Love and pepperoni: the perfect delicious match. Pizza Hut wants to help you pop the question to your main squeeze with the $10,010 Ultimate Valentine’s Day Proposal in a Box. The package includes limo service to a local Pizza Hut location, a professional photographer and videographer, fireworks display, flowers, ruby engagement ring, and, most deliciously, a Pizza Hut $10 Dinner Box. Domino's, your move. Full story at Eater. Love is pizza. Permalink | Leave a comment »
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Most Topular Stories
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Pizza Hut's proposal package
Holy Kaw!9 Feb 2012 | 9:36 am -
Catapult Consultants Names Senich as CEO
Consulting magazine is the flagship publication of the consulting profession. The magazine features the latest information on consulting careers, thought leadership, and corporate strategies.8 Feb 2012 | 8:30 amCatapult Consultants, LLC, an Arlington, Va.-based professional services and management consulting company appointed William M. Senich as CEO. -
Hot Job of the Week: Special Education Teacher
Simply Hired Blog9 Feb 2012 | 8:00 amBy Annie Favreau Looking for a job with a future? This series profiles in-demand careers and expanding professional fields. Here's our latest pick: Special Education Teacher What's involved:When you're a special education teacher, you work with students who have mental, emotional or physical disabilities—ranging from speech impediments and physical handicaps, to autism and Down syndrome. Like all teachers, you develop lesson plans, assign homework and measure progress. However, instead of traditional teaching methods, you use techniques that cater to your students' unique needs. -
Job Candidate Number Five
Career Hub9 Feb 2012 | 9:17 amBased on a true story... Let’s suppose that you are a Hiring Manager – a hiring manager that happens to love baseball. Along comes the fifth candidate out of the five you and your team have chosen to interview in... -
Did OPM make the right decision about snow?
Human Resource News9 Feb 2012 | 9:13 amNo snow is in the forecast Thursday, and there was only a dusting and rain across much of the Washington area Wednesday.
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Holy Kaw!
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Pizza Hut's proposal package
9 Feb 2012 | 9:36 amLove and pepperoni: the perfect delicious match. Pizza Hut wants to help you pop the question to your main squeeze with the $10,010 Ultimate Valentine’s Day Proposal in a Box. The package includes limo service to a local Pizza Hut location, a professional photographer and videographer, fireworks display, flowers, ruby engagement ring, and, most deliciously, a Pizza Hut $10 Dinner Box. Domino's, your move. Full story at Eater. Love is pizza. Permalink | Leave a comment » -
Uncertain choices light up ‘explorer’ brains
9 Feb 2012 | 9:19 amPeople who consistently select for uncertainty may harness the computational power of a specific brain region. Some people—”explorers”—choose to grapple with uncertainty head on. It’s a strategy of maximizing rewards by discovering whether as yet unexplored options might yield better returns. While some might stick with the usual, “explorers” might order the special in a restaurant because they aren’t sure they’ll like it. Prior to the Brown University study, there was no consensus that a precise area of the prefrontal cortex, in this case… -
Valentine's Day rebooted as Generosity Day [video]
9 Feb 2012 | 9:05 amOut with the chocolate, roses, and edible underwear, in with spreading kindness. The big hearts at Causes.com have set out on a mission to rebrand Valentine's Day as Generosity Day and it starts with you pledging to share the love on February 14th. The Generosity Day pledge: Just say YES. This February 14th, let's reboot Valentine's Day as Generosity Day. Practice saying YES to every request for help and by being generous. I pledge to spend February 14th saying YES to all requests for help. Say "yes" to generosity at Causes.com. Spread the love by doing something good. Permalink | Leave a… -
How coffee changed America [infographic]
9 Feb 2012 | 8:57 amFull-size version at Lumin Consulting. Delicious coffee. Permalink | Leave a comment » -
Restaurant brands flock to Kids LiveWell program
9 Feb 2012 | 8:54 amThe number of restaurant brands participating in the Kids LiveWell program has tripled to 70 companies and 20,000 restaurants across the country. Eateries are finding creative ways to participate in the program that helps parents find healthier dining choices for their children, says Healthy Dining President Anita Jones-Mueller. Full story at SmartBlog on Restaurants by SmartBrief. More SmartBrief stories. Permalink | Leave a comment »
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Consulting magazine is the flagship publication of the consulting profession. The magazine features the latest information on consulting careers, thought leadership, and corporate strategies.
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Catapult Consultants Names Senich as CEO
8 Feb 2012 | 8:30 amCatapult Consultants, LLC, an Arlington, Va.-based professional services and management consulting company appointed William M. Senich as CEO. -
Griffin Strategic Advisors Acquired by Acosta
2 Feb 2012 | 11:13 amGriffin Strategic Advisors LLC, a strategy and operations firm, announced it has been acquired by Acosta Sales & Marketing, a sales and marketing agency in the consumer packaged goods industry. -
KPMG: Economy Still Impacting Outsourcing Market
26 Jan 2012 | 6:27 amA mixed global economic outlook, high levels of volatility, weak consumer demand, and ongoing corporate uncertainty will continue to impact outsourcing demand and consulting growth, according to the KPMG's -
How to Achieve an ROI for Healthcare BI
24 Jan 2012 | 6:42 amAs hospitals make significant investments in electronic medical record (EMR) technology, along with related updates to hospital billing, materials management, costing, and quality systems, they typically find that the promised analytics and reporting are not adequate. To tie together data from these disparate systems and even to optimize access to data within an integrated system, a Business Intelligence (BI) strategy is needed. -
Bold Predictions for 2012: It Will Not Be a Quiet Year
24 Jan 2012 | 6:34 amWill 2012 bring the end of days? The Mayans thought so, but I'm not convinced. The coming year is certain to see major events play out on the world stage that may forever alter our course in history. So what can we actually expect as we start this turbulent year and how will it impact our lives?
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Simply Hired Blog
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Hot Job of the Week: Special Education Teacher
9 Feb 2012 | 8:00 amBy Annie Favreau Looking for a job with a future? This series profiles in-demand careers and expanding professional fields. Here's our latest pick: Special Education Teacher What's involved:When you're a special education teacher, you work with students who have mental, emotional or physical disabilities—ranging from speech impediments and physical handicaps, to autism and Down syndrome. Like all teachers, you develop lesson plans, assign homework and measure progress. However, instead of traditional teaching methods, you use techniques that cater to your students' unique needs. -
3 Things You Don't Need in Your Job Search
7 Feb 2012 | 8:00 amBy Tony Morrison It might not be spring yet, but, in my humble opinion, it’s always time for "spring cleaning." There is something particularly freeing about clearing out the clutter and having a clean work space. Whether it's your desk, your car, or your closet, we all need to sometimes say "out with the old!" to make room for other new, and possibly better things. Clearing something off your desk is equivalent to putting to rest tasks and thoughts that occupy mindshare as well. Think of how much more relaxed you will be and how good you will feel by clearing your mind of old projects and… -
4 Resolutions for your Resume
3 Feb 2012 | 8:00 amBy Gerrit Hall 2012 is here. Resolution time has come and passed for many. People everywhere threw out their last pack of cigarettes, renewed that forgotten gym membership, and planned out a strategy to finally clean out that garage! While those resolutions are all admirable, it’s not too late to add just a few more, for your resume. 2012 is your year to have a stellar resume. Having an awesome resume and using it the right way is your key to landing the very best jobs at the right time. Fortunately, I’ve taken the guesswork out and started your very own list of four resolutions that you… -
Danger at Your Exit Interview
2 Feb 2012 | 8:00 amBy Martin Yate CPC In a recent CBS article about exit interviews that encouraged you to share your real thoughts and feelings with the exit interviewer, I was the lone dissenting voice. When you resign you are firing your employer, in effect saying, "you aren't good enough for me anymore." This causes more work for your colleagues and isn't appreciated much by anyone; especially your boss for whom your resignation is at best a pain in the neck and at worst a black mark: a manager's job is to lose people on his or her timetable and not on yours. Anything you say can be used against… -
Hot Job of the Week: Patient Representative
26 Jan 2012 | 8:00 amBy Annie Favreau Looking for a job with a future? This series profiles in-demand careers and expanding professional fields. Here's our latest pick: Patient Representative What's involved:Patient representatives can be found in almost any medical setting—hospitals, health centers, private clinics, or nursing homes. Your work is as varied as the locations, but the main goal is the same: helping to address the special needs and concerns of patients and their families. Patients call your office when they have a problem with the treatment they received, are confused about a policy, or want…
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Career Hub
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Job Candidate Number Five
9 Feb 2012 | 9:17 amBased on a true story... Let’s suppose that you are a Hiring Manager – a hiring manager that happens to love baseball. Along comes the fifth candidate out of the five you and your team have chosen to interview in... -
Does Your Résumé Read Like an Obituary of Your Career?
9 Feb 2012 | 8:42 amPeter A. Professional’s Career, 2000 - 2012 Here lies Peter Professional’s career. A victim of the current recession, Peter’s career has been on life support since a layoff from a healthcare consulting firm. Prior to its final demise, Peter took... -
Drip Dry
8 Feb 2012 | 8:46 amWouldn’t it be nice if there existed one universal hand-dryer system? I was in a beautiful new office building yesterday and for the life of me, could not get the towel dispenser to work. No matter what I tried, nothing... -
Job Search Strategies for Executives
7 Feb 2012 | 10:00 amDuring their careers executives have had to stretch their knowledge, skills, and talents, and frequently work outside their comfort zone. One of the biggest advantages an executive has is the ability to take risks no one else would dare to... -
Job Seekers and Your Super Bowl Sunday Ad
5 Feb 2012 | 10:22 amLet's pretend that television producers have approached you with an offer too good to refuse: "We understand that you are looking for a new j-o-b and here's what we're going to do to help you this Super Bowl Sunday 2012....
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Human Resource News
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Did OPM make the right decision about snow?
9 Feb 2012 | 9:13 amNo snow is in the forecast Thursday, and there was only a dusting and rain across much of the Washington area Wednesday. -
Send a message via an ape with Monk-E-Mail
9 Feb 2012 | 6:14 amIf a chimp starts talking to you from a photo in one of your emails, no need to be alarmed. -
Jim Cramer Stock Watch: Feb 7th Stock Picks
9 Feb 2012 | 1:59 amApple Inc. : Jim Cramer ranked this stock a Buy . The stock closed at $468.83, its 52-week high is $469.75, and its 52-week low is $310.50. Abiomed Inc. -
Recruiter
8 Feb 2012 | 9:49 pmBy applying to a job using Monster.com you are agreeing to comply with and be subject to the Monster Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy for use of our website. -
Kimberly J. Jacobsen Sherertz Calls for Meeting of Barrett Business...
8 Feb 2012 | 5:45 pmSherertz and the Estate. The stockholder group has provided the incumbent Board of Barrett Business Services, Inc.
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Lisa Rosendahl
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A Glimpse At The Way It Could Be
9 Feb 2012 | 4:00 amI have to say, going to work each day with a husband at home makes me realize just how all-consuming I've permitted my job to be and what a hamster-wheel of an existence we've had. Cue the dramatic music. I know, what HR professional has a 40-hour-a-week job and what dual-income family has a stress-free existence? None that I know of . . . but still. When we were both working, it was just the way things were. There was not a lot of flexibility to when the day started and ended or how things occurred during the day. Midday doctor appointments, after-school activities and and unscheduled… -
The Right Way to Transition to a New Career
7 Feb 2012 | 4:00 amIs there a right way to transition to a new career? No, there is not. Oh, everyone will have an opinion on what you should do and how you should do it but the only "right" way is the way that works for you and your family. Here's how the husband is going about it . . . He is exercising more, reconnecting with family and friends on Facebook, planning a mid-week winter fishing trip and preparing to return the favor of care he received during his heart surgery as a volunteer with Mended Hearts. But, it's not all fun and games. He's writing resumes, reaching out to references and tweaking… -
{Labor} Relations and this HR Pro
10 Jan 2012 | 4:00 amAs an HR professional and leader, I have touched just about all there is to touch in day-to-day organizational HR and after being in this game for over 18 years, I have come to the conclusion that I {suck} at labor relations. Actually, I am pretty good but you have got to know that the very nature of the labor-management relationship can stress the people pleaser in me. Collaboration, mediation, hold your line, give an inch, negotiation, agendas, partnership, and positions . . . labor relations can be a running reel of contradictions. When faced with contradictions in your HR… -
A Corporate Culture Resource Guide
3 Jan 2012 | 4:00 amDo you know Ben Eubanks? One thing you'll quickly realize about Ben is that he never sits still. After the success of his HR certification guide, Ben has turned his sights to workplace culture. "I am a firm believer that having a strong culture at work is a way for companies of all sizes to increase engagement, decrease turnover, and build a sustainable business." With that, Ben put together a guide to help you Rock Your Corporate Culture. With the main guide, worksheets, videos, and other bonus items that cover "hands on" applications of culture, readers will learn how to inject… -
Dress Codes, Distractions and Olivia Newton-John
13 Dec 2011 | 4:00 amNailing down collective support for appropriate business dress is like herding cats. What I see as an appropriate "wish I knew how to dress like that" outfit can be another's dress code violation. When it comes to personal choices, we'll simply never all agree as human resource professionals, business professional or as individuals. That's the beauty of choice. One thing we all can agree on is dress-as-a-distraction whether you are in a meeting, on stage presenting, or simply making your way across your company campus. Ponytails may be cute on some women <myself excluded> but add in a…
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Dumb Little Man - Tips for Life
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5 Myths Haunting Your Healthy Foods
3 Feb 2012 | 8:03 amThese days, eating healthy has become a curiously difficult task. Despite the fact that the canons of healthy eating have not changed in centuries, the proliferation of health food products has continued unabated for years. It’s become a crisis of abundance.However, just because a product occupies shelf space in a boutique food store doesn’t mean it’s any better for you than its generic counterpart. Advertisers are very aware of the powers of “mood affiliation”, which is the tendency to associate familiar claims with one another. For example, consumers are very likely to believe a… -
Four Steps To Rescue Stray New Year Resolutions
2 Feb 2012 | 6:55 amLooks like it is that time of year when many New Year resolutions that people set have already strayed. Attempts to kick a smoking habit for example, might have seemed successful for a few weeks but once the realities and stresses of coming back from the holidays have resurfaced, some people may have caved into the nicotine again.Of course there is the usual health promises that get broken too. According to the fitness industry, a lot of gym memberships are sold from December to February but gym attendance significantly drops shortly afterwards when people realize that working out involves a… -
Finding the Courage to Stay the Course
30 Jan 2012 | 10:06 amAnytime you decide on the pursuit of an important goal, you’ll be faced with a series of challenges. Peaks, valleys and plateaus are par for the the course. But the thing that separates the people who make it from the ones that don’t is the courage to stay the course.At the start of any new endeavor most of us look forward to every single day with a child like excitement. We see infinite possibilities and the future appears bright. It seems as though there is absolutely nothing that can get in our way. We feel almost invincible and the possibility of failure doesn’t even occur to us. We… -
How to Deal with Difficult People and Have Constructive Conflict
28 Jan 2012 | 8:32 amLife and relationships aren't always perfect. Take a minute to think of some difficult people you have to deal with in your life? These may be people you work with, the in-laws that come to town throughout the year, or your neighbor who can’t seem to take a hint. For whatever reason, you're just not jiving with these people.Do you flee? Or, do you get flexible and learn to interact?When we encounter these extreme personalities it can feel like they are trying to make our life miserable, but more often than not, it’s simply learning about these peoples’ tendencies and how to interact in… -
7 Habits of Highly Excellent People
27 Jan 2012 | 2:16 amAre you driven in life? Do you love to excel? I believe all of us do. We are born to be the best we can be and to make the best out of our lives.When I was in high school, I wasn't exactly the kind of student teachers would like. I was truant, didn't do my homework and did badly on my examinations. I was lazy and unmotivated in school. However, after a while I realized that this wasn't who I wanted to be. This wasn't the life I saw myself leading. People around me were judging and negative, and I had enough of all of that crap. I had enough of being discriminated against and I decided to turn…
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HR news from People Management
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Security guard 'sacked for chasing thief'
9 Feb 2012 | 9:03 amThe case of a security guard sacked for tackling a thief outside his shop has prompted health and safety law experts to urge employers to improve information and training for staff. -
More women on boards 'will boost economy,' says Cameron
9 Feb 2012 | 4:04 amDavid Cameron has warned that a lack of women in top jobs is undermining Britain's economic recovery, as he met with leaders from Nordic and Baltic states at the Northern Future Forum. -
Recruitment agencies accused of 'casual racial discrimination'
9 Feb 2012 | 3:50 am'Casual racial discrimination' from recruitment agencies dealing with ethnic minority job seekers is prevalent in the UK, the Race for Opportunity charity has alleged. -
PM blogger Chris Bones wins management book prize
9 Feb 2012 | 3:17 amChris Bones, professor of creativity at Manchester Business School and a People Management blogger, has won a coveted prize for his book on leadership. -
HR has 'critical' role in realising business value of CSR
8 Feb 2012 | 6:37 amHR professionals have a huge opportunity to boost the bottom line by driving corporate social responsibility (CSR), employers at the CIPD CSR conference heard yesterday.
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HRM Today Featured Posts
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You Don’t Want To Hear This
8 Feb 2012 | 10:00 amWhen working with a client new to the international stage, or an organization with only a small employee footprint overseas, one of the pressing challenges that compensation practitioners face is educating leadership as to what to expect when dealing with international rewards. Of special note is the quandary of obtaining reliable sources of foreign compensation data. For most U.S.-based companies determining the market price of their employees is a consistent need; to determine the competitive, comparative value of local jobs. To do this you need to know what similar jobs are paying within… -
Pushing The Right Button
24 Jan 2012 | 10:00 amNot every employee is capable of selling products or services to potential customers. The selling process requires an employee to possess a particular set of interactive and persuasion skills, as well as a compatible personality profile (garrulous, self-confident, unafraid of rejection, etc.). While some employees enjoy the challenge, most want no part of it and only a minority are neutral about the idea. For those tasked with a selling job, it’s typically a reflection of individual personality that would generate success or struggle. For compensation practitioners, having the right person… -
Women 100 years away from boardroom parity
18 Jan 2012 | 10:00 amEarlier this year the Chartered Management Institute released research revealing that gender pay equality among managers could be 98 years away. The 7th annual UC Davis Study of California Women Business Leaders paints a similarly bleak picture. It reveals that less than 10% of the 400 largest public companies based in California has a female chief executive. Despite efforts to improve gender equality, this rate has improved by just 0.2% in the last year. In addition, the study shows that over a third of the biggest companies in California have no women on their board of directors. This is a… -
Stuck In HR!
11 Jan 2012 | 10:00 amSo you wanted to be in HR ever since college and now you’ve finally landed your dream job in some well reputed organization. But now that you’re into it, you find that your daily tasks are performed in the same manner as they‘ve been done for ages. Your personal role is limited and, sometimes, you feel that HR doesn’t have a considerable role in the company’s main agendas. If they prioritize, HR Issues always come second when it boils down to deciding the future strategy for the company. In these situations most HR professionals look to other – mostly senior people or those who… -
To Err is Human; Making up for it in a way that strengthens your brand, divine.
14 Dec 2011 | 9:00 amBusinesses spend millions of dollars every year to create bigger, louder, and more unique and memorable marketing experiences to attract new clients. They work to carefully and painstakingly plan out touchpoints and client journeys, engagements and events, with the goal of hitting just the right note at just the right time when they’re trying to win you over to their brand. But while that’s all fine and good – for us and for them – it’s only half of the equation. The other half is how your brand responds after a messed up a client interaction. A significant part of your brand’s…
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Ask a Manager
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can my company prohibit me from socializing with coworkers?
9 Feb 2012 | 8:23 amA reader writes: Can my company tell me on one hand that I should not go out to dinner with coworkers and then force me to attend team dinners after a 3-hour team meeting? Can I say no to attending? Can my company tell me that I cannot go out to eat with co-workers? You can’t say no to attending team dinners if your employer requires them. (Well, you could say no, but they could fire you for refusing.) However, they do need to pay you for this time if you’re non-exempt. However, what’s their rationale for telling you that you can’t go out to dinner with coworkers? -
bedbugs in the office
8 Feb 2012 | 7:49 pmA reader writes: I am up late because I can’t stop scratching. It might be a psychological itch, but it might not be! So today I went to work at my dreadful job at a call center where about 200 people work. Now, I had heard other people speculate that they had throw out our breakroom sofas (very suddenly) last month because they had found bedbugs in them, but I had just put that down to idle gossip. Then, one girl mentioned that she had actually seen a bedbug at her work station, but I just assumed she was a drama queen. However, when I sat down at my desk this morning, I noticed this… -
can difficult employees change their ways?
8 Feb 2012 | 1:10 pmA reader writes: I would be interested in your opinion on how/if employees can improve and change their ways personality-wise. My colleague is very difficult to say the least, regularly throws tantrums, and believes that the world revolves around her. She seems to be convinced that she is the best thing to happen to this workplace. Our boss says that this is just the way she is and that we will have to live with it. I don’t agree with this, I think this is just a cheap way to park the discussion. In my opinion, the manager has a responsibility to try to resolve issues that create a… -
how to ruin your job interview
8 Feb 2012 | 9:13 amThinking about ruining your job interview? Luckily for you, I can tell you exactly how to do it … from sounding bitter to sharing inappropriately to not giving specific examples in response to questions, and much more. Read the full list over at U.S. News & World Report here. -
are you The Annoying Guy at work?
7 Feb 2012 | 11:32 amGiven how many annoyances people have with their coworkers, have you ever wondered if you might be The Annoying One in your office? Over at the Intuit QuickBase blog today, I run down the warning signs that you might be driving your coworkers crazy. You can read it here.
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Compensation Force
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Viral Pay and the Proactive Employer
3 Feb 2012 | 7:32 amAs the concept of viral pay continues to generate buzz in the airways and interwebs, I had the chance to join my Compensation Cafe colleague Stephanie Thomas on her weekly Proactive Employer podcast to talk about this particular reward approach. What is it and how does it work? What might the requirements for success be? Is it an idea with legs or one that will likely see its 15 minutes of fame come and go in relatively short order? The podcast recording is embedded below for your convenience ... or go directly to the Proactive Employer podcast site where you can listen to this or… -
Transform
2 Feb 2012 | 12:10 pmA conference all about how HR pros can positively impact their organizations' bottom lines? That's an idea I can get excited about! And so, I'm pumped to be one of the speakers at Transform 2012, to be held February 27-28 in Austin, Texas. A quick plug: Headlined by Billy Beane (the man behind Moneyball), who will talk about his own visionary approach to talent management, and featuring a full slate of awesome speakers, Transform is design to be forward looking, positioning HR leaders and pros for the challenges and changes we will be facing tomorrow ... and beyond. Learn… -
Executive Perk Prevalence Continues to Tumble
31 Jan 2012 | 6:47 amIn information collected via their most recent Executive Compensation Report, CompData Surveys shares some data on CEO perks that showcases the continued drop in prevalence of these "extra bennies" - a sign of the times. According to CompData, whose study reflects the practices of more than 4,500 U.S. organizations, the proportion of companies who "do not offer perquisites for the position of CEO" has more than tripled between 2009 and 2011, going from 10.2% of respondents in 2009 to 38.5% of them in 2011. And the perk-by-perk analysis presented below shows that the tumble… -
Why Do We Survey and Report Salary Ranges?
30 Jan 2012 | 6:32 amA debate with a would-be client last week reminded me of a particular pet peeve, so I thought I'd trot it out here for discussion. (The would-be client is probably moving on to find herself a less combative consultant, but that's a story for another post...) Many salary surveys routinely collect and report salary range minimums, midpoints and maximums. My question is: How is this information useful? Even if you know how representative those ranges are of the overall set of pay practices (some surveys tell you the number/percent of companies reporting ranges, many don't),… -
Is Your Profit Sharing Plan a BINO (Bonus in Name Only)?
20 Jan 2012 | 7:31 amJack Stack - founder/CEO of SRC Holdings, author of The Great Game of Business and considered by many to be the father of open-book management - has this to say about discretionary profit sharing plans (from the Inc. article The Problem with Profit Sharing) (bold emphasis mine): By profit sharing, I mean the practice of taking a percentage of a company's profits, putting it into a pool, and disbursing it to the company's employees, usually sometime after the close of the year. Understand, I'm not saying that this is a bad thing to do, just that the benefits of doing it are…
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Inflexion Point
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5 Career Lessons From The Road
12 Jan 2012 | 10:02 amDuring a flight last week I overheard a tearful conversation between a husband and wife. Both were shocked by news received just prior to their departure, namely that the wife’s position had been eliminated and her severance, although generous, would not support them for long. The husband had lost his manufacturing job eighteen months prior and had been taking care of the children while his wife worked. Now, as they left for a short anniversary trip, they really weren’t sure where they were headed or what they should do. After over an hour of difficult conversation, the husband… -
Are You A Corporate Hoarder?
30 Nov 2011 | 5:55 pmA close friend recently transitioned from an extremely large organization to a small, fast-paced and entrepreneurial startup. We met shortly after he completed his first all-hands meeting, during which the CEO said something that got his (and my) attention. Namely, that the difference between the new firm and their much larger competition was based on one absolutely critical and innovative tenet – “There will be no corporate hoarding.“ What Is Corporate Hoarding? Information and knowledge still represent power and this is truer in today’s economy than ever before. -
Getting HR Practitioners To The Podium
15 Nov 2011 | 10:11 amIn December of 2009 I made an HR New Year’s resolution to listen more and speak less, stating that: “I believe that there is an answer to every question our HR industry faces. It’s out there. It already exists. That’s not to say that innovation is dead, but instead that HR has done a historically lousy job of seeking answers from within.“ In the two years since that declaration I’ve spoken at over thirty HR conferences and industry events. Two obvious conclusions can be drawn from these facts – 1) I’m pretty awful at keeping New Year’s… -
Two Easy (And Legal) Ways to Gather Competitive Intel
1 Nov 2011 | 2:28 pmAccording to a February, 2011 Financial Times article, US intelligence sources estimate that industrial espionage will cost American businesses between $100-250 billion dollars annually. Increased global competition, pressure to rapidly and persistently innovate and pure profiteering are oft-cited motives for both physical and electronic means of securing proprietary information. Even the seemingly benign HR industry isn’t immune from these concerns with the settlement between Halogen and SuccessFactors reading like a SP(HR)y novel – creation of a bogus company, the duping of… -
6 Tips for Stress Free Business Travel
17 Oct 2011 | 7:38 amErin Palmer wrote me in the midst of some of the most horrific business travel I’ve experienced in my career. Cancelled flights. Broken luggage. Stinky rental cars. Overbooked hotels. Terrible food. In other words, I needed some advice. So when she pitched me on the idea of tips for stress free business travel, I jumped at the opportunity to gain from her wisdom. Now if you’re asking yourself, “Why does an HR blog feature a piece on business travel?“, let me explain. The Global Business Travel Association projects 2011 business travel spend of over $250B –…
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Lance Haun
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Unwritten Rules, Sports Fandom and Company Culture
6 Feb 2012 | 6:09 amAs culture continues to be a hot topic for human resources pros, I have a hard time grappling and explaining one of the most important parts of culture that aren’t defined by any one person in the company: unwritten workplace rules. I worked at one place where nobody left company premises for lunch. This wasn’t in the handbook and there were a slew of restaurants within a mile of work (even a couple within easy walking distance). Other people have told me about places they’ve worked where nobody leaves before the boss leaves. You get the idea. We often leave this out of… -
Disclosure Isn’t Enough If You Want People’s Trust
2 Feb 2012 | 6:16 amI think a lot about trust. And maybe more importantly, I think about how mistrust happens. Specifically when it comes to writers, columnists, bloggers, and journalists. Often, when people talk about disclosure, they are usually talking about money. And if you’re a blogger or writer and money is changing hands, I think you should always be on the side of clear, full disclosure. And just for the record, I’ve been called out about disclosure. More on that in a second, though. First, let’s talk about money. Money is powerful. I think about the work I do with ERE and how I take… -
The Most Important Person On The Internet: Happy Tim Sackett Day
23 Jan 2012 | 6:15 amNormal business attire for Sackett. Click to enlarge. Ever since Laurie Ruettimann suggested a Tim Sackett day, I’ve been stoked. Not because I think Tim deserves any sort of recognition, especially on any of those influencer or top blogger lists. Because, really? It’s entertaining as hell when he doesn’t get picked. I played kickball when I was a kid in school and there was this little kid named Ricky who was kind of an annoying little wise ass. And while he was good at kickball, he always got picked for our teams way too late. He’d be picked in the fourth round and… -
What Word Limit? The Constraint Is Your Ability To Write A Compelling Tale
16 Jan 2012 | 11:05 pmOn the last post, I had a commenter ask if I thought my 2000 word post was well received. It’s a good question and one question I often get is about the length of blog posts. Some people say 400 words should be your goal. Some people say no more than 600 to 800 words. Supposedly, nobody reads anything over 800 words online. Generally speaking, I keep my posts on TLNT below 800 words. I’ve dipped into 1,200 word territory on occasion but that’s pretty rare. Now, I would be interested in doing a long form series for TLNT but what has been better for online publications, at… -
Finding Your Writing Voice: One Tip From A Non-Expert
12 Jan 2012 | 5:44 amLast week, I wrote a blog post that was almost 2,000 words long. That’s not that exceptional. What’s surprising is that I sat down and wrote the entire piece in about 90 minutes. The fact of the matter is, I spent a ton of time on that post. Reading (and re-reading) material about the subject, thinking about it, thinking about my approach and then thinking about the key points I wanted to cover. I’m not the quickest thinker in the world. It means I’m not the greatest conversationalist in the world, nor am I prone to amaze you in a casual conversation. And please,…
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Escape From Cubicle Nation
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Tracking your right life: Interview with Martha Beck
6 Feb 2012 | 12:00 pmThose of you who have been following my work for awhile know that I have been heavily influenced by my coach mentor Dr. Martha Beck. Her book Finding Your Own North Star changed the course of my life when I read it nearly a decade ago, and eventually led to my Escape from Cubicle Nation work. Martha is a Harvard-trained sociologist and bestselling author. She is Oprah’s life coach in residence, and writes a monthly column for O Magazine. In this interview, I talk with Martha about her brand new book Finding Your Way in a Wild New World. Building on the research she started at Harvard… -
Are you massively wrong about the size of your market?
2 Feb 2012 | 4:05 pmI walked in my son’s Cub Scout meeting late last night, and ran into the wife of our den leader. She is a wonderful person; an engaged mother, passionate volunteer and airline pilot. “I am so sorry for being late,” I said. “I was teaching a class.” “No problem at all, where were you teaching?” she said. “On the phone,” I said. She looked puzzled. “You were teaching on the phone? How does that work?” “I teach marketing to coaches who are in the Martha Beck coaching program. They dial in from all over the world, and I… -
A concrete example of how to get yourself to “do the work”
1 Feb 2012 | 8:51 amGolden Gloves contender Amanda Wang and Pamela Slim. Photo by proud cousin Abe Cajudo. They say the best way to learn something and reinforce positive behavior is to teach it. So here, 5 minutes after gaining insight while on a walk to Starbucks, is my advice to help you “do the work” (said channeling Steven Pressfield). To watch directly on YouTube, go here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zVWDH2QflA What I neglected to say in the video is that exercising even a little bit makes everything feel better! <Enjoy getting back to your regularly scheduled programming. I have a… -
How to build a powerful and profitable mailing list
17 Jan 2012 | 12:27 pmIf you have studied small business marketing, you may have heard the frequent cheer “The money is in The List!” And indeed, creating a strong email marketing list is a powerful foundation for any business, online or offline. In this video, I give you a few things to think about as you are establishing your mailing list, as well as a cardinal sin to avoid. To view this directly on YouTube, go here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4xEkc0qEbg More marketing tips coming! At the end of this month, I am going to be opening a new section of Power Boost Marketing for enrollment. Power… -
Bigger goals mean more resistance – don’t back down!
12 Jan 2012 | 12:19 pmHappy 2012! If you followed my planning videos in December, you may have defined some nice juicy goals for yourself this year. And as you have started to execute those plans, you may have already faced some challenges and resistance from your market. My best advice? Don’t back down. Here’s why: (Direct link to YouTube here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZY-BbkxIkGQ) Bigger Fish! Pescadotes!
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FORTIFY YOUR OASIS
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Body Language Article - Giving the game away (Irish Independent)
5 Feb 2012 | 1:17 pmWHEN A PICTURE PAINTS A THOUSAND WORDS John Meagher says there is more to political snap-shots than first meets the eye. On the face of it, it's a moment of levity amid the sobering meetings on the future of the euro. French President Nicolas Sarkozy playfully ruffles the back of Enda Kenny's hair. The Taoiseach is photographed sporting a schoolboy grin. For all the world, it could be two old friends sharing a joke. But Rowan Manahan, a Dublin-based body language expert and corporate speechwriter, sees it differently. "It's essentially the dominant primate letting the… -
Saying yes without being a yes-man
29 Jan 2012 | 8:51 amWhen people think of yes men, they tend to think of spineless lackeys who bow, scrape and bob their heads at anything their boss says. I came across a particularly chilling quote from Hermann Goering at the Nuremberg trials: "... alles was er um ihn hatte, waren ja Männer, alle keine Männer waren sechs Fuß darunter." (Translation - all he [Hitler] had around him were yes-men, all the no-men were six feet under.) Much of the power of Oliver Hirschbiegel's extraordinary Downfall is how he portrays the helplessness of those around Hitler in the final days and hours - they simply… -
Safe to take a vacation?
26 Jul 2011 | 2:17 amImage: the wonderful Despair.com A client phoned me to tell me she was going back out to the market. I was surprised, given that she had been with her new company, in a senior position, for less than four months. [She works in the funds industry and had moved her family to mainland Europe to take up this very senior role] "I had an interesting conversation today Rowan. I rang my boss in New York to tell him - not ask him, tell him - that I was taking next Friday off, given that the following Monday is a public holiday. Here's how the conversation went ... Me: Just to let you know, I… -
This interview is over!
19 Jul 2011 | 4:19 amMy client – female, mid-40s, stellar CV in PR and Communications – walked in the door for an interview with the CEO of a well-known plc. She was ushered in by the CEO’s PA; he was sitting behind his desk, writing on a Post-it note and, without eye contact, waved her to a chair in front of his desk. As she pulled the chair back from the desk, he stood up and said, “You’re way too old for a position like this (Director of Corporate Communications)aren’t you?” My client, paused, placed both of her hands on the back of her chair and levelly said, “Hmmmm, interesting opening… -
Advice from a commencement address
14 Jun 2011 | 7:09 amYou could be forgiven for thinking that Conan O'Brien is a pretty unlikely source of advice on career management - until you watch this. If you want to jump to the Big Fat Hairy Point bit, it's about 17 minutes in, but I found the BFHP piece all the more excellent because it's such a sharp contrast from his light opening and body material. Great stuff, which should be listened to by everyone leaving formal education for the first time and will no doubt be liberally plagiarised by commencement speakers all over the world - in the unlikely event that I am ever asked to address my Alma Mater, I…
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The HR Capitalist
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"Low T": Just Like the Latest Management Fad...
9 Feb 2012 | 6:18 amHave you seen all the "Low T" ads running on TV these days? You know the ones I'm talking about... "Not feeling as sharp as you once did?" "Energy lower than it's ever been?" "Is your wife running 10Ks while you struggle to get up the stairs? And if that's the case, let's face it, we know you've got troubles in other areas..." "YOU PROBABLY HAVE LOW T" So, millions of fat, out of shape, sloth-like men get a pass on all the behaviors that made them that way. It's not your fault dude - you have low T. Just… -
Hey CEO: Your High Level Agreements Not to Poach Employees are Anti-Trust Violations...
8 Feb 2012 | 10:56 amIf you've led an HR function of any size for any length of time, you've heard the following: "I don't want to recruit employees from <insert company name> - I <insert "like the CEO", "like Steve", "know a board member over there"> and don't want to hurt them. Just steer clear of <insert company name>." Sounds harmless. It's not. It smacks of anti-trust violation, and god help you if you're throwing emails or texts around about that. Just ask Apple and some other Valley companies. From TechCrunch:… -
Having People Hate What You Do Means... You're Getting at Least Part of it Right...
6 Feb 2012 | 9:58 amA Monday observation from the desk of the Capitalist... We did a webinar over at Fistful of Talent on Facebook recruiting last week. By all accounts, it was a big success, with positive feedback flowing to the primaries that were involved from FOT - KD and Tim Sackett presenting and Holland Dombeck running the technical side. But there's one thing that would cause a lot of people to blink. For every 10 people who took the time to comment that they loved it, there were at least two that didn't care for the style at all. And they were vocal via email. Most of those people… -
3 Ways to Stop Hating Your Team...
3 Feb 2012 | 6:39 amHere's a dirty little secret of basketball everywhere: By the time February rolls around, a lot of basketball coaches don't like being around their teams anymore. I've actually heard it referred to it as "I hate my team", quickly following by "will this season ever end?" The cause is pretty understandable. Sports is a pretty intense experience where wins and losses go up on a standings board. Basketball runs from October/November to February/March, and by the time you get to the fourth month, everyone is a little fatigued. You (the coach) are tired… -
Here's What Salesforce Paid for Rypple, and Who Got Beat For the Deal...
2 Feb 2012 | 6:30 amAt the time of the deal for Salesforce to acquire Rypple, I wrote this post related to why it made sense to me. At the time, there wasn't any info on what Salesforce paid for the company, and a couple of Google searches show little info out there now on the specs. So let's share! Fortune reports in this article accompanying their "Best Places to Work" issue that Salesforce paid $60 Million to acquire Rypple, that SuccessFactors had a higher bid in play, but Rypple decided to take less to go with overall culture and "fit". More from Fortune: "It took a…
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AutoSpies.com News
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Innovators: Could Akio Toyoda Become The Steve Jobs Of The Automotive World?
9 Feb 2012 | 9:37 am -
2013 BMW 6-Series Gran Coupe Priced From $76,895
9 Feb 2012 | 9:02 am -
CHICAGO AUTO SHOW: KBB Awards Audi And Kia As Top Brands For Total Cost Of Ownership
9 Feb 2012 | 7:19 am -
Chevrolet Cruze Station Wagon To Debut At Geneva Motor Show - Should We See It In The US?
9 Feb 2012 | 7:01 am -
Video: Bugatti Veyron Takes It To 225 MPH On Arizona Highway
9 Feb 2012 | 6:44 am
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How to Change the World
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Raising Money: What Not to Say and What Not to Believe #OfficeandGuyK
20 Jan 2012 | 10:46 amOver the past two weeks via my partnership with Microsoft and Office Web Apps, I’ve provided templates of models for you to create enchanting PowerPoint pitches, Word business plans, and Excel financial models. They are all available for you to download from my SkyDrive account. I hope these documents and blog posts help you save a boatload of time and increase the quality of your efforts.I leave you with two sets of top ten lies: one of entrepreneurs and one of investors so that you know what not to say and what not to believe. Top Ten Lies of Entrepreneurs “Our projections are… -
Design a Sam Adams beer
20 Jan 2012 | 8:24 amNow this is a fun project. I’m helping Sam Adams “tap” the knowledge of beer drinkers and crowd source its next brew. Join the party by getting the app and designing your beer: The final brew will be released in Austin in the first week of March. #sponsored -
How to Create an Enchanting Financial Forecast #OfficeandGuyK
17 Jan 2012 | 1:52 pmThis is the third post in my Microsoft partnership, and it’s all about numbers. The topic is crafting your financial forecast to include in your pitch. Bill Reichert, my partner at Garage Technology Ventures, created an Excel model and wrote this blog post. There’s a lesson in this too: Get the best person for the job. His grasp of financial models and how to present them exceeds mine by two orders of magnitude. The Purpose of Financial Projections When it comes to financial projections, there are two types of entrepreneurs: first, the “visionary entrepreneur” who… -
How to Create an Enchanting Business Plan #OfficeandGuyK
12 Jan 2012 | 8:16 amHere is the second post in my series about planning, pitching, and launching a new business venture. In partnership with Microsoft and Office Web Apps, I’ve created a Word document that outlines a good business plan. It’s saved to my SkyDrive folder here. Feel free to download it and use it as inspiration. And if you’re working with a partner, you can use the free Word Web App to stay in sync. I provided the PowerPoint document before the Word document because a good business plan is an elaboration of a good pitch as opposed to a good pitch being a distillation of good business plan. -
How to Create an Enchanting Pitch #OfficeandGuyK
9 Jan 2012 | 8:01 amWelcome to the first in a series of blog posts I’ll be doing as part of a partnership with Microsoft and Office Web Apps. Over the next two weeks, I’ll cover everything a budding entrepreneur needs to turn an idea into an enchanting investment opportunity—from the perfect pitch to a killer business plan to financial forecasts. I’m going to start with a little dissertation on creating effective PowerPoint pitches for your company. I embedded the sample deck for you to click through by using the PowerPoint Web App. When you’re ready to get started, you can download the…
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Stories
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The best iPhone tethering apps (and one to avoid)
9 Feb 2012 | 6:34 amWireless carriers have us right where they want us. When there are only four significant national providers in the US, there’s only so much competition for our business. So when they all band together (even if only in mindset) and decide on a “new rule,” customers are forced to play along. -
Texas Takes Steps to Slow Rapid Depletion of Critical Ogallala Aquifer
9 Feb 2012 | 7:25 amA group of farmers in northwest Texas began 2012 under circumstances their forbearers could scarcely imagine: they faced a limit on the amount of groundwater they could pump from their own wells on their own property. The new rule issued by the High Plains Underground Water Conservation District, based in Lubbock, declares that water pumped… -
The Wizard of Oz 1902: Scarecrow and Tin Man Somewhere Over the Rainbow [PICS]
8 Feb 2012 | 2:32 pmHere are some photographs of the 1902 and 1903 productions. Although Dorothy and the Lion look charming and quirky, the Tin Man and Scarecrow own a time share in the deepest recesses of your nightmares. -
What Progressive Criticisms of Anarchists in Occupy Don't Understand: A Response to Chris Hedges
9 Feb 2012 | 6:31 amChris Hedges'Chris Hedges' Black Bloc takedown is only the most recent in a series of critiques bashing anarchists within the national Occupy movement. Here's why they're not helpful. -
Google's Screenwise Project Will Give You Money If You Give Up Your Privacy
8 Feb 2012 | 10:40 pmIn the midst of outcry over the changes in Google's privacy policy, the search giant has announced that it will start paying some users to share their search history as part of a new project dubbed Screenwise. Search Engine Land reports that people who sign up to be on the Screenwise panel will receive a $5 credit on Amazon for installing a browser extension that allows all of the data from their Chrome browsing to be collected.
