An Open Conversation

Employees don't speak up. They claim no one wants to hear what they have to say, they'll get in trouble, or nothing will change. Managers say their employees won't share their best ideas or provide honest and helpful feedback from the frontlines. When it comes to having hard conversations, it looks like everybody wants them but no one is having them. What gives? In this episode of An Open Conversation, we sat down with Karin Hurt [https://www.linkedin.com/in/karin-hurt/], CEO of Let's Grow Leaders [https://letsgrowleaders.com/], to discuss how to have awkward conversations with your boss. We talked about: * How employees can best prepare to discuss uncomfortable topics such as raises and promotions during the pandemic * The 4-1-1 on a courageous culture in the workplace * What the research says about why employees hold back on delivering Resources * Help Them Grow or Watch Them Go [https://www.juliewinklegiulioni.com/] by Julie Julie Winkle Giulioni * Courageous Cultures [https://www.amazon.com/Courageous-Cultures-Karin-Hurt/dp/1400219531] by Karin Hurt and David Dye You can find all episodes of An Open Conversation by subscribing to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or here.

I believe in optimism. You can have a bad week, a bad month, even a bad year — hello, 2020! But you can still fight to find the greater good among all the craziness. Fierce optimism is critical to mental health and wellness, especially during a year as tough as the one we've just been through. In this episode of An Open Conversation, we sat down with Alisha Hawrylyszyn Frank [https://www.linkedin.com/in/alishahawrylyszynfrank/], CEO of Fiercely Optimistic, Inc [https://www.fiercelyoptimistic.com/], to discuss how and why you should take care of yourself. We talked about: * Why you should embrace a fierce optimism * Tips for practicing self-care during the pandemic * Practical ways business leaders can support mental health and wellness among their employees You can find all episodes of An Open Conversation by subscribing to our podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

People used to trust their communities and friends. Then, they trusted big institutions. When that failed, they started trusting strangers on the internet. It's called distributed trust. If you've ever used Uber, you know what distributed trust is. You trust that the driver's aggregated trust score given by other riders will keep you safe and sound. What can organizational leaders do to embrace distributed trust? In this episode of An Open Conversation, we sat down with Dr. Richard Claydon [https://www.linkedin.com/in/drrichardclaydon/?originalSubdomain=hk], organizational misbehaviorist and chief cognitive officer at EQLab [https://www.eqlab.co/], to discuss the trust crisis plaguing contemporary organizations. We talked about: * What organizational misbehavior actually is and why it's getting attention * How organizational misbehavior erodes trust with employees and customers * Ways organizations can create distributed trust * Why company culture doesn't exist You can find all episodes of An Open Conversation by subscribing to our podcast on Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/an-open-conversation/id1541015345] , on Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/6cYk5Pp4ZmMKJVkLA1hnFd?si=I2a1hFDmRfOb3cYW-TEINg] , or here [https://www.8x8.com/resources] .

What will the world look like after COVID? Not since 1918 has a pandemic shut down the whole globe. Back then, it took 3 years before people would even shake hands. We may see things bounce back more readily thanks to advances in science and the promise of a vaccine. But very little will be the same. In this episode of An Open Conversation, we sat down with Barry Moltz, [https://www.linkedin.com/in/barrymoltz/] author of Getting Small Business Unstuck [https://barrymoltz.com/], to discuss the world after COVID. We talked about: * Where businesses could be in 6 months, 1 year, and 3-5 years * How to set objectives and manage workflows for a remote team * Ways to hold work-from-home employees accountable for their work * Why and how to help employees handle emotional issues * You can find all episodes of An Open Conversation by subscribing to our podcast on Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/an-open-conversation/id1541015345] , on Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/6cYk5Pp4ZmMKJVkLA1hnFd?si=I2a1hFDmRfOb3cYW-TEINg] , or here [https://www.8x8.com/blog] .

Nearly 27% of working parents are conducting business essentially at the same table where their children are learning. This situation has some parents wondering if they'll be forced to quit their jobs to manage their families. What can employees and business leaders do to help parents navigate the triple challenge of parenting, teaching, and working from home? On this episode of An Open Conversation, we sat down with Lucy Chung [https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucyblairchung/], CEO & Co-Founder at NOBL [https://nobl.io/]. We talked about: * Scenarios that could develop for virtual learning and remote work * Which programs and systems could help support working parents at home with kids * How to separate the urgent from the important during a pandemic Why employers should care about the needs of working parents at home You can find all episodes of An Open Conversation by subscribing to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or here.