Brian Gareau

The Accidental Boss

Often individuals find themselves in leadership roles without a true understanding of how to succeed.  Many are “good doers” misplaced, misinformed or misguided.  And they find themselves struggling to balance the many demands of leadership. Now more than ever, these Accidental Bosses must effectively wear multiple hats (managerial, company advocate and employee advocate) to be successful and sustain organizational performance.

In this session, attendees will explore tactical and practical reminders on “blind spots,” “the signs all around us,” and “hazards” to effective leadership and sustainable high performance. As well, they will gain basic techniques that can significantly improve the commitment, effort, and loyalty of your workforce.  Remember, people are the only asset an organization has that can appreciate over time … if we truly appreciate them.

I Wish Someone Would Communicate Around Here!

Ineffective communication costs businesses big bucks – research estimates over $30B annually in the U.S. and U.K. alone. Communication is a simple, but definitely not easy, concept to consistently execute. Inconsistent, mixed messages create inefficiency. New technology increases speed and accessibility but not necessarily understanding. In this presentation, you will gain simple and easy techniques for improving communication in your organization.

Customer Service - From The Inside Out

Research shows that “poor” Customer Service costs U.S. businesses over $80B annually.  Are the behaviors and attitudes impacting these losses actually “reflections” of how leaders and employees are treating each other internally?  External customers don’t care about an organization’s internal issues.  But, internal issues can and do have a huge impact on delivering a competitive advantage of excellent external customer experience.  Is your business culture safe or dangerous for customers inside and out?

Workplace Culture – Asset or Liability?

Competition is tough!  Everyone is constantly looking for a “new” market, product or service, process, physical layout, design, delivery model, or technology that will differentiate them from everyone else.  And, if they are fortunate enough to find “an edge” – how do they sustain it? According to Harvard Business School, “business culture can have a significant impact on a firm’s long-term economic performance.” So why do so few companies “master” their business culture’s competitive edge?

The Sustainable Fuel for High Performance

Many businesses today struggle with “people issues” including: the ability to attract and retain the best talent, employee resistance to change, absenteeism, and individual accountability.  All these create frustration, waste and lost performance.  So, how do you unleash the engagement “sustainable fuel” (commitment, effort, loyalty) of your workforce?  Engagement is more than an employee survey score – it must be an integrated element of your people and business strategy.  It must be a critical competency that leaders master.  And, it must be a priority to improve and sustain high performance.

Stand Out in the Crowd

Every day organizations strive to find new ways to attract, retain and grow customer loyalty and market share. One key strategy used is product/service differentiation. The concept of differentiation is simple but also challenging to sustain – make your organization stand out from otherwise similar competitors in the marketplace. This same strategy of differentiation will also be even more critical in the future in finding, hiring, engaging and keeping a talented workforce. Does your organization distinguish itself from other employers and if so, is the differentiation sustainable? This session will help you gain a clearer understanding of a key missing ingredient in many Talent Management strategies, better understand the critical importance of workplace culture as a competitive differentiator and evaluate traditional versus new workplace differentiators in your organization.