03
Oct

HR Professional – Key Traits for Next-Gen HR

Last week I came across an article by Williams Recognition about the 5 traits of a Human Resources Professional. The traits they listed were: Commitment to company and employee; superior organizational skills; ability to multitask; impartiality; and continuous improvement. To me, this seems really 1980s, and helps to prolong the unfortunate stereotype …
19
Sep

Effective Communication – tone, body language, and brevity

I’ve taught many workshops and coached more leaders than I can count on effective communication.  One of the most important lessons that continues to manifest is that it is not what you say that matters, but how you say it. Here are 3 lessons that help you say what you mean with more than your words. A study by Dr Mehrabian investigated the impact …
08
Sep

How can you create memories for your customers?

I’ve always loved this story of Johnny the Bagger, a grocery store bagger who was inspired by creating memories for customers and found his own special way to do so. Anyone can create memories for customers.  How are you inspiring your team to do so?          
06
Sep

Reflections on how to find happiness by conquering fear

A few months ago, I ran for a Director of Communication position for my chapter of the HRPA, and lost. I’d be lying if I didn’t say I can’t stand losing anything, but I was fully inspired by the leader who won the position, who had about 20 years of corporate communication experience and runs her own communications company. She was …
25
Aug

Service by iPad – Pros, Cons and Recommendations for Restaurants

There is a lot of buzz about De Santos, a restaurant in New York, using iPads to help serve their guests. Several months ago, I experienced “service by iPad” recently at a Canadian chain restaurant which was testing the technology. It was still in test phase, and was mainly used as a menu, not for ordering, but as we used it, my guest and …
22
Aug

Customer Service War: Myth vs Fact

During last week’s #leadershipchat, Becky Carroll (Customers Rock!), author of “The Hidden Power of Your Customers” shared great insights on why companies should focus more efforts on extraordinary customer service for existing customers.  For me, she was speaking to the converted.  I’m a huge proponent of a paradigm shift …
15
Aug

3 Simple Steps to Storytelling

I am often reminded, when I am watching a presentation, that storytelling does not come naturally to many people.  I don’t mean telling about what you did last weekend or about a great adventure that you had – lots of people are great at that.  What I mean by storytelling is laying out information and recommendations in a logical way. …
10
Aug

6 things leaders can learn from dog training

My dog, Piper, is awesome.  The reason she’s awesome: shortly after getting her from the local SPCA, I spent a lot of time training her.  I have continued training her over the past 9 years.  The more time I have spent training her, the more I have noticed parallels between dog training and employee training.  Here are a few principles that …