Robert Harris

Robert Harris, President of Robert Harris Resources Inc., is a dynamic speaker who has the ability to hone in on the real workplace issues and challenges, and provide innovative solutions and tools that participants can immediately benefit from.   

Harris speaks on topics that reflect his significant work and consulting experience from the past 25 years encompassing Change Leadership, Strategic Influencing, Overcoming Resistance, Reconciling Differences, Resolving Conflict, Negotiating Agreement, and Career Management.   

Harris is able to teach people how to leverage their “people” skills to achieve better results.   He is also very adept at integrating the client’s needs and business challenges into his presentations so that audience feels an immediate connection to the relevance of his presentation. His style is engaging, informative, and entertaining as needed.

Harris’ corporate experience includes senior management roles in the high technology, beverage, healthcare, and public sectors. As Director of Human Resources for Molson Breweries, he was on the Steering Committee coordinating the merger with Carling O’Keefe.  

Harris has published numerous articles in the business press and is the co-author of three books, Global Impact – Award Winning Performance Programs from Around the World, Navigating Your Career – a Roadmap to Individual and Career Success, and his newest, Change Leadership: Inform, Involve, Ignite!

Harris has a distinctive ability to provide audiences with practical solutions that can be applied in their work and personal lives. He quickly connects with audiences of all sizes in presenting simple yet innovative strategies for improving workplace effectiveness.

 Robert Harris' Blog Entries -

How to Get Past Apathy and Get Buy-in to Change!

Five (5) Lessons in Leadership from the Recent US Election

Selling in Tough Times – From "Cronyism"... to Collaboration (The 5 C's of Selling)

• 7. Motivation at a Gut Level – How to Lead and Better Relate to Others

• 6. Strategic Influencing – The “Science” of Advocacy  

• 5. Navigating Your Career – A proven Model for Individual and Organizational Success

  According to Gallup Poll data, only 29% of employees are fully engaged at work. Disengaged employees cost North American companies $300 billion in lost productivity. Engaged employees have higher productivity levels, create higher profitability, and show better levels of retention. Employee satisfaction and engagement strongly correlates with customer satisfaction and engagement. According to the 2006 Job Retention Poll conducted by the Society of Human Resource Management, 52% of employees cite career development as the most effective tool for job retention. Robert Harris is an expert is Navigating Your Career – both from an individual and an organizational perspective. In this presentation, Robert outlines what a company must do to put a state-of-the-art career development process in place (it is not costly!), and what employees must do to "take charge" of this careers. Although the responsibility is shared, ultimately the onus falls on the individual. Robert will explain a 3 step process (model) for taking charge of career matters. The result will be better equipped employees and higher retention for organizations.

• 4. Strategic Influencing – How to Reconcile Differences when Begrudging Compliance is Simply Not an Option!

  Most people do not know how to resolve disagreement or influence, especially UP!. All too often, we argue hard for the validity of our perspective, or spend time trying to refute the validity of others. Invariably neither side is happy and often, no agreement is reached. In this presentation, Robert Harris presents a highly innovative "Strategic Influencing" tool and 4 step process that causes the most conflicted parties to find consensus and commit to action plans for moving forward. This is one of the most critical skills needed in organizations – how to reconcile differences and influence for agreement. This tool allows you to influence UP, DOWN, LATERALLY, and OUT in getting the commitment you need to succeed. The audience can immediately apply this tool to real workplace needs.

• 3. Negotiating For Agreement – How to Get the Needed Results and Preserve the Relationship

  Negotiating is a critical skill for all organizations. Both internally and externally, we must be able to secure an agreement that also causes both parties to want to continue to do business with each other. All too often, people fail in their ability to achieve necessary outcomes – either was give-in to keep the peace, or force others to accept our solutions which can damage the relationship. Robert presents the secrets to 'win-win' negotiating, demonstrating how to achieve positive substantive and relationship outcomes. He teaches how to both "claim value" and "create value" in a way that maximizes results.

• 2. The 3 I's of Change Leadership – INFORM, INVOLVE...IGNITE!

  Communication and engagement are the two most critical ingredients to change success. People can't do what they don't know; people can't do well what they don't understand; and people won't do what they have no involvement in. This presentation unveils a strategic model for planning, communicating and then implementing change. Robert will give examples of what works and what doesn't from his extensive experience in organizational change.

• 1. Change Leadership – Bridging the

  Research shows that over 2/3 of all change initiatives fail. A big reason is the 'disconnect' between those pushing for change, and everyone else. Robert presents a proven model for turning employee apathy and resistance into understanding and commitment. He highlights 5 key strategies that are simple to implement, and highly successful, but invariably neglected by organizations. Robert will make linkages to workplace examples of change success.

• Thank you for your excellent training with our managers and employees throughout the organization. They have clearly learned new tools and techniques to influence others and resolve conflicts in a win-win way. I can only say that your training evaluation results are excellent and at no point in my career have I ever seen marks this good. Well done.
  Corus Entertainment Industries Inc.
• Bob, thanks for a great presentation to our National Sales Team. Your content was very well received and our sales group were still buzzing about the new concepts and tools, even after you had left. We all found your presentation to be very valuable. We would like to have you back in the fall.
  ING Canada
• Your presentation on Influencing Clients to Accept Change was a highlight at both our Niagara Falls and Vancouver regional conferences this year. In fact, our members' feedback about the lessons learned during these sessions prompted us to ask you to do some more intensive and industry-specific work with us at our 2005 national conference in September. Thank you!
  Canadian Society of Customs Brokers
• I just went through the evaluations – they were excellent. Your teaching/presentation skills and knowledge of the topic were rated 4.90 out of a possible 5.00 – thanks again for doing an excellent job. I do hope we get a chance to work more together in the near future.
  Centre For Leadership, Government of Ontario

• 
  January 2007

  Change Leadership

  Through his 25 years of professional experience, including high profile roles in human resources and consulting, Robert Harris has seen that change simply cannot work without full engagement. With this in mind, he has compiled and developed innovative ways to ensure the active engagement of stakeholders at all levels across an organization.  He supplements his findings with numerous stories and examples of what works and what doesn’t, providing the reader with vital knowledge that can immediately be applied to change challenges.

  
  
• 
  November -0001

  Coaching for Career & Job Satisfaction