On Being Early to Ideas in HR

I spoke at my first American human resources conference in 2008. George W. Bush was still president. Foreclosures were in the news and layoffs were rampant. We didn’t have universal access to healthcare and people were going bankrupt due to medical bills and prescription drug prices. The mortgage crisis was imminent, and the economic growth…

Qualtrics X4 Experience Management Summit

“When somebody thinks enough of you to ask, say yes.” An event planner offered this advice in 2009. I was encouraged to attend more industry events even if I wasn’t on the speaker roster. “If you’re building a business and asked to take part in a conference — and they’re offering to pay your expenses…

WorkHuman 2019

Next week is the 5th annual WorkHuman conference, and, as I pack my bags, I’ve been thinking a lot about expertise. There are three types of speakers at this event. 1. Researchers with a thesis and ideas, and academics who have studied a topic like leadership or gratitude for ages. 2. Practitioners and leaders who…

An Update on My Book

Hi, everybody. If you’re new around here, I’m fixin’ to write a best-selling book on fixing work. There’s an agent involved, and I wrote a 74-page proposal based around my core philosophy that you fix work by fixing yourself. Yes, companies and HR departments should deliver an incredible experience. But if you run your life like…