Six years ago, I left the world of technology sales to join the “employee recognition” industry. At the time, trophy manufacturers and fulfillment houses were giving prizes to people for their organizational tenure. Much in the way one receives a class ring, employees were rewarded a milestone award that was centric to their company brand. These mementos served as badges of honor to certain employees. Then technology took over.
David.Kovacovich
Bio:
David Kovacovich is an Engagement Strategist, Organizational Culturalist, and Behavioral Economist. He has been a member of the SHRM Annual Conference Social Media Team since 2013 and is a keynote speaker in the NCHRA lecture series.
David is on Twitter at @DavidKovacovich and blogs at Dave's Weekly Thought.
Screen Name:
David Kovacovich
History
- Member for
- 7 years 7 months
Articles by David Kovacovich
My son and I were watching Steve Jobs present at Apple Town Hall in 2001. Actually, it was Ashton Kutcher in the opening scene of "Jobs", the year's most remarkable film. At the conclusion of his brief Keynote introduction, Steve Jobs pulled from his pocket a device that he introduced as "the I-pod". I was startled by applause from the 8 year old sitting next to me. He nodded his head and looked over at me with a pride most children would reserve for Santa Claus.
December 23, 2013
"In life there are creators and destroyers, which one are you?"
- George Lucas
December 3, 2013
Tags:
Gallup recently reported that 70 percent of American workers are disengaged. In a recent Forbes article, leadership development experts Jack Zenger and Joe Folkman claim that this data is wrong. They “question the accuracy of this number” and “are particularly concerned about the impact this message has on the executives of organizations.”
November 15, 2013
Tags:
There once was a shepherd boy who was bored as he sat on the hillside watching the village sheep. To amuse himself he took a great breath and sang out, "Wolf! Wolf!
November 11, 2013
Gallup released it's "State of the Global Business" report for 2013. The results are unbelievable.
According to Gallup:
1. Worldwide, only 13% of Employees are Engaged at work.
2. The Actively Disengaged outnumber the Engaged 2 to 1 in the workplace.
So, if 2 of every 10 of your employees are engaged you are an above average organization?
More people hate their job than those who love it?
Are you willing to accept that?
...because I'm not!
November 7, 2013
Last week, I wrote a piece about my journey to finding the perfect job. I know many are not so lucky. Some studies even indicate that most people hate their job.
October 24, 2013
Culture has become a buzz word in the #HR world. We went from Employee Benefits to Employee Rewards to Employee Recognition to Employee Engagement which has created an emphasis on Organizational Culture. Google has created a city to engage their employees; Zappos has re-invented old town Las Vegas for the same purpose. With our personal brands now more prominent than our company logos, the emphasis on culture is no longer the exception but the rule.
October 1, 2013
My occupation allows me to swim in many waters. I work with Marketing, Sales and HR Leaders across the Globe. While we want to believe we live in a time of organizational alignment, we simply do not!! Marketing wants Big Data, Sales wants to see the ROI and HR wants to be accepted for their Leadership contributions. We say our mission, vision and values align us; but far too often they are swept under the rug in difference to our more immediate goals.
September 18, 2013
My friend Robin Schooling wrote a compelling piece a few days back. She conceptualized a two-headed HR department:
Head 1: Transactional - which handles benefits, employee relations, HRIS, new hires/terminations/transfers and compliance.
Head 2: Transformational - which has responsibility for performance management, talent management, learning and performance, leadership development and business strategy.
July 31, 2013
Tags:
This morning HR Professionals across the world catapulted themselves through the office doors full of inspiring new ideas. The SHRM annual conference has concluded, now it is up to us to carry the well-lit torch of knowledge into our organizations. We came to Chicago to learn and share. Through human consensus, however, I can tell you that HR's greatest challenge is ending the stigma!
June 21, 2013
Tags:
Wanna see a bunch of HR people cry? Put them in the an expo hall the size of an airplane hanger and put Mr. Blake Mycoskie on stage. We HR folk are often called upon to put our emotions in-check....no such luck on Monday morning in Chicago!
June 20, 2013
I will be joining the #SHRM13 Social Media Team this year at the SHRM Annual Conference in Chicago. In years past, I worked on an exhibitor booth team. Here’s my take on the vendor mindset and how you can maximize your exhibitor hall experience.
By the way, you can meet me at “The Hive” (located in the South Building of McCormick Place in HALL A right next to the SHRMStore) for a social media tutorial:
• Monday 2pm - 4pm
June 14, 2013
Tags:
A few weeks from now you will grab your favorite travel accessories in preparation for the 65th annual Society of Human Resource Management Annual Conference. I’m sure you are bursting with excitement to get to Chicago to learn, network, and build your strategic toolbox. By the time you return from the Windy City many of you will be recertified or adding a letter to your post name credentials. Whether it’s your first SHRM conference experience or your 65th, maximizing your time is essential.
June 5, 2013
"My model for business is the Beatles. They were four guys who kept each other's kind of negative tendencies in check. They balanced each other, and the total was greater than the sum of the parts. That's how I see business: Great things in business are never done by one person. They're done by a team of people." – Steve Jobs
When it comes to recognizing employees an either/or scenario is often presented: “Should we recognize only our top performers, or should we recognize all of our employees?” The answer is both…and more.
June 4, 2013
Tags:
I have done over 300 speaking engagements on the topic of Employee Engagement over the last 6 years and I am getting tired. My quest to find the essence of what creates organizational culture and how we can empower workforce awesomeness has been trumped by a number of things:
May 9, 2013
Tags:
"Who do you want next to you in court?"
April 29, 2013
Tags:
There seems to be a reluctance to release the performance review handcuffs in the HR world. Let's be honest: we conduct performance reviews so that we have legally binding documentation in the event we need to fire someone.
That's that!
In reality, effective performance management requirements are directly in-line with Tom Chatfield's 7 Ways that Games Reward The Brain:
April 10, 2013
A fairly recent World at Work survey listed "lack of opportunity" and "dwindling faith in leadership" as key contributors to employee disengagement. This bell rings very familiar! Early in my career, I experienced ongoing disappointment at my own expense. I was young, energetic, and full of motivation. I understood the core functions of my job and executed them like wild fire. I volunteered to do extra work and read the books suggested by management. Still, the opportunity for advancement was not offered.
March 20, 2013
Tags:
Remember when companies were run as dictatorships? We simply cannot do that anymore. There are too many people in too many places with too much work to be done. Nowadays, one man or woman cannot run a start-up -- let alone a global corporation.
In the past, while formulating an employee engagement strategy I would often hear, "The CEO wants it that way, so that's the way we are going to do it." Today, the CEO-centric program may be the very thing that drives tomorrow's talent away.
February 8, 2013