The leader of her own human capital consulting firm says 50% of first-time CEOs are not successful in that role. Why? Among the leading reasons: Not reading the company culture correctly. Bermes & Associates strives to fix that, with executive onboarding the fastest-growing portion of its business. And with a financial cost of at least two times the executive’s salary (to recover, recruit, hire again, etc.), it’s best to do everything possible to avoid those failures. Bermes brings her background in research and evidence-based solutions to the table. She talks about effective teams, healthy conflict, a different take on gender disparity and more.

 Learn about Emily and the Fort Wayne-based company (with a Chicago office) at www.bermesassociates.com.