Giselle Kovary

Speaking topics

Presentations listed below include in-person and virtual keynotes, as well as workshops, fireside chats, and other presentation formats.

• Generation Z: Your Future Workforce

  In Canada’s first national survey on Generation Z, n-gen unearthed some valuable insights for employers gearing up to hire Gen Z employees over the next few years. Survey insights will help shape impactful HR practices, leadership behaviours, and learning and development solutions for organizations of all sizes.

  The study, done for n-gen People Performance by Environics Research, finds that:

  • Generation Z is loyal and values security in the workplace. Gen Z employees see loyalty and security as top priorities; they don’t believe they need to work for several different companies to be successful.
  • Generation Z have traditional values. Respondents understand the need to follow direction, respect authority, and pay their dues.
  • This generation is a balanced, realistic, and optimistic. Sixty-seven percent of respondents believe that when getting a new job, they would feel lucky to have that job, versus believing the company would be lucky to have them as an employee. Generation Z draws from the Baby Boomer work ethic, the independence of its Generation X parents, and the fluidity of the Millennial generation.
  • To attract Gen Z talent, employers must understand this generation’s need for stability. Gen Z employees want to feel appreciated for their work and build loyal relationships.

  Audience: Managers, Leaders, HR teams, Learning & Development teams, Educators

  Length: Half day workshop or 60-90 minute presentation

  Touchpoints:

  • Generation Z’s life experiences and expectations
  • Employment, work and career expectations
  • Attitudes towards education and learning
  • How Gen Zs differs from Millennials
  • Tips for how to lead, manage and engage Gen Z
  • Implications for employers in the areas of recruitment, work environment, leadership practices and engagement
  • Impact on educators and learning & development teams in the areas of instructional design, delivery and learner engagement

• Leading & Engaging Millennials: The Do’s and Don’ts

  Millennials have experienced a very different reality at home and at school prior to entering into the workforce. This cohort possesses very unique values, expectations and behaviours that are often in direct opposition to their colleagues. As such, managers and leaders often find it challenging to motivate, engage and retain Millennials and struggle with how to tap into their values, skills and knowledge. Also, your future leaders are going to be Millennials, so understanding how to engage and develop this cohort is critical for organizational sustainability.

  This course focuses specifically how to lead, manage and engage Millennials. This course is a follow-up to Different Generations – Different Approaches to Work™: Increasing Engagement as participants learn advanced leadership behaviours to successfully lead Millennials. We also highlight how leaders have to build the employment deal with Millennials, holding this cohort accountable for one-half of the deal. We will work through scenarios to overcome common workplace challenges. Participants will solve an individual management challenge.

  Audience: team leaders, supervisors, managers

  Length: Half or full day workshop, 60-90 minute presentation

  Touchpoints:

  • Defining Millennials
  • What Millennials value
  • The new employment deal – how do you build it with Millennials
  • Giving coaching and feedback, including performance reviews
  • Recruiting and orientation of Millennials – what leaders must do
  • Creating a work environment that will retain Millennials
  • Developing your future leaders
  • Top 5 leadership tips

• Different Generations – Different Approaches to Work: Increasing Engagement

  Organizations today face the challenge of creating high-performing environments that produce business results. The more engaged employees are, the more productive they will be. The different generations in the workplace – Traditionalists, Baby Boomers, Gen Xers, Millennials and now Gen Zs – possess different behaviours and expectations, because of their generational identities. The tactics that may engage one generation will not necessarily engage others. If you cannot get, keep and grow a multigenerational workforce, your team performance and engagement levels will be impacted. Leaders of all levels need to recognize how to strategically create an environment that maximizes the skills sets of a multigenerational workforce, while managing the differences.

  This workshop helps managers and leaders understand how to lead, manage, motivate and engage a multigenerational workforce. Participants solve an organizational specific scenario as well as an individual management challenge.

  Audience: Managers, Leaders & Supervisors

  Length: Half or full day workshop; 60-90 minute presentation

  Touchpoints:

  • The different generations’ life-defining events, values and characteristics
  • How generational identities translate into behaviours in the workplace
  • The new employment relationship
  • Demonstrating organizational engagement – transparency, responsiveness & partnering
  • Solving an organizational and/or individual management challenge

• Different Generations – Different Approaches to Work: Maximizing Team Collaboration

  Organizations today face the challenge of creating high-performing environments that produce results. Each generation (Traditionalists, Baby Boomers, Gen Xers, Millennials & Gen Zs) possesses unique identities that translate into different behaviours in the workplace. It is important for team members to understand their own identities as well as those of peers, managers and organizational leaders in order to maximize collaboration and drive positive outcomes.

  This workshop explores how generational identities translate into behaviours specifically as it relates to relationship with the organization (loyalty), relationship with authority and work styles. Participants will be encouraged to think of techniques that will maximize collaboration both within teams and across departments.

  Audience: Managers & Team Members / employees

  Length: Half or full day workshop; 60-90 minute presentation

  Touchpoints:

  • Life-defining events that shape generational identities
  • How generational identities translate into behaviours in the workplace
  • The link between engagement and team collaboration
  • Generational conclusion ladder
  • Tips & techniques to improve team collaboration

• Different Generations – Different Approaches to Customer Service

  The clients and customers you serve are, more than likely, from different generations (Traditionalist, Baby Boomer, Gen X, Millennial and Gen Z). Each customer group possesses unique identities and expectations of customer service. It is important for customer service and sales representatives to learn how to deliver exceptional service according to how the customer expects to be served, rather than how the rep would like provide service. It is only by being able to exceed customer expectations that organizations will be able to build strong brands and relationships. The objective of this workshop is to build concrete behaviours that improve service to a multigenerational customer base.

  We explore the identities of the different generations and how these identities translate into different behaviours and expectations. We discuss what each generation of customer classifies as service excellence. We determine concrete tips and techniques that will improve service from a generational perspective.

  Audience: Customer service & sales representatives and managers

  Length: Half or full day workshop; 60-90 minute presentation

  Touchpoints:

  • Key characteristics and values of the different generations
  • How generational identities translate into different behaviours, as these relate to authority and work styles
  • Generational expectations of service excellence
  • Tips & techniques to improve customer service to all different generations

• Money and Millennials

  How to better understand the next generation, so you can more effectively engage them with their money and their future.   

  The Millennial generation has arrived into the workforce at a time of unprecedented change.  Many graduate from school with large student debts and face a “gig economy” that provides excitement and opportunity, but little in the way of pensions or security.  They suffer from real estate prices that have already sky rocketed, but may stand to benefit in the future when their parents’ wealth becomes theirs.

  In this keynote presentation, Giselle Kovary will identify key insights about the Millennial generation that will enable astute advisors to help them get a handle on their money so they can live the life they want.

  You will:

  • Gain a better understanding of Millennials and how they think about money
  • Improve your ability to make money more relevant to Millennial clients, and improve their confidence about achieving their dreams
  • Apply tips to open up the lines of communication with both current and prospective clients, in order to improve your ability to meet their needs and build trust

• The Future of Performance Management in a Multi-Generational Workplace

  Managing performance is a difficult exercise in any size of organization. There are numerous elements to performance management– from setting goals that align to strategy, to measuring what people do, and evaluating how they do it. In n-gen’s national survey in 2009, we measured employees’ perceptions on how well their performance is being measured by their employer. The good news is that many employees felt strongly that their performance is being accurately measured. However, feedback from the hundreds of organizations with which n-gen has worked, is that performance management remains one of the leading people challenges. One reasons it is viewed as a difficult process is that the four generations (Traditionalists, Baby Boomers, Gen Xers and Gen Ys) have different expectations as to how their performance should be measured, and how managers should conduct performance management practices on a day-to-day basis.

  This keynote highlights what employees and managers are saying about performance management, based on both the n-gen Generational Index survey and from n-gen consulting work. Kovary uses this data, in conjunction with research on generational expectations and performance management theory, to highlight the future of performance management.

  Key Topics:

  • Data from n-gen Generational Index survey on performance management
  • Key elements of successful performance management systems
  • Generational expectations of performance management – what to do and say
  • The future of performance management

• Leading Virtual Teams & Flexible Work Environment

  Organizations are increasingly structuring teams that reside in different parts of the country or world, and who must collaborate virtually. Even when team members are in the same city, employees often work remotely or have different work arrangements, which results in less and less face time together. Managers and leaders must be able to adapt their leadership style to ensure they can engage and motivate team members in remote locations and different work environments. This requires a different type of leadership style and advanced skill sets. Leaders need to be able to provide direction, manage performance and ensure alignment of all team members.

  This workshop helps managers lead their virtual teams. We explore the advantages and challenges of virtual teams, and how high performing remote teams function successful. We also discuss how to best communicate using the appropriate technology to increase team engagement and collaboration. Leaders work on building an engagement plan for their virtual / remote team.

  Audience: team leaders, supervisors, managers

  Length: Half or full day workshop, 60-90 minute presentation

  Touchpoints:

  • Differences between leading face-to-face teams and virtual / remote teams
  • What virtual team members want from their team leader
  • Leadership behaviours required to successfully lead a virtual team
  • Methods to build trust and rapport with virtual team members
  • Goals and actions required to successful lead a virtual team
  • Generational responses to working virtually

• How to Get, Keep, and Grow Top Talent

  Organizations today are faced with the challenge of recruiting, engaging and retaining a multigenerational workforce. For HR to be a strategic partner, people practices must align to the values, expectations and behaviours of all four generations. To be an employer of choice, you must tap into the motivations of each cohort in order to engage all employee groups. By doing so, you will be able to maximize each generation’s skills sets, while managing the differences.

  This interactive workshop explains how the road to creating engaged employees is dependent on your HR practices demonstrating organizational engagement – transparency, responsiveness and partnering. Your HR team will explore how to best recruit, retain and develop your multigenerational workforce. We ask a series of questions, designed to help your  team with action planning future people strategies.

  Audience: HR leaders & teams

  Length: Half or full day workshop; 60-90 minute presentation

  Touchpoints:

  • Brief overview of the generational identities and behaviours in the workplace
  • The role of HR in demonstrating organizational engagement
  • Recruitment, retention and talent management strategies that target all four generations
  • Identify actions (short- medium- long-term) that your organization should implement to enhance your people strategies

• Workshop: Four Generations - Four Approaches to Work: Increasing Engagement

  Duration: Half Day
  Target Audiences: Leaders, Managers, Supervisors

  The workplace today is comprised of four generations – Traditionalists, Baby Boomers, Gen X and Gen Y. In this half-day workshop, Kovary explores the identities of the four generations, and how these identities translate into behaviours in the workplace. In the second half of the workshop, managers work in groups to discuss strategies and techniques to resolving their challenge by demonstrating engagement. Each individual participant also works through a personal work challenge.
  Organizations today face the challenge of creating high-performing work environments that produce results. Your workforce is comprised of four generations (Traditionalist, Baby Boomer, Gen X and Gen Y). Each of these cohorts possesses unique identities that translate into different behaviours in the workplace. It is important for every manager in the organization to be able to tap into the values and expectations of each generation in order to increase levels of engagement.

  This half-day workshop is divided into two sections. First, Kovary explores the identities of the four generations, and how these identities translate into behaviours in the workplace. She also explore how the workplace reality has changed to one in which employees view themselves as equal partners in the employment relationship. In the second half of the workshop, managers work in groups to discuss strategies and techniques to resolving their challenge by demonstrating engagement (transparency, responsiveness, and partnering). Each individual participant also works through a personal work challenge.

   

  Program Features

  • 3.5 hours (includes 15 minute break)
  • Large group discussion, scenarios, lecturettes, (partner work/small group), individual management challenge, action planning
  • Learning Objectives

   

  At the end of this session, participants will be able to:

  • Describe the four generations’ life-defining events, values and characteristics
  • Explain how generational identities translate into behaviours in the workplace
  • Identify how leaders are pivotal to creating engagement
  • Apply the knowledge of the four generations, and characteristics of engagement to creating a win-win relationships and solving an individual challenge

• Workshop: People Leading People: Increasing Engagement Across all Four Generations

  Duration: Half Day
  Target Audiences: Human Resources Teams, Senior Executives

  The workplace today is comprised of four generations – Traditionalists, Baby Boomers, Gen X and Gen Y. In this half-day workshop, Kovary explores the identities of the four generations, and how these identities translate into behaviours in the workplace. In the second half of the workshop, managers work in groups to discuss strategies and techniques to resolving their challenge by demonstrating engagement. Each individual participant also works through a personal work challenge.
  Organizations today face the challenge of creating high-performance environments that produce business results. Your workforce is comprised of four generations (Traditionalist, Baby Boomer, Gen X and Gen Y). Each of these cohorts possesses unique identities that translate into different expectations and behaviours in the workplace. It is important for HR professionals and leaders to be able to evaluate and respond to the expectations of all four generations. If your organization wants engaged employees, then organizational people practices and senior leaders also have to reflect high level of engagements – you will not have engaged employees until your organization demonstrates engagement.

  Kovary begins the session with the identities of the four generations and how these identities translate into behaviours in the workplace. We review how generational identities impact your organization’s ability to get, keep and grow employees. We provide a framework for evaluation and a framework by which your organization can create people practices and strategies designed to engage all four generations.

   

  Program Features

  • Large group discussion, scenarios, lecturettes, (partner work/small group), action planning
  • Learning Objectives

  At the end of this session, participants will be able to:

  • Describe the four generations’ life-defining events, values and characteristics
  • Explain how generational identities translate into behaviours in the workplace
  • Identify how leaders are pivotal to creating engagement
  • Apply the principles of organizational engagement to evaluating and creating strategies that will get, keep and grow all four generations

   

  Program Content

  Introduction

  Facilitator intro
  Participant warm-up

   

  Module 1: Defining the Generations

  Review of life-defining events, attitudes and characteristics

   

  Module 2: Organizational Factors – Translating identities into behaviours

  Relationship to organization
  Relationship to authority
  Work styles

   

  Module 3: The New Workplace Reality

  The new employment deal – employees as investors who seek a win-win
  Demonstrating organizational engagement (transparent, responsive and partnering)

   

  Module 4: Layering on Generational Considerations to People Practices – Strategic

  Get: recruitment/orientation (recruitment)
  Keep: total rewards programs, employee brand promises (retention)
  Grow: career-pathing, learning and development, mentoring, performance management, succession planning and management practices – communication, coaching, collaboration (development)
  Group Activity with worksheets

  Wrap up, Participant Commitment to Action and Evaluation