26
Oct

HR and Social Media: Impact99

It has been a couple of weeks since Impact99 in Squamish, BC, and I’ve been decompressing, absorbing, and thinking about the things I learned and people I met at the event. Impact99 is a one-day interactive conference for 99 leaders, focused on integrating Social Media and Human Resources. Those of you who know me know I’m passionate about …
08
Oct

Social Media and HR: Tweets from Impact 99

On October 6, I attended Impact99, a one day experiential conference for Business and HR professionals who are ready to integrate social media and HR.  By the way, if you’re not ready, in my opinion, you better get there fast! The following are some insights that I tweeted throughout the day. Stay tuned for blogs inspired by the great business …
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 …