How to Hire Karl

Many organizations recognize that their future success depends on the people on their team. It wasn’t always like this.

• 10 years ago, CFOs implemented technology upgrades and boosted productivity for a while.
• 5 years ago, CFOs implemented “lean processes” and got another productivity boost
• In the future, CEOs recognize that the only productivity lever remaining is better people management and job fit.

Good news – that’s just what Karl works on. If you have a problem involving people in any way, ask me. I probably know an answer. Some specific situations:

• Retention problem? You may need to do a better job of selecting your new hires, or matching people to tasks. I can help with the latest assessment tools and current selection techniques, and advice on fine tuning your selection process.
• Big changes planned in your organization, and you need a way to get the attention of the group. I can get a large group of people to reflect on the true meaning of change and getting them motivated to start moving towards the “new state”.
• Planning another meeting of the senior team, and you need a speaker or facilitator that will produce results? Results, in the case of a leadership retreat, may mean developing personal action plans or launching a new direction for the organization. Or it could just mean having a closing speaker who can “pull it all together”. I can do that.
• You have an annual awards banquet, and you want a speaker with an entertaining message that has useful lessons for all. I am a good storyteller, but with high levels of “take-away” material and a high energy style that keeps the room awake.
• You are planning an industry conference, and need high energy opening keynotes to disconnect the audience from their normal world, high content breakout sessions to instruct and develop, and thoughtful keynotes that reinforces the conference’s learnings. I am skilled with all areas of conference presentation, and know what works in conference environments. Much of this is based on my years as Program Chair of a 700-attendee annual conference.

I can help you plan your event. As a participant in many excellent events (and some that were less than stellar) I can be very helpful in the planning stages by offering good ideas that have worked for others and things to watch out for. I can help you fund your conference. I have experience in finding sponsorships for events, and if money is an issue I can help brainstorm ways to raise funding. I can help you find other speakers. While I am not a speaker’s bureau (they are expert in the subject) I do know quite a few experts in many areas, and am happy to share those contacts. My contacts come from my 6 consecutive years as the Program Chair of a conference that books 30 speakers per year.

I am also a Professional Member of the National Speakers Association, and have contacts through that organization that I would be happy to share. Tell me about your background In a world of specialists, I stand out as a generalist in the people side of business. My core experience is as a Human Resource consultant, but I also have a broad range of experience in a wide range of business roles.

I am a Director in the Indianapolis office of Professional Staff Management, a full service human resource services firm, and I sell assessments in the Indiana area. People think I have been everywhere. I have run a career center in the swamps of Lake Charles, Louisiana, another in Appalachia, and helped restructure Apple computer in Silicon Valley. I have directed videos in Chicago, marketed software in Orlando, and launched an office of Right Management Consultants in San Diego.

As a coach I have helped many famous people on their careers, including the people who invented the Chevy El Camino, the designers of the supercomputer, and the guy who invented Stove Top Stuffing.

I host the Central Indiana CFO Roundtable, a monthly peer group gathering of CFOs with a membership of more than 100 CFOs. To learn the language of finance, I enrolled in the MBA program at Butler University. To study CFOs in their natural habitat, I even learned to play golf. Poorly. I am very involved in the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), speaking at the annual national conference and acting as conference co-chair for the Indiana State SHRM Conference. I am an SPHR (Senior Professional, Human Resources), am qualified to administer many assessment tools, and have a background with communications and writing as a focal point.

Email or call me. Share your dates, your plans, and your budget. Talk with me about your needs and the results you hope to get from your event. I can then send samples of past work that is similar to what you are doing, and offer ideas. If I am not a fit, I can certainly offer direction to an expert that might help.

The paybacks can be big. For your organization, the effects of fresh ideas and expert assistance can be significant. For yourself, the effect of working with a high quality professional can result in a better event, which helps make you look good. Give me a typical scenario.

I got a call from a Human Resource organization in the doldrums. Attendance was down, and they wanted to do something special to reach out to existing members and draw in new prospective members. We crafted a special morning workshop and panel of local CEOs would appeal to the business community, and had the session scheduled the morning before the normal luncheon meeting. We did an internet based survey of the attendees on current trends in the region, and the opening presentation of the morning was the results of the survey.

I then presented strategies and tactics that could be used to respond to the survey results, and we closed with a group of local CEOs reviewing their interpretation of the survey results. We were able to gather 100 attendees from a small community, and produced new members for the group.

I charge reasonable rates, and do everything I can to keep travel and incedental costs down I can do as little or as much as your needs and budget allow. I donate most of my speaker fees to the local food pantry.

Just email me by clicking here. We can discuss your challenges and get started immediately on helping you and your organization meet your needs. I look forward to helping.