3 min read

Transitioning To A Digital World

By Gibson on Jun 29, 2018 6:30:00 AM

Today we’re sharing insight from Ron Kraemer, Chief Information and Digital Officer at the University of Notre Dame. We hope you enjoy Ron’s wisdom and perspective.

If you are 22 years old and entering the workforce this year, you have never known the world without the Internet and mobile technology. You could have used Facebook at 8 years old, and purchased gifts for Mother’s Day on amazon.com when you were 11 or 12. And if you are nearing retirement age, you were in your early 50’s the first time you could have watched a YouTube video or used an iPhone.

We can each place ourselves somewhere on the timeline from “digital immigrant” (people who did not grow up in the digital age) to “digital native” (people who grew up with technology all around them). The challenge we face as service providers is that every person on the digital timeline could be one of our customers and they have very different needs and expectations.

Topics: Executive
5 min read

Life Balance Is A Result, Not An Activity

By Gibson on Jun 22, 2018 6:30:00 AM

Today we’re sharing insight from guest blogger Steve Richards, real estate entrepreneur. We hope you enjoy Steve’s wisdom and perspective.

Life balance is something most people talk about, very few really understand and even less truly achieve.

The biggest misconception about life balance is that most people think it’s something you do, but it’s really something that just happens.

It’s a result, not an activity.

 

Topics: Executive
4 min read

HR Tech: What You Need To Know To Better Serve Your Organization & Employees

By Gibson on Jun 15, 2018 6:30:00 AM

Today we’re sharing insight from guest blogger Jamie Hawkins, President and CEO of Benefit Technology Resources (BTR). We hope you enjoy Jamie’s wisdom and perspective.

If you are like me, you love technology and want to have the latest and greatest of everything. The same can likely be said for many of your current employees and your future workforce. More is being expected from employers, especially when it comes to HR tech. The workforce not only desires the smooth, efficient use of technology from the application process to onboarding and beyond, but they are demanding it. To be an employer of choice you must get into the game and embrace technology throughout your HR process.

As a CEO and HR tech leader I personally see the good and bad influence HR tech can have on a daily basis – on recruitment, engagement, retention, overall productivity. For employers, your relationship with your HR tech vendor is important. It is like any relationship – you have to work at it and stay engaged for it to prosper. So, what do you and your company’s HR leaders need to know to help ensure your organization is heading in the right direction with your HR technology?

Topics: Executive
5 min read

The Next Five Minutes

By Tim Leman on Jun 8, 2018 6:30:00 AM

There is a “great restructuring” taking place right now in America, with one study by Oxford University suggesting that automation and artificial intelligence could threaten 50% of white collar jobs. And that jives with a Gallup survey where 58% of respondents see technology as the biggest threat to US jobs over the next decade.

Business management guru Tom Peters believes it doesn’t have to be this way. In his capstone book The Excellence Dividend, Peters advocates for organizations to vigorously focus on putting their people first. This means a total obsession by leaders to develop and deploy the “soft skills” in their workforce that, in turn, can leverage the new technologies to create a truly unique, and distinctly human, client experience.

Topics: Executive
4 min read

The Power Of Mentorship

By Gibson on Jun 1, 2018 6:30:00 AM

Today we’re sharing insight from guest blogger Tony Tranquill, President & CEO of Wayne Pipe & Supply, Inc. We hope you enjoy Tony’s wisdom and perspective.

“…mentoring often involves telling people what they need to hear, rather than what they want to hear…” - John Wooden, A Game Plan for Life

I was a freshman student attending Auburn University, thrust into an engineering co-op role with a fitness manufacturing company. The Vice President of our company was an Alabama graduate and a former student under Jack Welch’s management training program at General Electric. Despite the never-ending bantering that took place between us about the Alabama vs. Auburn football rivalry, the V.P. took me under his wing and began to mentor me in ways I didn’t even realize until much later in life.

Topics: Executive
4 min read

Change Is The Law Of Life

By Gibson on May 25, 2018 6:30:00 AM

Today we’re sharing insight from guest blogger Matt Kelly, a senior manager at Plante Moran. We hope you enjoy Matt’s wisdom and perspective.

The world is changing faster than ever. Technology is affecting the way people interact, do business, and grow relationships. And although we’re quick to think about the ramifications of these changes on things like meeting customer needs and keeping up with the competition, one area that’s often overlooked is talent development.

The growth and development of staff is critical to the success of any organization. So ask yourself: is my organization equipped to handle the needs and wishes of our staff amid this constant technological change? And, if not, what are you going to do about it? Here are a few things to consider in order to be more agile in developing your staff.

Topics: Executive
3 min read

Can Fun Socks Drive Engagement?

By Gibson on May 18, 2018 6:30:00 AM

Today we’re sharing insight from guest blogger, Kevin Brozovich, Founder and Chief People Officer at HRM Innovations. We hope you enjoy Kevin’s wisdom and perspective.

Topics: Executive
3 min read

No Education Like Adversity

By Tim Leman on May 11, 2018 6:30:00 AM

“There is no education like adversity.” ~ Benjamin Disraeli

Things have come easier for one of my sons over much of his life. If you’re a parent with multiple children, I’m sure you can relate. I’d say he’s at least a "B+" at most anything he tries and when he works at, he gets himself into the "A" zone. That's one of the things I respect about him. In spite of a natural ease he often seems to have, he also applies himself diligently, rarely giving less than a 100% effort.

Things didn’t go his way at school recently. He unexpectedly lost a close election for President of his class. This is a role he’s held for three years. And the resulting musical chairs for the general student council left him without a seat. While I would never wish it upon him, and was rooting for him all the way, I know this loss will carry with it a much greater return than another victory would have.

What we learn about ourselves when the chips are down far outweighs anything we get while riding high. And those lessons learned or missed follow us into adulthood where grit, resilience, and perseverance seem to be in short supply these days.

Topics: Executive
4 min read

Reading To Lead

By Gibson on May 4, 2018 6:30:00 AM

Today we’re sharing insight from guest blogger Ron Kitchens, Chief Executive Officer at Southwest Michigan First. We hope you enjoy Ron’s wisdom and perspective.

We can all agree that reading changes lives for the better. Isn’t that why we encourage our children to read instead of playing video games? No one would ever say that a person is completely wasting their time by spending an evening at home with a good book. But if everyone knows that reading is transformative, why then are there so few readers these days?

To bridge this gap, the country’s leading companies are starting programs that encourage their teams to better themselves through reading. The retail giant Zappos, for example, has an enormous library filled with books for employees to borrow or even keep. While seminars, conventions, and training courses are all critical to professional development, they have one downside: they are expensive. Depending on your budget, reading may be a great supplement to that additional learning or an inexpensive alternative.

Topics: Executive
5 min read

A Tradition Unlike Any Other...(Turns Out It's True!)

By Gibson on Apr 27, 2018 6:30:00 AM

 

Today we’re sharing insight from guest blogger Brad Serf, Principal at Gibson. We hope you enjoy Brad's wisdom and perspective.

Earlier this month I had an opportunity to attend The Masters in Augusta, Georgia. I think most would agree it is one of America’s iconic events (note I didn’t say “sporting events,” I said “events”). It is like a rite of spring. Each year, on that first weekend in April, we are drawn to this event - the beauty of the course and frequent drama it generates. My first memory of The Masters is Tom Watson’s 2-shot win over Jack Nicklaus in 1977. My mother liked Watson, so I did too. I remember watching the final holes while enjoying our traditional Sunday evening dinner.

Now as much as I enjoy The Masters and acknowledge that it is an iconic event, for years I had found their tagline - “A tradition unlike any other” - to be, well, arrogant. Who do they think they are to make such an audacious claim? There are many great traditions out there!

After experiencing Augusta National, I can confirm it is indeed a tradition unlike any other.

Topics: Executive
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