Stevie Awards, ATD and DisruptHR Buffalo with Chris Bjorling

The American Business Awards® (ABAs), also known as the Stevie Awards, have been a premier business awards program in the US for over 20 years.

They recognize excellence across various categories and industries, including public and private organizations, for-profit and non-profit, and businesses of all sizes.

Fidello President and HR Gazette Associate Editor, Chris Bjorling is a 2024 Stevie winner! In this episode of the HRchat show, Bill Banham and Chris discuss the award plus they reflect on DisruptHR Buffalo, look ahead to the ATD Conference and Expo in New Orleans later this month and preview the next few seasons of the People and Performance Podcast.

Questions include:

• Congrats again on winning the Stevie Award! Tell us more
• What does the award say about Fidello?
• You and I will be attending ATD next month. What are you hoping to get from covering the event?
• We recently spoke at DisruptHR Buffalo. Can you share your experiences? 
• We are in the middle of recording new episodes of the People and Performance Podcast. Can you tell the HRchat listeners about the show?
• How can we connect with you and learn more about Fidello? 

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Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:03

Welcome to the HR Chat Show, one of the world's most downloaded and shared podcasts designed for HR pros, talent execs, tech enthusiasts and business leaders. For hundreds more episodes and what's new in the world of work, subscribe to the show, follow us on social media and visit HRGazettecom and visit hrgazettecom.

Speaker 2: 0:26

The American Business Awards, also known as the Stevie Awards, have been a premier business awards program in the US for over 20 years. They recognize excellence across various categories and industries, including public and private organizations, for-profit and non-profit, and businesses of all sizes. Why am I telling you listeners? Well, because I'm delighted to share that Fadilo, president and HR Gazette Associate Editor, and my good friend, mr Christopher Bueling, is a 2024 winner. Hey everybody, this is Bill Bannum, your host today. Chris won in the Achievement in Management in Business and Professional Services category. Chris, welcome back to the show and congratulations to you, sir.

Speaker 3: 1:14

Bill, thank you so much. It is a pleasure to be here. As always, you're such a wonderful, gracious host and a joy to talk to, and I appreciate every time we get a chance to spend the moment together.

Speaker 2: 1:29

So, listeners, this is a special episode in that, basically, we're just going to spend the whole time saying how amazing Chris and Fidelo are, but I thought I can't just do that, so I'll throw in some extra questions about ATD and a couple other things just to mix it up for you. Chris, to start with, can you reintroduce yourself to our audience please?

Speaker 3: 1:44

Certainly, bill. I am Chris B Rowling. I'm president of Fidelio Inc. We are a consulting and solutions organization that helps clients manage their talent management lifecycle of their employees through bespoke processes and solutions. As Bill said, I work on the HR Gazette for some of the things that we put together, as well as he and I co-host together a people and performance podcast. We're into season 13, 14, somewhere around there. We have a blast doing that, interviewing people, but, most importantly, I am the father of seven and I get to do everything that's associated with being that and, as they expand with marriage and grandchildren, it's all just a fun time.

Speaker 2: 2:26

He's a busy gentleman, listeners, Okay. So for those who are not super familiar with the Stevie Awards, Chris, can you tell us a bit about them and why they matter in the industry?

Speaker 3: 2:42

Yeah, you know it's a great question. I've heard of the Stevie Awards for years and I even have had some clients that have won CVs for projects that we helped put together for them. And you know they took their solution and put it out there. And you know the Stevie's have a ton of different categories and so they've won, and as recently as last year and this year actually, as recently as last year and this year actually, and then I was approached by a PR firm that I had communicated with years ago and they said, hey, we really think you should be nominated for our award. And usually I just slough those off and don't pay attention. But I said you know what, why not? Let's try, let's see what we can do. And then they helped me craft the nomination and we submitted it.

Speaker 3: 3:22

I guess there were approximately 3,700 entrants this year, submissions into the different categories they had. We were entered into the small business, the achievement and management, business and professional services category, and from those 3,700, about 300 of the organizations actually received enough votes and scoring to earn an award. They have about 300 professionals that judge them and it took about three months for them to go through it. We personally had about 15 different judges from what we can tell from based upon the notes that we saw, you know, participate in the judging of us and we actually came out and we were awarded the gold Stevie award for um, business and professional services. So we were very surprised, um, but but pleased.

Speaker 3: 4:12

And you know, as we went through it, you know, we, you know I started looking at the other winners that people had placed either gold or silver or bronze in the categories. But a lot of organizations, you know I didn't know, but there were great ones in there, such as IBM, kodak, microsoft, lenovo, cisco systems, qualcomm, and the list goes on and on. So we, you know, we look at it and say, wow, this is prestigious. And, as I've researched more and I've talked more to people that you know, it's kind of the Academy awards for organizations and for businesses to be recognized for work they've done and achieved over the years. So we're looking forward to going to the awards banquet in June down in New York City at the Marquis and receiving our award down there and getting a little video clip out of that and you know it's been a blast.

Speaker 2: 5:02

Well, I guess my invite to the awards must have got lost in the post. Here's a loaded question for you. Here's a hard-hitting question for you. What does winning the award say about Fidelio?

Speaker 3: 5:18

You know, first of all, you're welcome to attend. I thought you'd be over in the UK doing some other personal things around that time, but anyway, you know what it says about our organization. It gives us a lot of, you know, kudos for the work that we've done over the years, in recognition for the opportunity that our team has worked at and in establishing. You know, we're a smaller organization that creates these bespoke models that allow our organizations to leverage their, their strategy, their business strategy, their culture and the, the maturity or the readiness of the organization to, you know, do certain things in hr that they may not have been able to do before. And so, by putting these pieces together, we we really feel, you know, validated in what we've done and it was.

Speaker 3: 6:06

It was cool kind of seeing and hearing some of the comments that came from the different judges. One of them said the use of specific achievements such as pioneering tailored solutions and serving prestigious clients adds credibility to this impact, and some of them relate to me. This impact and this is some of them relate to me. But his leadership sets industry standards and fosters a culture of innovation within Fidelo recognizes a thought leader. Influence extends beyond operational success, shaping industry. Discourse on talent management. Remarkable contributions position him as an outstanding nominee for this award and showing his dedication and expertise in the field and Fidelo Inc is by a profound commitment to innovative talent management solutions and not only advance the company but also set new benchmarks in the industry.

Speaker 3: 6:57

The one size does not fit all philosophy that we have has led to the creation of Taylor Solutions addressing the unique needs of an impressive clientele and these lists go on along this way, and that's probably why we ended up with a gold award. Is that, you know, as they looked at all that we've done and as it was described out there, it's really all about the team that fit. All the individuals we currently have that we've had in the past work with us and do things. It's been an opportunity for us to really, like I say you know, feel validated in our work of creating solutions that meet the needs of the client, because it truly is our motto One size does not fit all, and we see too many consultancies or agencies kind of try to put the round peg into the square hole, and we don't do that here and we're grateful for this moment to to get a chance to be recognized and to shout that to the world, so that's cool well, fully deserved.

Speaker 2: 7:54

Uh, I've had the pleasure of working with you now, chris, for a number of years and I love it and I love it. Um, so very well done to you. Sir. Now, then, you and I, we're changing focus. Now. This is the bit where we're not talking about your award. Um, you and I will be attending atd, the atd conference and expo next month, as we this month. This month, as we record this, it's may 1st today, listeners, as we record this gosh this month, uh, it's happening. I think it's may 19th to 22nd in beautiful New Orleans, so Chris and I will be hanging out down there. What are you hoping to get out from the event? What are you hoping to cover? What are you hoping to see?

Speaker 3: 8:40

Well, you know, the Association for Talent Development is a great organization and this conference is, you know, as we've been told, it's going to bring about 9,500 individuals across the globe into us, I think, from 83 different countries, and so we're going to get an opportunity to sit and listen to some great creative thoughts, thought leaders in the industry, people who've been trying things that haven't been tried before, or tried with a new approach. So it's exciting to think about the sessions that are going to be out there and some of the learnings that can occur for the attendees as well as for us, as we see these innovations that they're putting forth, you know, and they also have a large exposition going on in the exhibit floor, and so we're looking to talk to different vendors and see what they have out there. Personally, I'm looking at, you know, hey, how are people mastering the inclusion of AI inside their spaces? How are they dealing with the regulations that are yet to be or have started to come out from? You know, people like you know, the EU, the European Union and different organizations along these lines, so I'm just trying to figure out that. So I'm going to be expressly interested in that and, of course, you know what's what's current on micro learning, which is a great concept, something you know, even though I'm old.

Speaker 3: 9:53

I've been preaching micro learning um for the last well, since 1980s uh, early 90s, and there were ways we did it back then too, but you know there's micro learning opportunities that are currently out there and continue to evolve. I want to see those things. And then, really, how are we driving impact in the talent development space? How are we changing the way the work happens and how are we changing the way we see positive results, which is kind of encapsulated in the People in Performance podcast too? Are we going to find any people that we are going to talk to that can help talk to our audience in that space? Because it's really around the individuals, the talent, as they're calling it, and the development of them to deliver exceptional results for an organization. So all these things are components that I'm going to be looking for as we go into the halls and the sessions here at this upcoming conference.

Speaker 2: 10:48

I'm excited me too, me too, and frankly I like new orleans, so it's nice to get a chance to go there again. Um, chris, have you and I caught up, since we hung out together in buffalo for disrupt hr buffalo? Is this our first conversation since then?

Speaker 2: 11:04

I think it is I think it is too well, listeners. Um, just a just a few weeks ago, on april 11th, I? I stood up during the intros and said a few things about disrupt. I? I gave a blinder of a joke fantastic dad joke which bombed, completely bombed. It's got loads of groans for it. So at that point I gave up and I passed it over to, uh, to a bunch of amazing speakers each presenting for five minutes, 20 slides, 15, 15 seconds per slide. One of those speakers was none other than Mr Bueling. Can you tell our listeners a bit about your experience at Disrupt HR Buffalo, what you liked about it, what could be improved, perhaps for the future, what folks could expect if they come along to the next one?

Speaker 3: 11:48

Excellent. And first of all, that was a joke that you get. I'm sorry, my peanut joke. It's brilliant, I know.

Speaker 2: 11:53

I'm sorry, my peanut joke is brilliant.

Speaker 3: 11:54

I know, I know, I know Maybe you can go to chat GPT and grab something new for the next one. Anyway, oh, you know, bill, I got to say you know you helped organize a tremendous event. From my understanding, disrupt HR Buffalo had been, you know, quiet for a long time since COVID and stuff, and so this is like the reintroduction to the community that was out there and your efforts and the rest of the team that helped put it on was wonderful. I thoroughly enjoyed my speaking time. But one of the things that was incredible was the size of the audience that we had, for it being the first in a long time. You know, we had a great deal of individuals. We have people coming down from Toronto We've had, you know, across the border into Canada coming in and then the Buffalo and surrounding area that were there. So we had a large-sized crowd and they were energetic. They were thoroughly engaged, you know, in the HR space.

Speaker 3: 12:49

If you want an engaged workforce, well, we saw them that night when they were there as participants in the in the crowd they were, you know, first of all, the speakers were all doing great. You know I've cut myself out on that one, but all the rest of the speakers were doing great, but the crowd was really engaged with them. They were laughing at their jokes not yours, sorry, sorry, bill, but they were laughing at the jokes that were there but they were also, you know, picking up pieces of wisdom. And you, you heard a lot of little ahas, those little epiphany moments of people saying, oh, that's cool, and the variety of topics that was presented was just great. Uh, it covered pretty much anybody that was in the room, uh, based upon their position and their title, as well as gave thought to, you know, other aspects of the work that's occurring around them. Again, highly, highly conducive of a great evening. There was great networking and and fun had by all, and I look forward to the next one yes.

Speaker 2: 13:44

Well, your session was excellent, and just before we hit record today, uh, chris and I were talking about him acting as a co-host at the next disrupt buffalo. So, uh, therefore, chris, that means that you've got to give it a go with some good dad jokes, okay, and then we can uh, we can give you a bit of constructive criticism on that one. So watch this space, listeners. Now I'm sort of a bit touchy about that video joke. Okay, now, chris, you and I are in the middle of recording new episodes three new seasons in fact of the People and Performance podcast season 12, 13, and 14. Can you tell our listeners a bit about the show?

Speaker 3: 14:27

Yeah, excuse me, sorry, I choked up there, maybe it was the peanut joke.

Speaker 3: 14:34

The People and Performance podcast is focused on HR concepts.

Speaker 3: 14:39

It's really the concepts that we need in our professional lives as HR individuals to really drive home improvement on individual people, development of our careers, ourselves and the opportunity that we have for the organization to be successful from it and make potentially a major transformation, utilizing some of the learnings that can occur in these short 15-20 minute pods that we have.

Speaker 3: 15:07

We love it, I love it. We have a diversity of individuals that have come to join us from different fields of emphasis and different industries and then, as we go into these new seasons of recording, we have representation from Johns Hopkins and Rolls Royce, to name just a couple of individuals that are going to be joining us down here. Incredible, and I'm excited to get to meet some of these individuals in person as we interview them and talk to them about their, their passion, their avocations of what they're doing and why they're doing it and how it can impact everybody. So I encourage everybody to if you've not heard any of our our podcasts, please reach out. Look at people in performance podcasts. There may be some pearls of wisdom that are really going to be potential, be potential for your development as well as for your organization's success.

Speaker 2: 16:00

So thank you yeah, I think we've, uh, we've outdone ourselves with these upcoming seasons. We've got, as chris mentioned there, we've got some very impressive brands. Other brands that he didn't mention include uh, folks from oklahoma state university, securitas, the uh, the cyber security and physical security firm. Uh, find mojo. Uh, we've got terror from not the hr lady podcast. That's an awesome show. Uh, we've got a very clever doctor from ai, hr, the academy to innovate hr. Uh, if you haven't checked those guys out yet, please do. The research is incredible. Um, wave maker, the big marketing agency. Uh, we've got joe o'connor, who spoke at disrupt hr buffalo. Uh, he's the, the co-founder at work time reduction. He's all about the four-day work week and many, many more guests. Uh, we even we've been doing a special season around um high performance within uh sport and we've got some pretty impressive folks there to watch this space. On that listeners, mr buerling, before we wrap up for today, how can our listeners connect with you and learn more about the award-winning fidello?

Speaker 3: 17:10

well, excellent. Thank you very much for the time today, bill, and as it's been a pleasure to be with you. You know people can always reach out to you and tap you if they don't remember this next part and you can connect them with me. But you can connect with me through LinkedIn at Christopher dash B Orling I'm out there and then also you can look at our organization through Fidelo at Fidelocom our website, fidelocom and see what we do, see some of the clients that we've served over the years and some of the concepts that we have that are out there and that we work with as we help clients succeed. So I look forward to people reaching out and connecting.

Speaker 2: 17:49

Wonderful. Well, that just leads me to say, chris, I'm looking forward to hanging out with you again in less than three weeks in New Orleans, but for today, thank you very much for being my guest.

Speaker 3: 17:59

Thank you, bill. It's been a pleasure and I will see you shortly down in New Orleans, so it'll be fun. I look forward to it.

Speaker 2: 18:07

And listeners as always. Until next time, happy working no-transcript.