As America’s hybrid workplace motivational speaker, I was recently delivering a keynote speech on the new hybrid way of working to an association when I said, “You know, the hybrid workplace is going to get more complicated.” A collective groan went up through the in-person and remote office. Then I added, “Unless you do this one thing.” They demanded to know the answer. “It’s simple,” I said. “Negotiate.” My...
As America’s Hybrid Workplace Keynote Speaker, I understand that telling everyone in a pre-pandemic, in-person office that they must now go hybrid is filled with challenges. As I do so much research in this area, let me quickly recommend a Harvard Business Review piece from February 2022, that does a great job of touching on five of the challenges. In speaking on the “new” hybrid workplace as a motivational...
What about the Day after Safety Day? My greatest honor as a safety day motivational speaker, is when I hear that my safety day keynote speaking advice was remembered long after the event. In fact, I like to learn that my motivational safety day talk saved an injury or two weeks and months later. Don’t get me wrong, me a Safety Speaker like BBQ and free T-shirts as much...
“Dear Boss: My Greatest Joy is Sitting in Traffic 4 Hours a Day.” (Part 3 of a 5 Part Series) As a keynote speaker and motivational Hybrid Workplace Speaker, I understand that these are tough and uncertain times. As an executive leader, you want to keep good people, but there is a great deal of confusion as to how to do that. In my talks on hybrid workplaces, I...
The Workplace Balance Has Changed, Is Your Organization Prepared? It has argued that COVID-19 “changed everything.” As a national change management speaker, my counter argument is that COVID changed nothing but accelerated everything. In my keynote talks on change management, I point out that as the Omicron variant began to subside, the workplace would be re-balanced and employees would become not more powerful, but more heard and prone to...
As a negotiation skills keynote speaker who teaches skills such as “don’t qualify your price,” I remember the old quote about those who negotiate the price of a product or service before the negotiation. “Qualifying price” is a negotiation skills mistake that far too many inexperienced negotiators make, and it has harmed thousands of businesses. Many Names, Same Result In teaching negotiation skills, as a keynote speaker I am...
If Workplace Safety is a Negotiation, Why Aren’t We Talking More? As a manufacturing safety speaker, I stress that manufacturing safety is an ongoing negotiation. As a safety keynote speaker, I am passionately committed to doing everything I can to talk more on the importance of safety, encourage more safety conversations and to teach workers and supervisors to spotlight safety negotiation as their highest priority. “Letters from CEOs” As...
Recently, as I was presenting workplace safety to an organization in my capacity as a Workplace Safety Speaker, a comment was submitted to me by the COO that I wanted to share with you. “Mike, I really want you to hammer these guys in your Safety in the Workplace talk. Last year, between Thanksgiving and Christmas, a few of our guys decided to have an unauthorized party in the...
Warm Towels and Change As a Change Management Speaker, I recently speaking on fearing change and emotions of change, I went over the stress that COVID has caused us and its relationship to change. According to the CDC “The COVID-19 pandemic has had a major effect on our lives. All of our lives. Most of us are facing challenges that can be stressful, overwhelming, and cause strong emotions.” The...
8 Scary Reasons Jobsites Don’t Work As a keynote speaker and a consultant on hiring the best person, let me begin with a controversial statement: in my opinion most of the job search websites are not worth the digital keystrokes they are built on. When I as a change management speaker give a personal or in-person keynote address on hiring the best person, I am amazed, but not surprised...
How Many Days Has It Been for You? My work as a Workplace Safety Speaker has taken me to many manufacturing, trucking and construction companies. Recently, the president of a company invited me to see the operation before I delivered a safety speech. Before I ever thought about becoming a keynote speaker on safety, I worked in construction, manufacturing, and transportation, so it always feels good to “come back...
All That Stinks Here Isn’t Cheese As a negotiation skills keynote speaker and breakout speaker who speaks nationwide on negotiation, I will admit two things upfront: I actually used the expression “all that stinks here isn’t cheese,” with a cheese-making ingredient client, and that I don’t know anything about cheesemaking. Well, Excuuuse Me As to the expression, it led to me helping the sales manager at the ingredient company...
Negotiation Skills Speaker Learning effective negotiation skills isn’t a talent reserved for an elite few. As a negotiation skills speaker, I often remind those who attend my negotiation skills keynote addresses and workshops, that 70 percent of the sale is made before you get there.“Well then, Mike, what is the other 30 percent?” It’s You! The unknown factor in any negotiation, especially for people in sales and marketing, is...
As a change management speaker and change management breakout session speaker my greatest passion is to help organizations manage change, and respond to change in challenging times. I think we would all agree that as a society, in the past decade, nothing has changed us as much as COVID. Clearly, we can always point to the rise of Facebook users, YouTube uploads, the appearance of Bitcoin, the increase in...
My passion as a workplace safety speaker has led me all across America to deliver keynote addresses and break-out training sessions as a keynote speaker and breakout speaker on safety to construction companies, food processing, pharmaceutical companies, manufacturing, trucking companies and similar organizations. I have seen the results of what happens when safety is ignored. As a workplace safety speaker, I frequently like to ask the question you see...
As a motivational safety speaker, there’s always one wise-guy in the audience who says: “I always hear you guys talking about safety first. So, what’s second, beer?” It’s always good for a laugh. The dismissive answer is: “Why, are you buying?” The subject is anything but lighthearted. In fact, when I as a safety speaker give my safety keynote speeches, I’m aware that in a year, workers might walk...
As a Keynote Speaker on Teamwork, Team Building Speaker and a Team Management Speaker, I realize there is a lot of confusion. To briefly point out the differences of the terms, Teamwork is a general term referring to the combined effort of a group of people. Teamwork can apply to the Navy SEALS, New York Yankees or the sales force of a pharmaceutical company. The premise of teamwork is...
My twenty-year mission as a change management speaker has led me to the conclusion that most people don’t want to embrace change management, they want to erase it. In my in-person and virtual training sessions, I note that managing change is never easy. However, organizational change is made more difficult when employees intuitively know they must accept the changes in their organization, and then refuse to expose themselves to...
A few years ago, I was asked in my role as a safety motivational speaker to speak at a major food industry tradeshow. One of the aspects of the tradeshow was that it was honoring women who had contributed to the industry. Indeed, as a keynote and break-out session speaker on safety I have met many women who have had outstanding careers in the safety prevention area. I am...
In my specialty as a virtual negotiation skills speaker, I have had the opportunity to teach negotiation skills training on an international basis. In fact, just last week I delivered a virtual keynote on negotiation skills to an international organization where 14 nations were represented. The amazing questions I received about negotiation skills from the virtual audience were equally excellent and insightful no matter where in the world the...