Long awaited collection of wisdom from 40 top leadership authors and best selling experts is now available.

Creative Lead, Bob ‘Idea Man’ Hooey unveiled this newest collaboration during his leadership keynote at the Toastmasters International convention, this year being hosted in Calgary, Alberta.

Toastmasters members in attendance got access to a free download of this exciting new e-publication from Canada’s Ideaman.

This project was started as a way to say thanks to the 235,000 Toastmasters around the world for their leadership roles and contributions to Bob’s growth and success in speaking and leadership over the past 17 years.

Visit: www.inthecompanyofleaders.com for more information on this exciting new publication.

http://www.ideaman.net/Bob-pdfs/Hooey-Best.pdf

My friend and web-maven Irene celebrates her personal new year today. Can’t tell you how old she is…I know, but I can’t tell you, because I want to live to see my next Personal New Year later this spring.

All to often we forget to pause and ponder the last year in our lives. What did we do, how did we do, who did we share it with? Those kind of questions. It is also a good time to say thanks to those who have been helping over the past year.

In this case, it is my opportunity to say thanks to a delightful friend who has been more than just supportive in my own work as a speaker, writer, leadership and sales trainer. Her help with our various websites has been an inspiration.

Editor’s note: Irene became my wife Oct. 4th, 2008

Happy New Year, Irene.

Anyone who raises a minimum pledge of $1500 for the Alberta Easter Seals Drops Zone before Sept. 10th (actually before my training on Sept. 5th) will earn the chance to rappel down the side of the 26-story Sutton Place Hotel (10235 101 St in Edmonton). Since 2005, more than 600 superheros joined this exclusive Superhero Club for Easter Seals.

Bob Hooey

It’s been busy… so busy in fact that I have neglected my blog. My appologies… I will be setting aside regular time to update this blog so you will know what we’ve been up to…

Last year I had the opportunity to write most of the copy and work with the creative department of The Brick to create The Brick Way which was published in English (15,000) and French (3000) for all of their employees last summer.

This publication captures the culture and helps educate each team member on the operations of this amazing success story. Each department has committed to 4-6 points in making it easy for their customers to do business.

This publication drew on existing programs and introduced a few new ones, namely “Creating a company of leaders – where each employee is encouraged and actively empowered to take personal responsibility for their respective role.”

It has lead to a focus on The Brick Way in several areas and signage, training, and support being created to reinforce its message… ‘It’s about all of us!”

I am pleased to have been a part of creating this tool to convey the message of the importance of each member of their team to their ongoing success.

Bob ‘Idea Man’ Hooey

Wednesday, June 21, 2006

Fortune: Best Companies to Work For: ”

Our annual ranking of companies that rate high with employees

And the winners are…

See the full list of America’s top 100 employers, including detailed company profiles and contact information. (more)

1. Genentech 6. Container Store
2. Wegmans 7. Vision Service Plan
3. Valero Energy 8. J.M. Smucker
4. Griffin Hospital 9. REI
5. W.L. Gore 10. S.C. Johnson & Son”

NOTE: How would your company rank by comparision? Take a look and see why these companies were picked. One of the reasons is their dedication to training and equiping their teams to win!

I’ve had the privilege of working with some pretty amazing companies and leaders. I’d love to work for some of these companies. If you happen to know someone who works at any of them, pass on my name and my main website for thier information.

Bob ‘Idea Man’ Hooey

.ideaman.net for more information.

Tuesday, April 11, 2006

Soft skills help MBAs stand out from the crowd

Soft skills help MBAs stand out from the crowd: “Business schools are increasingly offering ‘soft skills’ training in leadership, management and communication to MBA graduates to give them something to differentiate themselves from the competing pack, a leading academic has said.
Schools that emphasise their leadership, communication and general management training alongside the traditional hard financial skills are able to position themselves to attract higher quality candidates, Les Graham, director of the full-time MBA at Durham Business School told Management-Issues.

‘What we are hearing is that, both among employers and students, soft skills are becoming a much bigger issue,’ he said.

With the quality of much of the core training offered by business schools often hard to tell apart, schools are increasing promoting ‘unique selling points’, such as Durham’s boardroom simulation activity, where students get to experience and work within a ‘real’ boardroom environment, he added.

Graham’s call follows research last week that suggested employers were planning to recruit significantly more MBA graduates this year, in the process quashing fears that the popularity of the qualification had diluted its ‘gold standard’ reputation. But more MBAs coming on to the jobs’ market means MBA graduates are inevitably going to have to work harder to land the most coveted jobs.

The survey by the Graduate Management Admission Council also found that employers are particularly eager to find MBAs who have been exposed to a wide range of soft skills training.
‘There is a growing recognition of the importance of leadership and teamwork. Soft skills is one of the biggest issue in terms of employment,’ added Graham.”

Note from Bob:
This focus on soft skills training reinforces what many of us in the training field have know for a long time. It is about being able to relate, lead and communicate with people that makes you successful and companies profitable. Sales is a soft skill and yet that is what drives our business engine.