Joe Sherren

Joseph Sherren believes that success depends on maintaining a positive attitude, setting goals and working towards them with unbending determination. These are the principles behind Sherren’s high-impact, motivational seminars, which cover topics key to business growth, development and success.

From a modest beginning as one of ten children on a farm in PEI, Sherren progressed through a 25-year career with an international corporation where he held senior management positions in marketing, human resources, distribution and customer service. Sherren has received numerous awards for achievements in people management, project leadership, customer relations and education.

Currently the dynamic President of the training and consulting company, Ethos Enterprises Inc., Sherren achieved his CSP (Certified Speaking Professional) and has been inducted to the Canadian Speaking Hall of Fame. He is on the Executive Development Faculty in the Schulich School of Business at York University in Toronto, and was the Program Director for the 2004 Schulich Executive Program. Sherren is the Past-President of the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers, a member of the National Speakers Association and is the 2007/2008 President of the International Federation for Professional Speakers. He is also a member of the Canadian Professional Sales Association and has been included in the “International Who’s Who of Entrepreneurs” publication. Sherren is a certified facilitator in advanced assessment tools that assist people in determining their thinking styles, personality preferences and management effectiveness.

Since 1974, he has trained thousands of executives, leaders, and professionals. Some clients include; BDO, Scotiabank, UBS Wealth Management, IBM, University Health Network, Easter Seal Society, ING Bank of Canada, Lexmark, Allied Beauty Association, Universal Studios, Canadian MicroAge Network, Financial Models, as well as various Government Ministries and Agencies.
 
In 2001, Sherren co-authored Vitamin C for a Healthy Workplace with his associate Luke DeSadeleer. The book is designed to help organizations create a healthy workplace and enhance employee performance.

Sherren is known as a tireless worker and leader, with a passion for fairness and a reputation for getting things done. He has been actively involved and has held executive positions with various service clubs, volunteer organization and citizen’s groups. He ran for political office in the 1993 Federal Election, has owned a successful retail clothing business and was an award-winning realtor.

An internationally acclaimed speaker and corporate trainer, Sherren has been delighting audiences with his thought-provoking, interactive and inspirational presentations for over 20 years.

• I. Managers are from Mars - Employees are from Venus

  In a galaxy not long ago, managers did the telling and employees did the doing. It was a simple structure and easy to follow. But in today's inter-generational workplace, many managers feel that staff are operating on a different planet. Workers today are viewed as being spoiled and do not demonstrate a real work ethic.
  
  Nothing could be further from the truth. On one hand, the new breed of employees are skeptical because they have seen their parent's loyalty rewarded with uncertainty, "rightsizing" and layoffs. On the other hand, they are optimistic about managing their own careers. They respect workplace protocols, corporate structure and take work seriously. At the same time they also want to have fun, crave more knowledge, seek instant gratification, are motivated by collaboration and desire a work-life balance. They bring loyalty, but for different reasons and in a different way than before.
  
  However, our current corporate cultures are not structured to capitalize on this new breed of employee. Most leaders have been conditioned to manage people using a style that may have worked in the past, but will not work on these new "generationals".
  
  In his forward-thinking session, Joe Sherren will help you understand the mindset of these new employees and discover how you can shift your own mental attitude to ensure long-term success. He will show you how to develop a culture that will attract and retain the best and brightest – no matter what planet you may feel they are from.

• H. Customers for Life

  Business Model for Creating a Sales Strategy
  
  Through years of research and much experience, Joe has developed a strategic business model that provides a tool for retaining customers for life. All organizations go through a set of distinct and predictable phases as they mature. Consequently, they will also experience a very specific set of problems at each stage. This model will help you determine which stage your client organization is in, what issues they may be facing and how specific, targeted training, coaching or facilitating can lead to retaining your clients for years to come.

• H. Creating Communication Connections

  "The Birds"
  
  In this rapidly changing hi-tech world, we must be even more vigilant about maintaining responsive communications with all the "diverse" people who are important to our success. This highly interactive, thought-provoking session will help you develop awareness and skills that will increase the effectiveness of communications with a wider range of individuals and reduce conflict and misunderstandings.
  
  To maximize your potential and communicate more efficiently with employees, management, team members, clients and in personal relationships, you must adapt to the communication style that is most beneficial for them to better process your information and messages.
  
  Through interaction and role-play, you will identify and develop strategies to strengthen your communication style in areas where you may be personally challenged. You will also develop a better understanding of the normal or usual reactions that others exhibit in different situations, which will enable you to use alternate responses and tactics.
  
  Session Outcome:
  
  Participants will be able to recognize, through a variety of means, the communication style that will be most effective with individuals they are attempting to motivate. As well, attendees will gain the ability to predict a pattern of response and react in a more positive and influential manner.

• G. What Ever Happened To Right And Wrong?

  Should the success of an individual be measured by how much material wealth they have gained, or how good a person they are? Should the success of an organization be measured only by the bottom line, or also by the good they have contributed to society? Being ethical involves more that staying out of trouble. We all have within our character the ability to be a very good and noble person.
  
  This session is designed to help you identify ethically sensitive situations, apply critical thinking skills and make tough choices that require skills of moral reasoning. You will learn how to avoid the pitfalls of fuzzy thinking by realizing there is a difference between opportunity and temptation. You will also understand how our value systems and thinking styles affect the choices we make.
  
  Session Objectives:
  
  ·Experience how our personal value systems affect the choices we make ·Learn how individual thinking styles provides different perspectives on solving dilemmas ·Understand why an organization's "basic beliefs" must be more than a poster on the wall ·Explore why an organization maintains a code of ethics ·Develop a process to apply the organization's value(s) in a given situation ·Compare how your personal ethics relate to the organization's culture and how to resolve potential conflicts.
  

• F. Beyond This There Be Dragons

  Creating Success Strategies: A Roadmap for the Future
  
  In his book The Global Paradox, John Naisbitt states "in order to survive, big companies must evolve to confederations of small entrepreneurial enterprises". This is predicted to continue well into the 21st century. The success of these dynamic corporations will depend on their ability to create a realistic plan, and network with other organizations who share common goals and will add value to the achievement of each other's objectives.
  
  To accomplish this, organizations must have a documented mission, a set of goals, and a value system to which employees are committed. This will only happen by involving all levels of staff at the planning stage. Two factors critical to success will be the building of team working skills, and the development of a more open concept of management.
  
  This seminar will review and incorporate the leadership and teambuilding skills which were learned in previous seminars. Managers and employees will be provided with an efficient methodology to complete the planning process. We will review the six steps involved in developing a Strategic Plan and forming alliances with synergistic companies, which will enhance the creation of a proficient support network.
  
  The end result will be a definite action plan to achieving specific milestones, committed employees, and increased morale.

• E. The Evolution To Customer

  Loyalty
  
  The days of Willy Loman are long gone. It is no longer possible to sell a product strictly on its merits. A customer-driven atmosphere is essential to long-term growth. All members of an organization - not just the sales representatives - should be sensitive and responsive to customers and in tune with the marketplace.
  
  Individuals who are in contact with customers should understand their needs, and speak in a language the customers understand. If sales representatives concentrate on product knowledge alone during a call, they do not provide the proper level of service to the customer. They in fact do themselves and their organization an injustice. The Evolution to Customer Loyalty program applies the general concept of influence to the specific process of selling. But selling skills alone do not lead to top performance in sales. Managing competencies, selling styles and product (or service) knowledge are all critical components of the customer loyalty process.
  
  This program develops the three skills necessary for great salespeople:
  
  ·Diagnosing the situation you are trying to influence. ·Adapting your selling behaviour and other resources to meet the needs of the (potential) client. ·Communicating in a way that is most acceptable to the client(s).
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  The result of attending this program will be an ability to increase sales, maintain customer loyalty, reduce employee turnover, and professionalize the sales force.
  
  Through interactive discussions, lectures and examples, this seminar will show you how to:
  
  ·Create solid account relationships that maximize annual revenue and account loyalty ·Build a strong team with a unified customer focused mission ·Increase customer satisfaction ratings ·Differentiate yourself by making your customers more profitable ·Transform your product business into a service business ·Target lucrative markets with additional potential ·Systematically manage your key accounts as important business assets.
  
  
  You will learn:
  
  ·Why it is important that each employee becomes an agent for your products and/or services ·Why the team-based selling approach is the only winning strategy for the future ·How changes in the competitive environment and increased demands from your customers are forcing you to develop value-added strategies ·How to develop a strategy which best suits your client's needs ·Why customers do not buy on price.
  

• D. Creating a Collaborative Culture

  - Inspiring The Spirit of Teamwork -
  
  In a competitive environment, where speed and responsiveness are critical, we need to move decision-making closer to the customer. When employees are empowered with responsibility and ownership to make the decisions necessary to do their work efficiently, job fulfillment increases and customers are more satisfied. Pride and accomplishment are powerful motivators and form the essence of successful teamwork.
  
  Self-managed work teams require more than lip service to a popular management concept; they require appropriate education and the opportunity to succeed. Through team participation exercises, participants develop an understanding of their organizations' readiness to adopt a new working relationship and review their own attitudes toward change.
  
  This seminar will explore the keys to developing successful self-managed teams and through team participation exercises will review the individual qualities necessary for effective teamwork. Participants will develop skills that enable professionals to lead self-motivated individuals who actively participate as a team in the decision-making process.
  
  This program will also help determine any additional training that may be necessary for the success of your organization, and will form the basis for a variety of on-going educational interventions.
  
  Session Objectives:
  
  ·To understand organizational structures as they relate to teams ·To create team-focused working styles and teambuilding behaviours ·To create a model for effective decision-making with your organization ·

• C. Discovering Your Potential

  Successful people in organizations who are moving ahead are taking on greater responsibilities in the area of managing individuals and teams. Effectiveness as a manager will depend on the ability to handle people.
  
  Senior management, when asked what skills they look for most when developing a management team state: "It is the ability to deal with and motivate people more than any other". Surveys of top executives have also confirmed that "people skills" are more important to a manager's progress than intelligence, knowledge, or job skills. Motivating others towards the accomplishment of planned objectives requires an understanding of, predicting, and positively directing human behaviour.
  
  A manager must experience how the dynamics of their style can influence employee behaviour - both positively and negatively. Therefore, managers must develop the necessary communication skills to become an effective leader.
  
  Three fundamental skills are necessary to implement effective management strategies:
  
  ·Diagnosing - being able to understand the needs of the people, the team, or the situation they are attempting to influence ·Adapting - being able to adapt their style, and other areas over which the manager has control, to the contingencies of the situation ·Communicating - being able to articulate messages in a way that employees can easily understand, and more importantly, accept in a positive way.
  
  
  A manager must understand how their leadership style influences subordiates' performance, and understand the basic levels of employee competence. They must develop an ability to apply a theoretical model in practical work environments, and understand how it can facilitate positive behaviour among employees to achieve performance improvements.
  
  When a manager is able to assess the competency of employees, and understand what truly motivates them, they will then be able to effectively engage in the appropriate style, which will ensure positive performance.

• B. The Power of YOU!

  Maximizing Your Potential in a Changing Environment
  
  Our lives are changing at a faster rate than at any other time in human history. The amount of information in a Saturday issue of the Toronto Star is comparable to that which a person of the sixteenth century would have assimilated throughout a lifetime.
  
  The way we work has been redefined by empowerment, self-managed teams, reengineering, independent contractors and virtual corporations. Unconditional lifetime employment is gone forever. We are all trying to understand and respond to the changes occurring in our workplace and personal lives. At times we feel overwhelmed, however, it is important that we react to these changes in a positive and productive manner.
  
  "The Power of YOU!" will inspire all staff to realize that for organizations to remain successful, they must move to a more flexible, customer focused, and efficient position. Management must also take advantage of the rapidly changing business environment and develop different communication and leadership methods.

• A. Tomorrow Is Going To Be Amazing

  Developing Personal And Professional Directions
  
  Today's successful businesses are those that are moving to flexible, customer-focused and proficient positions, taking advantage of the rapidly changing business environment. In order to achieve that, everyone involved must bring more value than cost. Tomorrow is Going to be Amazing is a dynamic wake-up call that will benefit management in dealing with employee issues and understanding the new loyalty. This unique and powerful keynote will help participants deal with new expectations, shifting priorities, the information explosion and different reporting relationships, where roles are sometimes vaguely defined.
  
  Joe's inspirational message of change and optimism will enrich those searching for success and personal fulfillment. It will inspire you to believe in who you are, while challenging you to reach for your full potential.

• Every time I attend one of your seminars, I capture a piece of Joe Sherren and take your insight and commonsense approach and apply it to the hectic business environment we find ourselves in today.
  Allied Van Lines
• Joe provided a degree of professionalism and excellence that far exceeded anything that we could hope to obtain locally.
  IBM
• Joe Sherren is undoubtedly one of the finest professionals I have had the pleasure of working with.
  Marriott Hotel Resorts
• I was advised to go to the United States if I wanted a high calibre keynote speaker for our National Conference. I ignored that advice and selected Joe Sherren. He was excellent and proved there is tremendous talent in Canada. We will have him back again.
  Canadian MicroAge Network
• Excellent speaker and communicator. Captivated my attention 100% of the time.
  Bank of Nova Scotia
• Thank you for making me look like a genius for having asked you to speak to our group.
  Allied Beauty Association

• 
  September 2001

  Vitamin C for a Healthy Workplace

  The most successful individuals and organizations focus on identifying and developing strengths, while managing weaknesses. They are using the "strengths theory" which is based on the premise that every person can do one thing better than any 10,000 other people. They have learned to align their talents and skills with their goals, and are passionate about what they do. Our route to achieving this success and passion starts by creating a workplace where people are doing what they love to do, and are doing it in an environment that supports and encourages the development of their strengths.