Temping with Tycoons: Lessons from My Leadership Reinvention

How did you get so smart?

A client using my coaching services to support her ambition to be CEO of a health care organization wasn’t the first to ask directly—or wonder silently—how I had come by the on-point advice I dispensed to help level her playing field of obstacles to her career advancement.

Learning to be so smart started growing up the youngest of nine children near Watts in the fast changing area of what would later be called South Central Los Angeles. I absorbed knowledge observing those around me, listening to people tell me what to do, and paying attention to the interactions around me.

The period of my recent life that best illustrates how I got so smart was from August 1989 until November 1994 when I was a temporary secretary sitting at the right hands of the gods of Wall Street within the quiet giant of global finance, Lazard Frères & Co.

Why did I stay there so long? There was a recession going on; temping gave me stability. It was also an intriguing place to learn about leadership and organizational behavior. I practiced active patience and took an innovative approach to my situation. That is, I used Lazard as the business school that I could afford.

Today, I'm a member of the Adjunct Faculty in the Management Department at the Zicklin School of Business within Baruch College, the nation's most ethnically diverse campus. My master's degree is in early childhood education yet my workplace experiences and reputation as a skilled public speaker and adult educator provided the credentials I needed to earn a respected role educating future leaders.

To learn how you can take an innovative look at your workplace and use it as a training room, sign up below get your free copy of my report Temping with Tycoons: Lessons from My Leadership Reinvention. Then call me at 646-373-4321 for a complimentary coaching session to discuss how you can get smart!

Lead with your best,
Leigh

Temping with Tycoons - Special Report

You might be wondering, "What can I learn from your experiences temping twenty years ago?" And, "How is your story relevant to the obstacles that I'm facing today?

"Temping with Tycoons has inspired me. It definitely helped me to look differently at the workplace and show me how to improve my interactions with my co-workers. I admire your strength and intelligence and how well you were able to solve many problems you faced in your workplace by standing up for your rights. Your book will be my guide for advancement in the corporate world." ---Baruch College Student, 2009

Reading Temping with Tycoons, you'll find out how to practice active patience to stay engaged and motivated. Questions at the end of each lesson offer ways you can help yourself apply your skills in a meaningful career.

In addition, Temping with Tycoons gives you an inside and thoughtful look at the organizational behavior and priorities of financial executives

"Temping with Tycoons: Lessons from My Leadership Reinvention is available free of charge in a PDF format. Please click here to order and download your copy.

If you would like Temping with Tycoons in a printed booklet format sent to you at an address in the continental United States, ($18.97), please click here to order.

Leigh's schedule of seminars on how to take an innovative approach to your workplace situation is available at Public Seminars.

Book Leigh for a Speaking Engagement

"Temping for Tycoons is for men and women who are looking for ways to leverage their current situations into something more fulfilling," a former employee at Lazard Frères & Co. commented after reading the report.

An accomplished speaker, Leigh's warm and inspirational style engages audiences with stories of experiences where she has transcended circumstances and overcome obstacles on her career journey. She regularly creates and develop presentations on topics around the culture of the workplace and career advancement to international, regional, and local groups.

Other readers also found value in Leigh's report.

I especially like the part where you made a point to educate yourself on your new job, not just rely on what they might teach you. I wish more of my employees would so that. --- Small business owner, Jamestown, California, pop. 3,000

A wonderful guide to being human in the workplace. --- President & CEO, global information technology company, New York City, pop. 8 million

...a reminder that every experience is worthwhile and we don't need to compromise ho we are when situations change. We're all students as well as teachers. --- Former executive on Wall Street, home of the tycoons

To book Leigh for a speaking engagement, please contact her directly at Leigh@ltr-nyc.com.

Background and Media Information

Producers, reporters, conference coordinators, and meeting planners are welcome to download the LTR media kit below.

LTR Story (PDF)
Leigh Henderson bio (PDF)
Introduction of Leigh Henderson (PDF)
Talking Points for Interview with Leigh Henderson (PDF)
Reinvention Initiative (PDF)
Color photograph (JPG)
Black and white photograph (JPG)

To book an interview with Leigh, email her at Leigh@ltr-nyc.com or call her at 646-373-4321