On the plane and headed West to San Diego.  One of my favorite places to spend a few days, although there won’t be a lot of down time this week.

Today marks the kick off of the SHRM Annual Conference & Exposition, the largest and most significant gathering of the Human Resources industry.  If you are a progressive HR practitioner or support the practice of ‘people strategy’ its likely you’ll be in San Diego this week (or you are missing out on a great opportunity to connect, listen, learn and develop)!

I believe this is an important time for the practice of HR.  Never has there been a better opportunity for the progressive, strategic HR Practitioner to shine.  In a slow growth cycle where so many industries have become commoditized and are increasingly re-inventing for a better competitive advantage TALENT is moving to the forefront.  Simply stated, The Best Talent Wins and those HR Leaders that embrace the role of Talent Ambassador and Culture Crusader will differentiate themselves and add increasingly more value to the business.

I’ll talk about these trends and the transformation inherent to the practice of HR in my session at 4 pm Monday afternoon:  HR 2.0:  Talent, Technology & Transformation.

And we’ll likely continue the conversation at the SHRM Tweet Up Monday night and the rooftop at the Hard Rock Hotel following!  Join us! Have a feeling a few of my ‘HR Famous’ friends will be there and who knows maybe @mwbuckingham or @algore will stop by…

It should be a great week and from a content perspective SHRM has once again assembled an All Star lineup of keynote speakers including one of my all time personal favorites to close the conference on Wednesday, Marcus Buckingham. Simply stated, SHRM does a conference right.

I look forward to catching up with old friends, making new connections and leaving San Diego a little more knowledgeable about the practice of people.

This week I had the distinct pleasure of hosting the world’s leading authority on Employer Branding, EBI CEO Brett Minchington.  On the second year of his 20 country/30 city Employer Brand Global Tour,  Brett (who occasionally resides in Australia) is about to publish his 2nd book on the subject, Employer Brand Leadership:  A Global Perspective.  While I have enjoyed our conversations and alliance specific to the Consulting, Brand & Communication Strategy work we are both doing what I have found most enlightening about Brett’s contribution to the industry and our time together is his unique world view.   Shaped by experiences working with the world’s leading consultants and industry practitioners  Brett offers a real global perspective.  Prior to his 30 hour journey back to the land down under I invited him to share some of it here.  What follows is a message from Employer Brand International Chairman and Author Brett Minchington.

I find around the world people are looking for similar propositions in their employment experience. Whilst there is some variance based on their stage in the employment lifecycle, people needs can be grouped into five key areas. Employees are seeking:

Fair pay for fair work – there is an imbalance of this in developed v developing nations and my concern is that developed nations have built their business models reliant upon continued access to lower wages in developing nations. We are seeing wage increases in countries such as China and India which are forcing companies to re-think their labor allocations and practices or face increasing pressure on margins.

Recognition for performance – relationships play a key role in how performance is rewarded – it’s not always a case based on merit! My concern is that workplaces around the world are becoming much more self-centered as a result and this will make it increasingly difficult for companies to build employee loyalty to drive employer brand equity,

Personal development – employees want to leave in a better stage of personal and professional development than when they arrived,

Respect- no matter the industry type or nature of work, employees want respect from managers and fellow workers, and

Friendly working environment- for many people around the world they spend more time at work than with family and friends which they care most about! So if leaders can somehow create a working environment which contributes to an employee’s sense of belonging that is good for employers and good for society!

The key differences I find in the USA compared to other regions I travel around the world can be grouped into 3 key areas:

Connectedness – Americans have been quick to embrace technology and trends such as social media to the point where I feel they have one of the most (if not the most!) collegiate workforces in the world, they are on 24/7! The challenge will be how to balance this speed with productivity and employee and customer engagement.

Pace - the rate of innovation and change – I find American companies are very focused on innovation and growth to drive increasing shareholder returns, sometimes at the expense of their most valuable asset, their people! This is at odds with how value is created in companies today – it’s the intangibles such as brand, people, IP, etc which contribute most to company value and if companies can’t keep employees engaged, they’re at risk of having a workforce which is not fully optimised.

Competitiveness – I find America is by far the most competitive country on the planet, it’s win at all costs. The U.S has a reputation outside its borders as being focused on hard, rational performance measures with less focus on intangibles such as people. My concern is this focus may continue to drive innovation where people are replaced by robots leading to a whole range of social and health issues.

I thoroughly enjoy my visits to America and connections with my American colleagues. Their approach to business is refreshing and they always seem to find a way to overcome adversity.  American patriotism is a wonderful part of its character!

Tomorrow morning I am giving a keynote at the Milwaukee Zoo.  A first for me!  I haven’t been in years…my nieces and nephews love the animals and I am actually pretty excited to check it out.

I’ll spend the morning talking about how to build a ‘Passion Culture‘.  Where people give at the office because they genuinely want to…not because they have to.  There is an enormous opportunity for Managers, Leaders and HR Professionals to tap into the passion and potential that lies dormant in so many of our organizations…before it exits the building.  Or perhaps even worse, throws in the towel while still hanging around to collect a check every two weeks.  In an economic environment where The Best Talent Wins making people the priority simply makes sense. Convincing the C Suite to invest appropriately might pose a challenge…..but it shouldn’t…and we’ll talk about it tomorrow.

I look forward to the discussion and as a former Sea World alumnus perhaps checking out the Seal/Sea Lion Show in the afternoon!  Should be a fun day.

Hope the zoo doesn’t mind me bringing The Whistle!

I recently had the pleasure of sitting down over breakfast with Bridgeworks founder David Stillman, the generational expert, professional speaker and author of the new book The M-Factor:  How The Millenial Generation is Rocking the Workplace.   The  book is a must read for HR professionals, Leaders and Managers who need to raise awareness and develop competency specific to the challenges associated with 4 generations intersecting in our workplace.

As a fellow Xer who incorporates generational content into my own speaking/training business I can tell you the conflicts are real and on the rise.  Increasingly occurring between Xers like me and the eager, idealistic and opportunistic Millenials joining our organizations/teams.  We struggle because we also coveted much of what this emerging generation demands from work – meaning, flexibility, opportunities to develop and advance.  We often paid our dues, the “traditional” way.  Suited up, arriving at the office at 8 am and grinding through menial task assignments to prove ourselves with annual performance reviews as the standard feedback mechanism.

That approach is going….going…..gone.   Thank goodness.  Millenials are the fastest growing segment of our workforce and as we enter the next growth cycle they will contribute increasingly more value to our organizations and demand an increasingly improved work experience.  The M Factor offers excellent insights based on hard research to bridge gaps and foster improved connections and communication to favorably impact work culture.

The Bridgeworks Team offers programs, workshops and consulting specific to the generational issues organizations are confronting.  I also recently spent a little time with their Milleneial keynoter, Seth Mattison.  A speaker pro and authentic voice of Gen Y we had a nice exchange around the challenges and opportunity associated with the generational intersection.  Suffice it to say that reverse mentoring offers each generation an opportunity to better understand one another and improve collaboration.  And while Seth would rather make plans via text or Facebook and I tend to prefer a phone call or e-mail there is plenty of common ground.  What he covets in his career is trust, flexibility/autonomy and the organization that is willing to invest in him for what is coming next.  He wants to conquer the world.  Now.

So do I.  And if I were to ever head back to a more traditional corporate gig again, I will demand likewise.

I typically don’t walk away from conversations about Employment Branding and Employee Engagement blown away.  I have a pretty decent perspective on the industry and its evolution.  Friday’s conversation with Polly Pearson, VP of Employment Brand and Strategy Engagement for EMC was the exception.

Polly is a progressive communications executive with vision for the impact EB initiatives can have on culture.  She is a no BS, brand from the inside out thought leader and our conversation confirmed for me the impact and significance having the right leader in the EB role can have on business outcomes.

We talked a bit about the misconception that EB was a strategy specific to talent acquisition.  From her perspective, that is the easy stuff.  The hard part is “winning over the hearts and minds of their people.” Banking on the idea that people inherently want to be successful and contribute in meaningful ways to meaningful work at some level it means simply removing the barriers that inhibit potential – and just getting out of the way.  It also means being forward thinking enough to let people do more of what they love and not being confined to the limitations of job titles, policies and procedure.

EMC is clearly winning with a culture of “collaboration and connection”…..and you can learn more about how she drives this initiative and her ideas for 2010 at her blog Building and Branding Careers, Culture and Cool (and yes, they are hiring!).

Employment Branding isn’t all about image.  It’s about execution and experience. Polly delivers and provides keen insight and best practices that other organizations can learn from and leverage to make some real progress in the talent engagement arena.

If you get the chance she is definitely a webinar or conference keynote worth watching!

Remember the movie, Meet the Parents?  Where Gaylord Faucker was hopelessly left outside his soon to be father in law’s magic circle of trust despite his every effort and very best of intentions. Once he was outside the circle it took quite the herculean effort to get back inside.

TRUST is a major issue in the workplace today.  Employee engagement has waned and the prevailing feeling in so many organizations can only be described as anxious and trapped.  It matters little whether the marketplace is talent rich, if the talent on the team isn’t aligned to the objectives and invested in the outcomes.  And invested just enough not to get fired doesn’t count.  I know a lot of passive jobs seekers, working and waiting for something better to come their way.

Sales and Marketing have a Circle of Trust with their customers.  So does Recruiting and Leadership with their employees. And trust and engagement are never higher than the moment someone says YES!  Once the big decision is made the trust should solidify and escalate into endearing loyalty and evangelism.  But it usually doesn’t.  The circle breaks down.

When interest is elevated and engagement is high its a violation if the ‘experience’ doesn’t meet the ‘expectation’.  Brands (and employer brands) that can deliver an experience, that exceed expectations consistently (exceed once and fail twice and you’ll drive people crazy and right into the hands of the competition) build loyalty and have the opportunity to drive evangelism.

Transparency and Authenticity are the new mandate.  You better BE what you SAY.  I read a great quote about this on the Edelman site last night.

“Audiences expect companies to interact with authenticity and transparency. Companies need engagement. Both will only achieve these if driven by compelling content that courts, plays and engages with credibility and professionalism. As Peter Whitehead wrote in the Financial Times, Web 2.0 is a world in which anyone can have a go at generating content; Web 3.0 is where professionals take the lead in shaping that content.  And those professionals are the production experts and the multichannel, multimedia engagement experts. A new world, needing a new marketing offer. It’s all for the taking.”

Content is everywhere.  Quality is another matter entirely.  And better communication inside and outside the company is imperative.  And experience is what really counts.

Authentic, Sincere, Transparent, Timely and Relevant Communication builds TRUST. With employees and customers.

How is your company doing?  Are they inside your circle?

With another year passing and new decade upon us comes a moment of opportunity unlike most any other throughout the year.  It’s a time that mandates real reflection.  Individuals and organizations taking inventory of decisions and assessing opportunity on the horizon.  A fresh start.  Clean slate.  Optimism.  And for many of us that means resolutions.  Find a new job?  Quit smoking?  Balance my work/life?  Lose 10 lbs?  Grow my business?  Some of the more popular choices that typically make the ‘wish list’.  I’ve been a “Resolutioner” – setting ambitious personal/professional targets and sprinting out of the gates January 1 only to lose momentum by the time the snow melted (that would be late April in Minnesota).  And I know that I’ll see the Resolutioners out in droves packing the health club next week.  It usually thins out again mid March. Why the fall off?  My own self assessment related to both personal and professional/corporate objectives is lack of process and planning.  Turning resolutions into results requires a game plan.  A clearly defined strategy.  What I am referring to this year as ‘Resolve 2010‘:

Review:  Change requires an honest inspection and assessment.  What specific decisions lead to the destination?  And the critical component of a good resolution review is accountability.  As a leader/manager, individual contributor or in your personal life its best to focus inward.  Take stock of the I that impacts the “we” or “they”.  Understanding where you’ve been is critical to help you get where you want to be going.

Reinvent:  2010 is a time for reinvention. Your company, your strategy, your brand/marketing and your career.  In fact, the entire Jan/Feb issue of Harvard Business Review is devoted to this concept and offers a great read for the recalibration that is going to be required for many of us coming out of this recession.  Transformation requires BIG ideas.  But this is the exciting part.  Change.  Business models being ripped apart and reconstructed.  Customer expectations evolving.  Value propositions being reset.  A global marketplace.  New skills and competency required to compete. Opportunity that is now a constant moving target.

Reset:  What I like to refer to as adjusting to the new normal.  A faster pace.  Constant change. Continuing education.  A climate that mandates real authenticity and transparency to earn trust.  Where BOLD innovations are required to stay even.  Real reinvention requires working a different way.  And communication and competency are critical components of execution in an environment where what you say is openly evaluated against what you do on a daily basis. When you hit reset as an organization you have a clearly articulated strategy and alignment around mission – vision – values.  These guiding principles are clear in the minds of stakeholders and create a culture of engagement, performance, accountability and trust. And the organization of ME, Inc. can apply those very same principles.

Relationships:  The most essential aspect to my own professional reinvention has been relationships.  And a big part of my own Resolve 2010 plan is to do some real relationship inventory and focus on renewing and respecting the important relationships I have.  It’s an essential ingredient to success.  As a speaker, consultant and novice blogger I am fortunate to have collected new and increasingly important relationships over the last 12 months.  It’s likely that people I didn’t know 12 months ago will read this, comment, offer a word of counsel, support or constructive criticism.  That is a gift.  And as the former Chief Strategy Officer for a division of a Fortune 500 enterprise, success was directly attributed to the strength of my relationships with colleagues, customers and the community (industry) we served.  As a Manager, I was responsible for driving results for an organization that required a massive commitment from the team.  As a Leader, I was responsible for serving and guiding others so they could realize their full potential personally and professionally.  I’ve been in the Relationship Business a long, long time.

Resolve:  This is the most essential ingredient for turning a resolution into reality.  The elevated sense of discipline and commitment required to see it through to result and the understanding that effort and results are two very different things.  It also means focus and clarity.  Deciding what not to do and where not to spend time are essential ingredients to staying the course. If you want to accomplish a BIG thing personally or professionally in 2010 it requires alignment of a lot of little things along the way. And the elimination and avoidance of unnecessary and irrelevant distractions.  In the words of legendary football coach Vice Lombardi you have to “plan your work, and work your plan.”  What gets eliminated from the game plan is just as essential as what stays in.

I know that I am solely responsible for making my own Resolve 2010 plan a reality.  But I am lucky that I’ll get by with a little help from my friends along the way.

Happy New Year!

I remember my first real  internship.  Cold calling thousands of C- leads to try and squeeze out some level of moderate interest for the VP of sales at a transportation company in the suburbs of Cleveland, OH.  A cubicle, phone, lead list and survey I was instructed to conduct if I was able to keep a prospect on the phone long enough to actually answer a question.  Which didn’t happen very often.  Not exactly “field experience” or a big resume builder but it was what I thought I needed at the time.  Truth be told I learned far more about professional selling, customer service, internal client relations and leadership working as a waiter for 5 summers than I did smiling and dialing with my handy transportation survey.

So, this summer, when I was managing my own intern I had hoped to provide a bit of an elevated experience.  And while I stumbled often, I am pleased to say that my intern (Lora) decided to stick around past our end of summer expiration date and continue to lend a hand at REA.  And she rocks.  Organized, efficient and interested in learning and growing her skills so she is better prepared to enter a competitive job market when she graduates this spring.  The other day I was actually wondering if her ‘internship experience’ was proving beneficial (and was hoping it was a little more useful to her than my own).  So I asked.  And her perspective on the experience offered me some terrific feedback and ran a bit contrary to some of the stereotyping associated with Gen Y (specifically around social media and loyalty).  And Lora’s perspective is one worth sharing.  Plus, it wouldn’t be an internship if we didn’t have fun assignments like write your first blog post.

So, a few thoughts from Lora, our Rock Star Start Up Intern!

About me:

I am Lora Berthiaume, a senior at the University of St. Thomas, Minnesota. I am studying Marketing and Advertising, in hopes to have a job that allows me to be creative in every way possible. When I am not in class or studying hard, you can find me interning at Ryan Estis & Associates.

What I am learning in my intern experience that I didn’t already know:

Throughout my internship, which started in June 2009, I have gained more hands-on knowledge and business experience than words can even describe. I have been able to sit in on client meetings and project planning meetings, those alone opening my eyes to the real world.

I also was put in charge of calling and emailing speaker’s bureaus, which I absolutely dreaded. I now know after all of that, that it is not so bad to have to make calls. It was nerve racking the first couple of times, but the more I knew what I was talking about, the easier it got. I believe that experience has helped my communication and speaking skills grow.

Before the internship started, I did not have a Linkedin or Twitter account. I was definitely a skeptic of Twitter, but Ryan Estis made Kristi Jones (an employee at REA) sit down with me and teach me the ways of Twitter. Now I realize how helpful and fun it actually is.

I am learning that it is imperative that employees work together and build on each other in order to have success within a company. If no one is collaborating with one another, goals and objectives will not be accomplished in a timely manner.

My thoughts on social media, job searching and how we (Gen Y) use these new web tools:

Social media is a crucial part of our (Gen Y) lives both personally and professionally. Facebook is probably the most common type of social media used for us. It is our way to connect with classmates and old friends, procrastinate on work that we should be doing, as well as keep up to date with the social lives of everyone (also known as Facebook stalking). For the most part, we try to use Facebook strictly for social purposes with friends. Since we do like Facebook for social purposes, it tends to be questionable when a company or employer tries to contact and recruit us via Facebook. I think most of us agree that it would bother us and would feel like it was an invasion to our personal and social lives if employers or companies added or messaged us on Facebook. It is not that we do not want information on opportunities, because with this economy we will take just about anything, but more so it is our perception that Facebook is not for professional use. To most of us, recruitment opportunities should be sent via Linkedin and Twitter.

As indicated above, Linkedin and Twitter are our links to the professional world. Linkedin and Twitter are still foggy areas for our generation, but I think they are growing on us slowly but surely. Most of my classmates and friends have a Linkedin account, but do not use it to the full potential. Only about 20% of my friends have a Twitter, and to be honest, a lot of non-users seem to be extremely skeptical of it. My thoughts on the skeptics are that they do not know the benefits Twitter has; Such as links for blogs that might provide you with helpful hints and advice for interviewing, links that list job openings, or just random information (or gossip) about your favorite celebrity!

As far as job searching goes, most people I know use their university’s career development website that provides job and internship opportunities. Those types of websites usually are able to get rid of the scam job listings that most other public job search sites contain.

Why I still work for Ryan even though he doesn’t pay me?

That is a great question. I ask myself that everyday. Just kidding! Other than the fact that interning for Ryan Estis & Associates is a great résumé builder, I am not only learning different aspects of business and social media, but also time management. Interning in addition to working part-time and going to school full-time has tested my capabilities for meeting deadlines. I am now able to juggle all three responsibilities, and get everything I need to done. This is what I imagine it will be like at a “real” full-time job, and so I am glad I have the experience to know different ways to manage my time efficiently when I have multiple projects to work on. This internship is obviously not helping me pay off my massive student loans, but it is helping me receive priceless knowledge and experience, and I thank Ryan Estis for the great opportunity he has given me!

The practice of Human Resources is poised to look very different coming out of this recession.   Through the recent challenging economic climate employers have been forced to confront harsh realities around image, reputation management, cost containment, employee  engagement and productivity.  As we prepare for the next growth cycle our approach to competitive talent strategy will require transformation.   Globalization, commoditization, generational and technological  drivers are accelerating change and introducing new challenges to the way we acquire, engage and manage human capital.  Understanding the attitude and expectations of today’s workforce and building strategy to drive engagement, productivity and protect tier one talent will be mission critical to build the sustainable talent advantage necessary to win in today’s competitive marketplace.

While many organizations hit the pause button on infrastructure and investment in human capital over the last 12-18 months, those with more foresight and focus are poised to leverage an advantage.  HR as a function also has an opportunity to emerge from this recession poised to contribute to business in a much more significant way – as the true custodians of the organizations talent – a function that will that will likely be more meaningful than any other as it relates to the opportunity to accelerate business growth.

Over the next year we’ll watch HR grow up and continue to evolve into its rightful place as a critical and strategic driver of business growth and sustained success.  4 keys that should transpire:

1. Talent will emerge as a critical C suite issue.  There isn’t going to be a labor shortage, but demand will escalate for certain critical skills and competencies.  HR will need additional investment and resourcing will be procured by the practitioner community that can build a proof of concept business case and step into accountability that really matters to the business.  In sports when the owner spends money to upgrade talent they expect it show up in the Win/Loss column and eventually a championship.  Business is no different.  Time to fill?  Sourcing Data?  Retention and Engagement trends.   So what?  Show me where/how it saves (or preferably makes) me money, contributes to growth and helps the 5 year vision become reality.
2. Trust is a foundational issue impacting culture, engagement, performance and retention that many organizations must address to protect talent and avoid an exodus of skill as recovery provides more opportunity.  Reports of employee engagement rising slightly during this recession are indicative of people feeling more trapped than engaged and recognizing there were opportunity limitations in considering a career transition.  That will change. “54% of employed Americans plan to look for a new job once the economy rebounds.  The sentiment is even stronger among younger workers, with nearly 75 percent of those between ages 18 and 29 reported as likely to look for new jobs once the economy turns around.”  At the heart of the issue is Communication and Competency.  Organizations must do a better job in the next 12 months connecting with talent and investing in their human capital (training).  That is part of the protection strategy.
3. Technology is an enabler that can help HR transform and the burden of assessment/selection relative to the right solutions suite for the business need is imperative.  The vendor community is a buzz with tools and claims creating more confusion than ever in the marketplace (and they will have an escalating  proof of concept challenge also).  A future directed HR organization will have embedded expertise to evaluate, integrate and leverage new tools and technology to accomplish business objectives.  The way we connect and communicate has forever changed and that is an advantage for organizations invested in building community to impact culture.  That doesn’t mean everyone needs to be on Twitter.  There is a balance and intersection between High Tech/High Touch.  You can’t automate relationships.  But you can expedite your opportunity to have more of the right kind of introductions and leverage new tools to aid performance.
4. Transition is a natural outcome and we’ll see more talent from outside the HR industry migrate in to drive innovation.  I see it regularly.  Good marketing/communications and PR talent entering the space.  Finance and operations migrating in as well.  As the practice becomes  ever more critical to business success HR could generate more interest from non-traditional talent and/or more placement from executives who demand a different outcome.

The Time for HR to rise to the occasion has never been better.  A favorite quote of mine from the Jim Collins book Good to Great is: “Great organizations preparing for the future know the ultimate throttle on business growth and success isn’t just about markets, technology, and innovation. In fact, there is one critical consideration above all others: the ability to get and keep enough of the right people.”  That should be the HR mission and for many companies that need to focus on Talent First, there is much work to be done in 2010.

The Best Talent Wins!

Malcom Gladwell explains Passion on Purpose this way, “These three things, autonomy, complexity and a connection between effort and reward – are, most people agree, the three qualities that work has to have if it is to be satisfying.  It is not how much money we make that ultimately makes us happy between 9 and 5.  It’s whether the work fulfills us.  If I offered you a choice between being an Architect for $75,000 a year and working in a tollbooth every day for the rest of your life for $100,000 a year, which would you take?  I am guessing the former because there is a relationship between effort and reward in doing creative work, and that’s worth more to most of us than money.  Work that fulfills those 3 criteria is meaningful.  Being a Teacher is meaningful.  Being a Physician is meaningful.  So is being an Entrepeneur.”

Sage advice.  Meaningful Work is a value proposition deeply coveted by many a person and often overlooked by the organization.  It’s necessary to building a true, sustainable talent advantage.  And personally, you gotta ‘love what you do’!

We’ll do a deep dive today with buisness leaders in Holland, MI during my keynote The Best Talent Wins.

I cannot wait to get to work today!