The People Strategy Podcast

What type of reflection have you done over the last year? What project plans do you currently have in progress for the year ahead? Reflection gives us a chance to see where we can improve in our business—specifically what processes we need to put in place to ensure the success of our organization moving forward. So, in this episode, I am going to be sharing how to implement a "people strategy" in...

Planning for the future may not always seem like the most exciting task, however, this is an essential step towards business (and personal) success. Through proper planning, you can ensure your business is on the right track to meet its goals and you are taking the necessary steps to make your dreams a reality. To help us discuss this topic today is Damon Clark, Talent Optimization Consultant for...

Reflection is an essential part of any leadership role. It gives us an opportunity to pause and consider observations or experiences, reviewing the things we have learned and how far we have come. However, many leaders miss this important process. So, in this episode, I will be sharing the benefit of taking the time to reflect and how to implement this process into your business. You can find show...

Oftentimes, organizations forget to ensure their employees feel listened to and heard. This leads to disengaged staff who feel as if their voices don't matter and that the work they do for the company is not appreciated. So how do we express our gratitude for our employees and make sure that we understand their wants and needs? Jen Zahari will be joining the show to answer this question and more a...

There is so much involved in designing a culture within an organization where we show gratitude towards our staff day in and day out. One of the ways we can do that is through our policies and our benefit plans. Here to help us dive deep on the topic of gratitude is Rachel Leader, an employee benefits consultant at Johnson Financial Group. She works to demystify and simplify employee benefit plans...

We're in a period of time where people are feeling more alone, possibly experiencing withdrawals from the lives and in-person connections they were once accustomed to. If we don't take the time required to replenish our needs and the needs of our employees, how can our organization thrive and grow? In this episode, Quint Studer will be joining the show to share how you can create a culture of grat...

The practice of gratitude and appreciation has started to infiltrate workplaces—and rightly so! While it might feel awkward to express gratitude to your colleagues or employees, building a culture of gratitude can impact business outcomes and lead to deeper connections with each other and to the work we're doing. So, in this episode, I will be sharing how to cultivate more gratitude within your or...

Talent management is so important for the growth of your company, and when we're talking about recruitment and retention, we need to think strategically and long term. So how can we create a more inclusive and diverse culture within our organization so that employees feel they are not only contributing, but also valued? To help us discuss this topic today is Toby Egbuna, Co-Founder and CEO of Chez...

Despite the many differences in execution and strategy, a lot of organizational problems can be traced back to a few of the same things. Fortunately, there's a simple place where you can begin to help alleviate many of the major organizational problems at once: improving your leadership's mental health. So, in this episode, we are going to be talking about how trauma and our leadership can impact...

Oftentimes, businesses are able to locate a problem, but are unsure of where to begin when it comes to solving it. Instead of attacking the issue head-on, they wait for the issue to worsen. However, through good management and appropriate solutions, it is possible to hold your team and leadership accountable so that these problems are handled and prevented. Here to break down this topic for us tod...

Brianna Goodwin is the President & CEO of Ver-Tex Construction, a specialty window treatment company that has been revolutionizing the industry since its inception more than 30 years ago. Throughout her career, Brianna has advocated for gender equality in the workplace, frequently being cited as an influential voice in the fight for women's leadership across industries and her community. Today she...

Employee engagement is the extent to which employees feel passionate about their jobs, are committed to their organization, and are willing to go the extra mile within their positions. But how do we ensure individuals are engaged? In this episode, I will be diving into this topic, focusing on how engagement impacts performance and how to identify whether our teams are as engaged as possible. You c...

Farmers are in the business of management—they manage the growth and performance of living things. However, they do things fundamentally differently because they know that their crops will grow to their fullest potential as long as they provide an environment in which they can thrive. That is the model we need in business management. So, in this episode, Jason Lauritsen will be sharing how you can...

Performance management should be about having regular, open and honest conversations. It is an opportunity to learn how someone is doing, assess how they might progress to the next level in the organization and figure out how to improve a specific skillset in order to meet goals. In other words, it doesn't have to be negative. To help us discuss this topic and dive into how to keep performance man...

Leaders who struggle to hold their employees accountable and improve performance in their organization are generally too harsh, too lenient, or too disconnected. So how do we ensure our leaders are not only holding their staff accountable, but also themselves in this constantly changing, distraction-filled world? To help us answer this question today is Cheryl Johnson, Chief Human Resources Office...

Leaders within our organizations have the responsibility to hold their employees accountable for their own success. However, it is still up to the employees to decide whether they want to be successful or not. So, how do we motivate our employees to do outstanding work and meet their goals every time? In this episode, I am going to be sharing how to provide your staff with high-level support so th...

For organizations wanting to become more productive or successful, culture change is often the most challenging part of the transformation. A leader with authority can demand compliance, but they can't dictate optimism, trust, or creativity—this must be earned. So how do we create great company culture within our organizations? Here to help us unpack this topic is Shelley Taylor, Executive Directo...

We know that leadership is a process in which an individual influences the behavior and attitudes of other people. Unfortunately, not all influence is positive. So, is there a way to ensure the leaders within our organization are setting up our employees with the right tools to succeed? In this episode, Kelly Renz, CEO of inVantage, joins the show to discuss the art and science behind running a bu...

To grow a business, there's no way around delegation. If you hold all of the responsibility in your own hands, you can't scale at a desired rate. In order to grow your business and see the success you are working towards, you need to help your employees play on their strengths and take some responsibility. No one knows this topic better than Mike Zani, CEO at The Predictive Index. Today he joins t...

What is a self-managing team? Where are they effective? And where are they not? These are all questions I'll be exploring in this episode because, to be frank, self-managing teams are phenomenal in the right organization or team—but they don't work for everyone. However, if you want team leaders to be able to focus on the 'why' and specific results, this may be a great route to take. You can find...

What does talent development truly mean for the managers inside of our organizations? And who has the power to change the direction and success of our business? Here to help us answer these questions is Dr. Mandolen Mull, an Organizational Development and Leadership scholar currently working at Rockford University. In this episode, she will be sharing how you can train individuals to become great...

Have you ever looked around your own organization and wondered why some teams work so well together while others seem to struggle with every step? Poor team performance is almost always due to a lack of honest communication, commitment, reliability, or respect. So, in this episode, Tina Hallis joins the show to discuss how to successfully build a dream team by creating trust within your organizati...

When we create self-managing teams, there are generally three key points to consider: purpose, process, and people. But how do we implement this into our organization to ensure the success of our team? Our guest today will be helping to break down the answer to this question and more. Assad Mirza, president of Infinity Operational Excellence, is a business transformation expert, and he will be giv...

What defines a dream team and what are the steps to creating one within your organization? Our guest for this episode is Jeanine Woyner, the Vice President of Human Resources for Blackhawk Bank. Today she is joining the show to discuss her journey in using Predictive Index, specifically how she has gone through some of the trials and tribulations of creating several really strong dream teams insid...

Building a dream team of engaged and hardworking employees who can propel a business forward requires organizations to create a welcoming culture that fosters trust and cooperation. So, today we are going to be talking about what it looks like to create that dream team within your organization, what the benefits are for the employees to be on a dream team and how organizations will profit from thi...