Upcoming Webcasts

This session will provide a background on how lean thinking and tools can help safety and any HR function. Following the teachings of W. Edwards Deming, Toyota created a production system, now commonly referred to as lean production. What is not well understood is that “lean” works in any office and business, regardless of size. Whether healthcare, small enterprise, food service, or non – profit, “lean” can help improve teamwork, culture and drive continuous improvement, but only if we go back to basics and strip away the mystery that this thinking is only for the manufacturing floor. Participants in the session will gain new insight into both “how” and “why” standards should be developed.

Many people may think that because there is high unemployment and lots of good people out of work during these challenging economic times that the talent shortage is over. The truth is the talent shortage is actually getting worse. There are a lot of people out of work, but companies and organizations are still in dire need of the right kind of talent. The larger demographic picture which includes an aging workforce and fewer young people moving into the workforce to replace them, has made the need to attract and retain the best talent even more critical than ever before. Tighter corporate budgets mean that the people who are working are under greater pressure with fewer resources. In order for a company or organization to sustain itself and be competitive in its market, it needs every person functioning at his or her optimal level. This means that they are healthy, creative, energetic, focused, passionate, and committed to what they do. They need to bring all their best ideas and work effectively and collaboratively together for the common good.

Does your business face a turnaround or significant restructuring? Do you operate in countries undergoing an economic downturn? Does your HR budget get cut year over year or is it nominal to begin with? Do you believe that business uncertainty has become “the new normal”? If any of these scenarios sound familiar, then this session may be for you. I will explore how organizations facing a turbulent environment can drive strategic value through targeted activity across the talent management cycle. The session will provide insights from my experience as a management consultant and corporate talent strategy leader as well as external research and thought leaders.

The emergence of the ‘global business’ model has brought a broader and ‘real time’ approach to leadership in the business climate. The influence of many complex factors has contributed to the increase in task variety and decrease in task accomplishment. Consequently, Human Resource professionals are left to address the question, ‘How do I assist the organization in accomplishing more without taking on more? While, seemingly, easier to move, undefined, tasks into the Human Resource function, the process negates the critical development of leadership roles across a spectrum of organizational disciplines This presentation will focus on the ‘Strategic Consultation’ Leadership/Management model in which the focus is on leading by way of consultation. Research and practices gathered from consulting experiences will be presented.

“Awaken the Sleeping Giants” poignantly speaks to the pivotal role HR plays at this crucial time. Through a deeper understanding of the upcoming talent shortage and its future implications, HR will be compelled to claim their place at the boardroom table. It will mean partaking in company direction, strategy and equipping the corporate culture with the “Attraction Factor”. HR will have to “stand in the gap” to create a sea-change in thinking, new levels of conscious intention and developing company culture by design rather than by default. This powerful talk is a must-attend for HR Professionals interested in their organization’s survival.

In this changing market, the power to connect with your customer, employee or colleague has never been more important. Learn how to connect and persuade through narrative in this dynamic and interative presentation that explores the reasons why a story is such a powerful and necessary tool to master. The presentation will cover story structure, how information is stored and recalled, as well as practical tools and tips to improve story-telling and ultimately your overall presentation skills. The ability to tell a story well so that there is an emotional connection will help Leaders create connections not only with their colleagues and employees but with their customers. The valuable lessons learned will become second nature and subconsciously weaved into all facets of your business life.

We often hear that developing one’s "personal brand" is imperative as part of professional/leadership development. If we use a lens where "personal brand" is analogous to our favourite consumer brands, we can mostly agree that we expect the packaging, attributes, features of these brands to remain consistent and reliable over time. Conversely, we might all agree that Leadership is a lifelong journey of continuous learning, growth, and change. That being said, the taxonomy “personal brand” is seemingly out of sync with how many of us view Leadership Development. However, “Cultivating your Leadership Voice” is about developing and sharing your personal knowledge, skills, abilities, experience and character- and ultimately the story of your journey (your “Song Sheet”), and how it evolves over time. We will discover how we can do that in this session.

Fifty to 60% of companies fail to achieve their goals and objectives (Source: McKinsey & Co and IBM Global Business Services). What can be done about this and whose responsibility is it to see that the situation improves? The first question is why does this happen with the answer being because employees don’t know what they need to do to help the company achieve its goals and objectives, and/or because they are too preoccupied with personal issues to do what is expected of them. The responsibility for this rests with the CEO, however he or she can’t do what is needed alone. While Human Resources should be the obvious choice to address this problem it is not viewed as a “line” function as often as it is “staff”, and as a result, they are not called upon to help with goal achievement. This presentation discusses both the problem (why companies fail to achieve their goals and objectives) as well as what HR can do to gain the trust of senior management regarding their contribution to the overall effort.

Improving employee engagement is a strategic objective for more than 80% of organizations today. Research shows that self-managing employees and team working in collaborative environments creates higher engagement and produces superior results. It is the new leadership model in the knowledge based economy. The current leadership model is proving ineffective because employee engagement levels are stalled and the typical performance management tools are equally dreaded by both managers and employees. This webinar explains the key elements needed to create self-managing team and self-managing employees. It will provide you with an introduction to self-management techniques that will help to create that ideal workplace. You will learn why your current leadership model is inadequate, new leadership model and set of tools that will enable leaders to improve their ability to facilitate optimum employee engagement and development and specific steps to start the evolution for yourself and your team.

HR has the potential to be a highly impactful, strategic business partner to the organization. To achieve this potential, though, HR will have to be run more like a business. Attend this session to learn the four critical steps of running HR like a business: First, align initiatives to key organizational goals. Second, plan the initiatives carefully, including reaching agreement with the sponsors on expected impact from the initiative. Third, execute the planned initiatives with discipline through regular reporting and dedicated monthly meetings. Fourth, measure and evaluate to ensure the planned impact was delivered or learn why it was not.