Meghan M. Biro, Author at TalentCulture

HR Technology: A Revolution For The World Of Work

HR (specifically talent management) is an art and a science. Achieving the right balance between the two should be the goal of every global leader. HR is an art because, at its heart, itâ€™s about people â€“ in all their messy glory. Itâ€™s about hiring the right people, and then inspiring and enabling them to deliver stellar performance. HR is a science because there are ways to measure talent, skills and compatibility that can take some of the guesswork out of the process and dramatically increase the odds of success. The science side of this equation is where you find most

Smart Leaders And The Power Of Collaboration

Collaboration is the keystone of leadership success. Donâ€™t believe me? Â Google â€œsequestrationâ€ anyone? These days we are seeing infantile exercises in acting out. Driven by rigid ideology, inflated egos, and a desire for revenge that put party above country, potentially serious damage was self-inflicted on our economy by a stubborn few. This is not a political rant as much as it is a leadership call to action. This is what leadership failure looks. And it happened because some people donâ€™t know how to â€“ or refuse to â€” collaborate. Thereâ€™s a silver lining: we have an object lesson in howÂ notÂ to run

#WorkTrends Preview: Rethinking the Candidate Experience and Making Better Hires

The recruitment process has become increasingly impersonalâ€“for both candidates and recruiters â€“ and itâ€™s obvious both sides arenâ€™t satisfied with the experience. The challenge? Each side has very different ideas about what makes the other side tickâ€“and what needs to be done to improve the experience. At its surface, finding a job or a new employee is a high-touch, personal, and interactive processâ€“much like dating. And akin to the dating world, over-complicating an interaction between two parties is not always the most effective approach to make a successful match. In fact, simplification is really where connections between candidates and employers begin

The New Rules Of Leadership

Spring is in the air, the days are getting longer and the crocuses are poking up their hopeful heads. Yet, these remain bleak times for too many job seekers, even leaders and managers with impressive resumes. The reason? The demands of a collaboration-based, talent-hungry, global, wired economy are evolving so quickly that success depends on nothing less than continuous learning. Fall behind and you may find yourself disqualified from the race. A while back, I had the eye-opening experience of reading a report written by the analyst Josh Bersin of Bersin by Deloitte, in which he made his predictions for the

Tweet Naked: Using Social Media to Build Your Brand

Social media is one of the best marketing tools available when it comes to building and a brand. However, people and companies are missing an opportunity to connect with consumers by not utilizing it effectively. Todayâ€™s #WorkTrends guest, Scott Levy, author of “Tweet Naked”, shared tips and tricks to help you get the most from your investment of both time and resources in social media marketing. Scott also touched on the brands that have mastered social media marketing and why we need to emulate what they do. Here are a few great takeaways shared by Scott: If you want to continue

How Big Data Drives HR in 2016

Big data has helped earn human resources a seat at the tableÂ (or so we hope, as we move beyond buzzword phrases)â€”an active part of the business planning process, supported by the deep insights and predictive analytics that this gold mine of information provides. But a lot of HR departments are still trying to figure out what to do with all that data. A report from Oxford Economics and SAP found that few HR departments are without business analytics altogether, but many still struggle to use what they have in a way that matters. Thereâ€™s good news for the coming year. As

5 Lessons In Learning And Leadership

Here in the Boston, Cambridge we are lucky, there’s a college around every corner. Harvard, M.I.T., Wellesley, Boston University, the list goes on and on. Our streets, libraries and local coffee shops are clogged with passionate students shelling out 40k (plus extras) a year for the privilege of earning those coveted diplomas. I hate to be a bubble-burster, but some of them may be overpaying. Please don’t get me wrong, I’m a huge proponent of education, and a degree from a top-flight school still counts. But we’re seeing a sea change in the kind of learning the marketplace is demanding. That

Influencer Marketing Gone Wrong—Avoiding the Most Common Mistakes

Are you responsible for managing campaigns to roll out a new product or service? Or are you one of the essential cogs in the HR machine with a job that includes finding top talent? In either scenario (and in many others) influencer marketing may be exactly what you’re looking for. As I’ve said before, I am a brand champion for talent, and I think it’s important to understand how influencer marketing is reshaping the way businesses market and sell their products. I also think it’s important to understand what to and what NOT to do when you’re considering working with an

Let’s Redefine Employee Engagement in 2016

Disclosure: This post contains a quote and link to one of my clients, TinyPulse. If you feel like you’re in a rut at work, you aren’t alone. A recent Gallup poll found that 67 percent of workers aren’t engaged—or worse, they’re actively disengaged—a number that’s been pretty stagnant for the past 16 years. Somehow, despite the best of intentions, corporate culture has taken a misstep. That’s why it’s time to ditch those well-used annual engagement surveys and redefine how you view and measure employee engagement. Where The Traditional Approach to Employee Engagement Goes Wrong When a company gets employee engagement right,

The Devil At The Desk: Destructive Bosses

The onus is on leadership to improve employee engagement. It’s part of that magical workforce trifecta: a terrific candidate experience, a high level of workplace engagement, all resulting in retention. But what about when the leadership is toxic; when it’s more problem than solution? That’s a whole different ballgame. We’ve all dealt with a boss or manager that just somehow turns everything into a losing proposition: Never satisfied, or mysteriously withholding the recognition we know that we — or our colleagues — deserve. Or do we? A certain click of engagement involves a clarifying moment when we ditch that, “maybe it

The Secret Formula for Exemplary Leadership

As the landscape of business continues to evolve, we not only see changes outside the organization, we see changes inside the organization as well. That means different communication styles, different individual work style preferences, different motivators and incentives, different corporate cultures—and as a result, leadership styles must also evolve. In today’s corporate world, leaders who take a more relational approach to management find success. Why? Because the traditional world of work that existed in the past—largely dictatorial and autocratic, is no longer an option if your goal is on not only creating a great corporate culture, but also inspiring optimal productivity

Let’s Be Honest About Diversity: Age Matters Too

The conversation about diversity is finally opening up. We have a long way to go, but gender and ethnic equality are firmly on the agenda. From the law to the notoriously homogeneous tech industry, leaders are taking notice and working to create change. But there’s a gaping oversight in the conversation that’s too often ignored: In the push to improve diversity, we have to recognize that age matters, too. Nearly ten years ago, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerburg—then 23 years old—told a startup event: “Young people are just smarter… Young people lead simpler lives. We may not own a car. We may

Managing By Influence: How To Lead In The New Workforce

Influence is everywhere: we’re in the midst of an election displaying the best and worst. Have at it, talented people, enjoy the show. Meanwhile, from where I’m sitting, it’s a game-changing year in talent management, too. What we’ve been speculating about isn’t in future tense anymore. It’s now. So let’s talk about telling people what to do. If you winced at that phrase, I agree with you. Effective management, particularly in the realm of talent, is no longer about the ability to directly convey an order and have it spread and waterfall from Point A to Departments B through Z. And

Did Millennials Kill the 9-to-5 Workday, or Just Point Out That It’s Dead?

Millennials have taken the workplace by storm. They’re now the largest generation in the workforce and are tossing the 9-to-5 day, with dedicated cubicles and shared offices, out the window. They have fresh ideas for how, when and where we work, and as the younger Generation Z starts clocking in, organizations that haven’t prioritized flexibility and mobility risk losing out on top tier talent. But before you ditch workplace traditions for trendy options, stop to consider what this generation actually wants from work. What millennials want most. Numerous studies have been conducted over the past few years to determine exactly what

#WorkTrends Preview: The Keys to Exemplary Leadership

The changing landscape of business requires a more relational leadership style. Why? Because the traditional world of work that existed in the past – dictatorial, autocratic, etc. – is no longer an option for optimal productivity from followers. But how do we know the keys to this leadership style? What about a relational leadership style sets it apart and makes it better than leadership styles of the past? You don’t want to miss the #WorkTrends show next week as our guest, author and former New England Patriots linebacker, Dr. Jason Carthen, will join us to discuss exemplary leadership and its positive

#WorkTrends Recap: Corporate Culture & Understanding Your Workplace Genome

Understanding your corporate culture is critical to the success of any organization. Culture is not one size fits all. It differs based on who the employees are, what they value, what inspires them, what motivates them, what it is about the company that attracted them, what makes them proud to be part of the team and, of course, why they stay. All of these pieces make up your workplace genome. On today’s WorkTrends show, guest Charlie Judy explored what it means to honestly understand and embrace your workplace culture. He talked about why it’s important to stop trying to become the

Big Data: Now an Integral Part of Talent Recruiting

Big data is a driving force behind business strategy today—and human resources is no exception. It’s given recruiters the tools they need to make better hires and is changing the way organizations measure performance, boost employee engagement, prioritize training, and analyze talent needs. HR today has access to a gold mine of data, an unprecedented amount of information: insights, intelligence, trends, future-casting. There’s a reason the job of data scientist just ranked as the top career opportunity for 2016: There are currently more than 1,700 job openings for a job “…where demand outpaces supply,” said Scott Dobroski, Glassdoor’s career trends analyst.

5 Steps to Empowering The Brand You

Is there a more overworked word in the business lexicon than “personal brand”? Brand this, brand that, brand yourself, blah-blah-blah. The whole concept has officially entered the Social and Career Cliché Hall of Fame, right? Not so fast. Like all clichés, branding became one because there’s truth in it. So let’s all get a little Zen here and assume Shoshin or beginner’s mind. This is a powerful practice — a brilliant business thinker and local social friend of mine by the name of (1997 anyone? This is not a new concept ) Tom Peters – mentioned this means clearing our minds

#WorkTrends Preview: Corporate Culture and Understanding Your Workplace Genome

When undertaking any transformation within the workplace, leaders should focus on a deep understanding of the corporate culture. That means knowing who their employees are, what they value, what inspires them, what motivates them, what it is about the company that attracted them, what makes them proud to be part of your team and, of course, why they stay. These things? They are your “workplace genome.” You’ll want to join us for the next #WorkTrends show as our guest Charlie Judy will help us explore that workplace genome. We will talk about why it’s important to stop trying to become the

Why Talent Acquisition Should Own Recruitment Marketing

Recruiters and marketers used to sit in different areas of the office, playing distinctly different roles. But as we all know, that’s shifted quite a bit with the focus on recruitment marketing. A marketing hat is now an essential part of a talent acquisition leader’s wardrobe. The most successful recruiters and talent acquisition leaders have embraced the entire world of marketing, from tactics to metrics. According to The MRINetwork Recruiter Sentiment Study, a biannual survey conducted among nearly 2,000 U.S.-based executive search recruiters of MRINetwork, 90 percent of recruiters say the market was candidate-driven in 2015, up from 54 percent in

#WorkTrends Recap: Simple Ways to Measure Employee Engagement

Employee engagement is something that HR pros and their colleagues in the C-suite are laser-focused on, and measuring engagement is often at the top of the list. Why the interest? When employees are engaged, they likely adopt the vision, values, and purpose of the organization where they work—and it shows. Engaged employees are passionate contributors, innovative problem solvers, and the very best colleagues. Equally as important, high-performing, engaged employees want to work in places that foster and cultivate engagement as an integral part of the corporate culture. Smart HR pros and senior leaders want to cultivate that kind of environment. On

The New World of Work: Flexible Careers and Freelancing

Is freelancing the new black? It certainly seems that way—in fact, you might call this trend the new world of work. A new study by Freelancers Union and Upwork backs this up, finding that more people are freelancing by choice. Today, a little more than one in three workers in the United States are setting their own hours and being their own bosses. The findings of the study were interesting—here are some of the highlights: “The majority (60 percent) of freelancers who left traditional employment now earn more.” Nearly a quarter of those surveyed said they specifically left an employer in

Big Data and Privacy: The Human Consequence of Security Breaches

According to the Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC), there were 781 U.S. data breaches last year, and the risk is predicted to grow exponentially. Data privacy is one of the biggest threats facing businesses this year and, in years to come. Breaches over the past few years at companies like Sony, Target, Home Depot, and Anthem have grabbed headlines and exposed the personal details of millions of people—not to mention personal correspondence and backroom gossip. Incidents like these don’t just trigger a PR nightmare that can sink sales and injure a brand’s reputation; there are human consequences faced by the people

Stay up-to-date with HR, tech and the future of work. Get our weekly newsletter!

Meghan M. Biro

Meghan M. Biro

HR Technology: A Revolution For The World Of Work

Smart Leaders And The Power Of Collaboration

#WorkTrends Preview: Rethinking the Candidate Experience and Making Better Hires

The New Rules Of Leadership

How Big Data Drives HR in 2016

Influencer Marketing Gone Wrong—Avoiding the Most Common Mistakes

Let’s Redefine Employee Engagement in 2016

The Devil At The Desk: Destructive Bosses

The Secret Formula for Exemplary Leadership

Let’s Be Honest About Diversity: Age Matters Too

Did Millennials Kill the 9-to-5 Workday, or Just Point Out That It’s Dead?

#WorkTrends Preview: The Keys to Exemplary Leadership

#WorkTrends Recap: Corporate Culture & Understanding Your Workplace Genome

Big Data: Now an Integral Part of Talent Recruiting

5 Steps to Empowering The Brand You

#WorkTrends Preview: Corporate Culture and Understanding Your Workplace Genome

Why Talent Acquisition Should Own Recruitment Marketing

#WorkTrends Recap: Simple Ways to Measure Employee Engagement

The New World of Work: Flexible Careers and Freelancing

Big Data and Privacy: The Human Consequence of Security Breaches

Quick Links

Topics

Newsletter Signup

Meghan M. Biro

Meghan M. Biro

Subscribing to Ho-Hum Newsletters? We have the fix!