Speaking
Many groups are looking for a way to bring the latest trends and issues affecting talent, innovation and intelligent organizations into focus – and to gain confidence and consensus for action.
My speeches and workshops are designed to do just that. With humor – and a clear discussion of the interplay among shifting attitudes, new technologies, changing demographics, and the latest understanding of engagement, collaboration and innovation – I help you “turn on the light bulb” within your group and, at the appropriate time, work through the ideas and approaches best suited to meet your organization’s shifting needs.
All my sessions are customized to the specific needs and interests of your group and can be done as either a keynote lecture of 60-90 minutes or an interactive workshop of 3-6 hours. For workshops, I have developed a number of popular group exercises designed to encourage wide-spread participation, learning, and application.
Here are the most frequently requested topics for my speaking engagements and workshops today.
Leading a Multi-Generational Workforce
Four generations are working together in today’s workplace—and a fifth is on the way. Each brings unique assumptions to the job. As a result, events in the workplace are often interpreted differently by individuals in different generations. What may seem like good news to a Boomer might well be an unsettling and unwelcome development to a member of Generation X. Things that members of Gen Y love often seem unappealing or frivolous to those in older generations.
Global Generations
Geography significantly influences the formation of generational beliefs and behavior. Each country’s unique social, political, and economic events shape specific views and attitudes among today’s adults. Understanding these country-to-country differences is critical to creating employment deals that attract and retain the best employees in each geographic area. Western generational models cannot be applied broadly to a global workforce.
Get Ready for the Next Wave: The Re-Generation
The next demographic wave is almost ready to hit the shore. Children who are 15-and-under today are almost certainly not members of Generation Y. They’ve been influenced by a very different set of global events than those that shaped the ideas and preferences of people in their late teens and 20s today.
Ten Assumptions that Are No Longer True . . . But Still Shape Our Organizations Today
Today’s organizations are ripe for change. Over the next several decades, we’ll see very different business entities take their place. Why? Because today’s organizations were designed in response to conditions that no longer exist. They are predicated on a set of underlying assumptions that most of us quickly recognize are not valid today. Do you still think loyal behavior at work will lead to a lifetime of protection and care from the corporation? Of course not. But many of our cherished talent management practices, from pension plans to perquisites, like vacation, that are based on tenure, are holdovers from the days when this old assumption rang true.
What Does It Mean to Work Here? A Signature Experience for Extraordinary Engagement
A highly engaged workforce has never been more important. Much of the work today requires an individual’s discretionary effort – people have to choose to innovate, share knowledge, and provide extraordinary service. Many employees, particularly those in younger generations, are less motivated by money than the connection they feel to the work. And the lingering recessionary climate has left many employees demoralized – and in need of a significant emotional boost.
Innovation in the Intelligent Economy: Bringing People and Ideas Together
The heart of innovation is the combination of two previously unrelated ideas. Creating the capacity for innovation in your organization means encouraging collaboration: namely, sharing knowledge and working together to create new ideas. The paradox: many of the best ways to encourage collaboration work against innovation! How can you balance both?
Building Collaborative Organizations
New technologies are making their way into the workplace, offering significant improvements in generating, capturing, and sharing knowledge, finding helpful colleagues and information, tapping into new sources of innovation and expertise, and harnessing the “wisdom of crowds.” Over time, these collaborative technologies will change the way work is done and the way organizations function. They will shift the way we interact with people on our teams, find external expertise when it’s needed, and share ideas and observations more broadly.
Four Keys to Social Media Adoption
“We’ve spent a fortune on collaborative technology, but no one is using it . . . or if they are, it’s for purely social, non-productive activities.” Sound familiar? It’s a lament heard many times from organizations that have raced to bring social media in the workplace. Today most leaders are sold on the tremendous potential new collaborative technologies present to change the way work gets done: increasing productivity, stimulating innovation, and enhancing employee engagement. But realizing the benefits is proving to be a frustrating challenge for many.
For additional information on these topics, email Mel Blake at Monitor Talent, or call 617-252-2472.
