Karla Leis is a President and Chief Executive Officer at PAR Systems. Colleagues describe them as "When I think of the ideal leader, I think of someone who can balance thoughtfulness and decisiveness, compassion and directness, someone who walks the walk and talks the talk in living their values and expectations, and someone who takes genuine time to get to know the organization. Karla embodies all these qualities and more. Karla joined PAR to help turn around the business, and while she has done that, she has done much more. Karla gained the trust and credibility of the organization in a very quick period of time through her hands on leadership, getting out there and talking to people. When she says she has an open door, she means it. It is not only open but she makes sure that she opens that door to welcome people in. Her ability to connect with people instantaneously is inspiring. She showed patience in getting to know a super complex business and was able to use that patience to make swift decisions to help propel the business forward. Her even keel demeanor and ability to listen, coupled with her drive for action, is what PAR needed. It's what every organization needs! (and WE need her, so hands off recruiters :) ) On a personal level, working with her has been an honor. She is a trusted partner and an HR dream. She cares about people and doing what is right for our culture. She is open to listening to out of the box ideas if it helps PAR employees be better for themselves and the organization. She challenges me and I learn so much from her each and every single day! Karla is the definition of an amazing leader."