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Chester Elston Profile

Chester Elton

Top Speaker on Employee Engagement and Organizational Culture

Why Book this Speaker: Best Selling Business Author, Keynote Speaker on Organizational Culture, Employee Engagement and Teamwork Expert

Traveling From: NJ

Fee Range: $30,000 – $40,000

Chester Elton has spent two decades helping some of the world’s most successful businesses engage their employees to execute on strategy, vision, and values. 

He has been called the “apostle of appreciation” by Canada’s Globe and Mail, “creative and refreshing‚” by the New York Times, and a “must read for modern managers” by CNN. Elton is co-author of multiple award-winning New York Times and #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling leadership books including All In, The Carrot Principle, The Best Team Wins, and Anxiety at Work. His books have been translated in more than 30 languages and have sold more than 1.5 million copies worldwide.

Elton is often quoted in publications such as the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Fast Company and the New York Times. He has appeared on NBC’s Today, CNN, ABC, MSNBC, National Public Radio and CBS’s 60 Minutes.

THE BEST TEAM WINS: THE 5 DISCIPLINES OF TODAY’S MOST EFFECTIVE TEAM LEADERS

The Dilemma. The vast majority of employees’ days are now spent working collaboratively, but still 96 percent of executives cite poor teamwork as the main source of workplace failures in their organizations. It might be the most-pressing question organizations must address: How can managers lead their teams to improved performance given the volatility and challenges we face today.

The Research. Based on an 850,000-person study of the most profitable, innovative work teams, New York Times bestselling author Adrian Gostick introduces his audiences to the new science of teamwork—helping leaders deal with the increased speed of change in business, global and remote employees, the rise of the Millennials, the need to work more cross-functionally across departments, and more.

The Result. Gostick’s research has discovered a set of leadership disciplines that make the biggest difference in building today’s best teams. He helps leaders:

  • Manage to the One—Identify the drivers of each team member for maximum engagement
  • Speed Productivity—Help new people and teams work faster & smarter
  • Challenge Everything—Inspire greater innovation through healthy debate
  • Focus on Customers—Build bridges across functions, cultures, and distance

 

The Audience. Designed for senior leaders and managers (although often tailored to include all employees), Adrian Gostick has presented The Best Team Wins to corporate audiences and association conferences worldwide.

 

ALL IN: HOW THE BEST LEADERS DEVELOP A CULTURE OF BELIEF AND DRIVE BIG RESULTS

The Dilemma:

While most leaders understand their most reliable competitive advantage comes from their people, few know how to get their teams “all in”—convincing employees to buy into the strategy they’ve put forward. If a culture is clear, positive, and strong, then people will believe what they do matters and that they can make a difference. If a culture is dysfunctional—chaotic, combative or indifferent—employees will spend more time thinking about why the people sitting next to them should be fired than getting fired up themselves.

The Research:

Teaming up with research giant Towers Watson, #1 bestselling author Adrian Gostick presents the findings of an unprecedented 300,000-person study conducted in the worst of the recession for his book All In. Based on this breakthrough research and his extensive consulting experience with a who’s-who of successful organizations, he presents a simple roadmap that all managers can follow to create a high-achieving culture in their own teams where employees are engaged, enabled and energized.

The Result:

Gostick offers specific how-tos for each step, and tells fascinating stories of leaders in action that vividly depict just how these powerful methods can be implemented. Audiences will learn: the 3 research-based characteristics of the world’s most profitable, productive organizational and team cultures; the 7 steps today’s most successful leaders use to generate buy-in; and how managers at any level can build a productive workgroup culture of their own where employees commit to the culture and give an extra push of effort.

The Audience:

Designed for senior leaders and managers (although sometimes tailored to include all employees), Adrian Gostick has presented “All In” to corporate audiences and association conferences worldwide. The session is typically customized to an organization’s specific culture challenges.

 

THE ENGAGEMENT EFFECT: HOW THE BEST MANAGERS ARE ENGAGING EMPLOYEES TO MEET THE NEEDS OF A VOLATILE, UNCERTAIN, COMPLEX AND AMBIGUOUS WORLD

The Dilemma:

Financial performance in high-engagement organizations is 44 percent higher than in low engagement organizations. Some 90 percent of senior leaders believe employee engagement is a key driver of business performance. But only 24 percent think their employees are engaged enough to move their businesses forward.

The Research:

New York Times bestselling author and leadership expert Adrian Gostick presents findings from 20 years of research, with a total of 850,000-people now surveyed, to illustrate the steps today’s most successful organizations use to generate superior levels of employee engagement to drive energy, focus and innovation. His work shows exactly which leadership behaviors move engagement and which don’t.

The Result:

In this practical and thought-provoking keynote, Gostick introduces a practical guide for leaders, showing them exactly how to move the needle on employee engagement. The author drills deep with case studies of real managers in action and practical examples of proven drivers of engagement such as 1) alignment with future vision, 2) enhanced trust and innovation, 3) transparent communication, 4) career development, and 5) strategic recognition of contributions.

The Audience:

Designed for senior leaders and managers, Adrian Gostick has presented “The Engagement Effect” to corporate audiences and associations worldwide. The session is typically customized to an organization’s specific engagement challenges.

 

CARROTS 2.0: HOW TODAY’S MANAGERS USE RECOGNITION TO ENGAGE THEIR PEOPLE, RETAIN TALENT, AND ACCELERATE PERFORMANCE

The Dilemma:

Most managers want to create cultures where their teams achieve above-and-beyond results, but for a culture to really take off teammates must encourage each other on a daily basis. The answer is in rooting for each other: having each other’s backs, appreciating strengths, and recognizing strategic behaviors.

The Research:

Based his #1 bestselling book The Carrot Principle, which unveiled a 10-year, 200,000- person survey, Gostick has become the preeminent authority on employee recognition. Now, he introduces us to Carrots 2.0—showing incontrovertible evidence that today’s employees respond best when they are recognized for things they are good at and for those actions where they had to stretch.

The Result:

Gostick introduces audiences to new generational and industry-specific data from his 2016 proprietary survey of 14,000 working adults—helping managers link recognition to what is most meaningful to their employees. He introduces practical concepts that help managers encourage excellence, including ideas such as appreciation vs. recognition, effort vs. achievement, and praise vs. rewards.

The Audience:

Designed for managers, Adrian Gostick has presented “Carrots 2.0” to corporate audiences and associations worldwide. The session is typically customized to an organization’s specific recognition needs and can also include the organization’s available R&R tools.

 

WHAT MOTIVATES ME?: HOW TO LEAD AND RETAIN GENERATIONS IN THE WORKPLACE

The Dilemma:

By 2024, 75 percent of the workforce will be Millennials and Gen Z. The best leaders are retaining more of their key, young talent by creating meaningful career discussions from day-one, and are helping younger workers understand their impact on the greater purpose of the organization.

The Research:

Based on Adrian Gostick’s bestselling book What Motivates Me with the findings of an 850,000-person research study, and introducing Gostick’s Primary Research Study of thousands of millennials, the author identifies practical methods to inspire today’s young workers to increase levels of commitment, enhance feelings of inclusion, and speed the process of onboarding.

The Result:

In addition to learning how to help team members of all generations work together more effectively, leaders in this session will discover ways to reduce employee attrition by helping each employee understand their core motivators and sculpt the nature of their positions to better match those drivers. The truth is very few leaders know what is really motivating to their people or, even if they do, don’t know how to apply that information to day-to-day work.

The Audience:

Designed for senior leaders, managers, and employee groups, the authors have presented “What Motivates Me?” to corporate audiences and associations worldwide. Some groups have participants complete the online Motivators Assessment before the session.

 

BE A BETTER MANAGER BY FRIDAY: REAL SKILLS FOR INSPIRING EMPLOYEES, LEADING A TEAM, AND WINNING IN TODAY’S TRANSFORMATIVE MARKETPLACE

For leaders looking to drive innovation, diversity, and inclusion in their teams, many established management practices are doing more harm than good. Too many leaders are dampening their employees’ exuberance and refreshing diversity with old-school management approaches that are killing their cultures.

Chester Elton has been one of the most influential voices in leadership research and organizational consulting for more than two decades, but it’s his research over the last few years that’s garnering extra attention. After surveying more than 14,000 working adults in 2015-16 alone, he has found 5 principles of effective leadership that managers in the 21st Century can employ to great effect, and 5 principles that must be avoided.

In a fresh, funny and challenging keynote presentation, Elton debunks myths such as The Smartest Person in the Room, Treating Everyone the Same is Fair, Appreciation Comes in a Paycheck, and We’ll Let You Know if You Mess Up. He teaches audiences how to lead in such a way that today’s employees will follow—including establishing a clear future vision, enhancing diversity, increasing trust levels, and providing opportunity and growth development paths.

Designed for senior leaders and managers, the author has presented “Be a Better Manager by Friday” to corporate audiences and associations worldwide. The session is typically customized to an organization’s specific leadership challenges.

 
 

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