Meghan M. Biro, Author at TalentCulture

4 Ways To Be A More Resilient Leader

Sundays are Breakfast with music time (Could be Arcade Fire, or Keith Urban, or Tamar Braxton, or Mogwai, or any variety of other eclectic stuff I listen to every day, but those are stories for another day). This week I’ve been thinking a lot about what it takes to be a resilient person. Sunday morning, there was Ringo from the Beatles, belting away “I’ll get by with a little help from my friends”. What song could be a better anthem for resiliency? Why resiliency? Last week I wrote about employer brand and candidate experience. Subsequent conversations with friends, family and clients made

Your Employer Brand Owns The Candidate Experience

By now we’ve all seen the October 2013 Gallup report on employee engagement, The State of the American Workplace. Words that come to mind when I re-read the report: bummer, disheartening, bad news. But I also wonder: what exactly did we expect? Look around you, managers, and you’ll see disengaged employees with the Zombie stare, some with the sour look of the disappointed, a few with the overly positive, can-do smile, trying desperately to make things work. A lot of this is the fault of a poor connection between managers and line-of-business employees and it inevitably trickles into a broken recruitment and communication process

#WorkTrends Preview: Negotiation 101: Never Split The Difference

Negotiation is an important skill for any professional. Career advancement often depends on negotiation, but most people are uncomfortable or unsure of their negotiating abilities. During this #WorkTrends, former FBI Lead International Hostage Negotiator Chris Voss will help us explore and understand the art of negotiation. Come learn why saying, “you’re right” and “yes” are at the root of the vast majority of misunderstandings in the workplace today. This exciting podcast and Twitter conversation will apply Chris Voss’ experience as a negotiator and author to the world of work. Do you want to know why “That’s right” is the gold standard

#WorkTrends Recap: Modern Compensation: Putting People First

When companies start to work on their compensation plans, they often do so with spreadsheets and formulas, far removed from either the people impacted by compensation or the organizational objectives. Modern compensation brings people front and center in the pay business, creating a win/win situation between organizations and individuals. On today’s #WorkTrends show, we were joined by special guest Tim Low from PayScale. We discussed the idea of putting people first in compensation plans and why that makes a difference in business. Here are a few key points Tim shared: How to use modern compensation practices to engage, motivate and reward

Create A Vocabulary That Inspires Employee Engagement

It’s official. Employee engagement is the new black. I’ve been writing and thinking a lot about it lately, as have others. The very notion of how leaders and employees engage has slowly morphed away from ‘companies have to do this because employees want it’ to ‘companies have to do this even though employees don’t trust it 100 percent’. I’m not saying employees don’t seek engagement; I’m simply saying many have reasons to doubt corporate engagement programs as they stand today. We are still in a process of finding what really works. This revelation came after I’d read a series of interesting

HR: Why Social Media Policy Matters More Than Ever

Social media has been around for a while now. In fact, social media applications have never been more mainstream than they are today. Facebook, not surprisingly, is the big winner, with nearly three-quarters of American adults liking and posting and sharing daily—a number that jumps to a staggering 82 percent when you pinpoint the 18–29-year-old age range. Then you have the rapid growth of the visual-sharing social platforms: Video is on a fast climb to the top when it comes to social media popularity, and if you haven’t already, you should familiarize yourself with Instagram Video, Facebook Live, and Snapchat. So, you would assume most

5 Ways To Reinvent Your Recruiting Strategy

A client of mine is a multinational company with a vibrant, fast paced culture has been through the ringer lately. We talked about the talent issues they are dealing with, which were precipitated by losing two big accounts. The hit to income and profits distracted the CEO, and eventually, after months, led to a restructuring of the business to focus on different verticals. Suddenly everyone was tasked with business development, even junior staff. Needless to say, not everyone is comfortable with sales, so it didn’t go very well. Things got worse. The loss of revenue and shift in focus to new

Employee Engagement Is A Leadership Commitment

It seems like so much of what I do these days seems to revolve around storytelling and brands. I thought it would be useful to look at employee engagement through the lens of the five Ws – who, what, when, where, why – and one H – how – to frame up how companies can do a better job of mastering employee engagement. Employee engagement is center stage in HR and The World of Work right now for good reason. Engaged employees are better producers, they’re more committed to the organization, and they are in it for the relative long haul. One study

Recognize, Reward And Engage Your Multi-Generational Workforce

I was at the Genius Bar the other day soaking up the smarts and getting an introduction to the benefits of backing up data before updating to a new OS. As is so often the case at the Apple store, I found myself working with people from several generations. They seemed to be collaborating with relative harmony and purpose to ensure my data wasn’t lost forever, they seemed for the most part happy, and they seemed engaged in their jobs – from the store concierge (no, not a greeter, and not a Baby Boomer either) to the flight deck controller at the Genius Bar,

#WorkTrends Preview: Modern Compensation: Putting People First

When companies start to work on their compensation plans, they often do so with spreadsheets and formulas, far removed from either the people impacted by the compensation plans or the organizational objectives. Modern compensation brings people front and center in the pay business, creating a win/win situation between organizations and individuals. Next week on the #WorkTrends show, we will be joined special guest Tim Low from Payscale to discuss the idea of putting people first in compensation plans. Here are a few things Tim is expected to share: How to use modern compensation practices to engage, motivate, and reward top people.

Meet The Top 30 Social Salespeople In The World

“Never underestimate the fondness of people and organizations for the status quo,”Enterprise 2.0 author Andrew McAfee warned businesses. People are naturally resistant to change, and while that’s not always a bad thing, I’ve encountered my fair share of people resistant to the massive changes and opportunities that social media is creating in business and the workplace. Salespeople, in particular, seem to have a set of rules and values that they are adamant about sticking to, which seems a bit counterintuitive to me, given that today’s buyers complete some 70 percent of their purchases before contacting a sales representative. Those in the know

#WorkTrends Recap: Building Strength-Based Organizations

A healthy organization runs on the idea that people should be respected for the unique strengths they bring to the table. A strengths-based organization takes this idea a step further and fosters an environment where employees are actively engaged in their work. This results in better productivity, retention and profitability in the long run. On this week’s #WorkTrends chat, we were joined by author Josh Allan Dykstra as we discussed a better way to create strengths-based organizations. Although this concept has been around for more than a decade, most organizations have “false-started” on it. We explored why these “false starts” have

Networking: The Path To Becoming A Brand Ambassador

How many networking events do you participate in monthly? One? More than five? Do you loathe and avoid networking events? Or do you love meeting new people and building exciting new relationships? Are they online or IRL (In Real Life)? Many people I talk to are terrified of networking. Typical formal events are held after-hours, when they’re feeling tired and a bit beat up by the day’s work. Meeting with people with whom they have flimsy connections, often in a noisy bar with cheap wine and flat beer, is an act of will some people simply can’t or will not manage.

How To Make Work Matter

It’s the great challenge of leadership: how to inspire employees to bring their best selves to work and deliver consistent, stellar performance. It is accepted wisdom that happy (ok, I will even take content) employees are better performers. While there is much truth to this, it can lead to some common leadership mistakes. Yes, the perks in the form of benefits, free food, a gym, casual days, game rooms, etc. are important tools in creating a positive culture that makes people feel appreciated and happier. But these sweeteners don’t necessarily translate into increased productivity and performance. Creating a Work Zone of Zen Think of your own life.

Hiring Success Beyond The Gut Check

“I trust my gut.” Every time I hear an HR professional or Leader speak those four words, I get a sinking feeling in my own gut. Hiring is just too important to be left to something as vague and subjective as a “gut feeling.” There are amazing tools out there to radically up the odds of a successful hire. “Gut check alone” typically isn’t one of them. Every organization needs star players to succeed. Yet the percentage of new hires that end up as disappointments is estimated at 75%, according to research by Topgrading, a leading provider of online hiring tools. Those are expensive mistakes. Let’s take

#WorkTrends Preview: Building Strengths-Based Organizations

A healthy organization is built and runs on the idea that people are respected for what unique strength they bring to the table. A strength-based organization runs on this idea and creates employees who are actively engaged in their work. This results in better productivity, retention and profitability in the long run. Join this week’s #WorkTrends chat as we discuss a better way to create strengths-based organizations. Although this idea has been around for over a decade, most organizations have “false-started” on it. We will explore why this “false start” has happened and why it’s time to try a new approach.

Unleash Your Employees’ Super Powers

Make a list of five of your good employees. Not the stars, and not the laggards, but people who come in everyday, do a good job, and go home. (This applies to telecommuting roles too btw) Now take a look at that list, and take a minute to think about each of those five people. What percent of their potential do you think they’re delivering at work? 50%? 60%? 70%? Can you imagine them taking their performance up a notch or two? What would that mean for your organization’s results? It would mean a lot! So why not rethink employee engagement and retaining your talent that shows up every day? Unleashing Career Potential Matters Great leaders inspire

The #1 Reason People Leave a Job Might Surprise You

Do you know the number one reason employees leave a job? It isn’t because of their title, salary or workload. They leave because of their managers. Surprised? You shouldn’t be. It makes sense, and we have the research to prove it. Multiple surveys have confirmed a manager can make or break an employee’s experience. A study by employee engagement firm TinyPulse identified various behaviors impact retention, such as micromanagement and a lack of opportunities for development. Gallup found “at least 75 percent of the reasons for voluntary turnover can be influenced by managers.” Compensation, culture, colleagues, and balance all play a role—but

How Leaders Hire Top Tech Talent

The competition to hire top talent, especially top tech talent, has never been fiercer. And no wonder. There is no substitute for raw tech talent. It can take your organization to a whole new level of performance. Here’s a little not-so secret: one sizzling star employee is worth 50 so-so employees. The question becomes: How do you find these stars and then successfully recruit them for your company? Especially the passive recruits — those people who are perfectly happy in their current positions and will only leave when an offer is really tantalizing. What you don’t want to do is contact them cold with a

Happy Employees = Hefty Profits

I can walk into a company and tell within seconds whether or not its employees are well treated and happy on a basic level. The level of employee engagement, warmth and sense of a shared purpose is palpable. It’s something I simply feel after being in the business of talent management for several years. And while my conclusion may be subjective, there’s plenty of hard evidence that shows that happy employees lead directly to better performance and higher profits. Last year revenues increased by an average of 22.2 percent for the 2014 Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For. And according to the

Telecommuting Is The Future of Work

In many companies I partner with, a certain percentage of employees work from home or are virtual employees – contractors or long-term freelancers. The percentage varies (ASTD, SHRM), from 30 to 45 percent, which seems consistent with what I hear from the HR practitioners and leaders that I collaborate with. It seems inevitable, then, that working from home, or being a virtual employee, is an established trend, Yahoo!’s action to limit remote employees notwithstanding. What Marissa Mayer did at Yahoo! Made sense for the struggling company: she was able to concentrate on getting people reconnected physically and in support of the company’s

#WorkTrends Recap: Spouses Working Together

There are so many entrepreneurs who have built businesses from the ground up — alongside their partners — but not many talk about the intersection of work and personal lives. During this week’s #WorkTrends show, Maria Orozova and Scott Thomas addressed how husband-and-wife entrepreneurs can work cohesively and collaboratively in the business world. They will share their first-hand experiences of working together as partner agency owners. Here are a few key points Maria and Scott shared: Knowing how your partner works is key to success Boundaries are important – leave work at work and leave home at home Opening the lines

6 Reasons To Start Live Video Streaming Your Brand

Recently a friend told me about Facebook Live and shook his head: Writing content is going to die, he said. We’ll all be communicating via video. I don’t know about all that. But I do know that livestream and live video is here to stay, and as a tool for talent, they’re another level of revolution. But rather than waste any words here (how old school) I’ll get straight to the point. Here are my 6 reasons to livestream and live video for your personal or employer brand: More authentic. This is general, but we know that in business and marketing,

Leadership Is About Emotion

Make a list of the 5 leaders you most admire. They can be from business, social media, politics, technology, the sciences, any field. Now ask yourself why you admire them. The chances are high that your admiration is based on more than their accomplishments, impressive as those may be. I’ll bet that everyone on your list reaches you on an emotional level. This ability to reach people in a way that transcends the intellectual and rational is the mark of a great leader. They all have it. They inspire us. It’s a simple as that. And when we’re inspired we tap into our best selves

5 Tips For A Winning Candidate Experience

Let’s face it – The hiring process is stressful for both sides. The job seeker is putting their talents and career future on the line, which is a vulnerable place to be. The organization is investing considerable resources in hopes of finding a star in the making. This is important stuff. And yet far too many organizations make a mess out of the candidate experience in the recruiting process. This is astonishing, and just plain self-destructive. Get this: The Talent Board, which runs the Candidate Experience Awards, surveyed over 45,000 job applicants about their experience. Of those who had a positive experience, 61 percent would

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Meghan M. Biro

Meghan M. Biro

4 Ways To Be A More Resilient Leader

Your Employer Brand Owns The Candidate Experience

#WorkTrends Preview: Negotiation 101: Never Split The Difference

#WorkTrends Recap: Modern Compensation: Putting People First

Create A Vocabulary That Inspires Employee Engagement

5 Ways To Reinvent Your Recruiting Strategy

Employee Engagement Is A Leadership Commitment

Recognize, Reward And Engage Your Multi-Generational Workforce

#WorkTrends Preview: Modern Compensation: Putting People First

#WorkTrends Recap: Building Strength-Based Organizations

How To Make Work Matter

Hiring Success Beyond The Gut Check

#WorkTrends Preview: Building Strengths-Based Organizations

Unleash Your Employees’ Super Powers

The #1 Reason People Leave a Job Might Surprise You

How Leaders Hire Top Tech Talent

Happy Employees = Hefty Profits

Telecommuting Is The Future of Work

#WorkTrends Recap: Spouses Working Together

6 Reasons To Start Live Video Streaming Your Brand

Leadership Is About Emotion

5 Tips For A Winning Candidate Experience

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Meghan M. Biro

Meghan M. Biro

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