Featured Interview With Dr. Tim Baker
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
Raised on the beautiful Gold Coast in Australia. Living on the beach, I spent my days surfing and sun-worshipping. I then moved to Brisbane to work as a consultant for many medium and large-scale businesses. I have my own consulting practice and have been doing this work, specializing in leadership development for 20-years. No pets, but a wife and two daughters that I love.
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I was 8 years old when I discovered that my favorite activity was writing stories with my vivid imagination. I didn't start writing books until my mid-40's.
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I mainly read non-fiction books. An avid reader, I read 50 books a year, mainly in personal and leadership development. I like James Kouzes, Simon Sinek, Dan Pink, Marshall Goldsmith, Brian Tracy, and many others.
Tell us a little about your latest book?
The tired cliché that employees are our greatest asset is false. It’s unlocking the potential of employees that’s the greatest asset. COVID-19 has sped up an examination of HR and all that it does. Releasing people’s potential is more relevant to business prosperity and individual success that ever. But to do this, a fresh way of thinking is needed. Unlocking Employee Potential offers the HR practitioner a pathway to tackling 13 traditional practices that have held people back from giving their best at work.
Baker presents a new model of the employee journey through the organization from starting to parting. He calls this the “employee life-cycle”. Applying an employee-centered approach should be the focus for the HR profession in a turbulent and uncertain marketplace, with all its challenges.
The pandemic of 2020 and its impact turned everything on its head. HR professionals are looking for a clarity of direction, like us all. Companies have taken tentative steps in the past decade, transitioning from outdated to fresh insights on people's development. But there’s more to be done. This book sheds light on what works, what doesn’t, and why. It shines a spotlight on the path forward for the HR industry.
Dr. Tim Baker, according to leadership guru, Marshall Goldsmith, is "one of today’s most influential HR experts.” The author offers new insights about what’s still considered conventional wisdom, such as the job description and functional teams. Baker argues that now is the time to scrutinize all we think and do in the employee journey through the organization.
The central idea of Unlocking Employee Potential is imperative for HR to adopt an employee-centric approach. Baker’s employee life-cycle model tracks the familiar passage employees take in their employment route, from the job interview to the exit interview. What practices affecting the employee need revision and remodeling? By critiquing the employee’s organizational journey, the aim should be to cultivate the right environment for the employee and their employer to prosper in the post-COVID world.
It’s unsurprising that there are a plethora of HR books emerging on workplace development and performance. Unlocking Employee Potential pulls it all together along the familiar pathway of the starting, developing, rewarding, and departing phases of the employment experience.
Connect with the Author on their Websites and Social media profiles
To discover a new awesome author, check out our Featured Authors page. We have some of the best authors around. They are just waiting for you to discover them. If you enjoyed this writer’s interview feel free to share it using the buttons below. Sharing is caring!
If you are an author and you want to find new readers come submit your book to our Awesome Book Promotion service.