Fourth of July Rewind: The Best Introduction Ever

NOTE: Reprising a post from July 6, 2016 - enjoy before you fire up the grill!

This is the best speaker/performer/sportsman introduction that you will hear all year - maybe ever.

It comes to us courtesy of the Nathan's Hot Dog eating contest held on July 4th and delivered by Master of Ceremonies George Shea, as he introduced competitive eating legend, and former champion Joey Chestnut.

Forgive the very shaky quality of the video embedded below (email and RSS subscribers click through), as it was recorded by me with my phone from a DVR replay of the event.

Trust me, you want to give this a minute and a few seconds to watch/listen.

Here's the full text of the intro, in case the dodgy audio was tough to decipher:

Two years ago on this stage he asked his girlfriend to marry him. And then last year one week before the contest the wedding was called off. And then on the 4th of July he lost the title of World Champion. And he was beaten and he was broken and he was alone. And nothing that he owned had any value, and his thoughts had no shape and no meaning. And the words fell from his mouth without sound. And he was lost and empty-handed, standing like a boy without friends on the school yard. But then he remembered that he is Joey Chestnut. And there is a time for pain and there is a time for punishment. A time for doubt and a time for dominance. A time for forbearance and a time for fury. And there is never, ever a time for submission. Ladies and gentlemen, the former champion of the world here to take back what was once his  - Joey Chestnut!

Did that bring chills down your spine, or what?

Awesome.

Why write about this, or bring attention to it at all?

Because it is a perfect example of someone, (Shea), going the extra, extra mile. It is a master class in combining facts, context, emotion, and excitement to make his audience interested in and excited about what is about to happen.

Because it is an amazing 1:15 showing a person (Shea) at the absolute top of his game. And not for nothing, shortly after this introduction, Chestnut went on to reclaim his Nathan's Hot Dog Champions title, (and Mustard Belt).

The next time it is your job to introduce someone for a speech or a presentation you'd do well to watch Shea's introduction of Chestnut a few times to find some inspiration. 

And the next time I get introduced for a presentation, I am going to demand that George Shea gets the job.

Happy 4th of July!

My HR Technology Conference Top 10 List #HRTechConf

I'm back! 

Sorry (not really sorry), for the dearth of posts the last 10 or 12 days, but the run-up prior, the event itself, and the necessary de-compression from the 20th Annual HR Technology Conference has kept me pretty busy.

But after two decent nights sleep since I have been home, feel finally ready to get back to the blog and later this week, to the HR Happy Hour Show as well.

But I didn't want to move on from  this year's  HR Tech without sharing some thoughts, observations, and most importantly thanks to the people that make HR Tech great, and who I count on every year for insight, guidance, and support.

So in classic David Letterman style, (still the best late night host), here is my Top 10 'Chairman's Top 10 Moments at HR Tech', direct from the home office in Rochester, NY.

Number 10...

#VegasStong. It was great to have at HR Tech back in Las Vegas, our spiritual home, after a quick detour to Chicago in 2016. Of course, the events in Vegas the week prior made the return of the show to Las Vegas even more poignant. Many, many thanks to the HR Tech community for rallying support and donations to the Las Vegas victim's fund, and to LRP Publications  for their generous support. The HR Tech community is a close, supportive, and caring one, and it showed last week for sure.

Number 9...

#ChairmansHappyHour. Thanks to my colleagues, my friends, and my pals at Namely for what was a great birthday party for me and two of my best HR Tech friends. Truly a night I will not forget. Namely are really good people and my little group of Chairman's party people are the best in the industry.

Number 8...

Puppies. The cool folks at HighGround once again brought all the cute to the HR Tech Expo. And I don't care if you think it is a kind of cheap stunt to drive traffic. Puppies are the best. 

Number 7...

Opening keynoter Laszlo Bock. Super impressive person, fantastic content and message in his opening presentation. Met him for the first time in person backstage prior to the session, and he couldn't have been cooler. Look for him on an upcoming HR Happy Hour Show soon.

Number 6...

Closing keynoter Josh Bersin. Man, this guy just delivers. Great information, great insight, and I could have listened for another hour if we had the time. Awesome.

Number 5...

Our revised, revamped, and improved 'Discovering the Next Great HR Technology Company' process. Adding an element of public voting during the summer added an element of suspense and fun, and brining only the four finalists to the Conference made for a better on-site experience. This was one of my top moments of the show. Congrats to our winner Blueboard and many thanks to George Larocque, Madeline Laurano, Ben Eubanks, and Lance Haun for all the help.

Number 4...

The 2nd Annual Women in HR Technology Summit that was held on the Conference's opening day was an incredible event. Building on last year's launch, we had a fantastic set of presentations and panels from an amazing set of leaders in our industry. And once again, we had record interest and attendance for content, sharing, and networking at this event. The Women in HR Tech Summit was the perfect way to launch HR Tech this year, and I look forward to growing and improving the Summit next time. Special thanks go out to opening keynoter Pat Milligan, closing keynoter Christina Van Houten, and to some of the best leaders in HR Tech today - Trish McFarlane, Cecile Alper-Leroux, Gretchen Alarcon, Kirsten Helvey, and Cara Capretta for their unwavering support.

Number 3...

HR Tech is Global. After the show ends, I usually hang around for a bit to talk to attendees, find out what people thought about the event, and take a few deep breaths. One of the consistent things I have found is that many of the people I chat with at the end of the Conference are ones who have come from the longest way to attend. This year I met (and took photos with) people from China, Mexico, Japan, Brazil, and Australia all inside about 20 minutes. Which was awesome. Stay tuned for more HR Tech Conference global events.

Number 2...

Mollie Lombardi. She's probably my hero. She should be yours too. Please go to HR Gives Back and do what you can.

And Number 1...

The HR Tech Community. Seeing everyone in the HR Tech Conference Community all in one place. We had an amazing event for sure. I know most people are too kind to come right up to me at the event and complain, (some do), but in the 5 years I have been the program chair at HR Tech I have not received more positive feedback. I don't take credit for that - there is an incredible team of professionals at LRP that make the event hum, and there is an amazing community of HR leaders, HR tech companies, and industry analysts and press that all contribute to the event.

HR Tech remains the Town Hall Meeting for everyone, whatever the role, who cares about how the combination of people and technology will make workplaces better, help organizations achieve their goals, and make people's work lives better. Only at HR Tech.

Thanks for an amazing Conference and for being a part of this fantastic community.

And make sure to mark your calendar for HR Tech #21 - September 11 - 14, 2018 in Las Vegas.

VOTE! For the Next Great HR Technology Company

Quick shot for a busy Monday and a humble appeal to enlist the help and support of blog readers with something that is equal parts fun, cool, important, and did I mention fun?

Folks that read the blog should know that I am the Program Chair for the HR Technology Conference - the original, largest, and best event of its kind in the world.

A featured element at the HR Tech Conference is the incredibly fun 'Discovering the Next Great HR Technology Company' session - where a group of highly innovative and game-changing HR Tech startup companies demo, discuss, and defend their solutions and make their case to be named the 'Next Great HR Tech Company'.

But which HR tech companies will get their chance to vie for the coveted title?

That's where you come in.

For the last few months I have worked with a team of industry experts - George Larocque, Lance Haun, Madeline Lauranon, and Ben Eubanks to narrow down a field of 150+ HR Tech startups down to a group of 8 semi-finalists who wlll battle for the 'Next Great HR Technology Company' title.

Each of the above mentioned experts has nominated and coached two HR Tech startups, and in classic 'March Madness' style these 8 will fight for a place in the Final Four that will present at HR Tech in October.

And we want you to decide which of these HR tech startups will make the Final Four.

How do you make your voice heard?

Head over to the HR Technology Conference Insiders blog here. There, you can learn more about the 8 semi-finalist companies - Proxfinity, Papaya Global, Beamery, Beekeeper, Moovila, Best Money Moves, Blueboard, and bob - and register your votes for the final four companies who will square off at HR Tech.

Let's make HR Tech Great Again!

Or something like that. 

But please, head on over to the HR Technology Conference blog, read up and watch videos from each of the 8 semi-finalists, and vote for your favorites to compete for the coveted title of the Next Great HR Technology Company next month at HR Tech.

And in case you want to learn more about this process and the 8 companies themselves, give this episode of the HR Happy Hour Show a listen - George Larocque and I break down the process, talk about the 8 semi-finalists, and tell you everything you need to know.

Have a great week!

HRE Column: An HR Technology Conference Preview #HRTechConf

Once again, I offer my semi-frequent reminder and pointer for blog readers that I also write a monthly column at Human Resource Executive Online called Inside HR Tech that can be found here.

This month, as I have been wrapping up the program development for the upcoming HR Technology Conference that will be held at in October, I take a look at some of the more interesting trends and themes in HR tech that have emerged from reviewing about 450 proposals and talking with dozens of HR leaders and technology service providers. These issues demand continuing focus for HR leaders and the spotlight will be placed on them at the Conference this fall.

So in this month's HR Executive column I examine a a few of these technologies and trends that are continuing to be top of mind for HR leaders and HRIT leaders and that will be on display at the Conference in October. There are of course a few other themes and trends that are important, but I could not fit them all into the HRE piece. I will probably touch upon some of them in next month's column.

I am super excited of what is in store at the event and plan to share as many of the big ideas that will be showcased there in the next few months both at HRE and here on the blog as well as the HR Happy Hour Show.

Here's a taste of the HRE piece:

As I write this article, I'm in the process of putting the finishing touches on the program for the 20th Annual HR Technology Conference & Exposition®, which will be held from Oct. 10 through Oct. 13, 2017 at the Venetian Las Vegas. Creating the program for the HR Tech Conference is always a challenging but rewarding process, as working through literally hundreds of speaking proposals, participating in dozens of phone calls, and attending numerous events and conferences provides me with a valuable, interesting and, I think, unique perspective on the most pressing HR, HR technology and workforce challenges facing organizations today.

Looking back on my five years working on the conference, and a little bit further back to the conference's founding 20 years ago, I can't help but notice the incredible change and innovation that's taken place. The power and promise of HR technology have never been greater.

I've written before that we have entered the "Golden Age" of HR technology, with the capability, availability and affordability of HR technology solutions advancing in unison. Innovative start-ups, large enterprise providers continuing to improve their technologies, and the pressures of increased competition have all combined to create new and better tools for HR and organizational leaders. Nowhere is this "Golden Age" more completely on display than at the HR Tech Conference.

Specifically, I'd like to focus here on three important HR technology areas and how they will be addressed at this year's event.

Employee Engagement

Consistently, or perhaps persistently, aggregate employee-engagement levels or scores have hovered at around "30 percent engaged" for years. The stubbornness of the engagement problem is surprising, given the time spent and investments made (largely in the form of annual employee surveys and subsequent analysis of survey results) to better understand and successfully address the employee-engagement problem. Despite these investments, it seems as if HR often falls short of the mark. Something has to give.

Fortunately, in the past several years, two things have happened in concert that offer renewed promise that the employee-engagement conundrum can actually be cracked. The first is that progressive HR leaders have begun to think about the engagement challenge more broadly, moving past singular scores or levels on an engagement survey and framing the conversation around the overall employee experience.

The employee experience encompasses all the interactions between the employee and the organization. By assessing and evaluating the touchpoints of the employee experience (including those occurring in recruiting, onboarding, training, benefits and compensation), HR leaders can identify targeted opportunities for improvement, and make sure that HR interventions and investments can actually positively impact the employee experience -- eventually driving greater engagement.

Naturally, when HR and organizational leaders identify a new area of focus, such as the employee experience, new and innovative technologies are developed to help. Many of these, of course, will be showcased at this year's HR Tech Conference.

The employee experience will be explored at the conference in several ways. First, there will be a panel, moderated by employee-engagement expert Jason Lauritsen, featuring executives from some of the leading solution providers in diverse areas such as wellness/well-being, performance and talent management, total compensation and rewards, and employee feedback and recognition. They will address the fundamental question, "Can HR technology drive improved employee engagement?" This conversation will be an important one, as it will set the stage for additional content and discussions about how specific technologies and strategies are impacting engagement in today's organization. 

Read the rest at HRE Online...

If you liked the piece you can sign up over at HRE to get the Inside HR Tech Column emailed to you each month. There is no cost to subscribe, in fact, I may even come over and re-surface your driveway, take your dog for a walk, or help you weed the garden.

Finally, I hope to see many readers out at HR Tech this October. You can save $200 off the current registration rates when you sign up HERE use offer code STEVE200. See, I am looking out for you!

Notes from the road #22 - A long, strange trip it's been edition

Writing this (brief) dispatch from the Delta Sky Club (again), as I wait for the final leg on the trip back from what has been a long, interesting, challenging, and incredibly rewarding two-week trip Phoenix - Shanghai - Tokyo - (back to) Phoenix - and then finally home.

In Phoenix, I attended the Virgin Pulse Thrive Summit, which was a really fantastic event. In case you have missed them, you can listen to two HR Happy Hour Shows that Trish McFarlane and I recorded from the event here and here. Virgin Pulse is the leader in employee wellbeing, and unlike some other solution providers in the space, Virgin Pulse is making real strides on showing (with data), the connection between wellbeing and improved business results. Thanks as always to them for having myself and Trish out at the event, and for supporting the HR Happy Hour Show.

Looking forward to a great #thrivesummit with my friends from Virgin Pulse #HRHappyHour

A post shared by Steve Boese (@steveboese) on May 30, 2017 at 3:09pm PDT

From there, we headed to Shanghai for the 2nd Annual HR Tech China Conference. The 2nd event was even bigger and better than the first. And I am convinced Shanghai is my new favorite city. You can read some of my thoughts about the event here, and later this week Trish and I will share even more from and about the event on an HR Happy Hour Show we will record later this week. All I can say to my Chinese friends, old and new, is "xiexie" - Thank You!

@trish_mcfarlane and I Heading in to present at #HRTechChina

A post shared by Steve Boese (@steveboese) on Jun 5, 2017 at 5:42pm PDT

From there, I headed to Tokyo for some business as well as some time to do some touring and sightseeing. Another amazingly interesting and fun place, great and welcoming people, and lots of opportunity to do more in the future. I liked it so much I may have to go back again soon!

#tokyo

A post shared by Steve Boese (@steveboese) on Jun 9, 2017 at 8:06pm PDT

It has been the longest business trip I have been on in ages, and while I sit here in the MSP Sky Club anxious to get home, I also anticipate the next trip back to Asia - it truly has been, professionally and personally, the most incredibly rewarding trip I have taken in years.

And to everyone who is waiting to hear back from me about something or other - I promise to dig in to the backlog of emails and texts and get back to you soon.

That is if I actually get home tonight. If I get stuck here in MSP, then all bets are off.

NOTE: In the time it has taken me to post this, I am delayed another hour...