Explore every episode of the podcast People Business w/ O'Brien McMahon
Dive into the complete episode list for People Business w/ O'Brien McMahon. Each episode is cataloged with detailed descriptions, making it easy to find and explore specific topics. Keep track of all episodes from your favorite podcast and never miss a moment of insightful content.
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Title
Pub. Date
Duration
Talent Scarcity: The Boiling Pot We Are All Swimming In w/ Ben Eubanks
14 Jan 2025
01:04:30
Ben Eubanks is a writer, speaker, and researcher living in Huntsville, Alabama. His work has been featured in numerous industry publications and his books have been cited by some of the world’s most prestigious universities as a method for instructing the next generation of HR professional. Ben spends his days as the Chief Research Officer for Lighthouse Research & Advisory, a firm that examines and delivers groundbreaking insights on the HR technology market as well as workforce trends in hiring, training, retention, and more.
(6:10) - Why did you write Talent Scarcity? (10:31) - Can you explain what has been happening with the birth rate in America? (14:59) - What’s the difference between a scarcity and a shortage? (17:56) - How are companies approaching the people/talent scarcity dilemma? (26:04) - Where does the gig economy play into the scarcity discussion? (33:01) - How do you see companies shifting hiring to remain competitive in the coming market? (37:10) - What is the hidden labor market? (48:34) - How do you see organizations embracing this as part of the culture? (51:46) - Leading is reminding/the Forgetting Curve (56:10) - Do you see organizations doing anything different in how they market themselves to attract qualified applicants? (1:00:08) - Final thoughts: AI, the creativity killer?
Changing the Stories We Tell Ourselves w/ Rachel Hanson
17 Dec 2024
01:05:21
Rachel Hanson is a Builder with Built to Lead, a band of personal and leadership coaches helping individuals and teams awaken and transform. Prior to joining BTL, Rachel spent 12 years as a Division I Women's Softball head coach at Stanford and Dartmouth.
Timestamps (2:14) - Welcoming Rachel. (3:01) - How do you describe Built to Lead and the work you do? (4:43) - How did you get introduced to Built to Lead in the first place? (5:37) - How has your coaching changed since starting? (13:01) - How do we see clearly the stories we are telling ourselves? (14:38) - What does discovery look like with a new client? (16:16) - What are your favorite discovery questions? (17:55) - What does the work in those first practices look like? (19:44) - How can you tell if someone lacks clarity? (23:35) - How do we change our beliefs once we’ve discovered them? (37:23) - Is there anything else we haven’t covered on the concept of changing the stories we tell ourselves? (46:03) - Where do you recommend people start with the writing/journaling? (48:55) - How do you help people who won't be honest with themselves because they are scared it will mean having to make a drastic change? (55:02) - How do you coach your clients when it comes to defining their purpose? (59:50) - What elements of this work have most influenced your life? (1:01:15) - What is a story that you changed about yourself?
Leading Yourself w/ Elizabeth Lotardo
08 Oct 2024
01:02:37
Elizabeth Lotardo returns to the podcast to discuss her new book, Leading Yourself. Elizabeth is a consultant, writer, and online instructor who helps organizations drive emotional engagement. Leading Yourself has been called a "refreshingly candid playbook that helps you create a work experience worth loving, right now".
Timestamps (2:22) - Welcoming Elizabeth (4:24) - What does it mean to lead yourself? (8:09) - Do you see commonalities with Stoicism? (9:29) - Can you talk about why it’s ok not to be passionate about what we’re doing all the time? (11:29) - How can we define purpose for ourselves in a more productive way? (15:14) - Please explain why most goals depend on consistency, not intensity. (21:25) - Can you explain why success is not as gratifying as we think it will be? (24:39) - How do we set goals and succeed but manage our energy better? (29:13) - Can you give an example of not focusing on success only but the process along the way? (33:04) - How can we reframe our thoughts about working with others? (37:18) - Can you talk about how to know when a situation is repairable vs when it’s not? (38:48) - Can you expand on ‘intent’ and how to navigate that? (42:34) - What does "disagree and commit" mean? (49:27) - How do you think about "team"? (53:56) - How do we protect ourselves from all the noise coming at us? (58:54) - How has self-leadership shown up in your world since writing the book? (1:01:39) - Anything you’d like to close with?
Developing the Team w/ Ryan McCrea
26 Jul 2022
00:59:16
Ryan McCrea is passionate about helping others own their career. He is currently the Head of Career Development at Atlassian, leading development and mobility programs for a growing global technology company with more than 7,000 employees. Prior to Atlassian, Ryan was Vice President and Manager of Talent Development at Commerce Bank where he built their corporate-wide professional development program from scratch.
Time Codes: (2:49) - How does one become a Learning & Development Leader? (4:16) - What drew you to this aspect within HR? (4:59) - How have you developed your knowledge base? (6:38) - Where does a company start to develop its internal training? (10:10) - How do you get buy-in from organizational leaders? (12:13) - What skills have you developed to have an impact in your role? (14:06) - What do you see as the staples of being a good marketer? (17:28) - How do you structure learning environments? (21:26) - What are you seeing when it comes to attention spans in employees? (24:56) - Do you consider yourself a niche expert or a jack-of-all-trades? (31:41) - Do you have an example of using the Agile framework for building programs? (36:42) - What is a Scrum Master? (37:53) - Is part of Agile breaking the entire process down into micro-steps? (39:27) - How do you build recovery into your processes? (41:52) - What’s the right way to roll out a Pilot? (45:28) - How do you test and demonstrate ROI? (48:54) - Where do you see leadership changing? (56:53) - What is the purpose of business? (58:13) - Where can people connect with you?
When Everything but the Mission Needs to Change w/ Meetup CEO David Siegel
19 Jul 2022
01:08:54
David Siegel is the CEO of Meetup, the largest platform for finding and building local communities. He has 25 years of experience as a technology and digital media executive leading organizations through innovative product development, rapid revenue growth, and digital traffic acceleration. Prior to joining Meetup, David was CEO of Investopedia and before that, President of Seeking Alpha. He is an adjunct professor at Columbia University, teaching strategic planning and entrepreneurship. He is the author of Decide & Conquer: 44 Decisions That Make or Break All Leaders and hosts the podcast Keep Connected, which is dedicated to the power of community.
(4:02) - When did your core principles become clear to you? (9:44) - Have you done anything since writing the book to apply your values day-to-day? (12:35) - Writing and reflecting on your career journey to help you grow. (14:54) - Interviewing for a leadership role. (19:23) - How do you deal with the fear that comes with a new leadership role? (21:56) - What is a process plan versus a business plan? (25:42) - What are the different frameworks you use and why are they important? (30:19) - Why was moving fast so important to you? (37:28) - WarTime & PeaceTime CEOs. (45:55) - How do you create luck? (49:01) - What are some examples of decisions you’ve made that led to doors opening or doors closing? (57:38) - How do you create a successful community? (1:04:08) - What is the purpose of business?
Lessons Learned w/ Chris McMahon
12 Jul 2022
01:04:42
For our 100th episode, we have a special guest. Chris McMahon is the owner of McMahon Ford in Norwalk, CT. He was O'Brien's first boss, his first sales leader, and has been a lifelong mentor. He's also O'Brien's father. He joins the show to talk about the lessons he's learned over his career as a salesperson, manager, and business owner.
Time Codes:
(0:58) - Introducing Episode #100 (2:22) - Chris’ background and career beginnings. (6:21) - Have car dealers always had a bad reputation? (8:18) - What did you learn about sales in your first job with a dealership? (16:36) - What was your experience like as a sales/general manager? (24:35) - How did you become an owner? (26:21) - What did you learn from your business mentors? (30:40) - What led you to leave a great opportunity to chase a riskier one? (34:59) - Did your mentors ever discuss their business philosophies? (37:00) - Taking over one of the worst-performing dealerships in the state. (38:12) - What was your experience like venturing out on your own? (42:06) - How did you lead through tough times in the business? (51:31) - What did you hope to teach your children by having them work at the dealership? (1:02:03) - What is the purpose of business?
Think Like a Futurist w/ Rebecca Ryan
28 Jun 2022
01:09:38
Rebecca Ryan is a noted futurist, economist, best-selling author, and entrepreneur. She is the founder of NEXT Generation Consulting through which she partners with private and public sector leaders across the country. Looking a generation ahead, she outlines strategies in urban planning, economic development, and workforce development to ensure communities are well equipped for future trends and challenges. Rebecca is a graduate of Drake University with a certificate in Strategic Foresight from the University of Houston. She is on the Executive Committee of the global Association of Professional Futurists.
(3:00) - What is a futurist, and what does your work look like? (6:30) - Are there any other ways you try to simplify your work? (10:38) - How do you know which weak signals to pay attention to? (12:58) - What is your process for scanning all of this data and information in your futurist work? (16:35) - What are the mechanics for predicting the future? (21:35) - What does a project look like that a business might bring you in for? (27:09) - Do you have an example of a project that you’ve done? (29:29) - How do you sit with a group to help them shake up their point of view? (34:35) - What are some of the common biases you see getting in the way of corporate decision-making? (37:47) - What’s the best way for people to practice breaking their biases? (42:32) - A real-world example from O'Brien's life. (50:26) - How do you advise people to think about Black Swans? (57:37) - The Strategy Paradox. (1:01:01) - What trends are you paying attention to when it comes to human resources? (1:04:46) - What is the purpose of business? (1:06:04) - How can people find and engage with you online?
The Power of Small Groups w/ Randy Haykin
21 Jun 2022
01:01:42
Randy is a coach, serial entrepreneur, angel investor, vintner, and philanthropist who lives and works in the San Francisco Bay Area. He coaches CEOs around the country and was a former lead coach with Vistage, where he built and led a group of 16 CEOs. In 2013, Randy founded the philanthropic venture The Gratitude Network, a leadership development organization supporting the world’s most dynamic and innovative nonprofit leaders and organizations impacting the lives of children in the areas of Education, Health and Well-Being, and Children’s Rights.
(3:30) - Randy’s backstory on becoming a coach for CEOs. (5:07) - When you think of a CEO, what image comes to your mind? (7:12) - What percent of CEOs would you say are self-reflective individuals? (10:00) - What are the common challenges you see CEO’s facing today? (13:42) - Are CEOs really bought in and committed to DE&I rather than just seeing it as a trend to keep up with? (16:26) - Where do you start when you begin working with a CEO? (20:16) - How do you walk someone through goal setting? (28:04) - Do you see the people you work with naturally understanding and gravitating to your methods? (32:39) - Could you outline your 4 C’s framework? (37:14) - How did you set up The Gratitude Network? (42:36) - The value of doing a Cohort group. (48:30) - Why did you choose the word Gratitude? (51:36) - What advice do you have for people to craft something meaningful in their lives? (56:17) - How do you do a good job when you have a lot of jobs? (1:00:38) - Wrap up
Parental Leave Leadership w/ Amy Beacom & Sue Campbell
14 Jun 2022
00:59:45
Dr. Amy Beacom is the Founder and CEO of the Center for Parental Leave Leadership. She and Sue Campbell, along with the rest of their team, are on a mission to improve parental leave in America by coaching companies on how best to navigate this trying time. In a time when workplaces are adapting to a more human-centered approach, they offer relevant lessons on co-authorship and servant leadership.
(4:26) - Why would you choose parental leave as a career path? (9:54) - O’Brien’s interest in Parental Leave. (15:39) - The history of Parental Leave (19:42) - Where are we today with Parental Leave? (27:12) - How do you advise companies on improving their PL policies? (33:48) - If managers had really strong soft-skill training, how much would parental leave training be needed? (38:40) - How do you help build empathy in managers? (46:49) - What are best practices for touch points while someone is out on leave? (51:37) - What are you sick of talking about? (53:38) - What is the purpose of business? (57:54) - Where can people find and engage with you?
Great Ideas Float to the Surface w/ Amanda Greenberg
07 Jun 2022
00:56:31
Amanda Greenberg is the CEO and Co-Founder of Balloon, a platform that unlocks ideas, insights, and feedback by eliminating groupthink and amplifying unheard voices. Prior to founding Balloon, she served as a public health researcher in Washington, D.C., where she developed behavior change campaigns for the EPA and CDC under then-Vice President Joe Biden. Amanda is an expert in the barriers to true collaboration and how groups can get past them to make better decisions.
(2:42) - Why are groups making worse decisions than they think? (4:57) - What is the standard group decision-making process? (7:26) - What is Balloon? (10:10) - Can you define how you run a flight asynchronously? (11:46) - Are these flights just for brainstorming or is there a longer use case? (15:36) - Is there an option for anonymity in the feedback that goes to leaders? (17:33) - What are some of the most frequent or most impactful biases you see? (22:46) - What are your thoughts on the power of gut feeling vs. group collaboration? (26:33) - How does the extra “question clarification” part of sessions get built into a flight? (28:36) - How have you built out templates for starting conversations? (32:54) - Do you have examples of what this new way of working looks like? (35:40) - Is there a certain personality type that doesn’t do well with Balloon? (38:29) - What have you learned about creativity from your research? (43:46) - When do we get to come together and for what purpose as remote workers? (48:25) - Is there anything Balloon offers to help people test out ideas or pilots? (50:58) - What are you sick of talking about? (52:52) - What interests you the most within your work? (54:19) - What is the purpose of business? (55:05) - How can people learn more about Balloon?
World Class Leaders w/ Andrea Petrone
24 May 2022
01:02:09
Andrea Petrone is an Executive Coach, Strategic Advisor, Facilitator, and Speaker. He helps CEOs and other C-Suite leaders in the mid-market to drive growth and performance by leading change, building transformational teams, and designing winning strategies.
Before launching his advisory firm, Andrea held C-suite executive roles for more than 20 yrs at the international level. He worked in six countries and three continents primarily in the Oil and Energy, Industrial, and Consulting sectors.
Andrea hosts the popular podcast "The World Class Leaders Show" where he and his guests deconstruct the success of high-performance leaders, share their stories and teach the most effective strategies to move from average to greatness. Andrea is originally Italian and he lives in London, UK.
Time Codes: (3:10) - What are the misconceptions about Executive Coaching? (5:55) - What questions do you get from leaders when you first engage with them? (8:44) - How many frameworks do you deploy in your work? (9:58) - Could you give an example of one of your frameworks? (15:25) - How are your clients held accountable? (20:22) - How do you get leaders to open up to the fact that they have weaknesses? (26:16) - Do you have any methods for easing someone’s ego? (30:17) - Where do you start when working with teams? (36:59) - What are some great methods for assessing teams? (41:50) - What have you found to be best practices for creating an environment of psychological safety? (49:07) - What do you notice are the biggest differences in how teams and leaders operate around the world? (53:51) - What lessons have you learned in doing your podcast? (59:11) - What is the purpose of business? (1:00:10) - How can people engage with you online?
Remote Done Right w/ Liam Martin
17 May 2022
01:15:45
Liam Martin believes we have corrupted "work from home" and turned it into "living at work". He wants to correct those mistakes and help companies run remote the right way. Liam is a serial entrepreneur who runs Time Doctor and Staff.com — one of the most popular time tracking and productivity software platforms in use by top brands today. He is also a co-organizer of the world's largest remote work conference — Running Remote — and has a book out by the same name, helping business leaders put these practices in place in their organizations.
(3:25) - Liam’s thesis for Remote Work. (6:05) - Why do you believe remote work is a viable option and what are the rules for a good remote working environment? (12:27) - Turning “working from home” into “living at work.” (14:04) - How did you learn how to set boundaries for Remote Work? (17:12) - Remote Work’s impact on the Great Resignation (21:46) - What is the role of teams coming together in person? (25:34) - What is different about management in an asynchronous organization vs. on-site? (36:35) - The open-source aspect of asynchronous management. (40:10) - What personality types would struggle with remote work? (44:00) - How can we build relationships without being face to face with people? (49:41) - How are you training your people? (1:01:39) - Is there any struggle in the asynchronous model when a team member works with people outside the organization? (1:10:58) - What is the purpose of business? (1:14:14) - Where can people find and engage with you?
Data Drive DEI w/ Laura McGee
10 May 2022
00:55:54
Laura McGee is the founder and CEO of Diversio, a people analytics company that uses artificial intelligence to help organizations become more inclusive. With offices in Toronto, New York, and London, Diversio was recognized by Fast Company as a “World Changing Idea: Data and AI” in 2021. Prior to Diversio, Laura was a consultant at McKinsey & Company with a focus on economic growth. She was named a Top 25 Women of Influence in 2017 and holds multiple Board positions, including Global Citizen, University of Waterloo, Ted Rogers School of Management, and ArcTern Ventures.
(3:15) - What brought you to DEI work? (6:18) - What does it mean to use AI to read data? (8:31) - Do you have an example of this algorithm being used in practice? (10:00) - How do you filter between issues from employees that stem from home vs. those that stem from the workplace? (13:17) - Diversio’s survey techniques and data trends. (15:12) - How do you identify the things a client needs to do well? (18:47) - How do you effectively implement pilot programs? (22:31) - What does the deliverable look like that a client sees when you go through a survey? (24:56) - What have been some of the biggest surprises you’ve seen doing this work? (28:07) - Are most of the issues you see caused purposefully or due to ignorance? (32:25) - What types of disabilities or mental illness are you seeing as being included the least in the workplace? (35:11) - What recommendations are you making for employers when it comes to mental health? (37:04) - What is neurodiversity? (37:33) - How do you respond to someone saying that there are simply too many sub-groups to effectively affirm everyone’s differences and still effectively run a business? (40:23) - Open source solutions for people who are motivated to start this work (42:34) - What were the conversations like when deciding to open source your work? (45:34) - What are the biggest hurdles you see companies facing even with all this data in hand? (46:44) - How are companies effectively implementing your feedback and solutions? (47:34) - Why would companies use this tool as a risk assessment? (50:12) - What are you sick of talking about? (52:23) - What are you most excited to be talking about? (53:11) - What do you think people are not talking enough about? (53:46) - What is the purpose of business?
Dignity Based Management w/ Julian Posada
01 Oct 2024
01:10:07
Julian Posada is the founder and President of LiftUp Enterprises, a for-profit holding company that focuses on low-income individuals' economic and social outcomes. Prior he was COO of The Resurrection Project. Julian has served on numerous non-profit boards over his career. Currently, he sits on the boards of the Chicago Public Media (WBEZ/SunTimes), BBB, Metropolitan Planning Council (MPC), HOPE Chicago, Crains Forum Advisory Board, and Sprague Foundation.
Timestamps (1:48) - Welcoming Julian. (2:29) - What is LiftUp Enterprises? (5:41) - What made you want to approach social impact with a for-profit approach? (6:53) - Do you get pushback from the nonprofit world? (13:07) - What does it mean to "stabilize" a low-wage worker? (16:07) - Can you expand on why more money doesn’t necessarily solve the problem? (21:36) - How did you build your multi-faceted skill set for this work? (24:49) - How do you hold the time for this kind of iteration? (32:38) - What are some of the other principles of dignity-based management? (38:57) - Does what you’re talking about require major financial investment? (46:05) - How are you coming up with these ideas? (57:28) - Can you talk about smile bonuses? (1:03:05) - What advice would you give to leaders on how to get started with this?
(3:26) - What is hype? (5:42) - When did hype become something you wanted to dedicate your career to? (8:59) - How should the everyday person be thinking about hype? (12:26) - How does someone find the right audience for their message? (15:06) - “Make war, not love.” (20:22) - How does someone pick fights if they don't like conflict? (23:43) - Do you have exercises for this? (24:57) - “Create your own secret society.” (31:27) - Re-thinking how you network. (44:42) - What type of language resonates most with people? (49:37) - How can people add theatricality to a business setting? (55:28) - Michael’s take on the phrase “Under-promise & Over-deliver.” (1:04:10) - Where can people find you?
Building Brand Loyalty w/ Skot Waldron
26 Apr 2022
00:51:38
Skot Waldron helps businesses and business leaders market and communicate with their internal customers; their employees. With 20+ years in brand development, Skot has turned his focus from external to internal as he applies the lessons of great branding to the employee experience. He has worked with large companies like Royal Caribbean, The Coca Cola Company, and JP Morgan Chase as well as small businesses and entrepreneurs in one-on-one coaching. In this conversation, Skot outlines the steps to his process and gives listeners ideas for identifying and improving their culture and brand.
(3:27) - Skot’s origin story. (4:58) - How do you define marketing and branding? (6:08) - Is brand synonymous with reputation? (9:02) - Where do you start with clients to begin creating internal branding and marketing? (13:25) - What happens when clients get negative feedback about themselves? (15:51) - How hard or easy is it for groups to hear negative feedback from you? (18:20) - What do some “ah-ha” moments look like? (20:55) - How do you define leadership communication? (24:40) - What coaching do you give to someone who needs to be better at "pulling"? (34:56) - What coaching do you give to someone who needs to be better at "pushing"? (50:11) - How can people get in touch with you?
The Entrepreneur's Attorney w/ Tricia Meyer
19 Apr 2022
00:52:04
Tricia Meyer is the Founder and Managing Attorney of Meyer Law, one of the fastest-growing law firms in the United States. Meyer helps entrepreneurs and technology companies from startups to large corporations, Shark Tank contestants to companies gracing the Inc. 500. Tricia has been named on the Forbes Next 1000 list, is one of the Most Influential Female Lawyers in Chicago according to Crain’s Chicago Business, and has been recognized as a top 10 technology lawyer. As an entrepreneur, attorney, and mother to a large family Tricia has a unique perspective. In this conversation, we cover a little bit of everything, including legal pitfalls, advice for entrepreneurs, and how to blend the chaos of work and family life.
(3:02) - Tricia’s background starting her own business and positioning it as a tech company. (9:32) - How much of your time in law school is spent on contracts and the way laws work vs. negotiation and strategy? (13:30) - How should decision-makers and business leaders approach their attorneys? (14:52) - Where can there be great partnerships between business leaders and attorneys outside of contracts? (17:03) - What is your approach to negotiations? (18:28) - What’s your husband’s background in entrepreneurship and how did you both get onto this career path? (20:48) - What were the conversations like when you decided to start your first business together? (24:13) - What do you believe about business that is controversial? (29:27) - Was there something about your childhood that instilled your work ethic and confidence? How do you foster that within your own team? (34:10) - How do you think about the balance of building your businesses and raising a large family? (39:16) - Setting boundaries and being able to say “no.” (42:43) - How do you think about sacrifice, when it comes to work and family? (47:17) - What are you sick of talking about? (48:15) - What are you most excited to be talking about? (49:25) - What aren’t people talking about enough? (50:30) - What is the purpose of business?
Flourishing Every Day w/ Michael Balchan
12 Apr 2022
01:04:08
Michael Balchan is the Co-Creator and a Founding Partner of Heroic, a social training platform built to change the world by helping you be the best, most Heroic version of yourself. A Harvard Graduate who studied Psychology and Economics, Michael spent ten years in finance and then launched a private coaching practice working with corporate executives, elite athletes, and startup leadership teams. As President of Heroic’s sister company and personal development platform Optimize Coach, he helped launch and lead the program, which serves more than 5,500+ people from 95+ countries. Michael regularly teaches personal growth, positive psychology, peak performance, habit creation, wellness, relationships, and leadership.
Time Codes: (2:59) - What does it mean to flourish? (6:25) - What role are you trying to play in flourishing? (10:25) - Targeted Thinking, Morgan Housel, & John Wooden. (20:11) - O’Brien’s wedding: Something will go wrong. (26:07) - Stimulus & response. (28:21) - Combating stress that drains your focus. (38:24) - Building confidence. (42:03) -The importance of energy management. (51:34) - Social Media & technology addiction. (1:01:44) - Final thoughts.
Getting to the Truth & Building High Performers w/ Jim Connolly
05 Apr 2022
01:01:55
Jim Connolly is Founder & CEO of ILR, LLC (www.IndustryLeadingResults.com), an organizational behavior consulting practice. Jim’s expertise in human behavior and organizational process helps companies hire the right talent and close the gap between performance and results. He has worked with over a hundred companies and completed more than 2,700 behavioral interviews. He has honed a process that can tell you today what you’ll know about an employee six months after you hire them. He is highly skilled at completing an in-depth analysis of a person’s qualifications, strengths, and character.
(3:10) - What is the difference between a Doctorate and a PhD? (4:59) - What field are you getting your Doctorate in? (6:07) - What are the problems are you solving for companies? (8:07) - Are there people who are programmed to be explorers and those who are not? (10:15) - Jim’s work in Change Management. (13:45) - What are the best practices for behavioral interviewing? (35:43) - How should employers be thinking about developing their people? (39:29) - Can you build average people into high-performers? (43:11) - How do you think about "drive" as a personality trait? (46:54) - What’s the right way to think about training people to become high performers? (57:39) - What is the purpose of business?
Hosting Dinner Parties & Building Successful Careers w/ Scott Miller
29 Mar 2022
01:03:53
Scott Miller is a business leader, author, and podcast host as well as Senior Advisor to FranklinCovey. If that name rings a bell, it’s because their founder, Steven Covey, wrote the book 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Scott’s books include Management Mess to Leadership Success, Everyone Deserves a Great Manager, and Master Mentors, among others. On his podcast, On Leadership with Scott Miller, he interviews expert guests like Adam Grant, James Clear, and General Stanley McChrystal, among others on what it takes to lead.
(3:35) - Scott’s famed dinner parties: The guests, the purpose, the format and the layout. (19:02) - Scott’s Origin story working for Franklin Covey. (22:01) - How did working for a leadership development company help you develop as a leader? (32:49) - Having a path for yourself, your people and working to retain talent. (38:29) - Identifying your personal values. (43:10) - Values fluctuate very little, but the expression of those values can fluctuate greatly over time. (45:48) - How do you think about work-life balance? (49:28) - How do leaders help their teams set and keep boundaries? (53:07) - Being on the best team vs. Being the best on the team. (1:00:49) - What is the purpose of business? (1:02:22) - Where can people learn more about you?
Why They Buy w/ Kristin Zhivago
22 Mar 2022
00:57:39
Kristin Zhivago is President of Zhivago Partners, a digital marketing management company. She is an expert on the customer’s buying process and has spent years as a revenue coach, teaching CEOs and entrepreneurs how to sell more by understanding what their customers want to buy and how they want to buy it. She is the author of the 5-star book, Roadmap to Revenue: How to Sell the Way Your Customers Want to Buy, named one of the top sales and marketing books by Forbes.
(2:48) - What is it like to wake up alone in the middle of the ocean? (11:40) - How does one become a Revenue Coach? (15:01) - How have you used your method to determine your own strengths and weaknesses? (17:45) - How does this work apply to a department selling their work internally? (26:04) - Are there core principles that people are looking for when they buy? (30:44) - Do you find that the desires, concerns, and questions are the same from clients who buy from one specific company? (32:37) - What are the base characteristics needed to lump someone into a buyer group? (33:53) - What advice do you have to get through to people who are dealing with burnout and may not want to talk to you? (41:35) - What mistakes are you seeing people in your field make? (42:48) - How often do you find that people can’t articulate why they do or don’t buy? (49:03) - What are you sick of talking about? (50:31) - What are you most excited to be talking about? (53:02) - Why is the word “love” such a hang-up? (55:25) - What is the purpose of business? (56:07) - Where can people find you?
The Great Reckoning w/ Jason Lauritsen
15 Mar 2022
00:55:19
Jason Lauritsen is transforming management as a keynote speaker, trainer, and author. He liberates managers from outdated and inhumane practices so they can cultivate human potential at work and improve people’s lives. Jason’s advice and teachings are informed by decades of experience as an entrepreneur, corporate executive, and employee engagement researcher. He also spent several years leading the Best Places to Work program for an HR technology company, where he gained deep insight into some of the best workplaces in the world.
(3:02) - How would you describe the state of work today? (4:20) - What’s your origin story? (6:32) - What is the “hot mess” we’ve all been living and working in? (10:11) - Where are we going with the future of work? (17:47) - How do we balance the “we” and the “me” aspect of work? (27:33) - The hierarchy of employee needs. (32:07) - Creating clarity around values. (40:12) - How do you see companies shifting effectively (and ineffectively) right now? (45:40) - Why should we care about any of this in the first place? (49:33) - What is the purpose of business? (52:52) - Where can people engage with you?
Starting the Conversation w/ Marion Abrams
08 Mar 2022
00:58:24
Marion Abrams is a podcasting coach & consultant with deep experience in podcasting and content creation. She co-created Spartan Race’s official podcast, Spartan Up (now boasting over 35 million views & downloads) and has worked on a range of projects from social media advisor on a gubernatorial campaign, to creating the documentary film Flood Bound, to directing TV ads for Vermont Lottery. On her podcast, Grounded Content, she explores what drives customer actions, and where the lines are between persuasion and manipulation.
Time Codes: (3:20) - Should everyone be their own content creator? When does it not make sense? (6:29) - How did you come to be an expert on content creation? (9:13) - Thoughts on being a jack-of-all-trades vs. having a niche. (13:15) - What is Mad Motion? (20:04) - How does someone determine a good resource from a bad one? (23:16) - How did you learn to be effective in podcasting? (28:27) - What advice do you have for someone dealing with the angst of starting to build a presence online? (31:21) - Showing different parts of the same persona online. (33:00) - Exercises to help people find their voice. (36:01) - How should we think about aligning ourselves as people with the business content we put out? (38:38) - What’s the process for finding out the best way to craft a person’s message? (42:14) - Marion’s 5 P’s (51:15) - Do you have any contrarian beliefs? (53:29) - What are you most sick of talking about? (54:18) - What are you most excited to be talking about? (54:47) - What is the purpose of business? (55:59) - Wrap up and find out how to find Marion.
Caring For Others w/ Dr. Paul Spradley
01 Mar 2022
01:07:42
Dr. Paul Spradley is a Certified Diversity Practitioner and the current Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for Dollar Bank where he supports their ongoing commitment to an inclusive culture across the Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Virginia markets. Prior to joining Dollar Bank, Paul started the Diversity and Inclusion training firm, Care Based Leadership which is now being led by his wife, Dr. Jessica Spradley.
Time Codes: (3:26) - Paul’s background and journey into DE&I (8:13) - What were your preconceived notions about working in the inner-city? (17:44) - Cognitive dissonance in dealing with harsh realities. (21:15) - Does equality have to feel like a takeaway from those who've had it good? (24:19) - The importance of word choice (ex. "white supremacy"). (29:25) - How can people of all colors come together and ultimately win? (37:59) - Reversing the growing selfishness of society. (48:08) - Why would a company care about DEI? (50:31) - What is a Diversity Officer’s role? (53:29) - Where are companies making mistakes when implementing this work? (55:11) - What do you believe about people or business that might be contrarian? (57:49) - What are you sick of talking about? (1:01:44) - Is there a country out there that’s a great example of a multicultural society? (1:03:13) - What is the purpose of business?
Creating A Better Healthcare Experience w/ Justin Holland
24 Sep 2024
00:50:22
Justin Holland is the CEO and Co-Founder of HealthJoy where he's revolutionizing the healthcare experience by seamlessly blending cutting-edge technology with exceptional service. A serial entrepreneur with a proven track record, Justin has founded and successfully exited multiple VC-backed technology ventures. A sought-after thought leader, he frequently shares his insights on digital health, employee benefits, AI, and the broader technology landscape. Justin holds a bachelor's degree in Engineering from MIT and is based in Miami.
Timestamps (3:32) - What is HealthJoy and how did it start? (8:15) - What does Healthcare Navigation look like in practice? (10:37) - What is the customer experience? (13:23) - What entry points get someone into the process of being navigated? (16:31) - What is the case for Navigation? Why does it exist? (18:55) - How much medical waste is in the system? (21:37) - What are the best practices to get people to sign up? (26:41) - What are best practices for ongoing communications? (28:37) - Is there anything that your customer service department has figured out about how to keep people engaged in their health care that has surprised you? (33:22) - What are the "Four Horsemen of Death"? (37:02) - What do you see as the future of healthcare for individuals? (41:04) - How do you think about the problem of people not living more healthy lives to prevent disease? (47:27) - Final thoughts about benefits navigation. (48:53) - Where can people find you?
Setting the House Rules w/ Jen Alessandra
22 Feb 2022
00:58:27
Jen Alessandra is the Chief People Officer at FrontDoor. Starting in 2019, she guided the company through a rapid and complete transformation into a virtual-first workforce while preserving their strong, adaptable, and action-oriented culture. She is an expert in all aspects of people strategy, including learning, DEI, engagement, and more. In this conversation, Jen explains how FrontDoor built its people strategy from the ground up (pun intended).
Quote - “Small minds discuss people. Average minds discuss events. Great minds discuss ideas.” - Elanor Roosevelt
Time Codes:
(3:29) - Jen’s origin story in HR Leadership. (4:20) - What initially drew you to Social Work? (6:17) - What did you learn from Social Work about setting emotional boundaries? (8:35) - What is the role of HR? (10:34) - What are the principles you use to keep people motivated? (12:23) - How do you scale individual attention? (14:16) - How did you create a common language across the organization? (17:20) - How do you structure your pulse surveys? (20:17) - What have you learned from studying the future of the workforce? (22:09) - Thoughts on creating a culture. (23:22) - Creating time boundaries when piloting programs. (24:18) - How have you managed the ongoing uncertainty of Covid-19? (26:18) - The importance of slowing down to speed up. (28:39) - Setting boundaries at work during the pandemic. (30:11) - Do you have any rituals for disconnecting? (31:51) - Integrating psychology and behavior science in HR. (34:51) - What have you learned about communication that has surprised you? (36:02) - How do you hold the line when it comes to accountability and performance? (38:21) - How are you communicating OKRs? (Objectives and Key Results) (41:19) - Balancing how much a company defines guidelines and roles. (46:20) - What do you believe about people or business that might be contrarian? (47:12) - Helping people receive hard feedback. (48:44) - What are you sick of talking about? (50:29) - What aren’t people talking about enough? (55:26) - What is the purpose of business? (57:16) - Wrap up and final thoughts.
Everyone Deserves Access w/ Jo Marini
15 Feb 2022
00:54:13
Jo Marini is the CEO of Mother Superior, a venture foundry focused on bringing VC money and support to underrepresented entrepreneurs. The wheels in her head began turning during her MBA when she found out that 98% of VC investment goes to well-connected white men. Jo quickly realized that women, BIPOC, LGBTQ+, individuals over 60, and disabled people barely figure in the stats. Mother Superior is setting out to share the wealth, be it through knowledge, time, skills, or money.
Time Codes: (2:30) - The origin of Mother Superior. (4:41) - What was it about your MBA program that made it non-traditional? (8:42) - What do the people who come to Mother Superior look like? (10:36) - The importance of making things personal. (12:55) - What types of ideas are your clients trying to bring into the world? (15:03) - What is a social impact venture? (15:58) - Do you have any examples of how businesses structure themselves for social impact? (17:48) - What is a common good agreement? (21:13) - How should people be thinking about their impact? (24:12) - What’s the criticism you’re facing in your work? (25:37) - What are the big friction points you see holding people back from investing in Mother Superior? (29:14) - Implementing true systemic change. (33:21) - Do you have any examples of how your operating systems ripples out to create businesses that run in different ways? (36:26) - Working within constraints. (39:01) - Do the founders you work with come to you wanting to work within your constraints or are they just looking for a path to the market? (39:47) - Where Mother Superior is headed in the future. (43:07) - What are you most excited to be talking about? (44:11) - What are you sick of talking about? (45:07) - What do you mean by “accessing the world”? (52:15) - What is the purpose of business?
Healing Corporate Trauma w/ Laura Aiken
08 Feb 2022
01:02:42
Laura Aiken is a Consultant and Coach on a mission to end Corporate Trauma. She founded Thrive Leadership to help companies build cultures of resilience and inclusion that help their people thrive. Laura is also a registered yoga teacher and leads transformational retreats around the world where she helps leaders build self-awareness, empathy, and resilience.
(4:28) - Origin story for Thrive Leadership. (7:56) - Laura’s personal burnout experience. (10:38) - How do you define stress? (15:59) - What’s the difference between stress and trauma? (22:33) - Power dynamics at work & corporate trauma. (26:49) - Understanding flow. (32:04) - How should we be thinking about resilience? (34:52) - Meditation and mindfulness as resilience tools. (40:23) - What does Thrive help build resilience? (43:15) - What’s the difference between striving and thriving? (46:57) - How do we keep our edge while letting go of the outcome? (55:36) - What are you sick of talking about? (56:08) - What would you like people to know about corporate trauma and corporate burnout? (57:53) - What does a work environment look like when people are thriving? (59:11) - What is the purpose of business? (1:00:28) - Where can people find you?
Designing a Better Workplace w/ Danielle Crane
01 Feb 2022
00:50:30
Danielle Crane is the Vice President of Global HR for OneStream Software. She has been committed to modernizing the human resources field since her entrance over 15 years ago. Captivated by the art of recruitment early on in her career, Danielle was immediately drawn to how it made her feel – creative, results-focused, and value-added. Since then, she has strived to recreate that feeling in all disciplines of HR, from talent acquisition to compensation and benefits to employee development and retention. Practicing HR in a variety of industries, from tech to financial services to non-profit, Danielle has partnered with leadership to build simplified, high-performing HR functions that fuel organizational growth and success.
(3:35) - How did you become an HR professional? (8:18) - When did Design Thinking enter the picture? (10:09) - What is Design Thinking and how can you implement it at work? (13:40) - The importance of slowing down when implementing Design Thinking. (18:09) - What’s your process for testing? (20:34) - The failure rate of changes implemented by teams and committees. (26:23) - Determining the “right” goals. (28:22) - “If you have an hour to solve a problem, you should spend half the time defining the problem.” (30:06) - How did you go about studying Design Thinking? (32:08) - What support or friction did you face bringing these ideas into your role as Chief People Officer? (38:21) - Do you have other examples of how you brought the external in? (42:59) - Where does behavior science come into this process? (48:47) - What is the purpose of business?
Creating Companies Where People Thrive w/ Charlie Judy
25 Jan 2022
00:51:56
Charlie Judy is the Chief People Officer at Intelligent Medical Objects (IMO). He leads a collaborative effort to manage a culture and employee experience that attracts, connects, and advances a world-class workforce. Charlie has over 26 years of experience as an HR executive with some of the world’s most prominent professional services firms, including Baker Tilly, Navigant, and Deloitte. Most recently, he disembarked from an entrepreneurial venture building a successful company around a workplace culture assessment model and analytics platform.
(2:34) - Charlie’s origin story as an HR leader. (4:00) - Stepping off the traditional Corporate America path. (9:15) - How do you define culture? (11:50) - What impact does a good culture have, and what impact does a negative culture have on an organization? (14:59) - Where do leaders start with culture to ensure a solid foundation? (17:47) - How should executives be thinking about their role in setting and maintaining a culture? (27:16) - How do you build the ability to have impactful conversations with your people on the ground? (35:47) - Is there specific training or coaching to build this skill in frontline managers? (40:23) - How do you empower people with the feeling of ownership? (48:36) - What is the purpose of business? (50:26) - Wrap up and final thoughts.
The Hierarchy of Employee Needs w/ O'Brien McMahon
18 Jan 2022
00:28:10
This special episode was previously aired on the Gut + Science Podcast in 2021. In it, host Nikki Lewallen interviews our own O'Brien McMahon on The Hierarchy of Employee Needs and his perspective on what employers can do to meet the needs of their people. In the conversation, O'Brien outlines a basic framework and gives examples of how employers can use it successfully. The Gut+Science Podcast is on a mission to improve employee engagement by inspiring and equipping leaders to help employees thrive at work. They are part of the People Forward Network, a community of thought leaders inspiring ideas and action toward meaningful work and meaningful lives.
(2:26) - The Hierarchy of Employee Needs. (5:08) - How does it relate to employee compensation & benefits? (7:33) - What mindset shift do leaders need to take when structuring comp and benefits? (8:56) - Examples of companies with great foundations for their hierarchy. (10:50) - Best practices for making powerful employee incentives. (15:04) - Hierarchy Level 2: Leadership. (17:56) - Mastery, Autonomy & Purpose. (18:57) - How do great leaders ensure these needs are being met? (20:32) - A 5 question survey for checking employee needs. (23:39) - What is your favorite book of all time? (25:18) - What is your favorite hobby? (25:40) - What is your favorite vacation spot? (26:32) - Getting in touch with O’Brien.
Reducing Friction w/ Loran Nordgren
11 Jan 2022
01:19:27
Loran Nordgren is the first repeat guest here on People Business. In this conversation, he talks about his book, The Human Element, and the framework he and his co-author have built for helping people reduce the friction that new ideas face when brought to life in the real world.
Loran is one-part behavioral scientist, one-part professor, and one-part practitioner. As a behavioral scientist, his research explores the psychological forces that propel and prevent the adoption of new ideas and actions. As a professor, he has twice received Kellogg’s Management Teacher of the Year award. And as a practitioner, he consults with companies and business leaders around the world.
(3:45) - What was the writing process like for The Human Element? (6:06) - How did you find the stories for the book? (9:48) - What is the book about? (14:33) - What are the Four Frictions? (21:19) - Frictions are hard to spot. How do we draw them out? (23:05) - How do people react when you flip the script on them to draw out their frictions? (28:21) - How do we identify our own frictions? (34:11) - Upward mobility (37:34) - Which of the Four Frictions do you see most present in a sales context? (43:14) - How did you use these principles for your own book launch? (50:02) - Influencing others & Relativity (57:06) - How to use Repetition (1:07:10) - The importance of patience. (1:15:52) - How can people easily buy your book?
Building Your CORE w/ Chet Scott
14 Dec 2021
01:13:14
Chet Scott is the founder of Built to Lead, a band of coaches that believes creating sustainable high-performance teams is not only possible but also worthy of the effort. Together they awaken, challenge, and transform a few individuals, teams, and leaders. In this conversation, he explains the basic tenets of his work and shares a foundational exercise for understanding who you are and building a strong core.
(3:47) - What does it mean to have a strong core? (7:21) - Chet’s journey to founding Built to Lead. (11:45) - What’s your process for self-study? (15:01) - What do you do with a book once you're done with it? (18:59) - What is your process for onboarding a new client? (20:55) - Why is writing so important? (26:51) - What’s the process for someone to build out a strong core? (36:45) - O’Brien’s identity (44:40) - Where’s the line between having a growth mindset and being strong in your identity? (47:29) - Principals: I will _____ (56:39) - Passions: I love to ____ (59:54) - What advice do you have for people when they discover how they are living their life is not truly aligned with who they are? (1:08:24) - Becoming Built to Lead
Design Thinking w/ Nicole Dessain
07 Dec 2021
00:59:42
Nicole Dessain is the Founder and Chief Employee Experience Designer at Talent.Imperative Inc, an employee experience design company. During her 19-year career in human resources, Nicole discovered design thinking while collaborating on a client project. She became a student of the method and got certified by IDEO U and LUMA Institute and is now a SESP Lecturer at Northwestern University’s Masters in Learning and Organizational Change Program which explores how design thinking might be applied to innovation in organizational effectiveness. Nicole runs her own podcast, Talent Tales, where she features leaders who have pioneered design thinking in the field of Human Resources.
Time Codes
(3:03) - What is Talent Imperative and what do you do? (3:39) - What drew you to this work? (4:20) - Design Thinking (7:48) - What is the process for Design Thinking? (10:35) - Assessing and redefining a problem in Design Thinking (16:04) - Thinking of feedback as data (18:35) - How do you foster the right kind of teamwork going into a Design Thinking project?(21:02) - How do you prime people to get on the same page? (24:46) - The tools people in use in ideation of Design Thinking (27:26) - “Prototyping is NOT piloting” (33:22) - Slowing down is actually speeding up aka Change management 2.0 (34:15) - How long does it take for someone to become effective in using these skills? (40:38) - Defining a human experience mindset (41:57) - What have you learned about people in the last 6 years? (43:04) - What does it mean to treat someone as an adult? (44:55) - What are some common mistakes beginners fall victim to when they venture into Design Thinking? (47:10) - What are the misconceptions about Design Thinking? (48:02) - Do you have an example of a group that was apprehensive toward Design Thinking but ended up responding very well to it? (51:52) - Improv & Storytelling (55:28) - What are you sick of talking about? (56:55) - What is the purpose of business? (58:17) - How can people get in touch with you?
The Future of Work w/ Claire Haidar
30 Nov 2021
01:12:10
Claire Haidar is CEO and Founder of WNDYR and Pattyrn, two companies focused on shaping the world of work. Through AI-driven data analysis of how and where teams work, Pattyrn is transforming organizations to work in ways that were inconceivable a mere few years ago. Claire has dedicated her career to rebuilding the workplace and reshaping the future of work across the globe.
(2:50) - Where does your obsession with the future of work come from? (5:45) - What is the same about work around the world and what is different? (8:26) - How is work different in a rail city versus a driving city? (12:23) - How easy is it to unplug from physical work versus thought work? (16:31) - Using data on nature and mental health when creating workspaces? (20:27) - What is the difference between focusing on the future of work and being a Futurist? (23:07) - Pitching WNDYR and PATTYRN. (27:22) - Is WNDYR tech-based or human workflow-based? (29:52) - Where do you start with new clients when thinking about the future of their work? (36:34) - Design Thinking. (43:45) - Defining the employee experience. (49:06) - The #1 problem for HR Leaders today. (57:09) - Embracing risk as an HR leader. (58:02) - How Claire is using PATTYRN to identify leadership and management improvements. (1:02:40) - Using data to battle burnout. (1:06:30) - Is there a correlation between people who switch tasks less often and their productivity or happiness? (1:09:17) - What is the purpose of business?
Helping Employees Retire Well w/ Fred Rutler
17 Sep 2024
00:58:05
Fred Rutler is a Managing Director at Creative Planning Retirement Services where he helps companies create and manage various employee retirement programs.
Timestamps (2:10) - Welcoming Fred. (3:18) - What are the different vehicles companies are using for employee retirement planning? (4:44) - What is a Non-Qualified Deferred Comp plan? (6:00) – What’s the difference between a 401k and a profit-sharing plan? (8:36) - Do you advise employers to do away with profit sharing completely or some match and some profit sharing? (10:11) - Is 10% the amount an employee should be saving for retirement? (15:24) - When would it not be appropriate to have employees in the plan? (21:05) - What is an employer's fiduciary responsibility and what are the consequences of doing it wrong? (23:38) - How often does it happen where somebody gets individually punished for violating their fiduciary responsibility? (26:16) - What do the numbers 321, 338, and 316 mean? (31:04) - What are Pooled Employer Plans (PEP Plans)? (33:46) - What makes a good 401k investment lineup? (37:26) - Are Target Date Funds still the recommended approach? (43:48) - Why is 45 the age when you need to start paying particular attention to asset allocation? (45:27) - Is AI starting to play a role in retirement planning? (47:01) - What are the biggest financial wellness needs for employees? (55:05) - Where do you see the future of retirement planning?
Perform at Your Best w/ Dr. Erik Korem
16 Nov 2021
00:57:34
Dr. Erik Korem is a High-Performance pioneer that introduced sports science and athlete tracking technologies to collegiate and professional (NFL) football. He has worked with the National Football League, Power-5 NCAA programs, gold-medal Olympians, Nike, and the United States Department of Defense. Erik is an expert in sleep and stress resilience, and he is the Founder and CEO of AIM7.
(2:40) - Erik’s background in performance and motivation (6:33) - Motivational, Desire, & Dopamine (11:34) - Is there a way to create or build someone's belief in themselves? (15:14) - Behavior Design (16:28) - The 5 Whys (19:08) - Starting small & learning to stick with the work (30:24) - O’Brien losing his habits and routines after child #2 (38:14) - The Aim7 Calibration (42:06) - How people reacted to the pandemic (43:52) - What do people get wrong about sleep and what are easy corrections they can make? (50:51) - More information on Aim7 (53:17) - Is this relevant to improving your work performance?
(3:14) - Derek’s background in law enforcement and hostage negotiation.
(5:58) - What were some tactics you used as a street cop to get people to comply?
(8:18) - Derek’s mindset during a confrontation and the importance of humanizing suspects.
(14:31) - How do you protect yourself emotionally from the toll these confrontations take on you?
(17:52) - What’s the mindset someone should bring into a negotiation conversation?
(22:07) - How do you define a negotiation?
(23:42) - What should someone do when triggered during a tough negotiation conversation?
(27:49) - Can you train yourself out of being emotionally triggered?
(30:00) - Labeling negative emotions.
(32:38) - The Accusation Audit.
(38:23) - Can you overdo these techniques?
(44:35) - How do you define ‘Tactical Empathy’?
(46:13) - You can't plant a negative idea in someone's head.
(53:12) - What are you sick of talking about? What are you most excited to be talking about?
(54:42) - Wrap Up
Data Driven Growth w/ Jon Morris
02 Nov 2021
00:50:58
At the age of 30, Jon Morris started a digital marketing agency called Rise Interactive. When Jon sold Rise 16 years later, it was one of the largest Independent Digital Agencies in the world. Through Ramsay Innovations, Jon’s new passion is to help 1,000 businesses grow and thrive, just as Rise did.
Time Codes:
(2:48) - What is Ramsay Innovations? (3:42) - What’s the origin story for Rise Interactive? (4:52) - Are companies looking to be taught skills or to offload work? (11:18) - What made you think that financial people would be good for marketing roles? (13:00) - What does it mean to be "data-driven"? (14:22) - How do you ask the right questions? (18:00) - Is your process Design Thinking? (19:27) - When do you know that you’ve looked at enough data? (22:08) - Having only 60-70% of information to make a decision. (23:54) - How do you coach your clients to make more decisions? (26:01) - It's business AND it's personal. (28:32) - Getting comfortable with the uncomfortable. (33:58) - What is the Ramsay Method? (39:15) - What does ‘Grow Simply’ mean? (40:38) - What are the mistakes you see leaders making when it comes to growth? (43:51) - Defining Sales vs. Marketing (45:29) - Thinking of your business budget as financial investing. (47:21) - What are you sick of talking about? (48:02) - What are you most excited to be talking about? (48:35) - What is the purpose of business?
Office of the Future w/ Debra Moritz
26 Oct 2021
01:03:09
Debra Moritz is the Head of Strategic Consulting for Cushman & Wakefield, the third-largest commercial real estate broker in the world. She oversees a team of consultants helping clients reduce cost, increase revenue, and mitigate risk. Her team has represented Fortune 1000 and mid-cap clients in business transformation, portfolio analysis, workplace solutions, M&A, and headquarters evaluation and repositioning. Debra has developed an in-depth understanding of the complex and unique challenges businesses face in ensuring that major real estate decisions are aligned with and support core business objectives. She is an expert on the physical spaces where people do their work and has insights into what the post-pandemic workspace will look like.
(3:36) - What is Cushman & Wakefield and what do you do at the firm? (4:20) - Where do you begin when helping a new client rethink their office strategy? (6:03) - What data should business leaders pay attention to? (9:28) - People vote with their feet. (13:16) - How important is the physical workspace to the work being done? (24:36) - Is it too early to see what a successful post-Covid work strategy looks like? (30:10) - How do you get people up and moving and interacting with each other? (32:02) - Adaptable workspaces. (36:12) - What do you say to the leader who is hesitant to change the way people work? (38:34) - Why there won't be a shift in the square foot required per person. (41:50) - How do you measure experience-per-square-foot? (45:24) - Mental and Behavioral health impacts. (47:36) - The benefits of nature. (52:05) - What is the wildest thing you’ve seen people do with their office space? (55:19) - How should a small to mid-sized business think about improving their office space? (59:55) - What is the purpose of business? (1:01:17) - How can people get in touch with you?
Getting Into StoryMode w/ Jill Pollack & Beth Nyland
19 Oct 2021
01:17:47
Jill Pollack and Beth Nyland are the founders of StoryMode, where they help business professionals spice up their communications, connect with others, and drive results. With Beth's career in corporate communication and Jill's background in creative writing, they are the perfect team to help individuals tap into their creative confidence and craft messages that inspire the audience to action.
(3:33) - What is StoryMode? (5:01) - What makes a good story? (7:49) - What is it about a story that makes us connect emotionally? (13:15) - What place does storytelling have in business? (16:10) - What are the misconceptions from the business community around the value of story? (19:50) - What is C.R.A.P.? (23:00) - How do you help clients cut the C.R.A.P.? (31:01) - How can people begin to use story? (35:18) - What are the best ways to practice building a story into a business setting? (39:05) - Workshopping & Peer Editing (46:01) - How do you use stories in data-heavy presentations? (50:57) - The importance of note-taking, first drafts, and peer feedback. (57:41) - Do clients have to change their workflows to better understand story? (59:25) - The power of word choice. (1:05:59) - What are you sick of talking about when it comes to storytelling? (1:09:16) - What are you most excited to be talking about? (1:10:56) - What is the purpose of business? (1:15:00) - Where can people learn more?
The Sales Drummer w/ Tony Lenhart
12 Oct 2021
01:03:58
Tony Lenhart is a partner at Sales Empowerment Group (SEG). With a degree in Selling & Sales Management, he has worked on honing the art and science of sales through direct sales, sales leadership, and entrepreneurship. He spent the first decade of his career in various sales and leadership roles and the last ten years scaling a successful sales consulting and staffing organization. Since founding SEG, Tony has worked alongside over 200 small and mid-sized organizations and 1,000+ salespeople to help build or rebuild their sales cultures. He maintains a monthly newsletter, Sales Drummer, which lays out his learnings over the years.
(2:48) - What is Sales Empowerment Group? (4:00) - Tony’s origin story. (4:51) - What makes a good salesperson? (6:15) - Is there a difference in traits based on industry or type of sales? (7:22) - How would someone know whether to hire one sales style over another in their company? (9:15) - Do you see companies looking for the wrong traits in their salespeople? (11:28) - What are good leaders doing to get the most out of their entire sales team? (14:41) - Onboarding rookies vs. seasoned salespeople. (20:32) - Why veteran salespeople struggle at new jobs. (23:01) - When the client’s team turns over. (24:46) - Is it the salesperson's responsibility to be organized & structured or the company’s? (27:25) - How should companies deal with different personalities when it comes to basic organization requirements? (29:45) - Do you see companies managing the wrong metrics? (34:17) - Collaborative sales environments. (39:20) - Accountability vs. Micromanagement: what is proper sales accountability? (41:47) - What are the first things a new sales leader should do when taking over a team? (43:40) - Where do sales leaders go wrong? (48:47) - Why do companies change sales compensation so much? (50:59) - What really motivates salespeople? (56:22) - O’Brien’s origin story at Lockton. (59:19) - What are you sick of talking about? (59:46) - What are you most excited to be talking about? (1:00:19) - Thoughts on automated sales cadence. (1:02:11) - What is the purpose of business?
The Retention Expert w/ Lynn Thomas
05 Oct 2021
00:59:26
Lynn Thomas is a tax-attorney-turned-consultant who finds innovative and novel ways to create fiercely loyal clients and employees. She is an expert in client and employee retention and helping companies thrill the people they work with. Consequently, these businesses achieve higher levels of profits, growth, and retention.
(2:21) - How does a tax attorney become a client and employee retention specialist? (9:48) - Redefining what it means to "win". (14:11) - What are the shared principles between customer and employee retention? (17:43) - Examples of companies delighting their employees and clients. (24:25) - What does it mean to be a good leader? (28:31) - What are companies getting wrong regarding employee retention? (31:50) - Q-TIP: Quit Taking it Personally (33:51) - How do you break down the walls when a client or customer won’t tell you the problem? (38:59) - How did you develop the ability to ask questions? (41:50) - Tragedy’s effect on mindset. (46:24) - How do you coach people to change their mindset? (50:32) - Why are people afraid to get fired from jobs they hate? (51:54) - What are you sick of talking about? (57:20) - What is the purpose of business?
(2:41) - Why is the statement “Sports is 90% mental and 10% physical” wrong in your eyes? (5:24) - How do you define “heart”? (5:57) - What’s the process when working with your clients? (8:27) - What are the biggest fears or obstacles people you work with face? (10:05) - Are these obstacles something every human deals with or just people who are trying to be the best version of themselves? (12:33) - How does someone get out of self-criticism? (14:13) - The process of rewiring someone’s inner trauma. (19:24) - How do you become more selfless when you have selfish goals? (21:49) - Where's the line between ‘loving your opponent’ and giving yourself an excuse to lose? (26:42) - Do you find that people are afraid to love? (32:14) - How do you coach people to become vulnerable? (35:07) - Are there things average people can do on their own to identify and work through their fears? (38:32) - How do you define courage and help people become more courageous? (45:18) - Mental Toughness (47:06) - How can people find you and engage with your work?
Measure Your Mind w/ Debbie Vyskocil
21 Sep 2021
01:01:29
Debbie Vyskocil is the Founder and President of Optimal Edge Performance, a neuroscience-based, data-driven consulting firm that coaches clients to reach peak levels of achievement. With an electrical engineering background, a psychology degree, and extensive neuroscience training, Debbie's unique combination of scientific and emotional acumen leads her to work with some of the business world’s highest performers.
(2:39) - Can you pitch Optimal Edge Performance? (3:42) - Debbie’s origin story. (7:23) - What is the autonomic nervous system? (8:38) - Getting the blood back in your hands. (10:20) - What is an EEG? (13:02) - What does the onboarding process look like for new clients? (18:55) - What does the exercise look like to combat ‘busy brain’? What data are you looking at? (25:20) - What happens to the brain waves when you’re in a state of mindfulness? (31:05) - Building resilience through data. (34:17) - What’s the upkeep on these habits? Is there a lot of ongoing practice needed? (35:11) - Are there common issues you see with high-performers? (37:55) - The importance of sleep. (46:53) - How long does it take to reprogram your brain? (51:02) - Does trauma come up in your work? How does it affect the coaching? (52:32) - What surprised you the most about your research into mattresses and pillows? (58:50) - Wrap Up
Improve Your Headspace w/ Dr. Clare Purvis
14 Sep 2021
00:55:51
Dr. Clare Purvis is the Senior Director of Behavioral Science at Headspace. Bridging science and innovation, Clare is committed to developing and scaling health products that support people in living full and vital lives. Clare leads the company’s Behavioral Science team, which focuses on integrating behavioral science into company operations at scale, ensuring that Headspace inspires, guides, and supports our members in living healthier and happier lives.
(2:59) - What is Headspace? (4:25) - What is meditation vs. mindfulness? (6:28) - Why is being present with a curious mind and a kind heart important? (9:37) - How did you get to Headspace and what’s your role? (14:01) - What’s surprised you the most from the data? (21:00) - How does meditation affect mental health and the way one views oneself? (25:15) - Does mindfulness help develop the prefrontal cortex in youth? (28:27) - What insights have you gained through the pandemic? (34:09) - How does Headspace balance keeping people on the platform without developing a social media-like addiction? (39:02) - Is there anything about behavioral science that people can use to ‘trick’ or nudge themselves into better habits? (48:48) - What are you most excited about in the intersection of technology and mental health? (53:20) - BONUS: a short Headspace Meditation
Working Class Communications w/ Jason Anthoine
10 Sep 2024
01:04:04
Jason Anthoine is an executive advisor focused on employee engagement, internal communications, and culture change. A frequent conference keynoter and presenter, webinar leader and podcast guest, Jason has shared his internal comms and corporate culture insights earned over his 35-year career with thousands of like-minded communication and HR leaders looking for a better way.
(2:03) - Welcoming Jason (2:40) - Can you share your origin story? (4:46) - What was it about internal communications vs the external that connected with you? (10:14) - What do you see as the biggest differences in reaching and communicating to a blue-collar vs white-collar workforce? (16:36) - What are some best practices in bridging these situations? (22:49) - How are we reaching people effectively today? (26:06) - Who’s the one out delivering that message? (36:03) - Why is it so important to know employees and what makes them tick? (45:45) - What’s the best way to make targeted communication as simple as possible? (49:39) - What are the types of categories that allow people to do this in a meaningful way? (1:01:37) - Final Thought: take the "corporate" out of your corporate communications.
Preventing Burnout w/ Kaitlyn Lyons
31 Aug 2021
01:04:30
Kaitlyn Lyons is the founder and CEO of Delightful Movement Coaching. She helps stressed, overworked, burned-out professionals restore energy, enthusiasm, and joy. After 10 years in Fortune 300 organizations as a strategic advisor, internal consultant, and project manager, Kaitlyn excelled at challenging, high-visibility, high-pressure projects. She also burned out. Now she helps hard-charging individuals, leaders, and teams learn professional self-care and redesign the way they work so they can sustain healthy high-performance.
(3:30) - What’s a burnout coach? How does someone become a burnout coach? (4:20) - Can you define ‘burnout’? (5:34) - Is burnout the end-point of stress? (6:38) - What are the symptoms of burnout? (8:36) - Languishing. (11:11) - What does the final stage of burnout look like? (13:52) - The stigma of mental health issues and how people can work through them. (19:24) - You’re totally burned out. What do you do? (21:40) - Real, practical ways to cut back and lessen your burnout. (30:36) - Disconnection & Recharging vs. Disconnection & Numbing. (35:22) - The impact of being in nature. (36:22) - How do you help guide people to disconnect? (40:28) - How did you reframe the story you told yourself to get out of the burnout? (42:50) - How do leaders build an environment that catches burnout before it happens and lead in a way that prevents it? (48:03) - What’s an opinion you have about people or business that would be contrarian to the rest of the world? (56:50) - What are you sick of talking about? (58:58) - What is the purpose of business? (59:40) - How can people get in touch with you? (1:02:00) - Play and Flow
Becoming a Professional w/ Elise Gelwicks
24 Aug 2021
01:03:05
Elise Gelwicks founded her first company in college to help students secure internships through networking. After working at Kimberly-Clark and in management consulting, she founded Eleview Consulting. Eleview works with companies to give their teams the skills, tools, and resources to successfully navigate the delicate dynamics of the working world. Elise has been featured in the New York Times, Chicago Tribune, and ABC News for her work. She teaches several courses for LinkedIn Learning on networking and career acceleration.
(2:59) - What is Eleview Consulting and what do you do? (3:33) - When did you notice that these skills were lacking and that you were the one to teach people effectively? (5:57) - How Elise's parents built her communication skills. (9:16) - Getting in your "reps". (12:45) - Why is networking so important? (15:10) - How do you define Networking & Value? (19:22) - Enthusiasm and Passion outside of work. (23:00) - The value of taking communication skills beyond the office and maintaining relationships. (27:14) - Is tracking your conversations manipulative? (30:04) - How do you advise people on their personal brand? (32:13) - Do you have to guide people and help them be authentic? (34:17) - Where do you suggest people get started on improving their ability to network? (36:17) - What are the major skills that you see as ‘underdeveloped’ in the workplace? (39:31) - How do people eliminate filler words in their speech? (43:04) - What are the elements of a professional presence? (45:14) - Tone, pitch, and energy of voice. (50:27) - How to successfully take feedback. (58:13) - What do you believe about people or businesses that might be contrary to the mainstream? (1:00:38) - What is the purpose of business? (1:02:02) - Where can people find you if they want to bring your work into their lives?
Being a Sales Sidekick w/ Dan Rogers
17 Aug 2021
01:02:09
Dan Rogers never expected to go from rolling burritos to becoming the CEO of his own company. He always looks to challenge the status quo, and in doing so he helped to grow a quick-serve restaurant chain, tripled annual sales for a transportation business, and then bought and pivoted that same company to navigate tremendous growth. Point to Point has been listed for seven consecutive years on the Inc 5000.
Dan is also committed to advising companies on how to be a Sales Sidekick, cultivating value for both their clients and employees. Dan's passion is coaching individuals so that they can clarify their vision, construct a plan, overcome obstacles, and reach their goals! In the Sales Sidekick Bootcamp, he shares the strategies and tools individuals can use to achieve those goals.
Time Codes:
(2:28) - Dan’s origin story of becoming CEO for Point to Point Transportation. (4:30) - Dan's transition into a sales role after starting as a driver with no experience. (9:03) - The line between confidence & arrogance. (11:11) - Do you have any examples where people might have felt uncomfortable being authentic but it ultimately was the right decision? (15:50) - The importance of face-to-face interaction during communication & conflict. (17:37) - If you do service and sales the right way, it will develop you. (22:31) - How does your team balance activity with meeting review and development? (27:07) - Dan’s unique definition of "sales". (28:53) - Building for a customer vs. building for a client. (32:05) - How do you define your core cause? (38:46) - What is Sales Sidekick? (44:12) - How does the individual salesperson develop this "sidekick" mentality while still in a traditional comp-based role? (52:01) - How do you define "value"? (54:33) - What are the "8 tenants" you live by? (59:22) - What is the purpose of business?