LEARN Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

As we wrap up our inaugural season, we’re diving deep into what it takes to create and sustain a compelling corporate podcast. From unexpected challenges to surprising benefits, here are the top takeaways for aspiring podcasters.

In this episode of LEARN, Ted outlines seven key learnings from producing 37 episodes, discusses the nuanced balance between relationship-building and lead generation, and shares invaluable advice for setting realistic expectations for corporate podcasts. Whether you’re contemplating starting a podcast or looking to refine your current strategy, this season wrap-up is a must-listen.

Key takeaways:

- Be prepared for the significant time investment required for running a corporate podcast, as each episode can take around 5 hours from preparation to promotion

- Avoid using a podcast as a direct lead generation tool, focusing instead on building genuine relationships with guests, partners, and industry leaders

- Adapt and experiment with your podcast format and content to discover what resonates most with your audience, while remaining consistent in your efforts

Tune in to explore Ted’s top takeaways he learned from starting a podcast.

Resources:

- Ted Blosser: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tedblosser/

- WorkRamp: https://www.linkedin.com/company/workramp

Episode highlights:

[05:54] Build great relationships through podcasting, be realistic

[06:56] Building brand, niche audience, and set realistic podcast goals

[10:20] Expressing gratitude

As organizations navigate the complexities of modern work environments, fostering continuous learning, transparent communication, and meaningful employee support becomes paramount.

"Learning shouldn't be a one-off event. It's about integrating ongoing education into the fabric of everyday work," says [Kathleen Pacini](https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathleen-pacini-phr-b115986/), Chief People Officer at [Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/).

In this episode of LEARN, Kathleen delves into the limitations of one-time training solutions, the pressing need for ongoing learning, and her journey from accounting to HR. She shares insights into how Patreon motivates its workforce with learning stipends, the critical role of revamping onboarding processes, and maintaining transparency during uncertain times.

Key takeaways:

- Align your career path with your natural inclinations and strengths

- HR and People teams need to build lasting relationships with employees beyond just solving problems or managing benefits

- Continuous learning and development are key for employee growth and should be embedded in the day-to-day work

Tune in to explore how continuous development and a supportive workplace culture are vital for organizational success.

Resources:

- Kathleen Pacini: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathleen-pacini-phr-b115986/

- Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/

- Ted Blosser: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tedblosser/

- WorkRamp: https://www.linkedin.com/company/workramp

Episode highlights:

[04:25] Kathleen pivoted to HR after layoffs.

[06:44] Kathleen worked in various roles at Frontier telecom

[10:38] Understanding business is key to being effective

[14:40] Be honest with employees and share available information

[17:42] HR leaders need support during tough times

[22:33] Encourage ongoing learning and incorporate it daily

[24:42] Onboarding is pivotal for successful transition and productivity

[27:43] Embrace curiosity and go beyond the job description

It’s common for HR professionals to become siloed in a business. But if they don’t understand the company and, by extension, the kind of employee experience to cultivate, it can hold a business’s momentum back.

“HR is a discipline that has become quite specialist and the specialization is fantastic. But if it's not strung together with the employee experience in the middle of it, it leads to behavior that may fit the immediate task at hand, but may miss the bigger picture,” says Darcy Mackay, SVP of HR and Client Services at Rippling.

In this episode, Darcy Mackay shares what she learned from her experience as a CPO for a Fortune 120 company and overseeing roughly 9,000 people globally to recruit and retain the best of the best in her industry. They also talk about the meaning of customer experience and how technology can empower the HR role.

Key takeaways:

- Understanding the business is crucial for HR professionals to be able to find and hire the right kind of talent

- Cultivating a strong employee experience can become a powerful competitive advantage

- Learning more about the HR role can enhance your skills, even if you’re overseeing people in an entirely different department

Check this episode out on your go-to podcast app to discover how you can elevate your employee experience.

Resources:

- Darcy Mackay

- Rippling

- Ted Blosser

- WorkRamp

Book Recommendations:

- Good to Great by Jim Collins

- Essentialism by Greg McKeown

No values mean no purpose, and no purpose means no success.

Well-thought-out and communicated values are critical for a successful organization.

"If you can really live and breathe your values, you're going to provide a lot of gains for your organization,” says our CEO and CEO of WorkRamp, Ted Blosser.

In this episode of LEARN, we close out 2023 with Ted sharing his top five learnings around building a values-driven company. Tune in to learn from his experience so you can feel confident that your company’s values aren’t just words on a wall but what anchors your organization’s every move.

Key takeaways:

- Choose values that are reflective of your company's core identity

- Instead of relying on operating manuals, anchor your operations around your values, providing a guiding context for employees while allowing autonomy

- Actively live and breathe your company's values and consistently integrate them into daily practices

Listen on your favorite podcast app to hear Ted’s personal experiences around values and how you can live and breathe them.

Resources:

- Ted Blosser

- WorkRamp

Culture and strategy aren’t two ends of a spectrum. In fact, culture should be embedded into your strategy.

“I believe that culture is the ‘how.’ If you think about your vision or your mission, that's your ‘why,’ it's why you exist in the world, why you get up in the morning, why people are doing what they're doing. Then there's the strategy. That's the ‘what.’ What are you focused on? What is expected of people to get the outcomes and the results that we want? And then the culture is the ‘how.’ How are we doing this? How are we working together?” explains Melissa Daimler, Chief Learning Officer at Udemy.

In the latest episode of LEARN, Melissa joins Ted, WorkRamp’s CEO & Co-Founder, to discuss the value of developing culture as a part of your business strategies for growth. During the conversation, they also talk about the important distinction between skills and behavior, and why you should be considering how they affect your company from a systems perspective.

Key takeaways:

- Culture isn’t about ping-pong tables or happy hours; it’s about how you work.

- The link between behaviors and skills is something organizations aren’t fully taking advantage of.

- Being clear about the behaviors and skills you want your employees to develop is crucial for continuity and growth.

Tune in on your favorite podcast app to discover how you can be more strategic in developing culture and embed culture into your strategies.

Resources:

- Melissa Daimler

- Udemy

- Ted Blosser

- WorkRamp

Book Recommendation:

- ReCulturing

While customer education is still in its early stages, it shouldn’t be an afterthought. If businesses want to succeed, they need to make customer education a clear priority for everyone.

“Customer education does need to be viewed as something that touches every part of the customer life cycle and the customer journey. There needs to be a conscious effort to ensure that all parts of an organization are working together to incorporate customer education into what they do,” says Joe Ryan, Training Program Manager at Maltego & Founder of Customer Education Newsletter.

In this episode, Joe dives deep on how customer education can benefit a company’s different departments and the future of the industry. Along the way, we also touch on the transition from free to paid services and fitting customer education in sales processes.

In this episode, you will gain insights into:

- Incorporating customer education successfully depends on an organization’s maturity

- Relegating customer education as a last-ditch effort for customer retention wastes its potential

- Growing the customer education industry and community requires professionals to be more vocal about how it fits into an organization’s structure

Check this episode out on your favorite podcast app to discover how customer education can bring massive value to your company.

Resources:

- Joe Ryan

- Maltego

- Customer Education Newsletter

- Ted Blosser

- WorkRamp

People management is more than ticking off the usual HR tasks.

Succeeding as a people manager requires a mastery that encompasses a deeper understanding of interpersonal dynamics, leadership acumen, and the adept handling of the intricate tapestry of human connections.

“I think the mindset flips that I've seen a lot of people go through and that I hope a lot more HR leaders go through is really operating like something close to a COO—something close to somebody who thinks about, ‘How do I build the strongest, most effective company possible from my seat?’” says Jack Altman, CEO and Co-Founder of Lattice.

In this episode of LEARN, Jack shares his insights about the state of HR and people management. Listen in to hear a candid conversation about ways to lead teams better and ensure alignment to produce the company’s best work and boost employee satisfaction.

Key takeaways:

1. Great managers are chameleons who adapt to their teams

2. HR can drive operational excellence by designing and improving processes

3. The best way to develop leaders is through experiential learning

Tune in on your favorite podcast app to get a deep dive into the state of people management and how to future-proof your processes.

Resources:

- Jack Altman

- Lattice

- Ted Blosser

- WorkRamp

The recent OpenAI drama involving Sam Altman’s firing and eventual rehiring—all in the span of a work week—highlights an important element of a successful business: board alignment. When your executive team and board aren’t on the same page, it could complicate the health of your business.

“I’ve had good board meetings and bad board meetings. I've had misalignment and strong alignment, and through that I’ve learned a lot about consistently and constantly improving our own board management,” says our host and CEO of WorkRamp, Ted Blosser.

On this episode of LEARN, we’re trying something different: CEO Series. Ted shares with you eight key learnings he’s picked up from his history working with a board to help you stay aligned and manage your relationship with your board members.

In this episode, you will gain insights into:

- Aligning with your board is a critical part of business that many people from the outside don’t see

- Building relationships with your board, both in and out of the office, helps keep business running smoothly

- Growing and elevating your executive team is a reflection of you as a CEO

Tune in on your favorite podcast app to discover what you can do to nurture relationships with board members.

Resources:

- Ted Blosser

- WorkRamp

Episode highlights:

[02:42] Learning 1: Have good board management hygiene

[04:02] Learning 2: Do a mid-quarter board sync

[04:57] Learning 3: Build relationships with your board

[05:57] Learning 4: Have strong opinions loosely held

[07:36] Learning 5: Choose your board members wisely

[09:10] Learning 6: Take compensation seriously

[10:40] Learning 7: Bring someone in to support you

[12:36] Learning 8: Your executive team reflects you as a CEO

Understanding your customers is crucial. It’s the key to your success.

Especially in the fintech industry.

Domain expertise as a fintech CSM is more than understanding the tech and the jargon of a specific industry. It’s also aout realizing what customers encounter daily.

“You're a tech company, but you sit on the global financial rails, which is a thing that's largely out of your control. You have to become an expert in that, and you have to become an expert in everything around payments. You have to have a love of that and getting into the weeds on that because that's actually your day-to-day value to your customers,” says Tim Smith, Head of Global Customer Success & Product Sales at Stripe.

In this episode, Tim sits down with Ted to discuss the value of having a team of domain experts in his role as customer success. Along the way, they talk about what companies get right and wrong in professional services and the coalescence of customer education and pro services.

In this episode, you will gain insights into:

- Understanding that your professional services are a talent engine for your company

- How to cultivate domain experts through an excellent onboarding experience

- Creating a culture of documentation gets people on the same page faster, which is vital in the fast-paced world of fintech

Tune in on your favorite podcast app to learn more about how you can uplevel the customer success processes in your organization.

Resources:

- Tim Smith

- Stripe

- Ted Blosser

- WorkRamp

Podcast Recommendation:

- Invest Like the Best

Consolidating your tech stack is a challenge these days. The SaaS competition is intense, you’re never sure what you’re going to get, and the power dynamic between sellers and buyers isn’t what it used to be.

“There's a very real shift happening. Buyers of software have a lot of leverage—and with a lot of leverage, it’s really up to you to say what you’re willing to pay. It used to be a couple of years where we saw sellers holding firm and buyers [saying], ‘Okay, I’ve got all this cash. I’m going to spend it.’ But now, it’s more like, ‘I don’t have all this cash.’ So, now we’re really seeing buyers tell their suppliers more, ‘Take it or leave it,’ says Ryan Neu, Co-founder & CEO of Vendr.

In our first live LEARN episode, Ryan joins Ted at our LEARN Virtual Event to talk all about consolidating your tech stack as a learning professional. They touch on the ins and outs of getting buy-in from your CFO and understanding how to reach a win-win scenario, whether you’re a buyer or a supplier.

In this episode, you will gain insights into:

- Speaking the language of the CFO to helps justify expanding your tech stack

- Finding leverage in today’s market is essential for suppliers to survive

- Understanding the motivations that drive a salesperson’s actions allows you to negotiate better

Listen in on your favorite podcast app to learn how you can effectively expand your tech stack and achieve greater ROI on the platforms you choose to invest in.

Resources:

- Ryan Neu

- Vendr

- Ted Blosser

- WorkRamp

Book Recommendation:

- Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss