When I speak on the topic of negotiation skills, I like to recall a couple of famous quotes that are surefire ways to lose in almost any negotiation. As a negotiation skills speaker and negotiation skills consultant and book author, I never like to see anyone “get hurt” in a negotiation because of an easily avoidable attitude. The two quotes Who knows how far back the quote, “A friend...
Recently, I spoke at a convention in Orlando on communication problems in the multi-generational. As a multi-generational workforce keynote speaker, my passion is helping the generations connect. After my multi-generational workforce keynote speech, a member of the Gen-X “contingent” walked over to me, shook my hand, and jokingly said “I Can Hear What You’re Seeing – Almost.” It was a funny line, but also telling. Four generations Whether your...
“Working safely may get old, but so do those who practice it.” – Author unknown As a workplace safety keynote speaker who started his career in construction, steel mills and leather tanneries, I know that safety is stressful. Numerous studies, of course, have been done on the topic of stress and performance. From nurses to truck drivers, everyone knows that putting undue stress on employees causes accidents, but as...
Safety Speaker: When I was recently delivering a safety keynote speech in the capacity of a Workplace Safety Keynote Speaker, a VP of Manufacturing, and an old friend of mine asked: “Mike, remember all of those goofy safety posters? Where did they go?” As a workplace safety keynote speaker, I smiled and said: “Everyone’s going digital now.” It’s true, the “face” of workplace safety is changing. Instead of safety...
As a hybrid and blended workplace keynote speaker, I don’t believe the business environment has ever been more uncertain and confusing. The most common mistake I address as a motivational speaker on the topics of hybrid workplaces and blended workforces is that employers often treat their workforces as a homogenous group. There is nothing homogenous about the group at all, save for the facts that they work for the...
Last week, speaking in Charlotte, North Carolina in my role as a workplace safety motivational speaker, a sales person in the trade show area casually asked why everyone always made “such a big deal” about common sense stuff. “After all,” he said, “stupid mistakes get rid of stupid people, and there’s too many as it is.” Rather than challenge him, I nonchalantly asked him about his background. “I sold...
Over the past year, I became convinced that Charlotte, NC and throughout the whole country, 2023 will be known as the year of negotiation. As a Charlotte Negotiation Skills Speaker and Charlotte Negotiation Technique Consultant the ability to negotiate has never been more important. In November, 2022, the Workplace Learning Trend Report was released, and researchers found that “Persuasion” was the number one skill Charlotte, North Carolina sales professionals...
The most important thing to remember about change in 2023 As a Charlotte-based change management keynote speaker, I understand that 2023 could present itself as the most challenging period of change in the last several decades. Whenever I speak on change management to my Charlotte, North Carolina audiences, I stress the power of connections and work friendships. What does happiness have to with change? As I was recently delivering...
As a safety speaker who started his career in a manufacturing environment, I have been around a lot of holiday parties. The parties have changed over time, and that’s a good thing; no company wants to serve alcohol at a company party and then have some fool get in a car and drive home. Most company parties are not all that memorable however, after giving a talk on safety...
What do employees fear the most in this new “hybrid world?” As a change management speaker and change management consultant, I am witness to the deepest fears of those in my audiences. It’s not what you may think. In my role as a change management keynote speaker, I would caution organizations who believe the biggest fear is based on “catching Covid” or having to commute to the office twice...
We all know that learning is cyclable. As a change management speaker, I have observed that most people understand that the best way to teach people is to be willing to learn, however, a lot of people have difficulty putting that into practice. As a result, the cycle of learning is often broken. When an organization is going through a change, it is as important to share perspectives as...
Anger to Change is not a Good Look As a change management speaker and change management consultant, I realize there are no end to theories about how individuals in a company react to change. Jennifer Herrity writing for Indeed.com (September 15, 2021) listed many of these models, all championed by psychologists, management consultants, business schools and the like. However, in speaking to groups on change management, in real time...
Culture Connects, What Covid Divided As a hybrid workplace negotiation skills speaker, I understand that a hybrid workplace means much more than “two days (or so) in the office, and three days (give or take) out of the office.” Hybrid is more than a need for a sense of scheduling but more so, the need for communication, connection and a “celebration” of what makes any organization unique. Hybrid encourages...
As a negotiation skills speaker and negotiation skills consultant, I have noticed a troublesome trend in the modern-day hiring process. This trend should be reversed as a matter of priority especially in the current labor market which is anything but predictable. It goes to the matter of the hiring and interviewing process. What is your image? In my keynote talks on negotiation and the hiring process, I like to...
Your Change Management Motivational Speaker Mike Hourigan says the following. “The McKinsey consulting group reports data that 70% of all change management efforts fail. A 30% success rate is troubling, particularly when considering the associated costs in the form of loss of competitive position, confidence of the workforce in leadership, and quality improvements and anticipated costs reductions.” It is called change fatigue, it’s a real thing, and no one...
As a change management workplace speaker, I am often surprised by how easily organizations miss the obvious and run to the exotic. For example, while presenting at a recent seminar, I asked the group: what do you think is the hottest trend in change management? I received several great responses including the so called “digital-first” trend; the hottest of hottest buzzwords. Then there was the expected, “end to the...
As a risk management safety speaker, who has spent many years talking to risk management professionals, I am asking you to take a leap of faith. And, I suppose I ask this not as a safety speaker who speaks on risk management, but as a someone who began his work life in steel mills and manufacturing. In a real sense, my trip up the corporate ladder was sometimes on...
As a hybrid workplace motivational speaker, I would like to encourage you to read the latest Gallup Poll on employee disengagement. The top-line results are disturbing and offer a pessimistic view of the future of work. Speaking to audiences on the dual concepts of hybrid workplaces and blended workplaces, I have noted a serious trend for the past few years. Research has only verified what has been troubling me...
As a negotiation skills speaker with long-term experience in understanding hybrid workplaces, virtual and remote meetings, I must be keenly aware of what I call “the language of organizations.” Recently speaking in-person at a conference on the topic of negotiation skills for hybrid workplaces, an attendee asked me, “Whatever Happened to Bandwidth?” I laughed. In those ancient days of 2019, pre-COVID, supervisors and work teams often told one another...
Whatever Happened to Bandwidth? As a negotiation skills speaker with long-term experience in understanding hybrid workplaces, virtual and remote meetings, I must be keenly aware of what I call “the language of organizations.” Recently speaking in-person at a conference on the topic of negotiation skills for hybrid workplaces, an attendee asked me, “Whatever Happened to Bandwidth?” I laughed. In those ancient days of 2019, pre-COVID, supervisors and work teams...