When you think about Workforce Planning, hiring is always an early and critical component of that plan. An important point of the analysis is the quality of hire. Well, I can tell you right now, Aquire has that one down pat. Aquire held our  Structure 2010 User Conference this week, and it was wonderful. Beyond the fact that our customers are outstanding and added a great deal of value to the event, my employees were amazing. All the adages about “employee engagement can be felt by the customers,” “hire well, live well,” and “raise the bars high and great employees will reach them,” were in evidence. read more »

How a company adapts during a crisis or problem can give you a true sense of their leadership. Policies are important to be created and followed as a framework when issues pop up. But when an unprecedented crisis occurs, leadership is tested. I have to say I’ve been disgusted by many employers’ choices during the European travel crises due to the Icelandic volcano. Because so many of the stories I’m referencing are sourced from blogs and cnn.com ireports, I’m not going to reference them with links, as I cannot verify the criticisms of specific companies. But the lessons are still real. read more »

Guest Post from Tom McKeown, President and Chief Operating Officer

During the 2008 presidential campaign, Senator John McCain took the fiscal position of needing to take an axe to the federal budget in order to reduce government spending. In response, then Senator Barack Obama countered with the idea that the better tool was a scalpel so one did not cut off muscle with the fat. Politics aside, many corporations face similar decisions during good times and bad, but must act in a quicker manner than government is able or likely to do. read more »

At the HCI Summit last month, I listened to Blake Mycoskie, founder of TOMS,  who designed the company to sustainably provide the One for One™ business model. For every pair of shoes purchased, the company gives a pair of shoes to a child in need. TOMS gives to people around the world who cannot afford shoes for their children – a situation that often prevents children from attending school. read more »