By Lauren Keller Johnson - January 2007

Excerpt

Add to... increases in compexity the increased time pressure brought by faster business cycles, globalization, and intensified competition, says executive coach Susan Battley, CEO and founder of Battley Performance Consulting (Stony Brook, NY), and what you've got is "a radically new performance model:  the plug-and-play manager.  Peak performers today need to scale up to new roles, responsibilities, and opportunities fast."

The need for speed has not only put new demands on leaders, but it's also diminished the viability of both in-company mentoring and off-site leadership development programs.  Senior managers who are already working 70-hour weeks don't have the bandwidth "to mentor 15 or 20 direct reports who may be scattered around the country or the world," says Battley.