Middle Finger Situations

Understanding the Work in Workspace while giving your Talent the Autonomy they Crave and Deserve.
If the phrase from 2020 was ‘you’re on mute’, the phrase for 2021 is ‘hybrid model’ so says Chris Zlocki, EVP and Head of Global Customer Experience for Colliers, one of the top Commercial Real Estate Advisory Firms. Join us as we talk to Chris about the questions his clients are asking about enabling their employees to build physical space back into their work lives (headquarters, office space, collaborative space, etc.) He shares his ideas for turning the typical questions on their head – what is your “why” of hybrid, and what are the implications the workspace has on your company culture and business agility? What else we should we be “re-imaging” as we move into an almost a ‘post pandemic’ world. In our discussion we focus on things like:

How can we reexamine the work itself and let it guide the way for what the new normal looks like?

Are we thinking about the “relational” aspects of innovation and productivity in terms of who comes into what workspaces, and when, and why?

Is Autonomy the most critical aspect of attracting and retaining talent in this quickly exploding “Talent War?”

Is it time to blow up the dated “5 day work week” model?

In his role Chris is responsible for ensuring that Colliers enterprise clients (think big companies...) are receiving best in class solutions to manage their organizations and portfolios. He is responsible for advising his clients on innovation, strategy and problem solving. He also is responsible for the oversight of the Consulting Services in the America’s - including workforce analytics, workplace consulting, flexible workspace among many other things. Let’s just say, Chris is on the forefront of this workspace issue and looks at it in a remarkable way. He has been at Colliers for over 10 years now - prior to that was a strategy consultant for some of the biggest brands out there.
We have fun as we stretch our brains with Chris in trying yet again to break free from some of the Industrial Age way of doing things to make way for a new way in the Digital Age.

In this world of having to be intentional and motivational when it comes to attracting and retaining your talent, we are sure many of you have pondered “Why hasn’t someone come up with creative ways to help us reward and recognize our people, year-round, with recognition that can be easily customized to the passions or interests of those we value?"
Thankfully your days of just purchasing ubiquitous, meaningless Amazon gift cards, or scrolling through catalogues just to find water bottles, and pullovers with your company logo (many times their 10th piece of company swag if they are a high performer!) can quickly be over. And what if we could leave behind the notion that big ticket rewards required all of us spending lots of time together in a pool in Hawaii, watching the C-Suite and their spouses frolicking in their swimsuits (we’re talking to you Sales President’s Club winners.......)
Join us as Courtney and Alicia talk to Ben Levenbaum, the CEO of Xceleration, a leader in easy-to-use, recognition technology that helps companies drive business performance and strong cultures, for companies of all sizes with small or big budgets. We will enlighten you to the power of “trophy value” and customization when integrating continuous recognition into your everyday actions.
Whether you want to offer up luxury travel or experiences with white glove concierge services to individuals their families or your teams, or impress applicants or alumni to come join you, this podcast will inspire you to take your recognition up a notch or two and make valuing applicants and employees a big competitive advantage.

Regardless of what you call it “The Great Resignation”, “The Great Reshuffle”, one thing is clear – for employers not paying attention – it’s not great. In this 2 part episode, Courtney and Alicia really dig into the challenge with not one, but four guests. Listen as they sit down with four high performers who had at least 5 choices of where they wanted to go next...find out what was important to them, how they made their decisions, and what were the things that made them say – absolutely not. Dominick Caponi, Sarah Cowell, Matt Barrio and Joy Obiri are interesting not only because they cut across gender, age, expertise and industry but also because they can help hiring leaders and organizations at large better understand what is really important in today’s aggressive talent-driven employment market.

In today's Happy Hour edition, we discuss our last episode with Chris Motley, and break down the real life application of Mentor Spaces. We discuss the importance of mentorship overall – but especially now – as we are all navigating through the Great Resignation.
What role does mentorship play, how formal does it have to be, how does it help with Diversity, Equity and Inclusion? But most importantly, how can organizations drive true, authentic mentorship without making it a transactional exercise?

While most companies, leaders and employees are embracing workforce and workplace flexibility more than ever before, it is time to double down on the importance of creating relationships, connectivity and belonging. Those are the glue that will enable dispersed workforces to thrive. On this Happy Hour Edition we will talk about cool, creative tools and programs leaders and employees can pilot, and we will help to reassure you that what might feel like a risky out-of-the-box way to try to connect people, is not only not risky but desperately wanted by others. So grab a cocktail while we pump you up to get out there and lead from the front!