Merge Gupta-Sunderji

Merge Gupta-Sunderji helps turn managers into leaders. A professional speaker, author, radio commentator, and consultant since 1988, Merge gives people specificand practical tools to help them achieve leadership and communication success. In just the last three years, over 13,000 managers across Canada, the U.S., and the U.K. have attended her leadership keynotes and workshops. As a leader at one of Canada’s premier oil and gas companies and a Board leader at a Credit Union for a combined total of over seventeen years, she offers a unique blend of realism and humour that consistently engages and entertains her audiences!  Previously, she was the well-known voice behind the national CBC radio column  The Softer Side of Business. She’s an award-winning published author, writing for many well-known organizations and publications, including the very popular Merge’s Monthly Mega Minute. Why Does the Lobster Cast Off Its Shell? is her most recent book project. She is now working on her latest book, The Successful Leader’s Toolkit, a hands-on practical how-to guide for leaders, scheduled to be released in 2006.

Today's most successful leaders have recognized that it is far too easy to focus time and effort on areas of improvement that ultimately make little difference to their overall career success. This short, entertaining keynote focuses on surprisingly simple actions you can take that will make a dramatic impact on your leadership effectiveness - literally overnight. You'll discover the importance of five essential factors that are key to your leadership success. This is a versatile session that can be used to energize a group at the opening or closing of a conference, or even as an after-lunch or after-dinner speech. It is well-received by virtually any group of participants as the leadership skills covered apply to both formal as well as informal leadership situations.

 

What makes a good leader? The skills required to be a good leader today are quite different from those needed even just a decade ago. And contrary to popular belief, leaders are made, not born. In a fast-paced 45-90 minutes, Merge outlines some of the key characteristics of strong leaders, and then through hands-on participation, demonstrations and real-life examples, explores some specific and practical techniques to develop these traits. This short session is most effective when delivered at the beginning of a leadership or management conference, and always leaves participants with plenty of food for thought, and impetus for further action!

 

As a leader, your ability to communicate messages that are heard, understood, and acted upon is paramount. And the old adage "It's not what you say, it's how you say it" holds true. In this upbeat and humorous keynote, Merge describes some common communication blunders made by leaders, and offers positive alternatives proven to achieve results. In a fast-paced and entertaining 45-60 minutes, walk away with several specific and practical strategies to say what you need to say, when you need to say it, without having to say it over and over again. This keynote has been known to whet appetites, so meeting planners often follow it up later in the program with a session from the Communication Toolkit.

 

Designed for both the new and experienced leader, this session focuses on specific targeted changes that managers can make to become better leaders. Through hands-on exercises, demonstrations, and meaningful real-life examples, participants leave this workshop with concrete steps in an action plan to be implemented in the weeks following. The feedback heard most often from this session is "I learned something that I can really use" and "I can really see the positive impact of my actions."  Because of the action plan orientation of this seminar, it is most effective when delivered over 1 or 2 days.

 

One of the fundamentals of good leadership is the ability to offer specific timely constructive (and yes, even motivating) feedback to employees that they can act upon to improve their performance.  This 1-day session offers practical language tools managers can use to convey the message clearly without causing defensiveness. Occasionally though, even the best manager has to deal with the high-maintenance "problem" employee - the one who takes up all your time and energy. Learn the definitive four-step model to finally deal with your problem employees. Practical, useful, realistic and down-to-earth - you'll leave this session with a better understanding of why employees don't perform, and what you can do about it. This session can also be delivered in a 1/2-day format with some reduction in depth of content.

 

Coaches, learn how to tune your team to peak performance! Using the analogy of a sports team, this seminar explores the necessary components of successful coaching in a business environment.  If you often find yourself in the position where you must lead a team of people towards an objective, but don't always receive the formal (or title) authority to go with that role, then this workshop is for you. The specific concepts and practical skills taught in this session are designed to be effective in situations of informal leadership. This workshop is most commonly delivered as 1-day or 2-day event.

 

When you make the transition to a supervisory or management role, many of the skills that made you successful in the past are no longer the ones that will make you successful in the future.  Chances are that you achieved your management position through hard work, knowledge of your job, and your demonstrated ability to get things done. In leadership, your success is now measured through other people's hard work and knowledge of their jobs, and their demonstrated ability to get things done. This makes delegation a critical skill for leadership success. The good news is that delegation is not some enigmatic talent available to only a chosen few. It is a learned ability that anyone can master. In a 1/2 or full day seminar, participants will leave with a solid understanding of what, when, and how to delegate effectively.