nextcompTV - Episode 15

One final video from the WorldatWork show in San Diego. A few shots of the walk to the conference center and the 8x speed up booth take down. Next up on nextcompTV is a discussion of Total Rewards and what I learned at the conference.

nextcompTV - Episode 14

Day one of the WorldatWork conference and exposition was jam packed with sessions, booth traffic, and a social event at the historic Midway aircraft carrier.

nextcompTV - Episode 13

Setup day at the 2011 WorldatWork conference and exposition in San Diego with the 8x super speed booth setup and an interview with Audrey Johnson, Visibility Manager at WorldatWork.



Be sure to follow @nextcomp on twitter to get ongoing updates from the Expo.

I'll also be at the social event this evening on the Midway.

I hope to see you there!

nextcompTV - Episode 9 - Project Management

Bob's back this week as we discuss our philosophy and methods for project management. We're "on location" in a park near our office. It was just too beautiful to be inside on a sunny almost Fall day.



Here's a link to Basecamp, the 37signals web-based project management tool that I mentioned in the video.

nextcompTV - Episode 8

This week's video covers the progress were making on Version 3 updates and bug fixes.




As an example of the types of changes were making, here are a few screen shots.

1) Change to the way the pages are rendered to fill the browser's window.

Originally the design had a static page width that would fit most all screen sizes. We decided, based on feedback, that having the static page size really limited the use of some tables for those people with larger screen widths.




2) Changes to the Market Pricing page

We've slightly changed the way the Market Pricing page works. When you first open the Market Pricing page you'll be presented with a search area and a prompt asking you to enter a search or you have the option of showing all data in the table. This really improved performance because 90% of the time you'll want to search for specific jobs for pricing, rather than see all the jobs all the time.




3) Say goodbye to the Daisie error page.

As much as we love Daisie, it turns out that seeing her cute face each time an error occurs is quite annoying. When you get an error, you're not usually in the mood to see a cute puppy, you want a quick professional message with the options you have available to you. So we've redesigned the error page.




There are a host of other changes, some small cosmetic changes and some more fundamentally programming updates to increase overall performance.

Following Your Passion - Video

Summer is on it's last legs, the leaves are changing, and football starts this weekend. Here's a shout out to my alma mater the University of Washington Huskies. May they win some games this year!

There was no nextcompTV this week due to an extremely busy schedule. I'll be back next week but in a new format. I like the idea of broadcasting live, but I don't like the video quality on uStream. And really, how many people can break away in the middle of the work day to watch a video. Not too many. So I'm switching to using Quicktime. I'll pre-recording the TV show and then post it on YouTube. The quality will be much better and I can record the show at a more convenient time of the day.

We continue working on Version 3 roll-out. At this point, the roll-out is limited to a few organizations. We're working to finish a few features and getting the bugs out of the new version. Thank you so much to the organizations that are helping with this process. Version 3 is shaping up nicely. I'll keep the blog up to date with the latest news on Version 3.

I've put together one last video for the Summer. The video documents a mountain biking trip that my brother-in-law took me on and a brewery tour where he works part-time. He and I sat down for a short visit after the tour to talk about following your passion in work and play.

nextcompTV - Episode 7

In this episode I discuss the Version 3 roll-out in more detail and also talk about the importance of knowing your own style of work and knowing when to take a break to clear your mind so that you can focus and be more productive.



Up next is an interview with my brother-in-law. He manages and is part owner in two fast food chain restaurants and is also a brewer for a local craft brew pub. We talk about following your passion in the work you do.

Version 3 Update - hello from Pocatello, Idaho

It's the last few weeks of Summer vacation for my kids. We're spending the week visiting relatives in Pocatello, Idaho.


View Larger Map

It's a busy week at NextComp as well, so I've been working, but also taking time to do fun things with the family.

It's Tuesday, so that means another episode of nextcompTV. Today I talk about Version 3 a bit, the importance of balancing work and family, and my thoughts on volunteering and the importance of donating time to a cause that you believe in.

Here's the TV show...




One more vacation related video, here's a marble racing tower that my youngest son and daughter and I made. They can spend hours playing with this set.




Here's a demo of a new feature in Version 3 - the Refresh Matches wizard. This is a much easier method for updating matches that is currently used in Version 2.



This video is available in high quality on Youtube.

Successful Project Management - nextcompTV - Episode 5

Bob is starting a new project so we thought it might be good timing to discuss project management and how best to run a project to achieve a successful outcome.

Bob and I drove out to the Pacific coast of Washington State to have an initial meeting with the organization's leadership. Bob has been exchanging e-mails and having phone calls with the primary Human Resources contact over the last few weeks. He's been explaining the consulting engagement process, the expected time lines, the deliverables, and asking for some initial information he'll need to start the work.

It was time to get started in earnest with the project and so Bob and the HR Director thought it would be prudent to meet with the leadership committee.

I went along to provide some backup and I had an ulterior motive of wanting to photograph the coast and get some video along the way.

I also thought it would be a good case study on running a successful project. I'm of course assuming that this will be a successful project. I'm sure it will be!

Here's an outline of the steps Bob and I have used for over 20 years in running our projects as independent consultants. These are generic and I've used them in my work with subscribers of NEXTCOMP.NET as well.

1. Initial Communication
2. Setting Expectations
3. Data Gathering/ Information Gathering
4. Staying Flexible
5. Working Within The Culture
6. Adjusting To Unexpected Events
7. Completing The Work
8. Ongoing Communication
9. Presenting The Findings
10. Wrapping Up The Engagement

I'm going to be talking about these on nextcompTV and in the blog as Bob works through this project. It seems that Bob's consulting work is picking up! Maybe that means that the economy is improving? I hope so!

Here's a 6 minute video discussing the importance of the initial communication and expectation setting in a project.



Here's a video of our drive out to the coast. Be sure to check out the following, these go by fast, so keep an eye open:

1. The elk
2. The ribbons tied in honor of our troops
3. Nuclear power plant cooling towers
4. The Starbucks
5. The logging truck
6. The Tsunami Evacuation Route sign
7. End Of County Road sign
8. 1950's era fighter jet
9. Modern day transport plane



Enjoy the videos and stay tuned for more in the future.

nextcompTV - Episode 4

Bob and I discuss the impact of technology on the human resources function. Bob recounts the changes in technology since he started in the early 1960's. We cover a lot of ground in a short period of time.



I referenced an article in the show related to the use of Facebook within organizations. Here's a link to that article.

nextcompTV - Episode 3 - Base Pay vs. Incentives

Where did the time go today during Episode 3 of nextcompTV?

Bob and I really got into our discussion of base pay and incentives and strolled into a few other side topics along the way. The video starts with a few shots of the Seattle waterfront, then cuts to 2 minutes from the interview with Catherine Dovey in which Catherine discusses base pay and incentives and the importance of communication, finally Bob and I spend 20 minutes talking about base pay and incentives from the perspective of the employee, the Board/Ownership, and the HR department.



We're getting the hang of the technical aspects of the show and I think we're on a roll with some interesting topics and discussion.

Tune in next Tuesday, August 4th at Noon PST for another great episode where we'll discuss the impact of rapidly changing technology on the human resources and compensation professional.

Here's a link to the NPR story about "How We Get Paid"
http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2009/07/hear_how_we_get_paid.html#more

Video Blog #8 - Catherine Dovey Interview

I had the pleasure of interviewing Compensation Works founder and principal Catherine Dovey yesterday. Catherine and I have known each other for 10+ years. I was very interested in discussing the current state of Total Rewards with her. Catherine has 20+ years of experience in designing and managing base pay plans, incentive plans, performance management systems and job evaluation systems. She has extensive experience in union and non-union environments in private companies and nonprofit and public-sector organizations. So I knew she would have some insightful comments and observations on the state of the human resources and compensation profession.



Next week's nextcompTV show schedule has changed. We'll be broadcasting on Thursday, July 30th at Noon. The topic will be "Base pay versus Incentives". I'll play an excerpt of the conversation with Catherine that didn't make it into the video and then Bob and I will expand on that topic. Bob and my trip to the coast has been postponed until August 10th, so we'll have some video from that trip next month.

Tune into nextcompTV on UStream live on Thursday, July 30th at Noon PST:
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/nextcomp

If you're interested in seeing Catherine in person or are looking for some great continuing education opportunities, she'll be at the following events over the next couple of months.

• September 9th – 11:30am – 1:00 pm Total Rewards in Challenging Times – LWHRA, Bellevue. Registration is available at www.lwhra.org.
• September 17th – 4:30pm – 7:00pm HR Sampler – Bellevue Community College. Registration is available at http://www.campusce.net/BC/Course/Course.aspx?c=12191
• October 27th – 6:00pm – 9:00pm Incentive Plan Design – The Next Frontier – Bellevue Community College. Registration is not online as of today, but you can view the course catalog here: http://www.campusce.net/bc/category/category.aspx
• NHRMA - HR Foundations - October 13th, 14th, 15th at the Doubletree Guest Suites Seattle Airport. This event is SHRM certified and it's worth 19.5 CE credits. Registration available here: http://guest.cvent.com/EVENTS/Info/Summary.aspx?e=932c8aa6-c960-48e5-82ad-159b49a080c9
  

Here's a little bit more background on Catherine's credentials.

• Certified Compensation Professional (CCP) through WorldatWork (formerly the American Compensation Association)
• Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) through the Human Resources Certification Institute (HRCI)
• Board member for the Washington State Council for SHRM
• Total Rewards Panel member for the Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM)
• Past president and board member for the Seattle chapter of SHRM
• Founding board member for the Southwest Washington HR Association of SHRM
• Past president and board member for the Northwest Human Resources Management Association (NHRMA)
• 2004 Distinguished Award recipient for NHRMA
• 2006 member of the year for the Lake Washington Human Resource Association
  

nextcompTV - Episode 2

Bob and I discuss the "State of Total Rewards" basing some of our comments on the panel discussion at last week's Northwest Compensation and Reward Forum luncheon.



For some reason the audio is out of sync with the video. We're still figuring out some of the technical aspects of nextcompTV, so bare with us as we go through a few bumps in the road.

Next week we'll have some highlights from my interview with Catherine Dovey and some video from the Pacific coast of Washington. Bob and I are headed out there on Friday for a meeting and we plan to document our trip. So stay tuned for some amazingly beautiful video of the coast in summertime.

Here's the link to "Capitalizing on the changing workplace." article that I mentioned in the video.

Until next week, have a great rest of the week and weekend.

Video Blog #7 - Northwest Compensation And Rewards Forum

Bob and I had the pleasure of attending the July 15, 2009 meeting of the Northwest Compensation and Rewards Forum held at McCormick and Schmick's on Lake Union.



It was a very well attended meeting. After lunch a panel of well known and respected people in the Human Resources field held a very interesting "panel discussion on how rewards professionals are making adjustments to their total rewards (compensation, benefits, incentives, recognition, etc.) programs in today’s economy." moderated by Jenifer Lambert, SPHR, CPC - Talentum Search Partners/Terra Staffing Group.

The panelists were:

• Marilyn Guthrie - Manager, Benefits, wellness and recognition programs, Recreational Equipment Inc. (REI)
• Theresa Chambers - Chief Motivation Officer of Recognition Works
• Debbie Bronson, SPHR - SVP, and Human Resources Director, Cascade Bank
• Catherine Dovey, CCP, SPHR - Principal, Compensation Works LLC
• Tracy L. White, SPHR, CAE, CMP - Director of Human Resources for Clark Nuber

On this week's nextcompTV episode, Bob and I will summarize the meeting and provide our thoughts on the topic. So join us on Tuesday, July 21st at Noon PST at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/nextcomp for Episode 2 of nextcompTV.

So until Tuesday, you can follow me on Twitter @nextcomp, or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/mattnjohnson

nextcompTV - Episode 1

Here's the first episode of nextcompTV. It went off without a hitch! We're excited to undertake this new venture and we hope to bring you more interesting content, news, and stories in the future. Enjoy!



Join us every Tuesday at Noon Pacific Standard Time. Next week we'll talk about the Northwest Compensation and Rewards Forum meeting and hopefully I'll get some video from the meeting.

nextcompTV

If you can break away for 15 minutes tomorrow, Tuesday, July 14th, please join us for the first ever nextcompTV show. Bob Johnson and I will be hosting the show every week on Tuesday.

This Tuesday we'll introduce ourselves and the show. We'll also be drawing a business card from the ones we collected at the WorldatWork Expo in May to pick the winner of a $100 Starbucks gift card.

What: nextcompTV

Where: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/nextcomp

When: Tuesday, July 14th at Noon Pacific Standard Time
and every Tuesday at Noon PST

Why: Latest HR / Compensation trends, How-to's, interviews, real-time interaction via Twitter and UStream, and some fun and games along the way.

The first episode will be a bit rocky I predict, but we'll improve each week. So join us on this journey as we push the boundaries of social media, social networking, new media, and just plain good old face-to-face communications.

On Wednesday, Bob and I will be at the Northwest Compensation and Reward Forum's luncheon. Maybe we'll see you there.



Have a great Monday!