Bob Nelson

Bob Nelson is an internationally recognized expert in the areas of employee recognition, rewards, motivation, morale, retention, productivity, and management. He is author of the best-selling books 1001 Ways to Reward Employees – which has sold over 1.5 million copies worldwide – 1001 Ways to Energize Employees and 1001 Ways to Take Initiative at Work. Bob is also co-author of the best-selling books Managing For Dummies – which has sold more than 500,000 copies worldwide – and Consulting For Dummies, as well as 15 other books on management and motivation.

Dr. Nelson has been featured extensively in the media, including television appearances on CNN, CNBC, PBS, and MSNBC; radio appearances on NPR, USA Radio Network and the Business News Network; and print appearances in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Chicago Tribune, Fortune magazine and many more.  He writes a weekly column for American City Business Journals and a monthly column for Corporate Meetings &Incentives, among others.

Dr. Nelson received his Ph.D. in management from The Peter F. Drucker Graduate Management Center of Claremont Graduate University in suburban Los Angeles, where his doctoral research was on "Factors that Encourage or Inhibit the Use of Non-Monetary Recognition by U.S. Managers."  He received his MBA in organizational behavior from The University of California at Berkeley, and holds a BA in communications.

Developing a Culture of Recognition

Bob Nelson will expand your thinking of what recognition means and how you can better and more frequently recognize those you work with even with little or no budget. With the increasing stress and change in today's workplace, shifting employee values and expectations and the impact of technology, employee recognition is more than just being nice to employees, but rather represents the single most validated principle for driving desired behavior and performance in today's constantly changing, fast-paced, technology-dependent work environments.

Motivating & Energizing Employees

The Number One reason why employees leave their jobs today is that they don't receive praise or recognition for the work they've done well. Most managers think their employees are only motivated by money even though employees themselves typically report other items as being more significant in their job such as: appreciation for doing a good job, open communication, involvement in decision making and so forth. This session overviews what motivates today’s workers and how any manager can get their employees coming to work, giving their best effort and saying things like: "Thank God it’s Monday!" Particular focus is given to low-cost, innovative recognition and rewards that have successfully worked in companies across the country. Overviews trends in business today which has had a significant impact on the importance of employee recognition and rewards today, research about what best motivates today’s employees and how any manager can harness the power of positive reinforcement in achieving daily gains in desired behavior ad improved performance. Numerous examples provide audience members with ideas and techniques they can readily apply.

Bob share his insights on the latest generation to enter the workforce, the Millenials, and how members of that generation differ in their outlook, values and expectations from previous generations in the workplace today.  Audience members will learn practical strategies for better understanding and working with this group of workers, including:

• How they view work as “paid volunteerism” and expect meaning in their jobs from Day One – and how best to give that to them

• How they feel special and expect you to treat them as such, including frequent praise and feedback – and how that can make your job easier

• How speed and technology are second nature to them – and how to harness their confidence and resourcefulness to your mutual advantage

• How they are team-oriented – and how that can make your group stronger, more collaborative and able to produce better results faster

• How they expect to make a difference with or without you – and how you can channel that expectation to get the best they have to offer
   

This generation is the largest generation since the Baby-Boomers and will soon dominate the workforce in both numbers and attitude.  Get in on the front row of learning how they see the world of work to be able to get the work you need from them and meet their needs along the way.

Additional Topics:

• The Rewards of Recognition

• Customer Service Excellence

• FISH! A Remarkable Way to Boost Morale

• Dealing with Change

• Effective Leadership

• Building a Winning Team

• Sales Training

-- Society for Human Resource Management, Central New York Chapter

"I have received feedback from new and seasoned managers, all found value and were inspired by Dr. Nelson's practical nuts and bolts ideas. Managers who missed it are calling and emailing asking for the books. Two managers who were scheduled for the morning and missed the session, drove to Palm Beach after hearing about the morning session. He was clear, concise, used great examples, and was interactive. And, Dr. Nelson takes statistics, theory and research and translates them into simple, doable, effective action items. The tools he provides do not need a formal corporate infrastructure to implement."

-- BankUnited, Miami, FL

"The techniques and ideas presented were immediately useful and applicable to our team. One of our area sales managers reported that she had a record-setting dollar volume the week after she got back from the conference by employing some of the techniques outlined in Bob's presentation."

-- TransWestern Publishing

"Bob Nelson was a very energizing, entertaining, and genuine speaker. He gave us lots of very specific, good, practical recognition ideas.  We left with a multitude of 'take aways' that could be used in the workplace."

-- Frederick Memorial Healthcare

"Bob Nelson was fantastic! Excellent choice for a speaker! He’s both informative and motivational…. The information was very valuable and critical in planning the 2007 R&R strategy for our group."

-- Bank of America, Charlotte, NC

"Great seminar! Fast-paced, real-life examples.  Bob Nelson give us ideas on things that really work, not just a lot of theory. The office is in for some changes!"

-- Winchester Homes