Human Resources: Thought Leaders

Thought Leaders
Industry Gurus Live

Dear $firstname,

Welcome to the Thought Leaders - Best Practices from HR Executives Newsletter! You are receiving this email because as a member of the HR.com community you have expressed an interest in receiving our Thought Leaders update. It is our mission at HR.com to always provide you with the most relevant and up-to-date HR information. To alter your subscription preferences or noted areas of interest please update your online profile here. New articles are added daily.

Thought Leader: Pierce J. Howard on Career and Life Applications for Mind-Brain Research

Dr. Pierce Howard is the author of the newly revised 1,000-page best seller "The Owner's Manual for the Brain - Everyday Applications From Mind-Brain Research." He recently spoke to Rich DiGeorgio about his work.

He is the Co-founder and Director of Research at the Charlotte-based Center for Applied Cognitive Studies, a consulting and training firm that develops tools and services based on ongoing cognitive research to improve hiring, teamwork, productivity, learning and other organizational processes.

RD: Well, Pierce, I have to admit that I didn't read all 1,000 pages in preparing for this interview, but I did have to force myself to put the book down. The brain, brain research and its application to everyday living is a fascinating topic. It was hard to get a handle on where to focus the interview, but I decided to focus on some key areas like learning, sleep and stress management, etc. In each area, I want to ask you to identify three to five key applications of the research to everyday life that you think most people are either not aware of or have a misconception about. If it makes sense to you, we will explore that research and the reasons behind the applications.

Before we get into the applications, I do want you to say a bit about the research that went into the book.

PH: Edith Wharton once made the comment, "there are two ways of spreading truth and knowledge; one is to actually do the research yourself and the other one is to spread the word of those who have done the research." I tend to fall in the later camp. My primary role is that of an interpreter. I love to read academic journals and books, but I also have a nose for what's practical and what can make a difference for the average person. So, at academic conferences there are three kinds of attendees; researchers, practitioners and interpreters. I tend to fall into the interpreter camp.

RD: Obviously you have been staying on top of this field and you give us a huge amount of information in this book. Tell us a little bit more about the kinds of things you do to keep on top of this growing area of research.

PH: In addition to having paper subscriptions and Internet subscriptions to a variety of sources, I keep my eyes and ears open for all kinds of new information. When I was working on the first draft of the book back in 1992 and 1993, I wanted to call the book, "So What", meaning here are all these research results, so what practical difference does it make? My wife thought that was a little bit flip, so we came up with a bit more of a business-like title which was, "The Owner's Manual For The Brain."

The way the book is organized, there are over 400 research findings and each finding is accompanied by one or more practical applications. The research findings are printed in black and the applications are printed in blue. You can either read the research alone, read the applications alone, or you can read both and come out black and blue like me.

RD: What is the latest thinking on the Nature-Nurture issue?

For All Members:
- View the entire article here. All articles are now available to all logged in members of HR.com for FREE.

For Premier Members:
-View the archive of the interview here.
-Download PowerPoint file of the interview here.
-Download MP3 sound file of the interview here.

Richard DiGeorgio is the principal of Richard M. DiGeorgio & Associates, a management consulting firm. He is a change management consultant, leadership trainer and coach. Richard has twenty-nine years of experience as an executive and change consultant with three Fortune 500 firms, eighteen of those years were spent at Mobil Oil. His last assignment was as an internal change consultant on assignment to Project Horizon, Mobil Oil's effort to improve its effectiveness in building capital projects and save $500M a year. He has helped companies with mergers & acquisitions, improved technology transfer, team building and change management.

His firm incorporates a network of quality consulting firms who have worked in numerous industries and at all levels of Fortune 500 companies. Richard can be reached at 215.369.0088, changerich[at]aol.com and www.change-management.net.

Sponsored by

Join us for our next live Thought Leader interview with

Bob Kaplan and Rob Kaiser on Making the Most of Your Strengths Without Overdoing It

July 17, 2006
1:00 - 2:00 p.m. ET

In this live webcast you will learn:

Why the strengths-based approach has gained so much attention.
What happens when a leader overdoes a particular strength.
When leaders underuse a behavior critical to their success and the underlying issues involved.
The two major oppositions in leadership.
The definition of versatility and what it looks like in practice.
The problem with typical leadership assessment instruments.
A brief look at the Leadership Versatility Index (patent pending).
The ramifications of lopsidedness and developmental recommendations.

This upcoming webcast is free for Premier Members of HR.com, or you can pay to see this webcast for $150 US per webcast.

Still a Guest Member of HR.com?

Upgrade to Premier Membership now for only $299US per year and receive unlimited access to all webcasts (400+)

If you enjoy the Thought Leader interviews, then you will enjoy our recently published book,
Thoughts From The Top: A Collection of Interviews with Business Gurus
by HR.com Publishing

Thoughts From The Top: A Collection of Interviews with Business Gurus is an amazing anthology of higher thinkers including, David Ulrich, Kenny Moore, Marshall Goldsmith and Erin Brockovich. It's 348-pages of exclusive interviews with top experts discussing the proven strategies, the philosophies, and the best methods they have used to strengthen their organizations. Each chapter features a different expert who reveals his/her best practices to help professionals deal with the people side of business.

Buy this book today!

View HR.com's privacy policy and terms of service.

Thought Leaders - July 13, 2006