Lead the People

Rachel Boehm is a leading authority on burnout prevention, workplace stress and sustainable high performance. She empowers decision-makers to protect themselves and their teams against the costs of burnout which can be in the tens of thousands per employee. Her services include leadership coaching, team training, and culture change initiatives, ultimately enhancing employee engagement, retention, and client satisfaction. She holds a national board certification in health and wellness coaching and is a PhD candidate focused on business psychology and worker well-being. Top 3 Takeaways Step onto the Scale. Burnout is not a binary state but a spectrum ranging from sustainable high performance to complete exhaustion, caused by chronic stress that builds up over time. Fall in Line. Burnout often stems from workplace misalignments in areas like values, workload, community, fairness, and autonomy rather than just individual resilience. Be Vigilant. Self-awareness and recognizing changes in behavior are crucial for identifying burnout, both in ourselves and others. From Our Sponsor The Predictive Index (PI) is an award-winning talent optimization platform that aligns business strategy with people strategy for optimal business results. More than 60 years of proven science, software, and a curriculum of insightful management workshops make PI the solution for any company looking to design great teams and culture, make objective hiring decisions, foster engagement, and inspire greatness in their people anywhere in the world. More than 10,000 clients and 480+ partners use PI—including Nissan, Citizens Bank, Subway, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and Omni Hotels—across 90+ countries. Learn more at predictiveindex.com. From the Source "It's not a switch. It's a spectrum. So if you think like sustainable high performance, which to me means, okay, like say the duration of your career, 80 percent of the time, give or take because we all have the days. You can show up as the best version of yourself." "When we're looking at burnout, the canary can only be so resilient. You have to make the mine less toxic or you will run out of canaries." "If you remember nothing else from this conversation, remember that common and normal are not the same thing." "Emotions are contagious and leaders especially show, right, especially so that they set that bar." "Look for changes in behavior or notice changes in your thoughts... You'll feel that off. You'll feel off." Connect with Rachel Website: http://www.rachelboehm.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachelboehm 

Angel Cruzado is the Founder & CEO of Respiris, a company on a mission to reinspire how we approach offboarding. Angel has spent his career in HR with startups, venture-backed companies, and publicly traded Fortune 500 companies. He understands transitions on a personal level, too, having built his own career from the ground up after being laid off and laying 50% of an entire company. His experiences fuel Respiris’ mission: to make sure no one experiences transitions alone. Top 3 Takeaways Hit Pause. Handling employee transitions with deep empathy rather than transactional approaches reduces company risk and supports impacted individuals and their families. Think Bigger. The "career prayer" approach helps transitioning employees articulate their situation and future goals, activating their network more effectively than just updating resumes. Open Up. Showing gratitude to previous employers and colleagues during transitions creates positive energy that helps navigate the uncertainty of career changes. From Our Sponsor The Predictive Index (PI) is an award-winning talent optimization platform that aligns business strategy with people strategy for optimal business results. More than 60 years of proven science, software, and a curriculum of insightful management workshops make PI the solution for any company looking to design great teams and culture, make objective hiring decisions, foster engagement, and inspire greatness in their people anywhere in the world. More than 10,000 clients and 480+ partners use PI—including Nissan, Citizens Bank, Subway, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and Omni Hotels—across 90+ countries. Learn more at predictiveindex.com. From the Source "When you're sending an email and you're terminating someone who has been someone's best friend for 10 years in the company, it really sets the tone of people being disposed of, and I don't think you can create culture that way." "What's happening is that we've sort of desensitized ourselves to humans. We are not taking into account like their own personal journeys and their life story." "When you terminate someone without deep empathy, you're putting the company at risk, but you're also putting the family at risk." "Most people when they're displaced by their prior employer, they're just super angry. No man, you gotta show gratitude, like what did you learn at your prior company?" "If you can share your journey and your path with me in a way that I am inspired by you, I will actually help you find your next gig." "We are innovating in the last mile of the employee lifecycle." Connect with Angel Website: http://www.respiris.com LinkedIn: http://www.linkedIn.com/in/angelcruzado 

As KidGlov’s founder, president, and chief strategist, Lyn leads their diverse team of talented professionals to drive growth through strategic branding and marketing communications. She has been instrumental in promoting regional and national organizations such as Immanuel, Lincoln Community Foundation, HopeSpoke, St. Monica’s, Regency Shopping Center, MembersOwn Credit Union, Farmers & Merchants Bank, Union Bank & Trust, and Bryan Health. Top 3 Takeaways Give it a Boost. A strong brand strategy makes everything easier and more effective - from commanding higher prices to warding off competition and building stronger internal culture. All-Inclusive. Branding isn't just about logos and names - it's about messaging, visual identity, and expressing your organization's unique value through comprehensive strategy. Get in Synch. Purpose-driven branding helps organizations connect with audiences who want to align with brands that share their values, creating meaningful impact. From Our Sponsor The Predictive Index (PI) is an award-winning talent optimization platform that aligns business strategy with people strategy for optimal business results. More than 60 years of proven science, software, and a curriculum of insightful management workshops make PI the solution for any company looking to design great teams and culture, make objective hiring decisions, foster engagement, and inspire greatness in their people anywhere in the world. More than 10,000 clients and 480+ partners use PI—including Nissan, Citizens Bank, Subway, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and Omni Hotels—across 90+ countries. Learn more at predictiveindex.com. From the Source "We like to say that when you have your brand, a strong brand strategy in place, everything is easier. Everything is more effective." "Why does what you are doing, whether it's a product, a service, a department, a project, why does it absolutely need to exist in the world?" "What we've done with this Brand Advancement process is we've taken some of those tools that those big brands use and we've made them accessible to organizations with more modest budgets." "If you wanna stand out, just like the name of the book, Untangling Spaghetti... If I get your attention and you ask why, even for 10 seconds, I win. Right? And that's what the branding is all about." "One of the hardest things about branding is if you're doing it right, you're probably going to pick something that makes you a little uncomfortable at first because it's different." Connect with Lyn Untangling Spaghetti (book): https://a.co/d/6mR9jgm Brand Advancement (masterclass): https://kidglov.com/brandadvancement Website: http://www.kidglov.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lynwineman 

Stela Lupushor is on a mission to humanize the workplace. She works with the Conference Board’s Fortune 500 corporations-members on rethinking their workplace strategies; leads Reframe.Work Inc. and consults on how to create inclusive workplaces through the use of technology, human-centered design, people analytics, and future-thinking; and founded amazing.community, a nonprofit extending the work horizon for women. Previously she transformed the workplace at the intersection of technology, analytics, and HR at Fidelity Investments, TIAA, IBM, Price Waterhouse, and PwC Consulting and their clients. Top 3 Takeaways Freshen up. Traditional job descriptions fail to capture the actual work being done so focus instead on work activities, outcomes, and problems to be solved. Think again. The workplace is no longer a binary concept but encompasses physical, digital, and cultural environments that should be optimized to support different types of workers. Design for the times. Employee experience happens primarily outside HR processes requiring a deliberate design approach centered on a worker’s' journey from brand discovery to daily team interactions. From Our Sponsor The Predictive Index (PI) is an award-winning talent optimization platform that aligns business strategy with people strategy for optimal business results. More than 60 years of proven science, software, and a curriculum of insightful management workshops make PI the solution for any company looking to design great teams and culture, make objective hiring decisions, foster engagement, and inspire greatness in their people anywhere in the world. More than 10,000 clients and 480+ partners use PI—including Nissan, Citizens Bank, Subway, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and Omni Hotels—across 90+ countries. Learn more at predictiveindex.com. From the Source "How many of us have worked using a job description that matches what we actually do day in and day out? Past day one, if ever." "If you ask any employee who is not in HR, they will prefer to spend as little if any time with HR processes. The work experience happens on a manufacturing floor, on a team that you work in, in Slack, in your interaction with your managers." "There's no linear way you cannot know and anticipate all the problems that will emerge during the day or during the administration tenure or during the lifespan of a project. And it's important to find the right people and put them in the right environment to solve the right problems and get out of the way usually." "People care when somebody cares about them, even though you may not necessarily address the use case they are asking you to address. The sheer fact of asking creates a lot of goodwill." "You come to work, you trade your time, you trade your talent, you trade your skills, your passion, and you expect something fair in exchange for that. And that fairness is not just the money and the benefits. That's kind of the baseline." Connect with Stela Website: http://reframe.work LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/slupushor 

Marshall is a Partner and majority owner of Knight Agency, a marketing firm that builds from inside out. They use storytelling to help companies connect people and strategy, driving performance. He acquired Knight through Meraki Investments, which he founded to invest in companies making a difference. He is also a shareholder of Lockton, the largest family owned insurance brokerage, where he worked for 14 years. He lives in KC with his wife Nora and two children, Miles and Sloane. Top 3 Takeaways Be Clear. Purpose doesn't require grand social initiatives - it's about clearly articulating why your company exists and how it uniquely serves the world, which motivates both employees and customers. Sync Up. Connected people drive growth through four essential connections: to the company's purpose, to meaningful work, to supportive leadership, and to collaborative teammates. Listen Up. Authentic employer branding requires listening to employees' stories and allowing their voices to create a genuine narrative that builds trust and engagement. From Our Sponsor The Predictive Index (PI) is an award-winning talent optimization platform that aligns business strategy with people strategy for optimal business results. More than 60 years of proven science, software, and a curriculum of insightful management workshops make PI the solution for any company looking to design great teams and culture, make objective hiring decisions, foster engagement, and inspire greatness in their people anywhere in the world. More than 10,000 clients and 480+ partners use PI—including Nissan, Citizens Bank, Subway, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and Omni Hotels—across 90+ countries. Learn more at predictiveindex.com. From the Source "I think we each have an individual purpose... something where our greatest strengths meets our passion meets the place we can make an impact and I think the same is true for companies." "Businesses don't exist to make a profit, they're like red blood cells, you need them, you need the profits to make a profit. But really the purpose of the business is why it exists." "Connected people drive growth and results... the four connections that we talk about are connected to the company, which is really the purpose... connected to the work... connection to the leader... and connection to each other." "Retention is the obvious business risk that you're running if you have individuals who are out of whack in any of those four quadrants or four connection types." "Purpose and values really work if the individuals believe them, and they also resonate with their own personal values and why they exist." "It's not great when people come on to work and they have to feel like they got to put on a different person. And that doesn't feel like a very good fit for work." "The trust pyramid really starts with vulnerability and being willing to share. Because if you don't do that, you're probably not going to get any kind of ability to have candid conversations and trust with one another." Connect with Marshall Website: http://www.knightagency.com Email: marshall@knightagency.com 

Daniel Chait is CEO and Co-founder of Greenhouse. As a technology entrepreneur in New York for over 22 years, Dan is a frequent speaker on the topics of recruiting and entrepreneurship. He has presented at numerous venues, including the General Assembly, the University of Michigan Center for Entrepreneurship, Launch Scale, DEMO Traction and the Wharton Entrepreneurship Conference. Dan graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in Computer Engineering (#GoBlue!). Top 3 Takeaways Set the Intention. Creating a "culture of hiring" is a strategic advantage in today's business environment, requiring orchestrated processes and leadership behaviors rather than just good recruiters or software. Sync up. Effective hiring requires structured interviews with coordinated questions across team members, independent evaluations before group discussion, and intentional candidate experience management. Yes and. AI should augment rather than replace human decision-making in hiring, helping with efficiency while preserving the essential human connection that attracts top talent. From Our Sponsor The Predictive Index (PI) is an award-winning talent optimization platform that aligns business strategy with people strategy for optimal business results. More than 60 years of proven science, software, and a curriculum of insightful management workshops make PI the solution for any company looking to design great teams and culture, make objective hiring decisions, foster engagement, and inspire greatness in their people anywhere in the world. More than 10,000 clients and 480+ partners use PI—including Nissan, Citizens Bank, Subway, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and Omni Hotels—across 90+ countries. Learn more at predictiveindex.com. From the Source "In businesses of all kinds these days, it really does come down to if you can hire the right person, you can do anything. If you can't hire the right person, it doesn't matter what your idea is, you're not gonna get there." "I like to call it, it's not artificial intelligence, it's augmented intelligence. These tools are there to help you think and if you think that they're there to make the decisions for you, that's where we get into trouble." "Most businesses have all kinds of capital... physical capital, financial capital, reputation capital, and so on. The only kind that can create all the other kinds is human capital." “The difference between the companies where hiring is working really well and everyone else is not about the recruiter... it's about the leadership behaviors." "When I'm talking to a candidate, in my mind I'm thinking like, whatever other job they're considering, I wanna bring my A game on this one." “The moment that they applied to a job or looked at a job on your website through the interviews... Are the interviews on point? Do they make sense or am I being asked the same question over and over again?" Connect with Daniel Website: http://www.greenhouse.io

Aileda Lindal, widely recognized as "The Business Alchemist," is a conscious leader with over three decades of experience driving innovation and resilience across industries. From leading crisis management for New York City’s medical sector during the COVID-19 pandemic to consulting in aerospace, retail, and banking, her career showcases her strategic vision and ability to deliver scalable solutions under pressure. Aileda empowers business owners and executives with actionable strategies to navigate challenges while maintaining operational excellence. Top 3 Takeaways Wake Up. Conscious leadership begins with self-awareness - most people operate on autopilot 95% of the time, limiting innovation and perpetuating old patterns in organizations. Own Up. Leaders must first understand their emotions and thought patterns to make better choices, creating a ripple effect that changes company culture and promotes wellbeing. Go All In. True business transformation requires leaders to balance purpose with profit, prioritize physical wellbeing, and develop resilience through consistent mindfulness practices. From Our Sponsor The Predictive Index (PI) is an award-winning talent optimization platform that aligns business strategy with people strategy for optimal business results. More than 60 years of proven science, software, and a curriculum of insightful management workshops make PI the solution for any company looking to design great teams and culture, make objective hiring decisions, foster engagement, and inspire greatness in their people anywhere in the world. More than 10,000 clients and 480+ partners use PI—including Nissan, Citizens Bank, Subway, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and Omni Hotels—across 90+ countries. Learn more at predictiveindex.com. From the Source "Conscious leadership is really more about kind of an operational model. It's understanding how we are designed operationally to work and to flow." "Most findings from psychology and neuroscience say that we are consciously aware, an average of 5 percent of the time... the other 95 percent we're primarily running in subconscious brain, meaning repeat patterns." "We're getting a lot of the same thing over and over and over again, right? And so it also makes me kind of like put a question mark in things like, ‘Okay, does history repeat itself?’ Because we haven't evolved and realized how our systems work." "Our job, though, as leaders is to self evaluate, right, and to have acceptance and adapt. Right? Like our whole lives are about our ability to adapt and grow." "Humanity really needs to meet technology at the forefront. And that means this self awareness and this ability to remain conscious and consciously aware of the choices that we're making, not just for ourselves, but also that ripple effect of expanding the circle." "Can I use the word challenge or maybe even opportunity if I dare take that spin on it and a new perspective on whatever it is that's happening on my playing field." "People have to fully understand their purpose and embrace their purpose in order to be strong leaders for the future." Connect with Aileda Website: https://askaileda.com  Conscious Leadership Development: https://askaileda.com/conscious-leadership-development LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/askaileda Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/askaileda  

David Goodman is Dean of the Woods College of Advancing Studies and Executive Director of the Center for Psychological Humanities and Ethics at Boston College. He also serves on the faculty of three departments: Formative Education, Counseling, Developmental, and Educational Psychology, and Philosophy. Dr. Goodman currently serves as the Series Editor for the Psychology and the Other Book Series with Routledge. He has authored and edited over a dozen books. Co-authored with Matthew Clemente, Dr. Goodman currently has a book under contract with Oxford University Press titled Technology and Its Discontents (forthcoming). Dr. Goodman is also a licensed clinical psychologist and has a private practice in Boston, MA. Top 3 Takeaways Rest up. Taking intentional breaks between roles can be crucial for leadership transitions. Dr. Goodman took a full month off before starting as Dean to create mental space and prepare for the new position. Put people first. Building relationships and trust should precede organizational change initiatives. Dr. Goodman prioritized connecting with staff and students through informal conversations and structured listening tours before implementing major changes. Strike a balance. The most effective innovation balances speed with inclusivity and collaboration. While quick decision-making with a small team may seem efficient, involving the broader organization often creates better buy-in and more sustainable change. From Our Sponsor The Predictive Index (PI) is an award-winning talent optimization platform that aligns business strategy with people strategy for optimal business results. More than 60 years of proven science, software, and a curriculum of insightful management workshops make PI the solution for any company looking to design great teams and culture, make objective hiring decisions, foster engagement, and inspire greatness in their people anywhere in the world. More than 10,000 clients and 480+ partners use PI—including Nissan, Citizens Bank, Subway, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and Omni Hotels—across 90+ countries. Learn more at predictiveindex.com. From the Source "I realized the most important thing for me to start with is to just connect with people and to be moving around in this space, getting to know people, what they're doing, having them get to know me, my personality, my sense of humor, to feel sort of allayed of their immediate anxiety." "I don't want to build lots of new programs to turn them out of the world. I want to build programs that are transformative to the world because of the nature of the student and a lot of those countercultural elements that I think we bring to them." "Think of Boston College as something of a Navy fleet, many different types of vessels... I see Woods College as a scouting vessel while the whole fleet is moving ever so slowly in one direction together. We're able to go off into the horizon and sort of see what's ahead." "You lose the long game in getting something up and going in the short run. And so that's a lesson I hate to say I have to learn all the time. Because I—in my rashness—when I want to see things move, I don't always take that seriously." "The great benefit of being in a place with such a long history and traditions is its stability... The liabilities that come with it are oftentimes that it could just replicate itself, just sort of keep going, keep being what it is without ever really facing a changing world around it." Connect with David Woods College of Advancing Studies Website: https://www.bc.edu/content/bc-web/schools/wcas.html LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-goodman-18bb165/ 

Tamara Myles is an accomplished consultant, author, and international speaker with over two decades of experience helping leaders improve business performance. She is the author of The Secret to Peak Productivity, which introduced her proprietary Peak Productivity Pyramid framework. Tamara’s insights have been featured in leading publications such as Forbes, Fast Company, USA Today, and Business Insider. She has worked with clients such as Microsoft, KPMG, MassMutual, and Google. Tamara has a masters degree in Applied Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania, where she also serves as an instructor in the masters program and a trainer for the world-renowned Penn Resilience Program. She is a professor in the Master of Science in Leadership program at Boston College, where she integrates cutting-edge positive psychology research into practical applications for leadership and organizational success. Top 3 Takeaways Everybody’s watching. 48% of an employee's experience of meaning at work is directly related to their leader's actions and behaviors. This highlights the crucial role that managers play in creating meaningful work environments. It’s elementary. Meaningful work consists of three key components: community (feeling connected), contribution (feeling work matters), and challenge (personal growth). When leaders focus on these elements, they see improved engagement, retention, innovation, and resilience. Links over location. The shift to hybrid/remote work has intensified the importance of intentionally building connections across organizations. Companies need to create compelling reasons for people to come together rather than forcing mandatory office returns. From Our Sponsor The Predictive Index (PI) is an award-winning talent optimization platform that aligns business strategy with people strategy for optimal business results. More than 60 years of proven science, software, and a curriculum of insightful management workshops make PI the solution for any company looking to design great teams and culture, make objective hiring decisions, foster engagement, and inspire greatness in their people anywhere in the world. More than 10,000 clients and 480+ partners use PI—including Nissan, Citizens Bank, Subway, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and Omni Hotels—across 90+ countries. Learn more at predictiveindex.com. From the Source "We spend more time at work than we do with our family and our friends combined... People say that work friendship is the most important aspect to a happy work life." "Meaning happens in moments that matter... It's not in these grand big gestures, but in moments." "Our brains respond to loneliness in the same way as it responds to thirst and hunger. So the same alarms activate in our brains when we don't feel a sense of belonging as when we are hungry and thirsty." "We found that this role modeling and walking the talk is so important that it is a destroyer of meaning if you say one thing and do another." "When leaders focus on making work more meaningful, not only do individuals thrive and they are happier... but also the organization performs much better. Engagement is up, retention is up, innovation is up, resilience is up." Connect with Tamara Meaningful Work (book): https://amzn.to/4kORS2O Website: http://www.makeworkmeaningful.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tamaramyles Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tamaramyles 

Amber Bardon is the Founder & powerhouse CEO of Parasol Alliance, a full-service managed technology provider that dominates the senior living industry. Under her leadership, Parasol Alliance has become a game-changer, consistently ranked among the Top 501 Managed IT Service Providers in the World for six consecutive years including an incredible #4 global ranking in 2022! Amber’s vision and relentless drive have built an award-winning culture across a multi-state, virtual workforce, earning her the prestigious title of Best & Brightest CEO in the Nation in 2024. She’s not just leading a company, she’s redefining what’s possible in tech and senior living. Top 3 Takeaways Make remote work work. Despite being 100% remote, Parasol Alliance has built a strong culture through intentional practices like daily team calls, mandatory camera-on meetings, and structured Slack policies. Think different. Coming from an anthropology background, Amber's disruptor mindset helped her innovate in the senior living technology space. Her experiences facing workplace flexibility challenges as a woman and mother inspired her to create a company culture that prioritizes work-life balance. Talk it out. Regular transparent communication, including twice-yearly town halls and CEO welcome meetings with every new hire have been crucial to maintaining culture during rapid growth. From Our Sponsor The Predictive Index (PI) is an award-winning talent optimization platform that aligns business strategy with people strategy for optimal business results. More than 60 years of proven science, software, and a curriculum of insightful management workshops make PI the solution for any company looking to design great teams and culture, make objective hiring decisions, foster engagement, and inspire greatness in their people anywhere in the world. More than 10,000 clients and 480+ partners use PI—including Nissan, Citizens Bank, Subway, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and Omni Hotels—across 90+ countries. Learn more at predictiveindex.com. From the Source "My goal has always been to create the happiest I.T. Company in the world." "I think the biggest mistake companies can make with remote work is to treat it like you're working in an office, but you're working from home because that's not what it is. You do have to be intentional and come up with different strategies and policies and processes for that." "I see myself as a disruptor and I think that has been a big part of our success as a company is because I problem solve from a completely different perspective coming from that disruptor and non-traditional mindset." "The longer someone is in the wrong role, the bigger impact and problems that you're going to have from that... Our people are our products." "One toxic person or one person who's causing problems within your culture and refusing to participate can bring so many other people down... You will build the culture and you will start to attract the talent that you want when you are intentional about that." Connect with Amber LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amberbardon