EP 50 The Empty Bolt Seat: The CEO Who Thinks He Doesn't Need HR, Grogu, and Reddit

EP 51 Fueling HR with the NY Times at Central Utah SHRM

Steve and Tony attended the Fuel HR conference on May 14, 2026.  They talked the EEOC's case against the NY Times, diversity, and interviewed several attendees. The most pertinent piece of advice they got from the conference is "If you're going to discriminate, don't advertise and document it."   Note: There were two interviews that were lost due to computer and sound issues.   We apologize to those two people and will get them back on the show soon.   On a more positive note, Steve and Tony introduced a lot of people to LimeRickys.

EP 50 The Empty Bolt Seat: The CEO Who Thinks He Doesn't Need HR, Grogu, and Reddit

A CEO returns to his struggling startup, looks around at the wreckage, and decides the HR team is the problem. He fires them. All of them. Then tells the world about it at a conference. Tony and Steve have opinions. Surprising, nuanced, occasionally loud opinions, and they're not entirely on the side you'd expect.  In between the Star Wars tangents and Tony's deep philosophical feelings about performance improvement plans, the guys also tackle AI: what most HR professionals are doing wrong, why Reddit is a terrifying foundation for legal advice, and how to actually use these tools without accidentally torching your credibility. Fifty episodes in, and the chaos has never been more educational. Learn more about Fantastic Tony Benjamin at: https://www.thegrangellc.com/ [https://www.thegrangellc.com/] Learn more about Steven “Big Deal” Smith at: https://thehiringtreebook.com/ [https://thehiringtreebook.com/] Learn more about the books mentioned on the podcast at: https://thehiringtreebook.com/hr-life-podcast [https://thehiringtreebook.com/hr-life-podcast] Learn more about our New sponsor at: https://www.utahviaferrata.com/ [https://www.utahviaferrata.com/] Learn more about our sponsor MegastarHR at: https://www.megastarhr.com/ [https://www.megastarhr.com/] Lean more about Jobs for America's Graduates (JAG) at: https://jag.org/ [https://jag.org/] Learn more about Pucks for Autism at: https://www.pucksforautism.com/ [https://www.pucksforautism.com/] Learn more about the Thrive Life Project: https://www.thrivelifeproject.org/ [https://www.thrivelifeproject.org/] The newest book mentioned on the podcast: The Bus Has No Driver: https://rb.gy/rqocj5 [https://rb.gy/rqocj5]

EP 49 - HEED This: Reading Body Language, Running Investigations, and What Counterintelligence Teaches HR with Derik Clark

Tony and Steve welcome Derik Clark — Army counterintelligence veteran, body language expert, and apparently a crowd favorite on par with Steve (high praise). Derik breaks down his HEED framework for reading nonverbal cues in HR investigations and job interviews, and why the thing you think you're seeing (lying) is almost never the thing you're actually seeing (discomfort). He also shares the true story of an Iraqi weapons smuggler who had perfect body language… until someone asked him where he was getting his money. Tony connects the dots to workplace investigations, written warnings, and why 80% of every workplace conflict story is actually the same from both sides. Steve didn't know Rocky Raccoon was a song, which tells you everything you need to know. Learn more about Derik Clark at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/derikclark/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/derikclark/] Learn more about Fantastic Tony Benjamin at: https://www.thegrangellc.com/ [https://www.thegrangellc.com/] Learn more about Steven "Big Deal" Smith at: https://thehiringtreebook.com/ [https://thehiringtreebook.com/] Learn more about the Books mentioned on the podcast at: https://thehiringtreebook.com/hr-life-podcast [https://thehiringtreebook.com/hr-life-podcast] Learn more about MegastarHR at: https://www.megastarhr.com/ [https://www.megastarhr.com/] Learn more about Pucks for Autism at: https://www.pucksforautism.com/ [https://www.pucksforautism.com/] Derik Clark is a veteran counterintelligence officer who served in the US Army and now works as an HR business partner and consultant.  He's an expert interrogator that specializes in how to read people and the room.  Derik's HEED Framework: Hide Escape Ease Defend (How people react when they feel uncomfortable.)

EP 48 May the Fourth, Socks, and Why Performance Reviews Are Stuck in 1955 with Albert Foster

Tony and Steve kick off the show in full Star Wars mode — it's May the Fourth, Steve spent $19.77 on themed donuts from Lehi Bakery, and the great AT-AT pronunciation debate is finally settled (hint: Steve is wrong). The real guest of honor is Albert Foster, founder of Express Evaluations. The episode digs deep into one of HR's most stubbornly unsolved problems: why performance evaluations, invented in the 1950's, still look almost exactly the same today.  Albert lays out a compelling case for why most companies are doing evaluations wrong. From the one-size-fits-all form that means nothing to the employee who fills it out, to the trap of asking "how can you improve?"  Finally, how does Steve use Vader's origin story to tie everything together at the end? Tune in to find out! Listen for Opportunity knocking in this episode. Learn more about Express Evaluations at: https://www.expressevaluations.com/ [https://www.expressevaluations.com/] Learn more about Fantastic Tony Benjamin at: https://www.thegrangellc.com/ [https://www.thegrangellc.com/] Learn more about Steven “Big Deal” Smith at: https://thehiringtreebook.com/ [https://thehiringtreebook.com/] Learn more about the books mentioned on the podcast at: https://thehiringtreebook.com/hr-life-podcast [https://thehiringtreebook.com/hr-life-podcast] Learn more about our sponsor MegastarHR at: https://www.megastarhr.com/ [https://www.megastarhr.com/] Lean more about Jobs for America's Graduates (JAG) at: https://jag.org/ [https://jag.org/] Learn more about Pucks for Autism at: https://www.pucksforautism.com/ [https://www.pucksforautism.com/] Learn more about the Thrive Life Project: https://www.thrivelifeproject.org/ [https://www.thrivelifeproject.org/] Albert Foster (MHR, SPHR) is an HR professional and the Founder and CEO of Express Evaluations. His passion in HR is to help employees find joy in their employment and to help employers retain their hard-earned talent. Albert earned a master’s in human resources in 2012 from Utah State and has been in the HR world for the past 15 years as both an HR consultant and an HR director. While working as the HR director of a special service district with about 500 employees he was tasked with finding a new performance management system. After several months of searching it became clear that a product didn’t exist in the current market that encompassed both the flexibility and affordability for his company, so he decided to create his own.   Albert considers himself to be an avid mountain biker, marginal golfer, and recently converted ice bather.

EP 47 Pure Inspiration at JAG (Jobs for America's Graduates)

We're not choked up, you're choked up.  Wow!  The guys spend an afternoon interviewing students at JAG's (Jobs for America's Graduates) National Career Development Conference (NCDC).  In this episode, you'll hear how lives changed, doors opened, and how a group of young people is making the most of their opportunities, all because of JAG. A list of Guests Interviewed:  Bailey, Jamarcus, Gabe, Madison, Caleb, James Jackson, and Lane Faulkner.    Video of Steve getting an award (at Appx 1.48:10) here:  https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?ref=watch_permalink&v=2093927045342003&rdid=3ziMBc5LK1ucOUqR [https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?ref=watch_permalink&v=2093927045342003&rdid=3ziMBc5LK1ucOUqR] ...Oh, and Johnny C Taylor spoke too.  Learn more about JAG at: https://jag.org/ [https://jag.org/] Learn More about Money Moves University at: https://moneymovesuniversity.com/ [https://moneymovesuniversity.com/] Learn more about Fantastic Tony Benjamin at: https://www.thegrangellc.com/ [https://www.thegrangellc.com/] Learn more about Steven "Big Deal" Smith at: https://thehiringtreebook.com/ [https://thehiringtreebook.com/]