert résumé writer who truly understands the journey, Next Step Career Services offers clarity when the path feels foggy, confidence when self-doubt arises, and a powerful personal brand that highlights unique strengths. Designed especially for high-achieving women navigating change, its thoughtful, full-circle approach covers everything from deep self-reflection to mastering salary negotiations. Whether it is personalized coaching, polished résumés and LinkedIn profiles, strategic job searches, interview preparation, or building authentic professional networks, support is provided every step of the way. “We give people clarity, confidence and tools, so they stop spinning and start moving,” says Renk. Tailored Strategies for Lasting Career Success Clients begin by working closely with Next Step Career Services to get clear on strengths, values, and goals, which provides the focus needed for an effective job search. From there, tailored tools and strategies come into play. These include refining résumés, preparing for important interviews, boosting online presence, building thought leadership, and turning networking into meaningful connections that uncover hidden opportunities. The process does not end once a résumé is finalized or an interview is complete. Next Step Career Services stays engaged through every stage, supporting clients all the way through to the offer letter. Strategies are adjusted, résumés updated, and coaching continues, especially when unexpected life events require a change in direction midsearch. What truly sets the agency apart is its strategic yet flexible approach combined with a personal, hands-on style. Renk meets with clients across the US via Zoom, offering the right balance of honest, constructive feedback and genuine empathy.
Top Organizational Culture Service 2025
Culture is often the invisible force driving a company’s success or its struggle. Yet transforming culture—changing how people work, think, and lead—tends to be slow, costly, disruptive, and is often delivered through multi-year programs that promise transformation but instead deliver fatigue and cynicism. That’s where Principled Transformation comes in. Founded by former Fortune 500 executives Matt Herzberg and Chad Carr, the company specializes in ‘Culture Transformation at the Speed of Thought™’. It helps organizations embed culture change into the way people already work, through approaches that are simple, scalable, and proven to work across industries and geographies. “Our clients are already busy. We don’t give them more to do—we help them do what they’re already doing, better,” says Herzberg, managing partner. The company emphasizes that the challenges might be specific to different industry verticals, but the underlying issues are often the same: misalignment, fractured collaboration, slow innovation, and unclear accountability. These problems remain difficult to solve because many approaches treat culture as a standalone initiative, separate from day-to-day business priorities. Consultants often deliver dense frameworks and abstract models that rarely shift daily behavior. Principled Transformation’s model addresses these pain points in ways that are both repeatable and adaptable for organizations of all sizes — be it 500 or 500,000 employees. Focusing instead on business outcomes like revenue growth, integration speed, and margin improvement, Principled Transformation drives culture change through impacting how leaders lead. One of its core messages, featured across its materials, is direct: “Drive culture transformation without adding to your calendar.” “Every meeting, every decision, every one-on-one is a culture moment. You don’t need separate culture committees and task forces to build culture—you need leaders to show up differently,” says Carr, managing partner. That philosophy shapes every step of its process, beginning with aligning executive teams around three essentials of purpose, values, and business priorities. This isn’t a branding exercise—it’s about surfacing assumptions, resolving contradictions, and creating shared clarity.
Leadership Development
Building a Strategic Executive Search Partnership
Tanya Lulloff, GPHR, Global Director-HR, Kohler Co
Leadership Development
How to Establish or Adjust an Organizational Culture amid a Fluid Workforce
Jessica Manucy, Senior Director Talent Acquisition, TruGreen
Leadership Development
Career Observations
Andrea G. Procaccino, Vice President of Global Talent Management, Sysco
Leadership Development
Enhancing Employee Benefits with Comprehensive Plans
Michele Granitz, Head of Benefits, National Life Group
Leadership Development
Championing Recruitment Success with Strong Talent Pipelines
Jorge O. Miranda, Talent Acquisition Manager, Peabody Energy
IN MY OPINION
Leadership Development
Driving Organizational Effectiveness through Strategic Talent Development
Denver N. Ritz, Head of Talent Development and Organizational Effectiveness, Hormel Foods
LAST WORD
Leadership Development
Navigating Retirement Planning in the Ever-Changing HR Landscape
Evren Yildirim, Director, Compensation and Benefits & HRIS & Workforce Analytics, Amcor
IN FOCUS
Empowering Tomorrow's Leaders with Leadership Development Services
Leadership development services are crucial for cultivating adaptive, innovative leaders who can navigate change, empower teams, and drive organizational growth in an increasingly complex business environment.
Strategic Innovation in Non-Qualified Executive Benefits
Non-qualified executive benefit plans evolve with innovation, addressing regulatory challenges while enhancing retention, agility, and strategic alignment for stakeholders.
EDITORIAL
Evolving Leaders, Evolving Organizations
As organizations navigate the rapidly shifting dynamics of today’s economy, the importance of strong leadership, cohesive culture, and tailored executive support has never been greater. The standout services, including career coaching, executive search, culture design, and non-qualified executive benefit planning, showcase how companies are reimagining their role in guiding leaders, empowering professionals, and sustaining growth at every level of the organization.
Leadership development services are setting a new benchmark in cultivating adaptive, future-ready leaders. These services move beyond traditional training by integrating immersive learning, AI-driven assessments, and personalized coaching. The focus is not just on building skill sets but on nurturing resilience, empathy, and decision-making skills that can thrive in uncertain environments.
In tandem, career coaching services have become indispensable for professionals seeking clarity in a fragmented marketplace. Today’s career coaches don’t just guide job transitions; they serve as strategic partners who help individuals navigate evolving industries, align personal goals with organizational values, and design sustainable career paths.
For executives, retaining top talent requires more than compensation. That’s where the non-qualified executive benefit plan services stand out. These plans, tailored to the needs of high-performing leaders, reflect a sophisticated understanding of retention, motivation, and long-term financial well-being, ensuring organizations can reward excellence while remaining competitive.
Equally critical is the evolution of organizational culture services, which recognize that culture is not a static concept but a living, breathing driver of performance. Leading providers are helping businesses create inclusive, purpose-driven environments that attract and retain diverse talent while fostering innovation.
The role of the executive search firm remains pivotal. In 2025, the best firms are combining global reach with deep industry specialization, leveraging technology to identify the most qualified candidates whose values align with the organization’s long-term mission. Together, these five services represent the backbone of modern organizational excellence.
This edition features the expert perspectives of Denver N. Ritz, head of talent development and organizational effectiveness at Hormel Foods, and Evren Yildirim, director, compensation and benefits & HRIS & workforce analytics at Amcor. These esteemed professionals share their invaluable insights on the developments and challenges within the sector, along with possible solutions. We hope that the valuable insights from industry leaders featured in this edition will help you make informed decisions for your business.
