Explore every episode of the podcast Hire Power Radio Show

Greg Cleary is a business coaching expert with over 20 years of experience helping leadership teams achieve their goals. As the founder of Pinnacle Business Guides, a former Certified Scaling Up Coach, and a record-setting Certified EOS Implementer who has worked with over 500 companies. Greg knows exactly what it takes to build elite teams! His mission is simple: to help his clients summit their business mountain with PINNACLE. Guest Links: LinkedIn: Greg Cleary Company: www.PinnacleBusinessGuides.com Book: Peak Performance: Five Principles Every Great Business Lives By  Host Links: LinkedIn: Rick Girard Company: Intertru, Inc. Job Description Builder Podcast: Hire Power Radio Show & Podcast Book: Healing Career Wounds (Amazon)   Powered by Intertru

Ghost Jobs Aren’t the Problem: Beat Auto-Apply Bots by Creating Your Own Referral Rick Girard argues that the silence after hundreds of LinkedIn Easy Apply submissions isn’t mainly caused by “ghost jobs,” but by overwhelming hiring noise from auto-apply bots, keyword gaming, and fake candidates that clog ATS systems and bury real applicants. He challenges the “badge of honor” mindset around high application volume, warns that auto-applying and not following job-post instructions can get candidates filtered out, and says resumes and keyword matching are increasingly ineffective. Girard explains how candidates can bypass job boards and HR gatekeepers by acting like a referral: pick five aligned companies, research the business, identify a specific gap or “leak” (revenue, execution, people, or customer issues), then contact the decision-maker—ideally starting at the CEO/executive level—with a value-first message that links problem X to how you solved it with Y to produce Z. He outlines how to present a succinct solution in a meeting and ask for the opportunity to solve the problem, positioning the candidate as a problem solver who can be hired into the role or have a role created. He closes with three takeaways: stop using Easy Apply, target the problem not the position, and bypass gatekeepers by going directly to decision makers with demonstrated value. 00:00 Why 300 Applications Get You Silence (It’s Not Just ‘Ghost Jobs’) 01:22 The Real Enemy: Auto-Apply Bots, Keyword Games & Candidate Fraud 02:58 Inside the Hiring Black Hole: Why ATS Filters Out Real Humans 05:09 Reject the Status Quo: Stop Being Applicant #347 and Think Referral 06:02 Create Your Own Referral, Step-by-Step (Bypass the Portal) 07:21 Sniper Strategy: Pick 5 Companies and Stand Out on Purpose 08:25 Find the Business ‘Leak’: Research Gaps and Build a Hypothesis 10:07 Reach Decision-Makers with Value: Call, Don’t Beg for a Job 12:23 Win the Meeting: Present a Clear Solution and Ask to Solve It 13:48 3 Key Takeaways + Final Wrap-Up Host Links:  LinkedIn:  Rick Girard Company: Intertru, Inc. Job Description Builder Podcast: Hire Power Radio Show & Podcast Book: Healing Career Wounds (Amazon) Powered by Intertru 

A CEO I work with called me in June and said, “Rick, we’ve hit $1M and we’re stuck.  “If I could just hire three more ‘me’s,’ we’d be fine.”  I had to tell him the hard truth: “You don’t need more of you. You need the people you’re missing—those who augment your weaknesses."  He was also in a mad hurry to delegate recruiting to someone else on his team. But he needed to take ownership  We focused on recruiting as 40% of his job, clarified what the business actually needed (gaps, not clones), and rebuilt the hiring process to prioritize real-world discovery over interview theater.   That’s when the flywheel started to move. 3 months later he has built 80% of his team and they are highly effective in building the business together. Approaching the $2M mark! I’m Rick Girard, and welcome to the Hire Power Radio Show. We help entrepreneurs and executives Win-Win the strongest people.  By sharing insights from top-performing rebel entrepreneurs, game-changers & industry leaders.   On today’s episode of Hire Power Radio, I’m joined by Justin Gray, Managing Partner of In Revenue – In 2021 after his final exit as an operator, Justin co-founded In Revenue Capital. As the firm’s Managing Partner, Justin and his team couple GTM expertise with capital allocation to empower seed-stage B2B vertical SaaS standouts through a first of its kind model called Operator-Immersive capital.  Justin is an award-winning 5X entrepreneur and CEO who has made a career of launching and scaling companies, ultimately guiding them to successful exits of over 250MM.  Guest Links: LinkedIn:  Justin Gray LinkedIn: In Revenue Capital Company: In Revenue Capital   Host Links: LinkedIn:  Rick Girard Company: Intertru, Inc. Job Description Builder Podcast: Hire Power Radio Show & Podcast Book: Healing Career Wounds (Amazon)   Powered by Intertru

I was having lunch with a fellow CEO recently, and he looked completely wiped out. He told me he was stuck in this exhausting cycle—constantly trying to empower his leaders to own their roles, only to have to step back in and make the decisions himself. He said, “Rick, I feel like I’m constantly telling my people to take the wheel, to be accountable, but the minute things get tough, they throw the keys back at me!  I want them to ‘own their box,’ but I’m terrified of them ‘drowning.’ I keep double-checking their work, and then they just shut down and say, ‘Well, you just make the decision then.’ I’m back to having everything on my plate.” When I asked him what this was costing him, he said, “Time, trust, and growth.”  I’m Rick Girard, and welcome to the Hire Power Radio Show. We help entrepreneurs and executives Win-Win the strongest people.  By sharing insights from top-performing rebel entrepreneurs, game-changers & industry leaders.   On today’s episode of Hire Power Radio, I’m joined by Brian Ferguson, Founder & Managing Partner of Fergmar  Since his start in real estate investing, Brian has been passionate about expanding his knowledge and sharing it with others to help them attain true financial freedom.  Brian has built an outstanding team of 35 people and has been personally involved with over $500 million of real estate transactions and with $120 Million in Assets Under Management. Guest Links: LinkedIn: Brian Ferguson Company: Fergmar Instagram: Fergmar Facebook: Fergmar   Host Links: LinkedIn: Rick Girard Company: Intertru, Inc. Job Description Builder Podcast: Hire Power Radio Show & Podcast Book: Healing Career Wounds (Amazon) Powered by Intertru

In this episode of Higher Power Radio, Rick Girard sits down with Zac Gregg of Vital Design to tackle a problem that quietly drains momentum inside growing companies: hiring and placement misfires. When leaders feel stuck, burnt out, and buried under endless “fix-it” processes, the real culprit often isn’t culture, systems, or motivation—it’s the wrong people in the wrong seats (or the right people placed incorrectly). Zac shares hard-earned lessons from scaling Vital Design from a small team to a 100+ person agency, explaining how “hitting the ceiling” shows up across companies, departments, and individual roles. Together, they unpack how process bloat becomes a defense mechanism against avoidable mistakes—and how leadership teams can use EOS tools like the Accountability Chart and People Analyzer to diagnose what’s actually broken. What You’ll Learn Why burnout and culture breakdowns are often symptoms—not root causes How process overload can become a crutch that lowers standards The three most common “ceiling” problems: company, department, or person Why leaders avoid people problems (and why it always costs more in the end) A practical rule: If you add process, subtract something else How to separate org structure decisions from people decisions using EOS tools Why top performers don’t automatically become strong managers—and what to do instead How core values reduce process needs by improving decision-making quality Guest Links: LinkedIn: Zac Gregg Company: Vital Design Host Links: LinkedIn:  Rick Girard Company: Intertru, Inc. Job Description Builder Podcast: Hire Power Radio Show & Podcast Book: Healing Career Wounds (Amazon)   Powered by Intertru

Revenue was up. Headcount doubled fast. But inside the business? People were quitting, managers were snapping, and the culture started sliding into this quiet resentment. The founder said, “I don’t get it… I’m paying them. What else do they want?” Huge red flag! When people don’t feel respected, seen, or safe to speak up, they don’t just disengage. They start protecting themselves. And that’s when your best people stop “rowing the boat” and your company starts bleeding momentum. Today’s conversation is about the fix: how to scale fast without creating career wounds, culture rot, and churn you can’t afford. I’m Rick Girard, and welcome to the Hire Power Radio Show. Fast growth is supposed to feel like winning—but when headcount doubles and culture quietly corrodes, founders pay for it in churn, resentment, and lost momentum. In this episode, Rick Girard sits down with Nick Ayala (Senior Managing Partner, Blue Harbor Capital) to break down how to scale aggressively without creating “career wounds” inside your company. Nick has lived it: he scaled a business from essentially two people to roughly 70 employees in about a year, and later helped scale an insurance organization to ~7,000 agents and nearly $100M in sales within five years. Nick is known for building high-output teams by putting culture first, moving fast on misalignment, and treating people like partners—not payroll. Why hypergrowth creates “people chaos” (and how to prevent culture drift) How “hiring fast” increases culture misses—and why founders must act quickly on misalignment A simple, repeatable system for human-centered leadership conversations How to eliminate “the ceiling” so great people can see a future with you How autonomy (not hovering) creates teams that “run through walls” Guest Links: LinkedIn: Nick Ayala Company: Aligned Equity Group Company: https://capital-unlocked.com/blueprint-144591 Company: Blue Harbor Capital Host Links: LinkedIn: Rick Girard Company: Intertru, Inc. Job Description Builder Podcast: Hire Power Radio Show & Podcast Book: Healing Career Wounds (Amazon)   Powered by Intertru

In this episode of the Hire Power Radio Show, host Rick Girard talks with James Swanson, business disruptor, lifelong punk rocker, and author of 'Super Stoked.' James shares his journey of building a multi-million dollar Las Vegas printing empire by ignoring industry labels and focusing on authentic relationships. From overcoming initial challenges to innovative hiring practices and effective team management strategies, James highlights the importance of prioritizing people over resumes and maintaining quality customer service. Learn about the valuable lessons and principles that led to his success and how they can be applied to any business. Guest Links: LinkedIn:  James Swanson Host Links: LinkedIn:  Rick Girard Company: Intertru, Inc. Job DescriptionBuilder Podcast: Hire Power Radio Show & Podcast Book: Healing Career Wounds (Amazon)   Powered by Intertru

AI has turned the hiring funnel into a keyword carnival: unqualified applicants can “win” resume filters in seconds, while the high performers you actually want don’t bother applying. Rick Girard opens with a true story about a CRO who hired a bartender into a sales role—without a resume—because the job post spoke directly to her, and her outreach proved she was real (and driven). Four months later, she’s outperforming the team. This episode is a practical reset: stop treating job descriptions like compliance docs and start treating them like marketing—designed to attract one ideal candidate and repel bots. What You’ll LearnThe real problems behind “too many applicants” AI has broken resume screening—keyword-optimized resumes are easy to generate and hard to trust. Your best candidates aren’t applying because most job posts read like contracts, not opportunities. More candidates ≠ better candidates—volume creates noise, not quality. Auto-apply is the enemy—it lowers the bar and floods your inbox. Links: LinkedIn:  Rick Girard Company: Intertru, Inc. Podcast: Hire Power Radio Show & Podcast Book: Healing Career Wounds (Amazon) Powered by Intertru

Two months before the holidays, Nadia—Integrator at a 120-person EOS-run logistics company—finally terminated a manager who was crushing morale and missing targets. The manager’s response (“I’ve spoken to an attorney about retaliation.”) exposed what leadership missed: a recent workers’ comp claim, intermittent leave, and overtime complaints—plus almost no documentation. The outcome was predictable: months of distraction, legal spend, and leadership bandwidth evaporating when execution mattered most. In this episode, California employment attorney Andrea Paris breaks down why terminations are one of the highest-exposure moments in the employment lifecycle—and how to build a clean, defensible process that protects your business without losing your humanity. What you’ll learn Why terminations are uniquely risky: emotion, money, identity, and the “narrative vacuum” created when evidence is thin The ≈90-day “recent activity” risk zone and the types of protected activity that can make timing look retaliatory The “no-surprise termination” principle—and the coaching cadence that makes it real The 90-day lookback audit checklist you should run before any termination decision Day-of termination do’s and don’ts that reduce escalation risk Rick’s Nuggets (practical takeaways) Get your policies in order Document everything Treat people similarly and with respect Links & mentions Guest Links: LinkedIn:  Andrea Paris Company: Andrea Paris Law Host Links: LinkedIn: Rick Girard Company: Intertru, Inc. Job Description Builder Podcast: Hire Power Radio Show & Podcast Book: Healing Career Wounds (Amazon) Powered by Intertru

In this episode of the Higher Power Radio Show, host Rick Girard dives into the complexities and challenges of logistics operations with Bill Drummer, CEO of GPA Logistics. Discover how Sarah's initial success with Walmart turned into a compliance nightmare and how leveraging technology, especially AI, and strong leadership can transform chaos into accuracy. Bill shares the importance of having the right people, simplifying workflows, and fostering a culture of growth and appreciation. Learn about practical strategies and technological solutions that have helped GPA Logistics excel and retain talent while navigating the intricate demands of major retailers. Guest Links: LinkedIn: Bill Drummer LinkedIn: GPA Logistics Group Company: GPA Logistics Group Company: GPA Global   Host Links: LinkedIn:  Rick Girard Company: Intertru, Inc. Podcast: Hire Power Radio Show & Podcast Book: Healing Career Wounds (Amazon)    Powered by Intertru

You’ve been here before—hiring a “rockstar” salesperson who dazzles in the interview but fails to deliver. Flat revenue, missed targets, and excuse after excuse. Sound familiar? This week on the Hire Power Radio Show, Rick Girard digs into the root of this all-too-common issue with sales leadership expert Gary Braun. Together, they break down why small businesses consistently hire the wrong type of salesperson—and what to do about it. Gary brings deep expertise from his time growing a company from $1M to $400M in revenue, and now helping 400+ companies build high-performing sales teams through Pivotal Advisors. Key Takeaways Sales roles aren’t one-size-fits-all: Define your specific sales needs—hunter vs. farmer, service vs. product, inside vs. outside, and more. Most interviews fail at the basics: Without a structured interview process tailored to sales, poor hires are inevitable. Positioning is everything: Ensure candidates are positioned properly for your company, not just anyone’s. Stop relying on interviews alone: Incorporate assessments, real-world activities, and informal settings like dinners to evaluate the whole person. Build a multi-touch hiring process: Involve multiple perspectives, clear expectations, and defined next steps. Actionable Advice for Your Business Define the role with precision. Don’t settle for vague traits—outline the exact skills needed for your ICP (Ideal Customer Profile). Design a repeatable interview process. Go beyond gut feelings and surface-level charm. Leverage data-driven tools. Use assessments and scenario-based activities to test real-world selling skills. Focus on alignment. Ask: is this candidate the right fit for the sales environment I’ve built? Guest Links: LinkedIn: Gary Braun Company: Pivotal  Advisors YouTube: Pivotal Advisors Facebook: Pivotal Advisors  Host Links: LinkedIn:  Rick Girard Company: Intertru, Inc. Podcast: Hire Power Radio Show & Podcast Book: Healing Career Wounds (Amazon)    Powered by Intertru

Join Rick Girard on Higher Power Radio as he discusses crucial strategies for empowering hiring techniques with Charles Eide, founder and CEO of EideCom, to land the most desirable talent. In this episode, Charles shares his journey of scaling his business and the pivotal hiring decisions that propelled his company towards massive success. Discover how to identify what your business really needs, delegate effectively, and invest in people to foster sustainable growth. Learn from Charles' experience in leadership, innovation, and building a strong company culture. A must-watch for entrepreneurs looking to elevate their hiring practices and achieve breakthrough growth. 00:00 Introduction to Higher Power Radio 00:14 The Founder’s Dilemma: Scaling Beyond Sales 01:09 Guest Introduction: Charles Eide 02:03 Charles Eide’s Journey: From Sales to Leadership 04:00 The Turning Point: Hiring a Chief Revenue Officer 07:13 The Impact of Hiring the Right Leader 11:49 The Role of Mentorship and Peer Groups 17:46 Building a Mission-Driven Company Culture 21:15 Key Takeaways and Final Thoughts 22:22 Closing Remarks and Contact Information Charles on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/charleseide/ Host Links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rick-girard-07722/ Podcast: https://pod.link/1267738283 Book: Healing Career Wounds (Amazon) https://www.amazon.com/Healing-Career-Wounds-Ridiculously-Successful/dp/173580360X/ Powered by Intertru - https://intertru.ai/

Transform Your Company Culture: Behavioral Strategies for Success - Featuring Brett Hoogeveen Discover how to build a thriving workplace culture by focusing on behavior over theoretical values in this episode of the Higher Power Radio Show with Rick Gerard. Guest Brett Hoogeveen, an international leadership and culture expert, shares valuable insights on identifying and reinforcing positive employee behaviors, improving leadership roles, and effectively measuring core values within your company. Learn practical tools to make your organization a better place to work and boost your team's performance. Perfect for entrepreneurs and executives looking to create a more engaged and productive workforce. 00:00 Introduction to Empowering Hiring Techniques 00:14 Mark's Coffee Shop Dilemma 01:01 The EOS Blind Spot in Hiring 01:31 Meet Brett Hoge: Leadership and Culture Expert 02:39 Defining Company Culture Through Behaviors 06:05 The Core Values Con Job 12:04 Behavioral Approach to Improving Culture 19:59 Leadership Development and Effective Followship 27:20 Practical Steps to Enhance Workplace Culture 29:40 Conclusion and Resources Connect with Brett - https://www.linkedin.com/in/brett-hoogeveen/ Website - https://betterculture.com/ Host Links:  LinkedIn:  Rick Girard Company: Intertru, Inc. Podcast: Hire Power Radio Show & Podcast Book: Healing Career Wounds (Amazon) Powered by Intertru 

Crafting Job Descriptions for High-Performing Talent | Higher Power Radio Show with Rick Girard Join Rick Girard in this episode of the Higher Power Radio Show as he dives into empowering hiring techniques to attract top talent, essential for your company's success. Learn how to transform generic job postings into compelling role descriptions with actionable performance metrics. Discover the critical elements missing in most job descriptions and why they fail to engage high-performing and passive candidates. Explore a detailed 30, 60, 90-day framework to ensure clarity, measurable success, and seamless onboarding. Girard, a seasoned headhunter and author, also introduces AI tools to streamline the job description process, enhancing recruitment and retention. Tune in and elevate your hiring strategy with practical tips and expert insights. 00:00 Introduction to Empowering Hiring Techniques 00:14 Meet Kim: The Frustrated Marketing Director 01:54 The Problem with Common Job Descriptions 02:57 The Importance of Performance Metrics 04:46 AI and Job Descriptions 06:13 Creating Effective Job Descriptions 08:58 Leveraging Performance Metrics for Success 11:06 Step-by-Step Guide to 30, 60, 90 Day Metrics 18:19 Writing and Validating Job Descriptions 20:10 Using Job Descriptions in Interviews and Onboarding 21:42 Introducing the Interru AI Job Description Builder 23:29 Key Takeaways and Conclusion Host Links:  LinkedIn:  Rick Girard Company: Intertru, Inc. Podcast: Hire Power Radio Show & Podcast Book: Healing Career Wounds (Amazon) Powered by Intertru 

In this episode of the Higher Power Radio Show, host Rick Girard discusses the common pitfalls of modern job descriptions and provides actionable solutions to improve them. Drawing comparisons to a successful 1913 Antarctic expedition ad, Rick emphasizes the importance of clarity, candidate focus, and performance metrics in job descriptions. He shares five key steps to crafting effective job descriptions and how leveraging AI can enhance this process. Tune in to learn how to attract the strongest talent for your business and maximize your people ROI. 00:00 Introduction: The Power of a Compelling Job Description 00:38 The Problem with Modern Job Descriptions 01:07 Welcome to Higher Power Radio Show 02:09 Common Complaints About Job Descriptions 05:59 Why Job Descriptions Fail 06:59 How to Fix Job Descriptions 16:02 Key Takeaways for Effective Job Descriptions 18:00 Conclusion and Farewell Host Links:  LinkedIn:  Rick Girard Company: Intertru, Inc. Podcast: Hire Power Radio Show & Podcast Book: Healing Career Wounds (Amazon) Powered by Intertru 

In this episode of the Higher Power Radio Show, host Rick Gerard explores the critical importance of hiring for alignment rather than just skills. Joined by Heidi Olson, founder and CEO of All-in-One Accounting, the discussion highlights how Olson's company transformed by prioritizing core values in their hiring, promoting, and reviewing processes. They delve into the concept of the People Analyzer tool from EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System), which ranks employees based on core values and job fit. Olson shares her experiences, including painful but necessary personnel changes that ultimately led to increased team cohesion and business success. The episode provides actionable insights for entrepreneurs and executives on building a value-driven, high-performing team. 00:00 Introduction to Empowering Hiring Techniques 00:14 The Importance of Alignment Over Ability 01:03 Meet Our Guest: Heidi Olson 02:39 The Impact of Core Values on Hiring 03:25 Implementing EOS for Business Success 17:28 The Role of AI in Modern Hiring Practices 24:15 Key Takeaways and Final Thoughts Links www.allinoneaccounting.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/heide-olson/ LinkedIn:  Rick Girard Company: Intertru, Inc. Podcast: Hire Power Radio Show & Podcast Book: Healing Career Wounds (Amazon) Powered by Intertru 

In this episode of Higher Power Radio, host Rick Gerard delves into the current challenging hiring environment where AI-coached candidates are becoming increasingly common. He discusses how AI can deceive hiring managers by coaching candidates through interviews, resulting in more false positives and wasted interviews. Rick shares actionable strategies to identify and eliminate AI-coached candidates early in the screening process by focusing on behavioral and story-based questions. Learn how to differentiate genuine talent from AI-generated responses and ensure you're always hiring he best people. 00:00 Introduction to Higher Power Radio 00:14 The Current Hiring Landscape 00:35 AI-Coached Candidates: A Growing Concern 01:45 Spotting Red Flags in Resumes and Interviews 04:43 Solutions to Identify AI-Coached Candidates 05:41 Behavioral and Story-Based Questions 08:41 Understanding Candidate Desires 12:57 Red Flags and Ending Interviews Early 14:19 Conclusion and Final Thoughts Links:  LinkedIn:  Rick Girard Company: Intertru, Inc. Podcast: Hire Power Radio Show & Podcast Book: Healing Career Wounds (Amazon) Powered by Intertru   

In this episode of the Hire Power Radio Show, host Rick Girard sits down with seasoned entrepreneur Andy Duong to discuss the pitfalls and best practices of hiring. Andy shares his journey of building multiple successful companies, focusing on operational excellence and people-first leadership. They dive into the challenges of hiring familiar faces, the importance of defining roles and expectations, and the necessity of creating robust hiring processes. Learn about Andy's worst hire, how he adapted his approach, and discover actionable tips for hiring effectively. Don't miss this insightful discussion packed with valuable lessons for entrepreneurs and executives aiming to strengthen their teams. 00:00 Introduction to Hire Power Radio Show 00:14 The Pitfalls of Hiring Friends and Family 01:05 Guest Introduction: Andy Duong 01:54 Andy Duong's Early Hiring Mistakes 04:18 The Bad Hire Story 09:06 Developing a Robust Hiring Process 16:01 The Importance of Culture Fit 26:26 Key Takeaways and Conclusion Wolf-Packing - https://wolf-packing.com/ Host Links:  LinkedIn:  Rick Girard Company: Intertru, Inc. Podcast: Hire Power Radio Show & Podcast Book: Healing Career Wounds (Amazon) Powered by Intertru   

In this episode of the Higher Power Radio Show, host Rick Gerard explores the disconnect between past success and future performance when hiring new team members. Highlighting the limitations of AI in identifying high performers who align with unique business needs, Rick delves into the importance of proper positioning in hiring. Learn about the different types of hires—builders, improvers, and maintainers—and how to identify the right fit for your organization. Rick also shares valuable insights on asking the right questions during interviews to ensure candidates' desires align with business needs. Tune in to discover strategies to enhance your recruiting process and achieve massive success by placing the strongest people in the right roles. 00:00 Introduction to Empowering Hiring Techniques 00:14 Common Hiring Pitfalls and Positioning 00:57 Welcome to Higher Power Radio Show 01:40 Leveraging AI in Recruiting 02:09 Understanding Positioning and Performance 03:53 The Importance of Builders, Improvers, and Maintainers 06:07 Identifying the Right Fit for Your Business 11:00 The Role of Company Culture and Size 14:17 Role Expectations and Final Thoughts 16:47 Conclusion and Key Takeaways Host Links:  LinkedIn:  Rick Girard Company: Intertru, Inc. Podcast: Hire Power Radio Show & Podcast Book: Healing Career Wounds (Amazon) Powered by Intertru 

Posting ads and screening applicants has become a major headache. With candidates now using ChatGPT and other AI tools to game the process, things are spiraling out of control. To make matters worse, there’s been a surge in “fake” candidates—especially in engineering—pretending to be local. At the heart of the issue is the resume itself, because we do not know what skills are true anymore. In fact, resumes can’t answer the two most important questions:Is this person positioned correctly for my unique company?..And are they a high performer? At the end of the day, the most useful parts of the resume are the contact info and the white space. Neither of which AI can provide much value in fixing. I’m Rick Girard, and welcome to the Hire Power Radio Show. We help entrepreneurs and executives Win-Win the strongest people.  By sharing insights from top-performing rebel entrepreneurs, game-changers & industry leaders. Today our guest is Forrest Zhang, Founder & CEO of Vantasoft Forrest is the CEO and founder of VantaSoft, a custom software development agency whose unique differentiator is that all of our engineers work under one roof in Irvine, California. This produces huge gains in collaboration and communication, allowing us to ship higher-quality products faster than anyone else. Forrest has founded and scaled multiple businesses, including several SaaS platforms, with a ARR of $2M. Including a tech startup that generates $6M ARR. 00:00 Introduction to Empowering Hiring Techniques 00:14 Challenges in Modern Hiring Processes 01:05 Welcome and Guest Introduction 02:04 AI and the Surge of Fake Candidates 03:03 The Impact of AI on Job Applications 08:14 Filtering Mechanisms and Non-Negotiables 12:22 Creating Effective Job Descriptions 15:12 Leveraging AI for Efficient Hiring 20:18 Key Takeaways and Conclusion Guest Links: LinkedIn: Forrest Zhang  Company: VantaSoft   Host Links:  LinkedIn:  Rick Girard Company: Intertru, Inc. Podcast: Hire Power Radio Show & Podcast Book: Healing Career Wounds (Amazon)   Powered by Intertru   

In this episode of the Higher Power Radio Show, host Rick Gerard and guest Kurt Wilkin, Chairman of Hire Better and Managing Partner of B Cave Capital, discuss the pitfalls of reactive hiring and the importance of having a strong, proactive hiring strategy. They delve into techniques for assessing team needs, creating a talent roadmap, and the importance of having the right people in the right roles. Key insights include the necessity of planning hires well in advance, building a virtual bench of potential candidates, and the significance of asking the right questions to evaluate your current team. They also explore the challenges entrepreneurs face when growing their companies and how to navigate hiring executives and other key roles effectively. Tune in to learn how to build a game-changing team for your high-growth company. 00:00 Introduction to Higher Power Radio Show 00:13 The Entrepreneur's Hiring Dilemma 01:28 Meet Our Guest: Kurt Wilkin 02:59 Proactive vs Reactive Hiring 04:37 Understanding Your Team's Needs 07:52 Who's Your Mike? 10:46 Building a Talent Roadmap 20:49 Executing the Hiring Strategy 22:59 Key Takeaways and Conclusion Guest Links: LinkedIn: Kurt Wilkin Web: Who's Your Mike Host Links:  LinkedIn:  Rick Girard Company: Intertru, Inc. Podcast: Hire Power Radio Show & Podcast Book: Healing Career Wounds (Amazon) Powered by Intertru   

We’re living in a wild hiring market—and AI is making it even wilder! In this solo episode, host Rick Gerard—founder of HireOS and author of Healing Career Wounds—dives deep into how generative AI and resume hacking disrupt recruiting like never before. Rick breaks down real-world stories from the front lines of recruiting. ChatGPT-style resume reengineering is fooling traditional ATS software, allowing bad actors through and leaving high-quality candidates behind. But it’s not all doom and gloom—Rick also shares actionable strategies companies (and candidates!) can use to adapt and thrive. 🔥 What You'll Learn in This Episode: How AI tools are being used to “game” the resume screening process Why traditional applicant tracking systems are becoming obsolete Real-life case studies of fake candidates making it to interviews The hidden dangers of prompt-engineered resumes Why focusing on quality over quantity is key for job seekers What hiring leaders must do NOW to avoid hiring disasters Pro tips on spotting resume red flags and aligning with core values 🧠 Key Takeaways: AI ≠ Magic Bullet: Generative AI can create polished resumes, but it also enables fraud and increases false positives. Behavior & Values Matter: Companies must go beyond skills and align candidates with core values and culture. Smart Screening Tactics: From verifying LinkedIn connections to structured interviews, Rick offers tools to improve your hiring process. 🔧 Solutions Discussed: Narrowing candidate focus for better fits Leveraging behavioral interview techniques Spotting patterns in falsified resumes Creating AI-resilient recruiting strategies Tips for ethical and effective AI usage in hiring 👤 About the Host: Rick Gerard is a recovering headhunter turned AI startup founder, creator of HireOS, and a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt who’s not afraid to call out outdated hiring methods. His mission? Help companies hire with precision and purpose—every time. 🔗 Links & Resources: LinkedIn:  Rick Girard Company: Intertru, Inc. Podcast: Hire Power Radio Show & Podcast Book: Healing Career Wounds (Amazon) Powered by Intertru  🎯 Perfect For: Entrepreneurs & hiring managers Recruiters & HR professionals Job seekers navigating AI-enhanced hiring Anyone curious about the future of work 👍 Enjoyed this episode? Don’t forget to LIKE, COMMENT, and SUBSCRIBE for more insights on winning the war for top talent!

Join host Rick Gerard as he speaks with Michael Houlahan, co-founder of Barefoot Wine Brand, about the transformative power of hiring A players for every role in your business. Learn from Michael's journey, spanning over 10 years of business growth, and his realization that effective personnel management is crucial to success. Discover practical strategies for interviewing, hiring, and fostering a positive company culture, and learn why focusing on soft skills and cultivating exceptional talent can lead to remarkable outcomes. Don't miss this insightful episode of the Higher Power Radio Show! 00:00 Introduction: The Importance of A Players 00:41 Meet Michael Houlahan: Co-Founder of Barefoot Wine 02:14 The Early Years: Challenges and Realizations 04:04 The Turning Point: Focusing on Company Culture 08:01 Hiring Strategies: Avoiding Blame Birds and Like What Birds 11:09 Developing a People Strategy 22:46 Key Takeaways and Final Thoughts 24:16 Conclusion and Contact Information Guset Links: Web: https://thebarefootspirit.com/ Business Audio Theatre - https://www.businessaudiotheatre.com/ Host Links:  LinkedIn:  Rick Girard Company: Intertru, Inc. Podcast: Hire Power Radio Show & Podcast Book: Healing Career Wounds (Amazon) Powered by Intertru   

Imagine a world where you never have to pay a job board for candidates ever again. In this episode of the Higher Power Radio Show, host Rick Gerard is joined by Matt Plapp, CEO of Restaurant Marketing That Works, to explore how leveraging social media can help CEOs and entrepreneurs attract top talent. Matt shares his journey from hiring a business coach to becoming a Facebook influencer, emphasizing the importance of storytelling and personal branding. He offers actionable tips on creating authentic content, developing a posting schedule, and building a recognizable brand. Join us to learn how you can transform your hiring process and attract high-performing employees.   00:00 Introduction to the Problem with Job Boards 00:43 Welcome to Higher Power Radio Show 00:56 Meet Matt Plap: Restaurant Marketing Expert 01:43 The Power of Social Media for Recruitment 01:58 Becoming a Facebook Influencer 02:51 The Importance of Personal Branding 04:51 Real-Life Success Stories 06:21 Building a Culture Through Social Media 07:40 The Impact of Core Values on Hiring 13:10 Leveraging Social Media Platforms 18:37 Embrace Authenticity in Content Creation 19:06 Learning from Feedback and Self-Editing 19:33 Encouraging Social Media Engagement 21:06 The Importance of Consistency and Practice 24:41 Creating Engaging Content Plans 28:34 Building a Recognizable Brand 29:27 Key Takeaways for Business Success 32:19 Conclusion and Contact Information+   Guest Links: Website: https://mattplapp.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattplapp/ Host Links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rick-girard-07722/ Podcast: https://pod.link/1267738283 Book: Healing Career Wounds (Amazon) https://www.amazon.com/Healing-Career-Wounds-Ridiculously-Successful/dp/173580360X/ Powered by Intertru - https://intertru.ai/

In this episode of the Higher Power Radio Show, host Rick Gerard sits down with Ken Bogard, Founder & CEO of NOHONESTY, to uncover how radical honesty can transform your business from the inside out. They dive deep into the communication breakdowns that cause high turnover, how leaders can foster trust, and why being real is the key to unlocking engagement, productivity, and profit. 🚀 Ken shares insights from his newly released book and his experience working with over 300 owners and thousands of employees, driving organizational clarity and leadership transformation. If you’re tired of the “Oh shit” moments when key employees quit unexpectedly, and you’re ready to create a workplace built on truth and transparency—this episode is for you! 🔔 Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more episodes that help you hire and retain top talent! 00:00 - Welcome to Higher Power Radio Show 01:12 - Why “Surprise Resignations” Should Never Happen 04:27 - The Communication Breakdown Killing Your Team’s Trust 08:15 - Ken’s Radical Approach to Honesty in Leadership 12:34 - Why Most Companies Are Focused on “Me, Myself & I” 16:55 - How Ego and Pride Block Meaningful Conversations 20:48 - Creating a Culture of Truth & Transparency 24:30 - Ken’s New Book: Launching a Movement of Organizational Honesty 28:10 - Rick’s Insights: Core Values and Leadership Alignment 32:00 - Ken’s Advice for Leaders Ready to Level Up Communication 35:18 - Final Thoughts & How to Connect with Ken 36:40 - Wrap Up: Honesty as a Business Growth Strategy 🔗 Guest & Host Links: Ken Bogard - Guest 🌐 Website: NOHONESTY 🔗 LinkedIn: Ken Bogard LinkedIn  Rick Gerard - Host 🌐 Website: Higher Power Radio  🔗 LinkedIn: Rick Gerard LinkedIn 

In this episode, we’re diving deep into the art of setting clear expectations before you hire—a critical step to attracting and retaining top talent that truly fits your mission. Our guest, Melissa Ortiz, CEO of Activate Human Capital, is a seasoned expert in talent optimization and employee engagement. Melissa helps businesses match the right people to the right seats by aligning talent strategies with business goals. 🌱 Together, Rick and Melissa explore how entrepreneurs often create hiring problems by skipping crucial steps in expectation setting. They offer actionable strategies to prevent costly mis-hires and ensure new hires thrive in your company culture. 👉 If you’re struggling with retention or making reactive hires, this episode is for you! 00:00 – Intro: Why Hiring Strong People is a Game-Changer 02:30 – Meet Melissa Ortiz: CEO of Activate Human Capital 05:45 – The Problem is... Us! Why Visionaries Fail at Setting Expectations 10:15 – The GWC Rule Isn’t Enough (Get it, Want it, Capacity) 14:50 – Why You Need to Re-Evaluate the Role Every Time You Hire 20:10 – Hiring Reactively? Stop! 25:00 – Melissa’s Story: Taking the Lowest Paying Job (On Purpose!) 30:45 – Action Steps: Setting Clear, Measurable Expectations Before Hiring 35:00 – Final Takeaways: Aligning Talent Strategy with Business Strategy 37:20 – Outro & Where to Find Melissa & Rick 🔗 Guest Links: 🌐 Website: Activate Human Capital 💼 LinkedIn: Melissa Ortiz 📧 Contact: info@activatehumancapital.com 🔗 Host Links: 🌐 Podcast Hub: Higher Power Radio Show 💼 LinkedIn: Rick Gerard

In this episode of the Higher Power Radio Show, host Rick Gerard discusses essential hiring techniques and leadership strategies with Randy Wootton, the CEO of Maxo. They delve into the importance of frequent team communication, the value of planned and celebrated resignations, and the various stages of company growth from Series A to scaling up. Randy shares his vast experience transitioning companies through critical inflection points and highlights the importance of setting effective company operating systems, such as the V2MOM framework. They underscore the significance of having a clear vision, mission, and values, and how these principles can drive organizational success. Randy also talks about the importance of coaching, mentoring, and peer groups for CEOs to navigate the complexities of leadership effectively. 00:00 Introduction to Higher Power Radio Show 00:14 The Importance of Team Communication 00:46 Guest Introduction: Randy Wooten 01:13 Maxo's Vision and Mission 02:21 Scaling Challenges and Solutions 04:06 Assessing and Addressing Company Problems 05:08 Leadership and Management in Startups 11:16 Company Operating System: V2MOM Framework 16:01 Transforming Microsoft: Satya Nadella's Impact 16:59 The Importance of CEO-Sponsored Values 17:10 Creating Memorable Company Values 20:47 The Role of Trust and Integrity in Business 23:37 Objectives and Metrics: Translating Vision into Action 27:04 Key Takeaways for Business Success 28:35 Connecting with Randy Wooten Links Randy Wootton - https://www.linkedin.com/in/randy-wootton-910/ Host Links:  LinkedIn:  Rick Girard Company: Intertru, Inc. Podcast: Hire Power Radio Show & Podcast Book: Healing Career Wounds (Amazon) Powered by Intertru   

Proactive Hiring: Avoiding Surprises & Building Stronger Teams A resignation should never be a surprise—it should be a planned and supported event within an organization. Yet, when leaders are caught off guard, they scramble to fill a role, often making reactive hiring mistakes that hurt company culture. In this episode, Bryan Neale, founder of Blind Zebra, shares his Red Light, Green Light framework—a simple yet powerful tool to enhance employee engagement, productivity, and planned exits. Host Rick Girard and Bryan discuss how embedding open, honest conversations into company culture ensures smooth transitions, stronger hires, and long-term business growth. Key Takeaways: 03:10 – Why employee exits should never be a surprise 08:35 – The dangers of reactive hiring and rushed decisions 14:20 – The Tour of Duty concept: Aligning company goals with employee aspirations 21:50 – How the Red Light, Green Light system improves engagement and retention 28:45 – Creating a culture where employees feel safe discussing career moves 35:10 – The power of an abundance mindset in hiring 42:30 – How to schedule and structure quarterly Tour of Duty conversations Guest Links: 🔗 Bryan Neale: LinkedIn 🔗 Blind Zebra: Website Host Links:  LinkedIn:  Rick Girard Company: Intertru, Inc. Podcast: Hire Power Radio Show & Podcast Book: Healing Career Wounds (Amazon) Powered by Intertru 

Monetary compensation is no longer the primary reason people accept job offers. Career growth, learning opportunities, company culture, and meaningful work now take center stage. To hire and retain the strongest people, businesses must understand and align with what truly drives employees. In this episode, Bonni Pomush, CEO of Working Wardrobes, joins Rick Girard to discuss how she transformed Working Wardrobes' retention and employee satisfaction. Bonni shares the key strategies she implemented to enhance workplace culture, increase engagement, and drive loyalty—without relying on big paychecks. Key Takeaways: 03:10 – Why money isn’t the top factor in hiring anymore 07:45 – The biggest challenges Working Wardrobes faced in retention 14:15 – How core value alignment transforms hiring and retention 21:30 – The power of feedback loops: skip-level & stay interviews 28:50 – Creating a culture of learning and development for employees 35:10 – The impact of the 9/80 work schedule on retention 42:25 – How a peer-led culture committee enhances engagement Guest Links: 🔗 Bonni Pomush: LinkedIn 🔗 Working Wardrobes: Website 🎁 Donate & Get Involved: Ways to Help Host Links:  LinkedIn:  Rick Girard Company: Intertru, Inc. Podcast: Hire Power Radio Show & Podcast Book: Healing Career Wounds (Amazon) Powered by Intertru 

Hiring in a Hurry? Beware of the Hidden Costs What happens when you rush to fill a role without properly vetting a candidate? The consequences can be costly—both financially and legally. Many business owners have learned this lesson the hard way, including today's guest, Jonathan Hard, CEO of H2L Solutions. In this episode, Jonathan shares a real-life hiring horror story that led to a lawsuit, exposing the dangers of transactional interviews and skipping reference checks. He and host Rick Girard break down how to properly vet candidates, avoid bad hires, and implement a hiring process that protects your business. Key Takeaways: 03:15 – The risks of rushing to fill a position 08:45 – Red flags to watch for during the hiring process 14:30 – The costly mistake of skipping reference checks 22:50 – How a bad hire led to a lawsuit 29:10 – The importance of a structured vetting process 35:40 – Lessons learned: why hiring slow saves money and headaches 42:20 – Strategies to ensure new hires align with company values Guest Links: 🔗 Jonathan Hard: LinkedIn 🔗 H2L Solutions: Website Host Links:  LinkedIn:  Rick Girard Company: Intertru, Inc. Podcast: Hire Power Radio Show & Podcast Book: Healing Career Wounds (Amazon) Powered by Intertru 

Conflict is an unavoidable part of business, but how you handle it determines your company's success. Many leaders shy away from conflict, presenting an idealized company culture during hiring, only to create friction when reality sets in. Today’s episode tackles embracing and managing conflict effectively to build stronger, high-performing teams. Rick Girard sits down with Ryan Redding, founder of Levergy and host of Blue Collar CEO, to discuss hiring challenges, organizational conflict, and how to create a healthy debate, trust, and alignment culture. Ryan shares a personal hiring misstep that led to a transformation in how his company approaches conflict resolution—and how you can apply these insights to your business. Key Takeaways: 03:12 – The dangers of avoiding conflict in hiring 07:45 – A costly hiring mistake that changed everything 14:20 – Why conflict is essential for business growth 22:55 – How to build a culture of trust and open communication 29:30 – The Fist to Five method for team alignment 36:10 – How to create a hiring process that prevents bad cultural fits Guest Links: 🔗 Ryan Redding: Website - Levergy 📖 The Book on Digital Marketing for Plumbing and HVAC Contractors – Amazon 🎙️ Blue Collar CEO – Podcast Link Host Links:  LinkedIn:  Rick Girard Company: Intertru, Inc. Podcast: Hire Power Radio Show & Podcast Book: Healing Career Wounds (Amazon) Powered by Intertru 

Hiring Smarter, Not Harder The hiring process hasn’t evolved much in the past century—we source candidates, review resumes, and invite people for interviews. But here’s the problem: resumes build bias, not results. We assume someone is a great fit based on a prestigious company name or top-tier school, but does that actually translate to job performance? Kristen Prinz, Founder & Managing Partner of The Prinz Law Firm, shares a real-world hiring horror story and the critical lessons every entrepreneur needs to learn.   What You’ll Learn in This Episode: 03:12 The hidden dangers of hiring based on assumptions 07:45 A shocking hiring mistake—and its expensive consequences 14:20 How to set clear expectations from day one 22:55 The importance of overcoming unconscious bias in hiring 29:30 Why a structured hiring process leads to better employees   🎙 Guest: Kristen Prinz has been recognized as one of Chicago’s 50 Most Influential Female Attorneys and has saved millions for corporate clients in employment litigation. She’s here to help you make better hiring decisions.   Links Kristen Prinz LinkedIn 🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/prinzlawfirm/ Website 🔗 https://www.prinz-lawfirm.com/ Host Links:  LinkedIn:  Rick Girard Company: Intertru, Inc. Podcast: Hire Power Radio Show & Podcast Book: Healing Career Wounds (Amazon) Powered by Intertru  Listen now and save yourself from regretting hiring!

Listening to what your customers desire and having the courage to uproot your business model to accommodate them, takes guts. It’s essentially disrupting your own short-term profits for a long-term bigger picture.  Your employees who are “comfortable” will most likely leave as most people do not like change. Especially, radical change! Leaving the opportunity for others to step up and help to drive the business forward.  Today, we are going to delve into a story of what happens when you dare to disrupt your own business. Guest Bio Adam Philipp is the Founder & Patent Attorney of Aeon Law.  Adam is a strategic attorney who focuses on innovative solutions for creators, entrepreneurs, and C-suite executives.  He believes that all of his clients deserve to understand how their IP tools will work for them, and their business model is designed to provide a transparent process with predictable budgets.  Problem:   Story of the Red Wedding (in 2010) due to switch to prebilling with fixed prices Misaligned billing structure - eliminating billable hours Required changing the compensation structure as well Stop tracing the billable hour AR- pain point of collecting from clients Stopping the cycle of billable hours (not charging for revisions) Able to hire experienced people who want to do high-quality work Efficiency in getting paid twice as much for giving quality delivery “If you want to succeed, stop doing what you hate” - billable hours “If you give a hard job to a lazy person, he’ll find an easier way to do it” Why is this important to the company? Allow him to attract people who already have professional relationships Less training on the company’s end Rick’s Nuggets My Restructure story How do we solve the problem?  Implementing a new client payment and attorney compensation structure Provide a fee schedule like a restaurant menu People: approach attorneys who tried solo practitionership They didn’t want to go back to unreasonable hourly requirements.  People wanted comradery, practice without getting their souls crushed Pay a higher compensation with less overhead  Push to 40% over 30% Invest in efficiency tools (automation of repeatable tasks) Hackers who set up tools.  Compensate at a fair level and provide tools to gain mastery Choose your own adventure model. Within 1 year with ½ the team, they doubled their income! Long term Joy! Key Takeaways that the Audience can plug into their business today!  Clients love fixed prices - giving back the power to make business decisions again Point in time when Clients are most willing to pay is before the project begins (avoid pricing disputes) Money is in the trust waiting to be allocated upon the works completion - (eliminate collections) Guest Links LinkedIn: Adam Philipp Company: AEON Law Host Links:  LinkedIn:  Rick Girard Company: Intertru, Inc. Podcast: Hire Power Radio Show & Podcast Book: Healing Career Wounds (Amazon) Powered by Intertru   

As a founder, your first hire is always the hardest. Most often we take the first person who will say yes. Not putting a lot of diligence into a conversation about setting proper expectations.  What ends up happening is that we either get really lucky (if it works out) or it becomes a cautionary tale of what not to do when starting a business.  Often an expensive lesson to learn.  Starting with a strong culture in mind from day 1 is the key to having the difficult conversations that ensure a first hire's success. Guest Bio Scott Hollrah is the Founder & CEO of Venn Technology.  Scott has built a reputation as a technologist, problem solver, and creator of great culture. In his role at Venn Technology, he is focused on helping mid-market organizations be more effective through the use of automation. The company has won numerous awards that include Dallas Business Journal’s Best Places to Work, and Inc 5000. In addition to family and work, Scott hosts In the Thick of It, a podcast that highlights the trials and triumphs of fellow founders.  He is an expert in building a culture that stands out from his competitors.  Problem:   Started as a 1 man shop Now at 30+ people The first hire was the hardest thing he had to do Get over the fact that he eats last Is this person that I hire going to care about the customer as much as I do Introduced by a mutual connection First 12-18 months he had to learn to delegate People will do things different Core value of Delighted Partners - reminder throughout the office - customer & partner logos - these are the folks who make us successful, we have a responsibility to make them successful When we fail do everything to make things right We are flawed, not perfect. But we own our mistakes Accept you are not perfect and expect that you make things right as well Culture has been the same from the outset Treat people how you’d like to be treated Wants to sleep well at night and not regretting his day Phrase - When you take PTO, take PTO! Rick’s Nuggets Having the difficult conversations How do we solve the problem?  Doubled down on buying a building An In-person culture  I had an offer turned down Get stuck on a problem, tap someone on the shoulder, grab a whiteboard Build through proximity One Team Chad Nelson Golden Toilet Brush Award Display ownership Sought to be very unconventional Bring a different energy! Build the kind of company he wants to work for Very casual Mascot - Bijorn the Yeti Not afraid to let the freak flag fly Texas Independence Day is a company holiday Are we doing what we aspire to Join: I want to work here because… Watched your YouTube videos Watched podcast Read content “Do they want the job or a job?” Research people did on the company and him When guests or prospective team members visit the office we literally roll out a red carpet and have a sign welcoming them Most people take a picture of it Makes a great first impression Rick’s Nuggets Values need to be polarizing Key Takeaways that the Audience can plug into their business today!  Know your values - talk about them frequently We have a standing weekly meeting and highlight one value each time One of our core values is “One Team” - each quarter we award someone the “Chad Nelson One Team Award” - also known as “The Golden Toilet Brush” - this is a high honor Find ways to create community and fellowship among your people Quarterly hackathon Family party every summer Guest Links LinkedIn: Scott Hollrah Company: Venn Technology Facebook: Venn Technology Instagram: Venn Technology YouTube: Venn Technology Podcast:  In the Thick of It | The Junction  Host Links:  LinkedIn:  Rick Girard Company: Intertru, Inc. Podcast: Hire Power Radio Show & Podcast Book: Healing Career Wounds (Amazon) Powered by Intertru

Today let’s start with the question, “Does our company make your life better?”  Ideally, the answer is yes. But in my experience as a top Silicon Valley headhunter, the answer is almost always NO.  This is one of my favorite questions to ask when I recruit people because it opens the door to providing a stronger opportunity with another company… Usually my clients. If all companies just asked their employees how they could provide more than just a paycheck and a ping pong table, they would experience greater retention and more profitable growth.  Guest Bio Steve Hamil is the Director of Operations of Populist Cleaning Co. The Populist mission statement and core values, which emphasize personal and professional growth, really resonate with him. He thrives in a place where he can make a difference. Not only that but where I’ll be challenged, as well. Steve is an outstanding communicator with a passion for coaching, mentoring, training, conflict resolution, and guidance. Problem:   A high turnover of 100-200% is normal.. Been able to get it down to 45% on a rolling rate average: 1st quarter 24 29%, 2nd quarter 47.5% High turnover is costly  Operational & Quality  Time, training, QOS  knowledge transfer Why is this important to the company? Populist life not better: cost$ 6 months operation Populist lost $1026.89 in support staff  coverage., Additionally, support travel time to site $4528. + hiring costs,  Employees life not better: 5 individuals were hired and did not work out 1 to 2 week; lots of train and re-training.   Stress on support staff/management Customer life not better Multiple people in and out of the account: extra work on badging/security Quality – compromised with transfer loss between candidates.  Support staff not always full coverage Rick’s Nuggets The mail room from Elf We need to stop looking at miss-hires as the cost of doing business Opportunity cost loss -  People from production   Customer costs - their people How do we solve the problem?  Customer success:  When you find the right employees and customer fit Populist life better 6 month managing $4378 above profit line Little turnover, especially in key roles. Employees life made better Found the right person, right seat  Happy with job, pay Customer’s life made better through: Good communication Captured work through consistency of personnel Using a Pre-interview phone screen, key questions that we ask to ascertain core value/cultural fit: What environment do you thrive in? Unfortunately, this industry can be a bit thankless. However, Populist has five Core Values we really try to stand behind in all we do. I’m going to state them, and you can let me know if one or more resonates with you. Our core values are Commitment, Hard work, Individual Responsibility, Respect, and Professionalism.  Placing steps of commitment in the interview process. Core value match first   Pre-interview phone screen –  Background check Second interview, in person Orientation, in person (frist day) Culture engagement officer - phone screen Interview sheet- questions to relate to core values  Core value grid. And seeking to match right person, right seat.  First 90-day Engagement Cultural Experience officer contacting the employee multiple times before 90 days (right person,right seat focus) and  Operations properly onboarding/training/checking-in during first 90 days (right person, right seat focus).  Touch and engagement followups, assessing first 90 Quarterly teams call, whole company- 1 hour long Share EOS moments, training moments, HR moments, shout-outs Rick’s Nuggets Only 23% of the workforce is engaged at work Ask the question: Are we giving you what you need? Key Takeaways that the Audience can plug into their business today!  Using a Pre-interview phone screen, key questions that we ask to ascertain core value/cultural fit: Placing steps of commitment in the interview process.  Second interview using questions that have gone through a Core value grid. And seeking to match right person, right seat.  Engaging the employee from two perspectives: Cultural Experience and Operations  Guest Links LinkedIn: Steve Hamil Company: Populist Cleaning Co. Facebook: Populist Cleaning Co. Host Links:  LinkedIn:  Rick Girard Company: Intertru, Inc. Podcast: Hire Power Radio Show & Podcast Book: Healing Career Wounds (Amazon) Powered by Intertru   

Hiring great salespeople is not as tough as you might think… And the key to this is a great phone screen (aka: Discovery call).   Here is why the discovery call is so important. First, People are the most truthful in their first conversation because they have invested very little time or emotional bandwidth.  Second, interviewees are not expecting a level of diligence early on so they are not as guarded with the information given.  This allows us to gather accurate data to truly understand if a person is positioned right for our unique company based on the candidate’s desire and level of performance.  Guest Bio Todd Gorell is the Chief Growth Officer of The Pavement Group. Where Todd is responsible for driving revenue and team growth for the most advanced, dynamic, and market-diverse facilities maintenance company in history. With over 15 years of sales executive experience, Todd has built and led teams, developed new business segments, and fostered customer relationships across various industries. Scaling the business 10x in the past 4 years! Problem:   Story: Hired a very senior person who did not want to be part of the team.  Tended to go rogue. Loan Wolf salesperson He was a Polished interviewer, with a good resume.  Did not need help, and didn't want anyone to tell him how to do the job.  His show At a customer meeting, got drunk at a work meeting Did not close the deal Fired the next day Hiring people who are not coachable Seasoned people are not adaptable to your playbook Fit Culture Rick’s Nuggets Quickly understanding where the person will thrive Vision for the ideal company, type of work, size & Role Evidence of past performance (key indicator of future performance) How do we solve the problem?  Do not have a difficult time hiring people at all  Create a lot of attention through content a lot of people reaching out Divide and Conquer Two people interview - compare notes after both interviews are completed. *** Phone screen- live sales situation  Follow a script (conversational) *Comfortable talking about money  What do you need to make? Get right to it *Asking smart questions back  Are they positioning themselves to sell us… good at asking questions *Are they excuse-makers Why are things working/not working Questions What was the last book you read What do you do for fun Why Questions Culture- Core values Hire, fire, review based on core values 10x the company since 2020 Rick’s Nuggets “If you could create your next opportunity from scratch, what would it look like for you?” What would the company look like? What work would you be doing? Why is this important to you? Key Takeaways that the Audience can plug into their business today!  Get as much out of the phone screen as you can Disqualify quickly- don't waste anyone’s time Team up on hiring- don't share notes until 1st interview is complete Guest Links LinkedIn: Todd Gorell Company: The Pavement Group Facebook: The Pavement Group Instagram: The Pavement Group YouTube: The Pavement Group Host Links:  LinkedIn:  Rick Girard Company: Intertru, Inc. Podcast: Hire Power Radio Show & Podcast Book: Healing Career Wounds (Amazon) Powered by Intertru   

Tom’s shoes started with the mission of donating a pair of shoes for every pair bought. A powerful mission that attracts a lot of people. However, resonating with the mission is not enough.  To be successful in any organization, one must also naturally operate in a manner that is in alignment with the company’s core values.  What makes this critical to successful hiring is that it gives people the opportunity to thrive from day one. By eliminating most of the friction that is often encountered when the person steps into the new role.  Today, we are going to discuss how one company has been able to stay on mission and elevate their culture. All while experiencing 3x growth.  Guest Bio: Darcie Durham is the COO/CFO of HTX Labs. Inc. HTX Labs is a fully remote, immersive learning software company that provides immersive XR classrooms on their EMPACT platform for the Department of Defense and others.  In the last 2 years, HTX Labs has experienced rapid growth,  tripled in headcount and is experiencing record-breaking performance month over month.  Problem:   Protecting Culture is critical to their momentum How not to lose culture when you have tripled in size Values are the core to success with their customers   She joined as employee 26 now at 85 people Strong culture and very intentional  Fully remote company  Challenge Being able to articulate culture in a way that people can identify a fit.  Fully remote, meet with a lot of folks, peer interview Darcie is the final interviewer- how do they tie with the mission Why is this important to the company? The foundation of the culture Two founders are still principals involved in day-to-day  Humble and open to listening to feedback Embodies open to feedback - we can’t be experts on all things in an emerging field - no one has done this before - have to be okay with making mistakes, owning them, and moving on Rick’s Nuggets The Perfect Storm: Growth, Hiring & Culture Need clouds judgment - the gut needs more evidence Catch and release How did we solve the problem?  Talking about mission and values They don't bring them up in the interview Mission Ask why they want to come to work with us? Do they know what we do? Understand what our product/customer is? “What do you need in a work environment to feel engaged and excited about coming to work?” - understand the motivation How do you feel about a remote work environment? “Something you are proud of or good at that would not come through on a resume?”  “What would people you worked with in the past say are key things to be successful in working with you?” - red flags Does this person align with our behaviors that would make them successful On Fire - Driven, hungry, enthusiastic and passionate. In Touch - Proactive, discerning, intentional, realistic and reflective. No Fear - Nimble, adaptable, courageous, and willing. All In - Humble, candid, empathetic, appreciative, giving and welcoming. Adaptable- We do not have a process for x. Would you like to take a stab at writing it? - screen for comfort in the “gray area” -  reinforce throughout interviews and final interview.  Rick’s Nuggets Tell me about a time when you fixed an issue that was… not assigned to you (driven) Describe a time when you had to pivot to complete a project (adaptable) What prompted the pivot? How did the change affect the outcome Why was this important to you? Key Takeaways that the Audience can plug into their business today!  Don't compromise on culture. If you do, correct it quickly! When you hire people you don't want to work with…. Productivity tanks! If it’s not a slam dunk it should be a “no” - when we try to make it work, we’re compromising on something Guest Links LinkedIn: Darcie Durham Company: HTX Labs Facebook: HTX Labs YouTube: HTX Labs Host Links:  LinkedIn:  Rick Girard Company: Intertru, Inc. Podcast: Hire Power Radio Show & Podcast Book: Healing Career Wounds (Amazon) Powered by Intertru 

We have all heard the phrase that people do not leave jobs, they leave managers…  This truth is supported by data from Gallop, 75% of over 1 million workers surveyed,  left because of their bosses and not the work or the company. So how do we combat this?  First, let’s train our managers. Second, let’s do a better job of hiring people who will align with the values of the company and the manager. Setting both parties up for success and ensuring the company’s forward momentum. Guest Bio: Phillip Thune, CEO of Adthena. Phillip has been involved in the tech startup and online search sectors for 20+ years and is a proven leader in the ad-tech and digital media space.  Adthena is an award-winning search intelligence platform to help brands, marketers, and agencies dominate their competitive landscapes.  Philip is a values-driven leader who had helped scale four different companies from early stages, including FindWhat.com, which went from $500k of revenue and 35 employees when Phillip joined to $200 million, 500 employees, and a market cap of $700 million. Problem:   Turnover - For at least 4 years, the company had not gone more than a few months without the departure of someone from the exec team Soon after Phillip joined, the Chief Revenue Officer of Adthena left, but since then, not a single exec turnover, so it’s now been about 14 months and counting… Before:  Difficult to get any momentum with a high turnover Phillip replaced the founder, who had been CEO for 11 years The departed sales leader had only been there 3 months.  His replacement, the company’s long-time UK sales leader, was the 5th leader of the sales team over a 6 month period!!  CFO, CMO, CTO all rock solid. Lot of turnover with head of people, CRO, and CPO Phillip started in March 2023.  In Q3 and Q4 2023 very little turnover.  Problem solved!?!  Nope - a lot of turnover at the manager/team level in Q1 2024 Shifted  How do we solve the problem?  Put in the don’t-quit rule & sherpa plans “Don’t quit without notice – whether it’s money, responsibility, ability to grow/learn, a new challenge, etc. – first try to see if we can fulfill that need at Adthena via your Sherpa Plan.  If not, we will do everything possible to help you find a new job outside of Adthena that gets you what you want.” Reasons: tell us you are unhappy, and figure out if we can solve the problem Commitment: if we can't help solve the problem, we will give full support in terms of transitioning out Sherpa plan: formal understanding of what is available for you at Adthena. Career progression plan Thought it worked, but discovered it didn't. Introduced the rule, but didn’t communicate well enough. In Q1, a few key people quit Reintroduced the role formally Communicated the value of staying Interesting new opportunity  Rick’s Nuggets Creating a safe environment for open communication Leaders take leaving personal If a person is not working out, take the time to replace them with a person who will thrive in your environment Key Takeaways that the Audience can plug into their business today!  If you want to be known among your current and former employees for something - in our case, it’s that we’re weirdly obsessed with our team member’s career growth - you need to 1) bring it up regularly and have it reinforced on a regular basis - in our case with Sherpa plans that must happen at least twice per year 2) it needs to benefit the employee as much as the company. Guest Links LinkedIn: Phillip Thune Company: Adthena Host Links:  LinkedIn:  Rick Girard Company: Intertru, Inc. Podcast: Hire Power Radio Show & Podcast Book: Healing Career Wounds (Amazon) Powered by Intertru   

The classic blunder I have seen hundreds of times during my career is the “vanity hire”. Pulling out all the stops to get someone from a name-brand company who, in your mind, is the answer to all your prayers.  The reality is that that person turns out to be the cause of future nightmares. Not fitting in with the culture, pace, or the expectations of the team. This happens because your little entrepreneurial venture is not truly what that person desires.  Guest Bio: Forrest Derr is the COO & Integrator at Sexton Lawn & Landscape.  Forrest began his journey in the working world as a small business owner, managing a paper route in his neighborhood. He obtained a business management degree from University of Mobile and worked for an office furniture company for 18 years which provided experience in sales, operations, technology, and customer satisfaction. He also honed his skills in inventory management, team scheduling, and technology integration. He ascended to the level of VP of Operations and while there built and sold a tech consulting business. In 2015, Forrest joined Altaworx, broadening his expertise in data-center management, finance, and marketing as President. Now, as part of Sexton Lawn & Landscape, He is leading their team into the future, leveraging EOS as their guiding business framework. Challenge today? Hiring for Skills & Network for people from major organizations does not translate to small businesses Story: Tried to talk him out of taking the job at a small company Could not adapt to a small company environment In large organizations it is easy to hide in the corner,  Not doing the work. Got real estate license while on their payroll Kept him for 9 months.  Why is this important to the company? Did not identify if he was a fit for the culture Highly paid farmer not a new business dev person Would not engage with the other employees Big business culture person Did not understand the metrics that were required Thought they could save them from a corporate life Inside industry hires were expensive Rick’s Nuggets The vanity hire will kill you every time Your company is not the destination How do we solve the problem?  Fired them Stopped looking for people from the industry Stayed away from people already in the industry Focused on people skills, not industry skills Non-industry-specific skills People who developed complementary skills Tell everyone interviewed to Join the company not take a job Team members have to be Flexible and willing to move around as need to fill gaps We leveraged the leadership team as part of the interview process Evaluated core values and culture fit over skills Disguise the core value in the question (around the value) Retention improved as a result. Before they were terminating people quickly. ***Not a fit and why Profit margins went up? Productivity dropped while wrong hires were working Rick’s Nuggets Positioning is your main concern Do they deeply desire your opportunity Let them talk!  Stop Selling and start listening Key Takeaways that the Audience can plug into their business today!  Have core values clearly defined Hire based on core values and don't focus on skills teach and mentor Leadership bought into all members that are hired Guest Links LinkedIn:  Forrest Derr Company: Sexton Lawn & Landscape  Host Links:  LinkedIn:  Rick Girard Company: Intertru, Inc. Podcast: Hire Power Radio Show & Podcast Book: Healing Career Wounds (Amazon) Powered by Intertru 

It’s human nature to get away from pain as quickly as possible.  As painful as it is to have an open role, it is even more painful to fill that role with a person who brings more pain. And that pain is most often delivered in the form of the Wrong Person in the Right Seat.  Today we are going to discuss what this means and how to have the patience to work through finding the right person for the right seat.  Guest Bio:  Jeff Leitman is the Founder and CEO of Rocksteady Corp. Rocksteady specializes in the production of the Rocksteady Stadium speaker system, renowned for its high fidelity and connectivity, and is distributed across North America. Family, team members, and creating a positive and supportive work environment are the foundations of the organization. As a hands-on CEO, Jeff prioritizes the development and empowerment of his team, partners, and vendors, fostering sustainable long-term relationships.  Problem:   Right person = Aligns with company values, buys into the mission (value) Right Seat = Skills & capacity to do the work 70% of successful hiring is Alignment …. 30% is skills The focus is on the skills and stopping the pain quickly.  100% focus on skills and hope it works out Finding the patience to hire the strongest person requires discipline. Especially when there is a dire need to remove the work from your plate.  Challenge today? In a startup environment, how to define roles to fill first, and how to ensure that role is defined properly and filled with the right person. Roles that need to be done but I can’t support or prioritize or don’t enjoy doing - finding people who enjoy their roles, are capable of filling the role, and who fit within the company culture.   Marketing, Sales, Accounting… for me, this was part of the A-team I needed.  Creative, fulfillment, and supply chain  I love this and thus don’t need a senior person as quickly. Or I need help to do it better, and I can be a positive partner and influence in driving a good result. Remain engaged in the role, even if you hate it.  Example:  I hated marketing, and hired people to do it for me.  It wasn’t until I learned to embrace it that it became effective. Why is this important to the company? Adding the right person is a force multiplier, and allows the company to grow at an accelerated pace.  Hiring the wrong person is the exact opposite, so be diligent. Rick’s Nuggets: Skills-based hiring is transactional Low perceived value Lower engagement Biggest offer wins Narrow focus- “Just fill this role quickly”  Missing culture/value alignment  Costs the company 3-7X the cash spent Opportunity cost loss Productivity Disengagement  How do we solve the problem?  Define the position in detail, and be sure the candidate hits all the “has-to-have” criteria. Don’t be lazy, keep going.  Interview more people, check references, think of more questions.  Be certain. Don’t overplay your emotional position in an interview.  Don’t fall in love with them (and see what you want to see), keep them talking.  You lose power when selling your company too hard and too soon. Work ethic is as important as knowledge or skills. Expose the elephant in the room.  Check references, and ask the right questions - are they biased?  Were they good managers?  What was the result and reason for the separation? What is their motivation?  Can you keep them motivated (financially, career path)?  And will they be happy employees? Our process is not overly-formalized.  If employees do the first interview, I provide guidance and direction but encourage my managers to also have their own criteria (counterpoint discussion). Rick’s Nuggets: Strongest Person =  Positioned well (desire)  Core values aligned Accurate Seat = Capacity to do the work and grow Boost performance Increase productivity Key Takeaways that the Audience can plug into their business today!  Adding the right person is a force multiplier, and allows the company to grow at an accelerated pace.  Hiring the wrong person is the exact opposite, so be diligent. Hire people who enjoy what they are doing. Remain engaged in the role, even if you hate it.  Example:  I hated marketing, and hired people to do it for me.  It wasn’t until I learned to embrace it that it became effective. Be disciplined, be prepared, have a plan. Guest Links: LinkedIn:  Jeff Leitman Company:  www.RocksteadyAudio.com  Facebook:  Rocksteady Instagram: Rocksteady Host Links:  LinkedIn:  Rick Girard Company: Intertru, Inc. Podcast: Hire Power Radio Show & Podcast Book: Healing Career Wounds (Amazon) Powered by Intertru 

Having a need often clouds reason. Especially when it comes to hiring and the interview process. There is work to be done and no one is doing it. So you prioritize filling the gap with a warm body, rather than focusing on the right person in the right seat. How’s that been working out for you??  Short-cutting the interview process is never a good idea because when you do, It will most often bite you in the ass! Guest Bio: Bill Snyder is the CEO of digital health startup Vivante Health, the employee benefit for GI care. Bill works with Fortune 500 companies and large health plans, including Walmart and Cigna's Evernorth, to reduce GI-related healthcare costs.  He secured a Series B fundraise in September 2023, which was led by high-profile VC firms Mercato Partners and Health Catalyst Capital. Bill’s success in various leadership roles has been a result of building strong teams and learning each day from those he is fortunate enough to work with. Challenge today? Moving too fast on hiring and not following a detailed process leads to poor hiring.  Anytime you negotiate against yourself it never works out well Deviation from the process does not end well either.  Never skip steps Culture Clear about what they value and answer that they don't.  What they are looking for and not looking for Mission-driven organization Why us? Does align with the mission, not a fit Why is this important to the company? Culture is built by people at the company.  Strong culture has been driven by the people Engagement (#) Rick’s Nuggets Set people up for success even if it is outside How do we solve the problem?  Three things: 1) Put process in place early  2) Ensure there is transparency, collaboration, and accountability across the team for all hiring managers and all positions 3) Never settle Plan on recruiting, interviewing, and ongoing cultural engagement Having one Healthy Job description- core themes,  Put together the interview panel Mission and Culture front and center Formal presentation- evidence of the work Feedback on the work Interview for coachability  Holding each other accountable with the process Collaboration with co-workers Full visibility for everyone across the organization Same process.  Rick’s Nuggets Job description- focus on them (WIFM) Intense process - determined on what the business needs. Working session.  Accountability- the process is a value chain for the candidate- attracts a Key Takeaways that the Audience can plug into their business today!  Start the process early and adhere  Always include culture early Guest Links: LinkedIn:  Bill Snyder Company:  Vivante Health Facebook: Vivante Health Instagram: Vivante Health X: Vivante Health Host Links:  LinkedIn:  Rick Girard Company: Intertru, Inc. Podcast: Hire Power Radio Show & Podcast Book: Healing Career Wounds (Amazon) This show is Powered by Intertru

People like to join small organizations because they are challenging and fun. There are few rules to follow and very little red tape.  As the company grows, it becomes necessary to formalize business processes. With process comes rules and before you know it… Poof someone gets shot in the eye and the Nerf guns get taken away. Some might view this as a good thing, but the high performers who built the business do not. Take away the fun and they will just go somewhere else. Guest Bio: Steven Freidkin is the Founder and CEO of Ntiva, Inc., a full-service technology firm offering managed IT services including cybersecurity, strategic consulting, cloud solutions, and business process automation. Founded in 2004, Ntiva now has over 450 employees who serve over 1400 clients.  Steven is an active member of a multitude of boards and organizations including Young Presidents Organization (YPO). He is a big believer in purpose-driven organizations and leads Ntiva with this in mind. Problem: Challenge? The employee was shot in the eye Solving the problem without taking the fun out of the workplace  Out-of-the-box ways to keep things light, fun and enjoyable Create cultures and environments that make things fun Why is this important to the company? The people team is to support and keep the company fun Rules cannot be the default-  Manage issues as exceptions Decisions made understanding our purpose of growing people and our core values Care Ownership Responsiveness Excellence Original mistakes are okay if made under this framework Rick’s Nuggets People appreciate the small things much more than work When fun is a core value, it must be protected! How do we solve the problem?  Existence is to grow people Core values are the framework  Keeping the company fun Being intentional Being tolerate of only the outcome you want As you scale, naturally create more structure/rules to limit liability Limit the rock star talent because you are telling people they have to follow rules Other ways to solve the problem The best talent comes from company referrals 114 referrals in 2023  Stories become things talked about and create referrals Retained longer Rick’s Nuggets Retention is more important than compliance  Attrition happens when people feel like they start feeling restricted and are no longer growing Key Takeaways that the Audience can plug into their business today!  Question every requirement- what are the other You win talent by differentiating yourself from the competition Aligned motivations around the why & purpose Guest Links: LinkedIn:  Steven Freidkin Company:  Ntiva  Facebook: Ntiva  Host Links:  LinkedIn:  Rick Girard Company: Intertru, Inc. Podcast: Hire Power Radio Show & Podcast Book: Healing Career Wounds (Amazon) This show is Powered by Intertru, Inc.

How do you change company culture when the values of the CEO evolve?  We all understand that to grow as a company, people need to embrace change. Yet a lot of us fear change because it requires us to work on ourselves. Which is uncomfortable.  But here is the truth, when you fear change the business will outgrow you and then change becomes inevitable! Guest Bio: Jason Lippert, President & CEO of LCII Jason has helped grow the company from $150 million in 2003 to over $5.1 billion  with over 12,000 team members world-wide. Jason has initiated a cultural transformation within the company known as Everyone Matters.  To stress a truly human culture in the business, he implemented a Culture and Leadership team who strives to grow the company’s team members through  coaching and working on personal and professional development.  Problem:   Changing culture Story Didn't realize there was a problem until he was enlightened by Bob Chapman's Ted Talk (Truly Human Leadership) allocating resources to culture development/change Hired someone to own culture 2013 - 5k people Challenge today? A lot of tenured people resisted Produce good results, I don't need to change Front lines of the business Show up, get work done, and go home A lot more personal transformation One person was in a bad place in her life and was contemplating suicide. Leadership cared enough to start working with her and demonstrated that they cared.  Why is this important to the company? Main driver  He was working in a different space, running fast and hard It felt empty Praying to god to discover his purpose.  Mentored by the speaker Learned that there is a different way to win Business Impact More people decide to show up here tomorrow. Compelling to be here  High retention Profitability from $1B-$5B over the 10-year span Rick’s Nuggets Core values are driven by the CEO  How you act filters down How do we solve the problem?  Push into change Required leaders to get evaluated behind core values Teaching becomes  Attrition - terminations, resisting and bowing out.  Had to exit some high-level leadership positions Didn't want to be coached or change 88% of people work for a company that feels that the company does not care about them It made sense to execute on culture that has an immediate impact A lot of people bowed out When they replaced the people who did not resonate with the culture did more damage than they realized Every time a person left the company, people rejoiced Fear of speaking up- They are always listening Surprised him Winning more than before but impacting people in the community, people's lives Transformation of people's family lives because they are treated better How devastating bad leadership has on people's family lives Rick’s Nuggets Make the commitment no matter how much resistance It has to be REAL  You have to live the values Key Takeaways that the Audience can plug into their business today!  No matter how big, someone needs to own culture and leadership development. As serious as any other function of the business. Telling everyone that this is important to us Take time to goal set with every person in the business- front-line team members Brings passion and energy to the business - competitive advantage, people stay longer because they care more. Guest Links: LinkedIn: Jason Lippert Company: Lippert Components Facebook: Lippert Host Links: LinkedIn: Rick Girard Podcast: Hire Power Radio Show & Podcast Company: Intertru Book: Healing Career Wounds - with HireOS Method Follow the Hire Power Radio Show on LinkedIn.  Guest referrals: andrea@stridesearch.com

Core values are powerful. But core values driven by purpose are unstoppable! Today we are going to take a deep dive into an entrepreneur who has built not one but two highly successful businesses by not just living core values but tying purpose and giving back into the daily routines of the company.  And their results have been extraordinary!   Our guest today:  Jay Wilkinson,  Founder of Firespring, Bloom Growth & Do More Good Movement Firespring—a Nebraska-based Certified B Corporation featured by Inc. Magazine as one of the Top 50 Places to Work in America.  His TEDx talk on company culture has more than 1 million views. Currently, Jay leads the Do More Good Movement —an organization he founded in 2018 to help save capitalism.  Jay appears on CNN and other news outlets discussing the important role that purpose-driven companies play in the U.S. economy.   Problem: Story: One person- volunteering wasn't their thing. Ended up parting ways Volunteering creates an issue that you don't have someone's back as you defer work to another person.  Challenge today?  Why is this difficult to do?  Aside from core values- tied to their purpose statement. A major part of the company ethos. Candidates lie to themselves  Core values (15 years) Bring it every day Have each other's back Give a shit Why is this important to the company? Came from experience as a kid. Spending time volunteering and sharing the value with the people he works with.  How it correlates to the business. Servant leadership mindset. They serve mostly non-profits. The could not serve their clients without walking the talk.  Rick’s Nuggets Core values are how people naturally operate Purpose is the glue that satiates desire. Validates belonging How do we solve the problem?  Let’s start with Interviewing for Purpose Alignment Interview question: Tell me about the last time you donated your time Jay’s Formula: Power of 3 1% topline revenue donated 2% of products and services are in kind given away 3% of people 1 full day a month Volunteer hours- paid time off during work Uplifting community  Quarterly conversations The manager asked for advice. Worked through the issue Put the person on a PIP.  The conflict was resolved by editing from the company. Cover Anti-values- the act Talk about it A lot of nuance, a lot of gray Part ways as soon as they know How to identify it in the interview Create dialog to get to know beyond the trite responses.  Gotten really good at finding high performers who are introverts.  Use the culture index, and ask questions to understand who they are.  The company is powered by purpose Values hall of fame Rick’s Nuggets You NEED to gain evidence that your purpose is important to them ….  Unpeel the onion… dig deeper The purpose of the interview is to “Understand the Truth” Key Takeaways that the Audience can plug into their business today!  - (Values from guest) Vet candidates for alignment with the company’s purpose and vision -- not just core values. People want (and need) to be part of something that’s bigger than themselves. Define clear and precise job requirements - including skill, experience, and personality/attributes. Use assessment tools to understand natural, inherent behaviors and modify questions to get at the heart of who the applicant is. Create a great candidate/interviewee experience. If this applicant is not the perfect fit, but they have a positive experience, they’ll spread the word. Screen to hire Learners, not Knowers.  Guest Links: LinkedIn: Jay Wilkinson Companies: Firespring  Do More Good Bloom Growth Host Links: LinkedIn: Rick Girard Company: Intertru Book: Healing Career Wound Follow the Hire Power Radio Show on LinkedIn to get the latest episode!  

Being a startup entrepreneur is a struggle.  As some of you know, I recently joined the ranks of a startup founder. In November we launched Intertru and boy, my world has moved to light speed to a totally new dimension. It has become ridiculously exciting! But there is one huge challenge… maintaining operational discipline.  My struggle comes from the need to put out fires and execute critical projects outside of my expertise. Making it difficult to stay disciplined in a workflow cadence that produces results.   Today we are going to key in on 10 Disciplines that you can implement today in your life to produce consistent results to the benefit of your company growth! Guest Bio: Gino Wickman is the Author of Traction & founder of EOS Worldwide, an organization that helps tens of thousands of businesses implement EOS with the aid of an international team of almost 600 professional and certified EOS Implementers and online support. There are over 180,000 companies using the EOS tools worldwide. Today Gino focuses on helping entrepreneurs and leaders maximize their freedom, creativity, and Impact through his books: Entrepreneurial Leap, Rocket Fuel, The EOS Life, and The 10 Disciplines for Managing And Maximizing Your Energy. TODAY WE DISCUSS: What are the 10 disciplines  Discuss the most relevant to startup entrepreneurs PROBLEM:  Discipline We are all balls of energy – some burn bright, some don’t You are racehorses (entrepreneurs/leaders) – harness energy Don’t have to motivate/teach basics – eat, sleep, exercise, work ethic Each stands on its own, fully customizable Fast, simple and powerful Challenge? 10-year thinking Take time off Know thyself Be still Know your 100% Say no…often Don’t do $25 an hour work Prepare every night Put everything in one place 10. Be humble How do we solve the problem?  10-year thinking Shift your mind from short-term thinking, to thinking in 10-year timeframes Every decision is a 10-year decision/thinking, not a goal Sam Cupp – 10-year business cycle When you do – time slows, a peace comes over you, make better decisions and get there faster Quote “Overestimate one year…” Les Brown “Good Decade” Shifts energy Action – write date 10 years from now, write age, write goal Other things are ok Now think about everything you are doing today See it every night Say no…often Say no to everything that doesn’t fit in the first 5 disciplines Warren Buffett quote/”No! No!” “…physical discomfort/guilt…” – Essentialism, Greg McKeown Eat a worm? If it doesn’t fit with the first 5 disciplines – say no Turn to person – say “No!” Action – say no to something in the next 7 days/cancel an appointment Prepare every night: Before your head hits the pillow every night, document the next day’s plan Go to bed knowing exactly tomorrow Sleep better Spontaneous – BS, come one, if you’re running a company, you don’t have the luxury Subconscious does the work Wake up with ideas/solutions Get more done As opposed to waking up and figuring it out Use any technology – I use a legal pad Action – do it tonight Put everything in one place Pick the one place you will capture every idea, commitment, thought, action item and promise Let people down/chaos/sticky notes The legal pad Throughout the day write down your commitments, promises, ideas, to-do’s Compartmentalize all at the end of the day Action – pick your “one place” and do it tomorrow Guest Links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ginowickman/ Website: https://ginowickman.com/ Download a free copy of the 10 Disciplines eBook Visit the10disciplines.com to learn more Read a 10 Disciplines article written by Gino Contact Gino: gino@eosworldwide.com (248) 672-1192 Host Links:  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rick-girard-07722/ Company: https://www.stridesearch.com/ Podcast: https://www.hirepowerradio.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeEJm9RoCfu8y7AJpaxkxqQ Authored:  "Healing Career Wounds"  https://amzn.to/3tGbtre Startup: www.intertru.ai HireOS® inquiry: rick@stridesearch.com Show Sponsor: www.stridesearch.com www.intertru.ai

We all understand the concept of right person, right seat. But as the company grows the demands of each seat change. What is required from zero to $5 Million will most likely shift on your journey to $10 million in revenue.  So hiring ahead of that curve becomes the biggest challenge.  It is important that, in the earliest stages of the company, everyone in the organization identifies as a “builder”. Builders are the people who have a deep desire to problem-solve issues that have not even become identified and create systems from scratch.  As the business grows, the need for “improvers” becomes critical as they are the people who can scale to each milestone and beyond. Guest Bio: Dean Stoecker is the co-founder and Executive Chairman of the Board. Dean founded Alteryx in 1997 and led the company as CEO through October 2020, achieving solid organic growth, and a successful IPO in March 2017. Dean’s leadership and motivational skills, along with his ability to create, communicate, and realize a vision, were a driving force behind the company’s 20+ year success.  Dean serves as advisor to entrepreneurs, is an active philanthropist, and is passionate about humanizing the world of data science and analytics, which is evident in the company’s culture, extensive resources for continued education, and efforts to influence social change. TODAY WE DISCUSS Right person, right seat, right stage How to ensure you have the right person at every growth stage PROBLEM: Preparation for changing out key employees at different levels @ $10mil, $25mil,  Get great alignment with the teams Strategically & tactically- align strategy with tactics Don't be afraid to switch your teams Challenge? Alignment between strategy & tactics People have different ideas about what we need to do as a company Knockdown, drag-outs about who we wanted to be when we grow up KPI’s for each department People knowing why they were building things Why is this important to the company? People need to be rowing in the same direction First hires need to be 9’s 9’s will never work for 6’s  Rick’s Nuggets: All about Positioning Value alignment, builder, passion for the mission SOLUTION: How do we solve the problem?  Predicated on growth rates Team of 5 did a million in the first year  Understanding if they are willing to accept tasks that they never signed up for Focus on the next milestone Build teams that can get you there Keep your 9’s Risk/Reward profile needs to match yours Play any position then go deep Legacy of promoting  Leadership is about how many leaders you create Invest in training Who has the best skills at the cheapest price that can last you the longest  Biggest worry, Middle management Take stock of your own skill sets Andre Geim- “grazing shallow” Fall in love and go deep Risk reward profile  You want someone who can play any position then goes deep Longevity - meandered from generalist to specialist Risk reward profile needs to match yours Rick’s Nuggets: The first team It’s all about positioning Really desire what you are (ie: ground-level startup with no money) Key Takeaways that the Audience can plug into their business today! (Value): Make sure you have a time that provides strategic and tactical alignment(first 6 years) Be prepared to swap out the team many times. The team that got you to $5mil won't get you to $20m. Be aware of your markers Guest Links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dean-stoecker/ Company: https://www.alteryx.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alteryx Twitter: https://twitter.com/alteryx Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alteryx/ Other: https://www.siteminder.com/ Host Links:  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rick-girard-07722/ Company: https://www.stridesearch.com/ Podcast: https://www.hirepowerradio.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeEJm9RoCfu8y7AJpaxkxqQ Authored:  "Healing Career Wounds"  https://amzn.to/3tGbtre Startup: www.intertru.ai HireOS® inquiry: rick@stridesearch.com Show Sponsor: www.stridesearch.com www.intertru.ai

Over the past few years talent has been scarce. And when talent is scarce, fear leads hiring decisions. We don't want to lose (what we perceive to be) “good people”, so we shortcut the interview process.  Here's the thing, our perceptions are often wrong.  Our gut is often wrong. And it is wrong because the data we input is either assumed or circumstantial. Resulting in marginal hiring that hurts your business.  So, what if every person that you hired thrived in your company? What would be the ROI if you operated at a hiring success rate over the 90th percentile? It would be pretty f-ing amazing, right? A crucial part of why we get hiring wrong too often is that we don't invest the time to adequately vet people before we bring them in for an interview. This starts with your first call (phone screen). We miss the opportunity to gather true data as to whether a person is positioned well for the organization and their level of performance.  That's right, positioning and performance.  The most crucial data that help you understand alignment before wasting anyone’s time in a formal interview process.  Evidence that is not present on a resume.  Guest Bio: Payman Taei is the Founder of Visme, an all-in-one visual communication platform, and Co-Founder of Respona the link-building for SaaS and Agencies to improve google rankings.  Payman is an avid technologist who loves new trends and tries to keep up with the ever-evolving internet. His background in Biology has led him to truly believe in the art of evolution. Everything changes in time. You either follow or create new trends or you will be left behind.  TODAY WE DISCUSS: The challenges in today's pre-vetting of talent How to properly vet people before they enter your interview process HIRING STORY: Hired a marketing person, a person who was known. Went on a whim and made the hire without involving  Assumed that because the person worked for a certain company the person must be good Knew within a 45-day window, the wrong hire Missed clues: a bit of fluff, selling themselves more. Claimed to have done a lot. Exaggerations Marketers commonly take a lot of credit for a lot of company success My post:  https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6999061564083380225/  PROBLEM: Pre-vetting people before they come in for an interview Challenge? 100’s of resumes. More does not mean better Select a handful of people who are worth the time to interview Most of the roles the CEO is still involved with Create an efficient system without automation (Smaller companies) Highest quality with the least friction as possible Why is this important to the company? Made some bad hires Time is a premium  personality /cultural fit & skills We Sacrifice lower experience for a better cultural fit Rick’s Nuggets: Judgement should not be made on a resume but on the phone screen/Discovery Call. Great resumes don't equal great people High performers are busy making an impact  Great interviewers have had a lot of practice.  Understand Pain, Desire & Impact How do we solve the problem?  Pick the needle from the haystack Prequalification process The application itself Manner in which the resume is submitted -spammer or researched Passionate - learn and know about the company Not job hopping Interested because of a,b & c  Large pool of referrals HR interview Personality & brief technical experience Going through the resume and understanding career history.  Gut check - authentic, a nice person, compassionate & caring, wanting to make a difference,  Technical interview (2 step) Projects, role on projects Tech stack, where are you comfortable, specific technical questions Deep dive into the technical experience with the team lead Decision Yes- move into reference check 30, 60, 90 day review cycle on kpi and goals Rick’s Nuggets: Operate from a position of abundance Discovery call Positioning Does the person have a good reason to make a move Does the person truly desire what your company is offering Impact  High performers become passionate about what they have done Dig into the “HOW” and “WHY” to gather evidence Go deeper than 2 layers down to find the TRUTH  Key Takeaways that the Audience can plug into their business today! (Value): Eliminate the noise Trust your intuition- What’s the gut feeling? does everything seems to check?  Group Decision: How does everyone feel about the person- team assessment Guest Links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paymantaei/ Company: https://www.visme.co/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/visme/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/vismeapp Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vismeapp/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vismeapp YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/VismeApp Host Links:  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rick-girard-07722/ Company: https://www.stridesearch.com/ Podcast: https://www.hirepowerradio.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeEJm9RoCfu8y7AJpaxkxqQ Authored:  "Healing Career Wounds"  https://amzn.to/3tGbtre Startup: www.intertru.ai HireOS® inquiry: rick@stridesearch.com Show Sponsor: www.stridesearch.com www.intertru.ai

Let’s talk about building an advisory board. I think we would all agree that having strong advisors and mentors in your corner brings huge benefits to every organization. Not just as sound advice in making business decisions but also providing introductions and bringing credibility to the business.  So when is the right time to build your advisory board? As soon as you find the right people who will help. This means before you hire your first employees.  Building an advisory board, much like building company values, is often an activity to do later. But guess what, later is too late! It is like pouring a foundation after the house has been built.  Investing the time to build a board before things get too crazy, is the smartest way to ensure that the decisions you make are solid enough to bring the business to it’s full potential. Guest Bio: Coco Brown is the Founder and CEO of The Athena Alliance. Athena has helped thousands of leaders grow and advance in their executive careers, and has brought over 400 women to corporate boards from growth stage private companies to name brand public companies.  Coco has personally worked with hundreds of top leaders, CEOs and boards to evolve modern leadership. She’s served on ten commercial and non-profit boards and advisory boards, and has led two notable companies (Taos, acquired by IBM, and now Athena).  She is part of Nasdaq's Governance Insights Council, and is often called on to share guidance to the evolving focus and breadth of responsibility within the Modern Boardroom. TODAY WE DISCUSS: When to build your board of advisors How to leverage your advisors through investment cycles Challenge? Not having the right board in place when the company gets to funding Not building a structure, cadence  End up with a board that is forced on you.  Not being as strategic as you can be.  In a formal advisory capacity Why is this important to the company? If your are not thinking early about this, when funding comes you may not have a strong pool of potential independents for your board Becomes feeder for the formal board Need to balance the power of the board Even without that - maybe you never need a formal fiduciary board beyond the core founder/owners. But not having an ecosystem of advisors around you limits the competitive advantage you get by consulting outside your employee base.  Rick’s Nuggets Making decisions on your own,  Gut without data How do we solve the problem?  Mindset Most of us oriented around the team under - the team we are building You need to orient as well to the team around you Framework -How the team evolves over time Close connections that best approximate the roles you will need to build Lesser known to you, but better known publicly - pool of people to draw on  Formalized - work on issues of the business together over time, in a rhythm/ cadence Structure - Individual relationships Experts who are honest with you Think tank - bench for something formal in the future: Mixed group Diverse  Formal Advisory to Board Mimic your C-Suite to get ahead of where you are now Give you choices Networking Beyond your usual network Who are the experts Groups like Athena ;) Rick’s Nuggets: Identify “Who” Dream team Reach out- Go for it! Cold call or gain an introduction Ask for help Formalize the relationship quickly Key Takeaways that the Audience can plug into their business today! (Value): Think beyond your internal team Build in advance of your needs Consider the competitive advantage Guest Links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cocobrown/ Company: https://athenaalliance.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-athena-alliance/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/CocoBrown1020 Twitter: https://twitter.com/athenaalliance Host Links:  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rick-girard-07722/ Company: https://www.stridesearch.com/ Podcast: https://www.hirepowerradio.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeEJm9RoCfu8y7AJpaxkxqQ Authored:  "Healing Career Wounds"  https://amzn.to/3tGbtre Startup: www.intertru.ai HireOS® inquiry: rick@stridesearch.com Show Sponsor: www.stridesearch.com www.intertru.ai

What are the common characteristics of every successful person at your company? Think of those characteristics and write them down as standard operating procedures. This is critically important because when we operate under the same frequency, pace, and purpose… growth happens. But this can change instantly when a new person is added to the team.  Too often we hastily add a person to the mix without understanding how they really operate on a daily basis. Assuming that they will be the answer to all of our current challenges because of the skills they are bringing to the table.  There is nothing more critical to hiring success than aligning people first, and skills second. This means investing the time to dig deeper into your interview process. Understanding not just what a person accomplished but the details of exactly how it was done and why it was approached in that manner. Guest Bio:  Allan Jones is at the helm of Bambee, a new type of business built on the innovative premise that every small business should have a dedicated HR Manager. This concept was derived from Jones’ previous experiences working with—and growing up around—small business owners. In 2021, Goldman Sachs celebrated Allan Jones as one of the 100 Most Intriguing Entrepreneurs at its Builders + Innovators Summit. For three years running, Forbes has named Bambee a top startup employer in the U.S., and in 2022 it announced Bambee as a Top 5 Company in Los Angeles. TODAY WE DISCUSS Understanding your company's unique characteristics How to implement critical characteristics into your interviewing & hiring process Challenge? Getting people who fit a special suite of characteristics Infinite characteristics that are valuable How do you narrow it down to 8? Being honest about who you are Characteristics of leadership values Mastery of communication Broad outcome objectivity: don't care where the right answer comes from Urgency & greatness in tandem Separate leadership & team values High potency friction Hired leader that doesn't fit, Courage to make a change Scoring system & scorecard Why is this important to the company? Looking at blemishes before celebrating wins Continuous loop of how can we be better Continuous improvement is just part o the game 200+ employees  Not afraid to say “not every person is right for the company” Companies are Olympic sports teams, not govt service agencies Rick’s Nuggets: How people operate within your company Core values drive the operating characteristics Adding a player to the game, not an ass to a seat How do we solve the problem?  Identify that the problem exists Building leadership personas Hired multiple executives and 50% did not work out Right after fundraising Practices did not scale CEO can not make hiring decisions for the company  He is not the only sign-off anymore.  Interview Structure Hiring committees  Only leaders sit on the committee Master of communication Cliff notes version of who you are personally & professionally Go to the resume Listening skills along with speaking Eliminated Leadership savior complex Problems would be solved by our next hire Company already had great people Never let a problem go unowned Realization that already had an A+ executive team From savior to draft pick 90% success rate Rick’s Nuggets: Values drive characteristics Interviewing process Structured & designed to gather evidence to support the correct decision Assign interview questions for people alignment Follow up with what & how questions  Key Takeaways that the Audience can plug into their business today! (Value): Offsite with sr leadership & build leadership personas’ As a founder ask yourself “ your unique role in the hiring failure” Set up screening committees Make sure you are aligned Guest Links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allandjones/ Company: https://www.bambee.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bambee/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheAllanJones Twitter: https://twitter.com/BambeeHQ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bambeeHQ/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzJhkTm7baY&t=1s Host Links:  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rick-girard-07722/ Company: https://www.stridesearch.com/ Podcast: https://www.hirepowerradio.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeEJm9RoCfu8y7AJpaxkxqQ Authored:  "Healing Career Wounds"  https://amzn.to/3tGbtre Startup: www.intertru.ai HireOS® inquiry: rick@stridesearch.com Show Sponsor: www.stridesearch.com www.intertru.ai

Let’s talk about performance metrics for a minute.   Do you have performance metrics drawn out for every person before they are hired? Are they clear on the expectations for the first 90 days of employment?  If not, you are setting people up for failure because expectations are never in alignment. We're going to leave it to you to “figure it out”.  Then we scratch our heads when the person fails, wondering what we missed in the interview.  What was missed was the work on defining the role and writing down the company’s expectations of what needed to be accomplished by the individual in the first 90-120 days of employment.  I have discovered that companies who just “wing it” have a much higher offer turn-down rate and employee failure rate than companies that invest the time to clearly define what success looks like.  Look this is not “too hard” because you don't know what will happen in the next few months of the business. If it is too hard, maybe you are in the wrong business. Guest Bio: Kurt Davis is a technology entrepreneur and author.  The first 20 years of his career were spent between Silicon Valley and Asia, working with technology startups in finance and business development roles.  Kurt is now focused on Biteline (a startup marketplace for dental professionals) & Recently published a book called Navigate to the Lighthouse: A Silicon Valley Guide to Executing Global Deals. TODAY WE DISCUSS: Performance metrics How to clearly define metrics  Challenge? The company is not successful because of people not knowing Gate of allocation of resources Deep analysis  Gut & instinct drive the decisions Distrust the gut …. Until it is the last variable The team cannot hide now that we are under the microscope Setting expectations: The work is going to be hard Leadership needs to communicate Why is this important to the company? Need to get it right the first time Want people to trust the strategy and thought process  Need people to come on board the thinking & the strategy Getting people behind the way of thinking Rick’s Nuggets: Not sure how to clearly define the metrics  Out of the scope of their expertise Dont have the time Not sure We’ll let them tell us Hiring failures start with your preparation (or lack thereof) How do we solve the problem?  Look at the problem (analysis) Clearly define what you want each person to achieve Clear about what you are investing against Very clear on what you need each person to get done Do they fit the culture, values Measure twice, cut once Can the person get it done Resume checks off Fit value wise Deep details  Look at the work, ask for deliverables Working exercise Rick’s Nuggets: First Week, First 30, 60 & 90 days Have deliverables at each milestone Present to the team your findings on X Prepare a plan for Y Deliver first version of Z Put them in your Job description Here’s what you will be held accountable for in your first 30 days Key Takeaways that the Audience can plug into their business today! (Value): Take the time to do your homework. Do your strategy, planning. Know exactly what that person is going to do in the first 90 days.  Guest Links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kurtdavis1/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/KurtDavisNew Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kdalive/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kdalivetravel/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/kudavis Book:  https://www.amazon.com/Navigate-Lighthouse-Silicon-Valley-Executing/dp/1544530331 Host Links:  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rick-girard-07722/ Company: https://www.stridesearch.com/ Podcast: https://www.hirepowerradio.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeEJm9RoCfu8y7AJpaxkxqQ Authored: "Healing Career Wounds"  https://amzn.to/3tGbtre Startup: www.intertru.ai HireOS® inquiry: rick@stridesearch.com Show Sponsor: www.stridesearch.com www.intertru.ai