Allyship in Action

326: The Engagement Paradox: Why Leaders and Gen Z Are Both Disengaged with Sean D'Arcy

Join us for an insightful conversation on the critical state of workplace culture and talent retention with Sean D'Arcy, Chief Solutions Officer at Kahoot!. Based on their latest research, we explore a startling paradox: many leaders are burned out, and nearly half would give up their title to feel engaged at work. This lack of manager engagement creates a difficult environment for the newest generation, with almost two-thirds of managers finding Gen Z to be the hardest group to engage. Sean D'Arcy dives deep into the findings on both leader burnout and Gen Z's unique needs, covering generational tensions and the path forward. He discusses how to leverage tools and strategies, including game-based learning, to inject fun, social connection, and psychological safety back into the workplace, turning meetings into interactive discussions and fostering a culture where all employees can thrive. Three Key Takeaways for Workplace Culture and Talent Retention * The Engagement Crisis Starts at the Top: Nearly half of leaders would trade their title just to feel more engaged at work, with a third admitting to feeling burned out. This disengagement at the leadership level makes it difficult to effectively engage and retain employees, highlighting a lack of investment in the training and tools managers need to succeed. * Gen Z Needs Foundational Skills and Belonging: Gen Z is the most difficult generation to engage, with two-thirds of managers citing them as the hardest group to motivate. They often feel "out of their depth" regarding basic workplace operating systems (like email etiquette and meeting facilitation) and crave more structured, gamified learning and real-time feedback that mimics their prior educational experiences. Furthermore, they value strong relationships and a sense of belonging/psychological safety, which is essential for talent retention. * Interactive Learning and Culture Building are the Solution: A key strategy for improving workplace culture and talent retention is integrating interactive, gamified tools to facilitate social connection and effective communication. By turning one-way presentations into engaging discussions, companies can break the ice, democratize participation, and gather real-time analytics to understand where employees need more support. This shift supports the inclusive, feedback-driven culture that Gen Z, in particular, expects. Get the full report at: https://kahoot.com/business/workplace-engagement-report-2025/

325: When the Business Baby Meets the Biological Baby with Hana Milanov and Amelie Pahl

This week, I welcome researchers Hana Milanov and Amelie Pahl on their work exploring entrepreneurship through the lens of first-time parents. The researchers interviewed founders who were already deeply identified with their "venture baby" before having a "biological baby," challenging the common narrative that parenthood diminishes career success. They discovered that instead of being a hindrance, parenthood can be a catalyst for positive change in a founder's business and their professional growth. The key finding revolves around two main strategies founders adopt: * Founder Firewalling: Keeping the parental and founder roles separate to protect the founder's professional identity and commitment. This often drives professionalization, like delegating or hiring management, to maintain separation. * Founder Fusing: Integrating the two roles by allowing the new values and behaviors learned as a parent (like empathy and patience) to redefine and enhance the founder's role. This often leads to a more flexible and human-centered workplace culture. The surprising takeaway? The decision to integrate or separate was not defined by gender but by the individual's approach, with roughly a 50/50 split between the two strategies in their study of high-impact founders. 🌟 Three Takeaways for Workplace Culture and Talent Retention This research provides valuable insights for companies looking to improve their workplace culture and retain top talent, especially parents: 1. Parenthood can be a catalyst for professionalization, enhancing retention: For "firewalling" founders, the need to protect their parental time often led to delegating operational tasks and building out middle management. This forced professionalization of the venture, which, in turn, can create a clearer path for other talented employees to grow and take on more responsibility, serving as a powerful talent retention mechanism. 2. Parental skills enrich leadership and workplace culture: Founders who chose the "fusing" approach brought empathy, better project management, and flexibility from their parental role into the workplace. This shift manifested as a more human-centered company culture that prioritized well-being and flexibility, which are critical factors for retaining all employees, not just parents. 3. Dismantle the "fear factor" to retain high-impact talent: A major hurdle, particularly for women, is the fear that starting a family will diminish their founder role or career trajectory. The research demonstrates that this fear is unwarranted, showing that commitment to the venture often strengthens post-parenthood. By normalizing and openly discussing the integration of family and career (like the Open Source Nanny resource mentioned), companies can retain founders and high-potential employees who might otherwise choose to delay or abandon their career growth.

324: How To Meet Someone Where They Are At When Everything Is Changing with Mark Scullard

Mark Scullard is this week's guest from Wiley. Wiley's research recently found that managing change was the biggest area of professional development investment for leaders. He shares how to meet someone where they are at in times of tremendous change. My key takeaways are: 1. Acknowledge and Address the Emotional Toll of Change (The Change Curve): Leaders must understand that employees will naturally experience a period of disorientation and a drop in morale when facing a major change (the "change curve"). The goal is not to stop the dip, but to lessen the depth and the length of the adjustment period. This requires paying attention to the emotional part of change, which is often neglected in favor of focusing on systems and processes. 2. Provide Clarity on the "Why" and the "What's In It For Me" (WIIFM): Leaders often forget that they've already processed the change while employees are just starting. There must be transparency about the why. It is crucial to communicate a consistent, big-picture "Why" for the change to guard against employee cynicism and burnout. Ensure employees understand the "What's In It For Me" (WIIFM)—the benefits for employees impacted by the change. Tailor Your 3. Approach to Different Personality Needs (DiSC Model): Because every employee processes change differently, effective leadership requires personalizing your support based on their personality style. Direct (D) Styles need a sense of control and agency in the decision-making process. Influencing (I) Styles need connection and optimism that things will work out. Steadiness (S) Styles need stability, support, and reassurance around routines and expectations. Conscientiousness (C) Styles need information, understanding, and time/space to process the impact of the change. Follow Mark at https://www.everythingdisc.com/blogs/navigating-change-with-dr-mark-scullard/.

323: Unpacking the 2025 Women in the Workplace Report with Rachel Thomas

Get ready for your annual "Christmas morning" with this deep dive into the 2025 Lean In Women in the Workplace Report. In this candid conversation with Rachel Thomas, Co-founder and CEO of LeanIn.org, we discuss the key findings from the largest study on the state of women in Corporate America. The discussion highlights alarming signals in the data, including a potential rollback in the company's commitment to women's advancement and its effect on women's ambition. Rachel highlights the importance of the often underutilized role of sponsorship and issues a powerful call to action for companies and, critically, for middle managers. Tune in to learn about the fragility of the progress made over the last decade and discover specific, actionable strategies—including the innovative use of manager scripts and accountability measures—to unlock consistent career support and move toward a truly equitable and inclusive workplace. Key Takeaways: 1. Declining Commitment and Ambition: Only half of companies report being highly committed to women's career advancement, and this lack of commitment is mirrored by a decline in women's ambition, as they are now less interested in getting promoted to the next level for the first time. 2. The Sponsorship Gap is Widening: Men are getting sponsors much earlier in their careers than women, and this gap is even more pronounced for entry-level women who work remotely. Sponsorship, or advocacy-style actions like being introduced to influential people or getting stretch opportunities, is a key lever that is consistently underutilized. 3. Managers are the Key to Unlocking Progress: While managers generally have the right intent, they often lack the time and tools to offer consistent, high-quality, and equitable career support. Companies must treat manager support for career development as a priority by building it into performance reviews and leveraging tools like AI to free up manager time for critical tasks. Get the full report at: https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/diversity-and-inclusion/women-in-the-workplace

322: Reclaiming Our Agency in Leadership and Life with Jon Rosemberg

Jon Rosemberg is the author of the new book, A Guide to Thriving. He was a successful leader in Corporate America and made a pivot to executive coaching. This conversation with Jon was truly insightful, reminding us that workplace culture and retention aren't just HR buzzwords, but are fundamentally linked to our ability to shift from surviving to thriving. My takeaways were: * Prioritize Employee Agency to Foster a Thriving Workplace Culture: The shift from "survival mode" to thriving starts when individuals courageously reclaim their agency—the capacity to make intentional choices based on the belief that those choices matter and have an impact. In a workplace culture context, leaders must create an environment where employees feel their decisions are valued and that they have control over their work and well-being. This sense of agency is key to reducing burnout and fostering a motivated, engaged team, directly improving retention. * Move Beyond Resilience to Cultivate Sustainable Health and Retention: While resilience is valuable, it's a "low bar"; it focuses on bouncing back from adversity without addressing the underlying causes of stress. A thriving workplace culture must focus on reducing "demands" and increasing "resources." For retention, this means leaders must actively help employees set boundaries and provide the necessary resources—like time for mental health practices (movement, rest, social connection)—so they don't constantly operate in an exhaustive, reactive "survival mode." * Small, Incremental Practices are the Engine of Long-Term Transformation: The move from survival to thriving is not a sudden life-breakthrough, but a disciplined practice of small, incremental changes. Utilizing the AIR method (Awareness, Inquiry, Reframing) to challenge limiting beliefs and reframe situations allows individuals to gain context and move forward. In terms of workplace culture and retention, this translates to establishing sustainable, supported daily practices—not just one-off wellness programs—that compound over time, making it easier for employees to manage stress and stay engaged long-term. The biggest lesson is that the most powerful kind of thriving is when we help other people thrive, which should be the ultimate goal for any organization looking to build a successful workplace culture that supports retention. Follow Jon at https://www.jonrosemberg.com/.