Eric Chester is a leading voice and a trusted source in the global dialogue on employee engagement and building a world-class workplace culture.
And he’s not some Johnny-Come-Lately to this important conversation. For almost twenty years, Eric’s been an in-the-trenches researcher who’s been studying, analyzing, speaking and writing about the emerging workforce and the dynamics of attracting, managing, motivating and retaining top talent.
As one of the very first authors to spell out the radical differences of America’s 80+ million post-Generation X’ers in his 2002 bestseller, Employing Generation Why: Understanding, Managing, and Motivating Your New Workforce, companies and organizations discovered that Eric had “cracked the code” on the emerging generation and sought out Eric’s advice on how they could better connect with young employees.
That parlayed his frequently appearing in the national spotlight with media appearances on Good Morning America, ABC News 20/20, Fox News, CNBC, etc. and being sourced as an emerging workforce expert in publications like Forbes, USA Today, and the Huffington Post.
Eric quickly became one of North America’s most in-demand conference keynote speakers presenting at more than 60 meetings and conventions each year. That number increased when his follow-up book, Getting Them to Give a Damn: How to Get Your Front Line to Care About Your Bottom Line, was released in 2005.
Hearing the outcry from America’s employers, Eric turned his attention to building a better workforce by creating a revolutionary new curriculum exclusively for teens and young adults to teach them the employability skills today’s employers demand. He wrote the breakthrough book for youth, Bring Your A Game to Work: The 7 Fundamental Values that will make Every Employer want to Hire You and Fight to Keep You!, and he founded The Center for Work Ethic Development. Chester’s Bring Your A Game curriculum has since been expanded to include soft skills employability training for college students, returning military veterans, and adults, and is now being taught in hundreds of schools, workforce centers, and community colleges and trade schools.
In 2012, Chester released Reviving Work Ethic: A Leader’s Guide to Ending Entitlement and Restoring Pride in the Emerging Workforce — the first business book written on developing work ethic in over one hundred years. This acclaimed book set the standard for employers needing resources on inculcating critical core work ethic values in employees who should have learned these values at home or at school, but didn’t.
His new book set to be released in 2015 titled On Fire at Work: How Legendary Leaders Ignite Passion in Their People without Burning Them Out will be THE definitive resource business leaders and managers on every level in every industry will turn to for highly applicable and very relevant ideas and strategies for developing a world class workplace culture that engages employees and improves performance and retention.
As a speaker, Eric Chester holds the prestigious CSP (Certified Speaking Professional) credential awarded by the National Speakers Association, its highest earned designation. He is a 2004 inductee into the CPAE (Council of Peers Award of Excellence) International Professional Speakers Hall of Fame, an honor shared by less than 5% of all professional speakers in the world.
“…you definitely delivered the most “take home” value – for both Franchise Partners and Managers. It’s not just the content of what you say, but the very personable and convincing style that you have. I will use “relationships, not rules” for the rest of my life. You have definitely made a difference for me and all of our folks. Thank you! Thank you!”
“No one knows the emerging workforce better than Eric Chester. He’s spot on when it comes to the challenge leaders face for improving work ethic and restoring pride, and he offers advice that is both practical and solid.”
“Eric was very engaging with over 1,500 people in the audience at our annual convention…He brings a great sense of passion and enthusiasm to his presentation and the material is very relatable for our franchisees.”
“Eric hit it out of the park at our convention….best keynote we have ever had at Gold’s Gym! Our franchisees were blown away with his passion and message…Great Job!”