I never knew I wanted to be a consultant...Does anyone? I just wanted a job that would let me do three things: solve challenging problems, work with interesting people, and see the world. That's not a lot to ask, right? Well, 30+ years into my career I have worked with some of the world's largest, fastest growing, most prestigious organizations to solve problems on the ground in more than 80 countries. Along the way, I've learned to ask good questions, listen carefully, see problems from many perspectives, and imagine solutions that have never been tried before. In the process I suppose I have come to know as much about total rewards as just about, well, anyone. In fact, a good friend likes to tease me: "If you define your specialty narrowly enough, you can become the world's leading expert in anything! It's like that TV quiz show, Mastermind." Do you remember Magnus Magnusson? As much as I didn't know I wanted to be a consultant, I never imagined I would be an expert on total rewards. But, I guess I am. And, I'm OK with that. People really are the most valuable asset in most companies. Total rewards -- everything the employee receives from their employer and perceives as valuable -- usually is their largest expense. Amazingly, however, most employers design their total reward programs based on untested, unproven, and often flat out wrong hypotheses. Many don't know what they actually spend on total rewards or how their employees perceive the value of what they provide. That's right, most employers do not know what their "most valuable assets" value most! Helping clients get a better return on their investment in people is a great opportunity, and a challenging problem to solve. I love working with senior business and HR leaders to find ways to find a competitive advantage from total rewards by not running with the herd. Data really helps.Challenging problems? Check. Interesting people? Check. See the world? Check. Loving it!