An Interview With Fotis Georgiadis
Look for more alliances and partnerships, don’t do things on your own.
As a part of my series about “Big Ideas That Might Change The World In The Next Few Years” I had the pleasure of interviewing Michael Rosenberg.
… president of AI2HR, Michael Rosenberg is Toronto’s High-Level Compliance and Strategic Human Resources Champion. Internationally known lecturer, author, and workplace investigator Michael empowers owners and employees to champion a progressive workplace future.
Michael also has several published books (The Flexible Thinker, …), university lectures, and articles (Globe & Mail, Chief Learning Officer Magazine, …) to continue his advocacy for workplace protection and risk management.
Recently, Michael completed research with St. Mary’s University’s Organizational Psychology Department to create a risk assessment and system to ensure workplace compliance and predict areas of risk.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit. Can you please tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
Sure, so you know, my original career was as a comedy writer while also running a company in the film industry. I realized how a lot of the tools used in successful improv comedy can be used to run an organization. I wrote my first book called “Flexible Thinker” (based on running that company), it took off, and we did a lot of workshops.
We needed more research to prove how creating a positive culture impacted how the company ran. In collaboration with my partner Richard Beer, we created an instrument to do research around what causes harassment. Harassment is the symptom not the cause, and I ended up with an instrument, based on the research to find and measure the causes of conflicts and harassment.
We partnered up with St Mary’s University, thereafter, tested it the instrument, and found it to be really accurate in predicting the causes that could lead to harassment. We could measure things like leadership, rewards, culture, policies, procedures, and more, to create a vivid picture of how prevent looming conflicts.
Can you please share with us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
We helped prove to one of our smaller clients that firing their top performer would increase sales. There was a potential problem with a specific team with a specific person. We saw the issues stemming from the company’s top salesperson who was responsible for 20% of the company’s profits. However, he was a bully and a nightmare to work with. Further, there were allegations through reports that this person was committing harassment.
After investigation, we saw that the harassment reports were legitimate and after getting the salesperson coaching to hopefully try and get him to work through it, it did not work.
After some hesitation from upper management to fire him because of the looming threat of losing 20% of their sales, it was clear that they would send a bad message and it was a liability. After letting him go, their sales increased by 33% by the next year. People were happier and more engaged, and they worked more efficiently.
Which principles or philosophies have guided your life? Your career?
Frankel. Victor Frankel. “You can’t control the consequences of your actions, only how you react to it.” From that point of view, it’s about finding out what the real causes are to things.
Ok thank you for that. Let’s now move to the main focus of our interview. Can you tell us about your “Big Idea That Might Change The World”?
We developed a Risk Assessment that could measure the causes of conflict and harassment. Nonresponse, turnover rates, suggestion box ideas, disengagement, and other data points that usually aren’t recorded get measured and tell you what’s happening before there is a crisis. By measuring the causes, you can predict the behaviors at the end of it.
How do you think this will change the world?
AI2HR has the potential to save people a lot of traumas, help make stronger families, and give organizations a way to be truly preventative. Moreover, it is a new way to secure the value of people and their organizations. The only thing that has ever bankrupted a company aside form financial reasons is because of harassment that could have been predicted and prevented.
Our validated risk assessment creates true accountability. AI2HR creates a workplace where people can function based on performance. Moreover, employees and employers can know what’s really going on, and stop problems before they arise.
Keeping “Black Mirror” and the “Law of Unintended Consequences” in mind, can you see any potential drawbacks about this idea that people should think more deeply about?
I mean, *sighs*. Data can be manipulated, and you have to be careful about creating accountability through it. If further analysis is never done, the data can easily be misunderstood. As such, the “real” causes of a problem are not always clear cut.
Was there a “tipping point” that led you to this idea? Can you tell us that story?
Richard and I were on a contract with a pharmaceutical company that was dysfunctional, confusing short-term profit with long-term sustainability. They looked to the next quarter, and we realized we needed to create something that organizations can use to help them be competitive and sustainable that went beyond the next quarter’s profits. People can make money for many reasons that do not have to do with how good they are, it catches up with them eventually.
What do you need to lead this idea to widespread adoption?
We need to overcome the Ostrich in the Sand syndrome, “Lets stick my head in the sand and pretend there isn’t a problem.” Many of our potential clients don’t want to know what issues exist, often because they are afraid that it is too late to do anything about it.
What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why.
- Nothing sells itself.
- Not all decisions are based on logic, its based-on relationships.
- Do your market research before you put in money into something.
- Look for more alliances and partnerships, don’t do things on your own.
- Don’t assume you know what your customers want.
Can you share with our readers what you think are the most important “success habits” or “success mindsets”?
Keep going. You are always going to find resistance. Being an entrepreneur is a hard rope to hold but you must be somewhat insane. You have to be crazy because you have to keep going no matter what. IIt’s not easy to build a business, but if you are passionate for it, the persistence is what is going to win you out.
Some very well-known VCs read this column. If you had 60 seconds to make a pitch to a VC, what would you say? He or she might just see this if we tag them 🙂
Look for the great teams, not just the great ideas. A lot of great ideas fail because of bad teams, and many crappy ideas can succeed because of great teams. (Like who would have thought someone would want to spend 5$ for a cup of coffee.) More than the ideas and financials, you look at the people involved.
How can our readers follow you on social media?
Visit our website ai2hr.com for all of our social links and original content!
Thank you so much for joining us. This was very inspirational.
AI2HR: Michael Rosenberg’s Big Idea that Might Change the World was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
