The Net at Work ecosystem extends beyond technology solutions.  We in the Employer Solutions practice collaborate with partners who provide expertise and services to our clients designed to unleash their organization’s potential.  As part of our newsletter, we like to highlight the valuable insights our partners have to offer. This edition we will be focusing on Ed Krow.

After a successful career in corporate America working for a Fortune 100 company, Ed felt that he needed a change. He told me he was looking for a way to have a more direct impact.  That was in 2001. Since then Ed has grown his consulting business into a trusted advisor for many companies large and small.  As an HR strategist, speaker and author, Ed lends his expertise in the areas of Performance Management, Business Succession, Organizational Development, Employee Compensation and HR Strategy.

Ed holds both B.Sc. and M.S. degrees, and is certified as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR), a Compensation Professional (CCP) and SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP). Ed is also a Professional Member of the National Speakers Association.

Early on in his consulting career, Ed met Harold Ford and together they have been colleagues for almost two decades.  Both are involved in the Lancaster County chapter of SHRM and have worked together on various projects.  When Harold became the Consulting Manager for Net at Work’s Employer Solutions practice, it was natural to bring Ed’s experience and expertise to the attention of our clients.

Recently I spoke with Ed and asked him what his latest accomplishment was.  “The book, no question!”, he told me.  Beginning in 2018 and throughout 2019, Ed distilled many of the key concepts his consulting practice was built on into readable chapters filled with his practical wisdom and relatable examples.  Ed told me that the hardest part of writing the book was actually organizing and assembling the trove of over two decades of experience into a logical order.  The results were published in January, 2020.

Strategic HR: Driving Bottom Line Results Through Your People brings together Ed’s thoughtful and sometimes contrarian view of the role of HR in an organization.  As Ed says, “Strategic HR represents a paradigm shift that challenges the status quo of HR’s role in business. It’s a roadmap for turning irrelevant and ineffective HR functions into strategic contributors and aligning your people with your business strategy.”

Interested readers can access the introduction here.  And for those with a need for interactivity, Ed has included QR codes throughout the book linked to articles and other background information. Copies are available in hard and softcover.

What’s in the future for Ed? Ed regularly speaks to organizations across North America.  In October, he is (virtually, unfortunately) traveling to Nigeria to speak at a conference sponsored by the Nigerian chapters of the ISACA, a leading professional and certifying group for technologists.  His topic is “Becoming a Person of Influence.”

Beyond that, Ed is about to embark on an 18 month engagement with an entrepreneur to build out the HR function, training and processes for a start-up company.  As he says, usually as a consultant he is “finding the missing piece to the puzzle” – modifying or re-engineering a system already in place.  with this engagement, he says, “I get to design the puzzle.”  He says it is a real source of joy to be designing a system from the ground up and working with a progressive owner to build lasting value for the company.

Join us on Friday, October 16 at 1 PM ET when Ed will be presenting “Leading in the Experience Age: An Executive’s Guide to the New Workforce Paradigm”.  Our workforce has entered the Experience Age. Our employees now expect work to help them grow as people and they are no longer focused on information anymore. The lines between work, play and personal growth are blurred.  In the Experience Age, organizations must know how to attract, motivate and retain talent that helps people grow and experience more of who they are. Successful organizations in this age build People Strategies that are compatible with Growth Strategies, making rapid growth smooth and sustainable.

For more information about Ed and services he provides, go to www.edkrow.com or you can reach out to him at ed@edkrow.com.  There you can find information about his services, read a preview of his new book and order a copy.

For more information on how Net at Work can unleash the potential of your organization through the transformative power of technology, you can contact us at employersolutions@netatwork.com,  www.netatwork.com or on social media.