Transform Your Workplace

Is the popular saying “fake it ‘til you make it” really a recipe for success? According to our latest guest, Sabrina Horn, faking it ‘til you make it is actually “the worst business advice ever.” In this episode of the Transform Your Workplace podcast, Sabrina suggests that authenticity is the answer for those wishing to seize business success. Listen in and gain insight into leading with authenticity in today’s unpredictable business world. TAKEAWAYS The idea of “faking until we make it” has mutated through social media and pop culture, eventually becoming a way to justify dishonesty. To stay grounded, it’s important to have mentors who will tell you what you need to hear, not what you want to hear.  Sometimes people “fake it” because they're completely overwhelmed. Owning up to your mistakes means you'll recover faster and maintain your integrity. We should never stop learning or we’ll stagnate and lose our edge in the workplace. A QUICK GLIMPSE INTO OUR PODCAST 🔊 Podcast: Transform Your Workplace, sponsored by Xenium HR 🎙️ Host: Brandon Laws 📋 In his own words: “The Transform Your Workplace podcast is your go-to source for the latest workplace trends, big ideas, and time-tested methods straight from the mouths of industry experts and respected thought-leaders.” Contact Brandon and Xenium HR:  Email Brandon.Laws@xeniumhr.com or connect on LinkedIn, Twitter, or Instagram. Learn more about Xenium HR at xeniumhr.com Follow Xenium on Twitter, Instagram, or LinkedIn.

How should businesses deal with communication breakdown among leaders and teams? And where do they begin when it comes to clarifying needs and addressing conflict? According to recent guest Tim Franz, the Workplace Covenant is a time-test method for merging the obligations and expectations inherent in any workplace relationship. Listen in to hear how it works and get some valuable insight about fostering meaningful partnership at work.  TAKEAWAYS To truly listen to others, one must listen to understand and make sense of the feelings that the speaker is experiencing. The Workplace Covenant is a method that makes both the leader’s and the team’s implicit needs and desires explicit so that all can work together. Like any other process, the Workplace Covenant must be posted, reviewed in team meetings, and discussed frequently. The underpinning of the meaningful partnership is empathy, respect, trust, and alignment. A QUICK GLIMPSE INTO OUR PODCAST 🔊 Podcast: Transform Your Workplace, sponsored by Xenium HR 🎙️ Host: Brandon Laws 📋 In his own words: “The Transform Your Workplace podcast is your go-to source for the latest workplace trends, big ideas, and time-tested methods straight from the mouths of industry experts and respected thought-leaders.” Contact Brandon and Xenium HR:  Email Brandon.Laws@xeniumhr.com or connect on LinkedIn, Twitter, or Instagram. Learn more about Xenium HR at xeniumhr.com Follow Xenium on Twitter, Instagram, or LinkedIn.

Sit down with Brandon Laws as he interviews Jane Finette, author of Unlocked: How Empowered Women Empower Women. The two discuss Jane’s latest book and her years leading a fellowship that helps emerging women develop into powerful and effective leaders. Listen in as Jane provides a fresh take on the unique role of women leaders in the workplace today. TAKEAWAYS Women are born connectors adept at creating meaningful relationships in the companies that they lead. When you empower one woman, you empower another because she will continue to give back to her family and community. Women tend to be much more people-focused, so they enjoy more employee retention and engagement.  Women will tend to build smaller than their male counterparts, but female-led businesses tend to be highly profitable despite the size. When a woman reaches a position of influence, she should use that influence to help someone else seize a career-building opportunity.

Are your communication efforts moving you forward and or are they keeping you stuck in a negative loop? Find out in this episode of the Transform Your Workplace podcast, where Brandon Laws interviews Cheri Torres and Jackie Stavros, coauthors of Conversations Worth Having. The three discuss eye-opening tips for recognizing negative communication patterns and having meaningful conversations that move you and your team forward. TAKEAWAYS Everything we do revolves around conversation either with others or ourselves. The conversations we have either move us in the direction we want to go or keep us stuck in a loop of negativity. Our conversations affect our wellbeing, our productivity, and our engagement. Appreciative Inquiry engages us around what we want to see and where we want to go; it’s about the outcome rather than traditional problem-solving centered around fixing the root of the issue. When we come from a place of destructive, depreciative conversations, we put people in protect-mode and hinder effective communication. Register for the 2nd Annual Organizational Wellbeing Summit - use promo code xenium A QUICK GLIMPSE INTO OUR PODCAST 🔊 Podcast: Transform Your Workplace, sponsored by Xenium HR 🎙️ Host: Brandon Laws 📋 In his own words: “The Transform Your Workplace podcast is your go-to source for the latest workplace trends, big ideas, and time-tested methods straight from the mouths of industry experts and respected thought-leaders.” Contact Brandon and Xenium HR:  Email Brandon.Laws@xeniumhr.com or connect on LinkedIn, Twitter, or Instagram. Learn more about Xenium HR at xeniumhr.com Follow Xenium on Twitter, Instagram, or LinkedIn.

As leaders, we must evolve with the world around us, or we risk being left behind. In this episode of the Transform Your Workplace podcast, we dive into a discussion about leading well in an ever-changing workplace. Hear from Michelle Ray — author, speaker, and entrepreneur — about her new book, Leading in Real Time, and get tips about how to embrace change as you lead your team. TAKEAWAYS If we want to see success in our businesses, our teams, and our own professional lives, we can’t lead in the same way we did even two or three years ago. Leaders must be transparent and acknowledge the feelings and passions that their employees express. Positioning yourself for success means connecting with your people, listening to them, and being open to what they have to say. If you can demonstrate to your people that the part they play has relevance and meaning, then they feel good about making a contribution and, consequently, good about themselves. Leaders must build their credibility so that their people see them as genuine, trustworthy, and honorable. A QUICK GLIMPSE INTO OUR PODCAST 🔊 Podcast: Transform Your Workplace, sponsored by Xenium HR 🎙️ Host: Brandon Laws 📋 In his own words: “The Transform Your Workplace podcast is your go-to source for the latest workplace trends, big ideas, and time-tested methods straight from the mouths of industry experts and respected thought-leaders.” Contact Brandon and Xenium HR:  Email Brandon.Laws@xeniumhr.com or connect on LinkedIn, Twitter, or Instagram. Learn more about Xenium HR at xeniumhr.com Follow Xenium on Twitter, Instagram, or LinkedIn.

How can leaders engender respect, empathy, and appreciation in the culture of their businesses? And is it possible to slow or stop the Great Resignation that is dismantling businesses left and right? According to Sarah McVanel, author of Forever Recognize Others' Greatness, it all starts with leaders who are willing to make intentional changes when it comes to noticing and showing appreciation for those around them. The result? A workplace culture with recognition at the forefront and a staff who won’t look elsewhere for purposeful employment.  TAKEAWAYS If people see that a new job can potentially “feed their souls” while feeding their bank accounts, then they are much more likely to look elsewhere for employment. When we give validation and verification that our employees matter, they're more likely to stay. Recognizing greatness is that unwavering belief that every one of us possesses greatness that deserves to be acknowledged. If we can create an ecosystem of appreciation, it filters out into every facet of our business and leads to a true culture of abundance — real dollars and cents value. The more we show appreciation in our personal lives and our professional lives, the more it becomes easy and intuitive to continue to do so. GUEST AT A GLANCE Sarah McVanel is a recognition expert, speaker, coach, and author of Forever Recognize Others' Greatness: Solution-Focused Strategies for Satisfied Staff, High-Performing Teams, and Healthy Bottom Lines. She is passionate about helping businesses build “healthy and recognition-rich” teams. A QUICK GLIMPSE INTO OUR PODCAST 🔊 Podcast: Transform Your Workplace, sponsored by Xenium HR 🎙️ Host: Brandon Laws 📋 In his own words: “The Transform Your Workplace podcast is your go-to source for the latest workplace trends, big ideas, and time-tested methods straight from the mouths of industry experts and respected thought-leaders.”

Dive deep into a transformative discussion of emotions with Karla McLaren — author, researcher, and workplace consultant. In this episode of the Transform Your Workplace podcast, Brandon Laws interviews Karla about her lifelong research focusing on emotions in the workplace. Listen and learn how leaders can foster emotional intelligence, strong communication, and empathy in the workplace. TAKEAWAYS Employee motivation hinges on their sense of autonomy within the organization. It is common for workplaces to hinder discussion of emotion despite the immense need for open dialogue. Each emotion has a specific purpose in cognition, decision-making, and action. The emotions that drain us do so for a purpose: so that we’ll pay attention to them and ask ourselves what's wrong. You can have emotional skills that are focused on yourself, but empathy is where you bring your emotional skills out into the world. GUEST AT A GLANCE Karla McLaren has spent her career delving into the undeniable power of emotions. An accomplished author, researcher, and consultant, Karla is passionate about teaching leaders to “revalue” their emotions to create effective communication and deeper empathy in the workplace. Her latest book, The Power of Emotions at Work: Accessing the Vital Intelligence in Your Workplace, is available wherever books are sold. A QUICK GLIMPSE INTO OUR PODCAST 🔊 Podcast: Transform Your Workplace, sponsored by Xenium HR 🎙️ Host: Brandon Laws 📋 In his own words: “The Transform Your Workplace podcast is your go-to source for the latest workplace trends, big ideas, and time-tested methods straight from the mouths of industry experts and respected thought-leaders.”  

Conflict, obstacles, differences. In the working world, leaders and their teams face no shortage of challenges. Fortunately, according to Adam Kahane, facilitating effective collaboration is possible. If you and your team find yourself running into dead-ends when it comes to working together, listen in and learn about a fresh approach for removing the obstacles that hinder forward progression. TAKEAWAYS Leaders of all types — managers, team members, coaches, consultants, and more — can benefit from learning how to facilitate breakthrough. Both vertical and horizontal facilitation miss the mark when it comes to facilitating effective collaboration. Like inhaling and exhaling, both vertical and horizontal facilitation must be used alternately.  Effective facilitation is about removing obstacles to equitable connection and contribution. GUEST AT A GLANCE Adam Kahane is a Director of Reos Partners, passionate process facilitator, and author of Facilitating Breakthrough: How to Remove Obstacles, Bridge Differences, and Move Forward Together. With extensive experience working in over fifty countries, Adam helps leaders of all kinds address their challenges head-on. A QUICK GLIMPSE INTO OUR PODCAST 🔊 Podcast: Transform Your Workplace, sponsored by Xenium HR 🎙️ Host: Brandon Laws 📋 In his own words: “The Transform Your Workplace podcast is your go-to source for the latest workplace trends, big ideas, and time-tested methods straight from the mouths of industry experts and respected thought-leaders.”

Let’s face it. Engagement is critical to productivity. But in the post-pandemic workplace, are managers too busy fighting fires to focus on keeping employees engaged? In this episode of the Transform Your Workplace podcast, Brandon Laws sits down with Pamela Hackett, author of Manage to Engage: How Great Managers Create Remarkable Results, to discuss the ins and outs of employee engagement. Whether the team is working in the office, from home, or a combination of the two, learn how managers can better motivate and connect with their teams. TAKEAWAYS The pandemic taught us about the under-engaged, disengaged, and those resistant to change. The direct boss has the greatest impact on employee engagement. To engage, managers must be intentional about connecting with employees on a routine basis. Managers must seek to engender confidence in their teams which ultimately leads to a greater sense of purpose and engagement. GUEST AT A GLANCE Pamela Hackett is the CEO of Proudfoot, an international operations consulting firm having successfully coached over one million leaders. With expertise in driving change in operating models, results, and culture, Pamela is passionate about seeing leaders connect meaningfully with their teams to create a productive and engaging work environment. A QUICK GLIMPSE INTO OUR PODCAST 🔊 Podcast: Transform Your Workplace, sponsored by Xenium HR 🎙️ Host: Brandon Laws 📋 In his own words: “The Transform Your Workplace podcast is your go-to source for the latest workplace trends, big ideas, and time-tested methods straight from the mouths of industry experts and respected thought-leaders.”

Our most recent guest, Greg Slamowitz, may have released his book back in 2013, but it’s still just as relevant in today’s ever-changing workplace. Listen in on Brandon Laws’ discussion with Greg as they delve into his 2013 book, Flip the Pyramid: How Any Organization Can Create a Workforce That is Engaged, Aligned, Empowered, and On Fire, and get some insight on building a framework for company stability and success. TAKEAWAYS There are proven business strategies and tactics available for those who seek them, so there is no need for original thinking to build an outlined organization that can scale. When you have a growth-oriented company, you need employees who bring their left brain and their right brain to work every single day.  The senior leadership team is responsible for setting three to five objective, measurable goals that the whole company can understand and work toward. Communication of company goals is critical to success. Employees should see them everywhere and discuss them daily. GUEST AT A GLANCE Greg Slamowitz is a lawyer-turned-entrepreneur and the Co-Founder of Ambrose Employer Group, a highly-esteemed professional employer organization. He is a professor, investor, speaker, and author of Flip the Pyramid: How Any Organization Can Create a Workforce That is Engaged, Aligned, Empowered, and On Fire. A QUICK GLIMPSE INTO OUR PODCAST 🔊 Podcast: Transform Your Workplace, sponsored by Xenium HR 🎙️ Host: Brandon Laws 📋 In his own words: “The Transform Your Workplace podcast is your go-to source for the latest workplace trends, big ideas, and time-tested methods straight from the mouths of industry experts and respected thought-leaders.”