Ep. 106: Culture tips from a 'head' geek.

Ep. 106: Culture tips from a 'head' geek.

When COVID hit, most organizations had no choice but to move to remote work. Interestingly enough, the transition was quicker and smoother than many had ever thought. Working remote has its challenges, whether they are human, cultural or technological. Some organizations adapt, some don't. Some leaders and employees adapt, others don't. It's not very common to see a head geek (i.e. a CTO) with a highly developed sense of culture. The tech geek stereotype doesn't necessarily include a people-first mindset, empathy and sense of belonging. There are – fortunately – some tech geeks who just do that. Gint Grabauskas, CTO at Offerpad, happens to be one of them. Today with Gint we talk about how Offerpad has been dealing with the pandemic, remote work, and how the company is looking at redefining what its workplace will look like in 2021. Note: you can follow Gint on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/gintgrabauskas/] and Offerpad [https://www.offerpad.com/] on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/offerpad/], Twitter [https://twitter.com/offerpad] and Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/offerpad]. If you want to send me feedback, suggestions for future topics or guests, you can reach me at svincent@exsummit.com or on Twitter @eX_Summit.  Interested in learning more about Business To Employee Branding (B2E branding [https://b2ebranding.co/])? Interested in sponsoring or speaking at the next Employee Experience Summit (eX Summit [https://exsummit.com])?

Ep. 105: Beyond engagement: focusing on the whole person experience.

In today's altered landscape of COVID and social unrest, the shift in how and where we work has created a critical need to redesign the employee experience. With boundaries between life and work removed, and with persistent health and safety concerns for many employees, traditional employee engagement strategies are not enough to understand the whole-person experience. The context for work has changed, and there is an obligation for companies to provide something greater, act responsibly, and give back. With heightened social uncertainty and stress, workers expect their employers to understand who they are as a whole person. This includes their personal pursuits and lives, and they expect those organizations to address important topics including social justice, environmental sustainability and community involvement. My eX Podcast guests this month are two brothers, Pat and Dan Riley. The co-founders of RADICL [https://www.radicl.work/]—serial technology entrepreneurs and brothers Dan and Patrick Riley—sold their employee engagement technology company, Modern Survey, to human resources firm Aon in 2016. Both became partners at Aon after the acquisition, leading the successful integration of the Modern Survey platform into Aon's global business as well as providing strategy consulting to clients around the world. Since leaving Aon, Dan and Patrick have been advising and working with HR technology companies, and co-produced the award-winning Hollywood film Tuscaloosa [https://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tuscaloosamovie.com%2F&esheet=52298441&newsitemid=20201001005331&lan=en-US&anchor=Tuscaloosa&index=4&md5=2b232d038e0cc1c253723f591f4abad9] (2020). Today with Pat and Dan we talk about the need to redesign the employee experience by focusing on the whole person. If you want to send me feedback, suggestions for future topics or guests, you can reach me at svincent@exsummit.com or on Twitter @eX_Summit.  Interested in learning more about Business To Employee Branding (B2E branding [https://b2ebranding.co/])? Interested in sponsoring or speaking at the next Employee Experience Summit (eX Summit [https://exsummit.com])?

Ep. 104: Having productive internal communications on topics that matter.

2020 has been an emotional roller coaster for many of us. COVID has impacted many lives, from job losses to financial challenges, from remote work to isolation, from social injustice to wanting from equality and respect, and not mentioned the emotional toll of the presidential elections. It's become more important than ever for organizations to communicate to their people with transparency, with clarity, with candor about the challenges both employers and employees are facing together. Employees are asking their leaders to have an open dialogue on what's important to them, so that leaders can build a plan around moments that matter to their people (diversity, equity and inclusion, work/life integration, mental health, etc.), designing a more human-centered employee experience. My eX Podcast guest this month is Joey Price, a fellow podcaster of the Business, Life and Coffee Podcast, and the CEO of Jumpstart:HR, and HR consulting firm for small businesses and startups. Today with Joey we talk about: - Diversity, Equality and Inclusion - Effective communications to inspire and unite employees - And how it impacts the overall employee experience Note: you can follow Joey on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/joeyvprice/], Twitter [https://twitter.com/joeyvpricehr?lang=en], at Jumpstart:HR [https://www.linkedin.com/company/jumpstart-hr/] and listen to his podcast [http://businesslifeandcoffee.com/]. If you want to send me feedback, suggestions for future topics or guests, you can reach me at svincent@exsummit.com or on Twitter @eX_Summit.  Interested in learning more about Business To Employee Branding (B2E branding [https://b2ebranding.co/])? Interested in sponsoring or speaking at the next Employee Experience Summit (eX Summit [https://exsummit.com])?

Ep. 103: Leading with intention, making people visible.

My eX Podcast guest this month is the ultimate culture engineer, modern elder and no BS Tom Frank. Tom has helped launch a multitude of business in the hospitality and tech sectors, with a focus on building an amazing culture as the foundation for future growth. Nowadays, through his Round World Management consultancy, Tom delivers, 'Culture Alignment Workshops', builds dynamic Culture Alignment Platforms for his clients around the country, and speaks at conferences and conventions on the topic of culture and leadership development. "Just imagine how amazing it would be if everyone in your company worked with the same values, beliefs and aspirations." Tom Frank's culture engineering work does just that. As Tom said to me during our discussion, "my heart goes out to HR people today. The job that most of them applied for when they were hired is often not the job they are being asked to do today. For many people, 'culture' was not on the job description and perhaps not on their resume.... or their skill set." Today with Tom we talk about: – What it means to have a people-centered workplace – Why we must lead with intention and make all people inside our organizations visible – What's f-ed up with HR today – His 'I'm essential" project Note: you can follow Tom on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-frank-50469b6/], at Round World Management [http://roundworldmanagement.com/] and learn more about his I'm Essential [https://www.imessentialproject.com/] project. If you want to send me feedback, suggestions for future topics or guests, you can reach me at svincent@exsummit.com or on Twitter @eX_Summit.  Interested in learning more about Business To Employee Branding (B2E branding [https://b2ebranding.co/])? Interested in sponsoring or speaking at the next Employee Experience Summit (eX Summit [https://exsummit.com])?

Ep. 102: Give permission to your people to feel a certain way, and that's OK.

Pre COVID-19, many organizations had internal discussions around flexible schedules, remote work, less micro-managing but rather empowering and trusting people to manage their own time and contribution to the collective output. Most organizations never got to the point of moving from intent to execution because of mid-management pressure, old-school mindset or whatever excuse leaders could find. After being forced to move their workforce to remote work due to COVID-19, the same leaders realized that it wasn't not as complicated as it seemed. On the contrary, the transition in most of the companies I've talked to was smooth and quick. Most companies have even seen an increase in productivity, a higher employee engagement rate, AND more human connections (instead of purely transactional type of interactions such as "hey, did you do this?") despite social distancing and stay-at-home mandates. Suddenly, executives, HR professionals and employees have realized that it's OK to be human at work, with the roller coaster of emotions we're all going through, our kids or pets photobombing Zoom calls, wearing shorts and t-shirts, drinking a beer or a glass of wine, all while collaborating with our co-workers and bosses. My eX Podcast guest this month is the awesome, fun and upbeat Rachel Druckenmiller, Founder & CEO of Unmuted. Recognized as the #1 Health Promotion Professional in the U.S. and a 40 Under 40 Game Changer, Rachel is a national thought leader and dynamic speaker. She's on a mission to empower people to use their voices courageously to speak up, speak out and have a positive impact in the world. With expertise in resilience, wellbeing and leadership, Rachel is a catalyst who ignites people to live and lead more intentionally so they can thrive at work and at home. She posts daily inspirational videos on LinkedIn (sometimes singing!). Follow her there and at www.UnmutedLife.com. Today with Rachel we talk about: - How organizations can better support their people through the COVID-19 pandemic - Why it's OK to be vulnerable and show our humanity at work - What's next for organizations as we will (eventually) transition out of social distancing and shelter-in-place orders. Note: you can follow Rachel on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachelbdruckenmiller/], Twitter [https://twitter.com/rachel_druck?lang=en] and at Unmuted [http://www.unmutedlife.com/]. Here are some additional resources Rachel is recommending: * Navigating the Next Normal [https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/navigating-next-normal-rachel-druckenmiller-/]blog post * 5 Sources of Good News Right Now [https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/5-sources-good-news-right-now-rachel-druckenmiller-/]blog post * It's Okay to Be Sad [https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/its-okay-sad-rachel-druckenmiller-/]blog post * 5 Ways to Boost Your Immune System Naturally  [https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/5-ways-boost-your-immune-system-naturally-rachel-druckenmiller/]blog post * The Soul Behind the Role video [https://www.linkedin.com/posts/rachelbdruckenmiller_humanresources-inclusion-leadership-activity-6678665776255266816-DOcv] * Are You Resisting Rest? video [https://www.linkedin.com/posts/rachelbdruckenmiller_humansfirst-productivity-unmuted-activity-6671063993324453888-Ua_X] * Ain't No Mountain High Enough video [https://www.linkedin.com/posts/rachelbdruckenmiller_community-inspiration-lightuplinkedin-activity-6672140461542641664-tXs2] (singing!) If you want to send me feedback, suggestions for future topics or guests, you can reach me at svincent@exsummit.com or on Twitter @eX_Summit.  Interested in learning more about Business To Employee Branding (B2E branding [https://b2ebranding.co/])? Interested in sponsoring or speaking at the next Employee Experience Summit (eX Summit [https://exsummit.com])?