Transform Your Workplace

We know empathy is important in relationships, but what about at work? Karen Millsap, CEO of Egency and TEDx speaker, joins us to share her story and how she's using empathy to improve workplace culture. After losing her husband in a terrible tragedy, Karen realized how little support our society offers for grieving people. We'll cover pivotal moments of her experience, how to best help our colleagues after trauma and how empathy and compassion can change the workplace for the better. How to Support this Show: Subscribe on your favorite podcast app (iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, etc.) Review us on iTunes Take our survey and we'll enter you in a drawing for a free book Follow Xenium HR (@XeniumHR) and Brandon Laws (@BrandonLaws) on Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram Learn more about Xenium HR at xeniumhr.com SPECIAL OFFER: e-learning courses at Xenium - www.xeniumhr.com/courses - promo code "POD" for 10% off all courses. About Karen Millsap: Karen Millsap, also known as, The Grief Consultant, began her career in human resources and talent acquisition where she lead countless training, new process, and change initiatives. At a young age, she suddenly became a widow when her husband was tragically murdered which completely changed the trajectory of her life. After experiencing a domino effect of other losses, she became acutely aware of the overall lack of support in our society for grieving people. We are all connected through our struggles, from the death of loved ones, to life-altering illnesses, divorce, even job loss. This realization ignited Karen's desire to turn her pain into purpose and pay it forward to help others. Karen's work has been featured in SHRM Magazine, on Good Morning Washington, MSNBC, and many others! She is a TEDx keynote speaker who inspires audiences to embrace compassion and empathy to help alleviate other's suffering by becoming advocates for their own adversaries. This experience opens minds and hearts to revive connectivity. Karen is the CEO (Chief Empathy Officer) of Egency, a firm that helps organizations create a human-centric culture with compassion and empathy. She's also the author of the upcoming book, Now What? and founder of Well Now Global Retreats. ​Karen received her undergraduate degree in Communication from George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. She is also a Certified Grief Recovery Specialist through the Grief Recovery Institute in Los Angeles, California. Connect with Karen Millsap on LinkedIn Resources Mentioned: Karen's Tedx Talk Option B

When they're created thoughtfully, employee handbooks can be useful tools for your employees not just when they're new to your company, but over the course of their careers, too. But employee handbooks aren't known to be riveting reading. This week, we spoke with Lacey Partipilo, Xenium's Senior Human Relations Business Partner, on building the most accurate, helpful handbooks for your organization. Listen in to hear us discuss federal policies you can't leave out, engaging your team with creative handbooks, and creating supplementary materials, like Xenium's Benefits at a Glance sheet, to break down the onslaught of information. How to Support this Show: Subscribe on your favorite podcast app (iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, etc.) Review us on iTunes Take our survey and we'll enter you in a drawing for a free book Follow Xenium HR (@XeniumHR) and Brandon Laws (@BrandonLaws) on Twitter and LinkedIn Learn more about Xenium HR at xeniumhr.com About the Guest: Connect with Lacey Halpern

Many of us have been there: a stressful day at work turns into a hectic month, a hectic month turns into a punishing year, and a punishing year turns into pure physical and mental exhaustion and maybe even complete career burnout. Beth Genly, a former nurse and lead of the coaching and consulting company Burnout Solutions, knows a thing or two about burnout—and how to keep it at bay. Her new book, Save Yourself from Burnout: A System to Get Your Life Back, co-authored with Dr. Marnie Loomis, explores the burden of burnout and how to deal with it. On this week's episode, we talk with Beth about high-risk professions for burnout, how burnout develops, and how to prevent it with proactive, persistent self-care. How to Support this Show: Subscribe on your favorite podcast app (iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, etc.) Review us on iTunes Take our survey and we'll enter you in a drawing for a free book Follow Xenium HR (@XeniumHR) and Brandon Laws (@BrandonLaws) on Twitter and LinkedIn Follow Angela Perkins on LinkedIn Learn more about Xenium HR at xeniumhr.com About the Guest: Connect with Beth on LinkedIn Get the book: Save Yourself from Burnout Learn about Burnout Solutions

We all know communication is key to successful collaboration at work. But that doesn't mean it's easy. Craig Weber, author of "Conversational Capacity" and founder of the Weber Consulting Group, joins us today to discuss his celebrated approach to work communication. We'll cover the different communication styles people use and tools that leaders and employees alike can apply to foster effective collaboration, share ideas, respond to tough challenges and ultimately create better work. How to Support this Show: Subscribe on your favorite podcast app (iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, etc.) Review us on iTunes Take our survey and we'll enter you in a drawing for a free book Follow Xenium HR (@XeniumHR) and Brandon Laws (@BrandonLaws) on Twitter and LinkedIn Follow Angela Perkins on LinkedIn Learn more about Xenium HR at xeniumhr.com About Craig Weber Craig Weber is the author of the groundbreaking book, Conversational Capacity: The Key To Building Successful Teams That Perform When The Pressure Is On (McGraw-Hill, 2013), and the founder of The Weber Consulting Group – an alliance of experts committed to helping people build more resilient, healthy, and agile organizations. Craig helps an eclectic range of clients improve their performance by treating dialogue as a discipline. His unique work is the result of his formal education – in Organizational Development at Brigham Young University in Hawaii and Organizational Psychology at Columbia University – combined with nearly two decades of in-depth consulting experience with a wide range of teams and organizations. Famous for his sharp, inspiring, and engaging style, Craig is a sought after consultant and presenter. In 2012 he was awarded the prestigious Vistage International Speaker Of The Year award, and in 2015 he was named the TEC-Canada Speaker Of The Year.

Are modern professionals more alone or does it just feel that way? From remote employees to communication technology, many factors are changing workplace dynamics. Megan Leatherman, career coach and HR consultant, joins us to share her own experiences and how it translates to the experience of professionals today. We'll cover changing relationships in the workplace, the factors most likely to lead to isolation, and measures you can take to ensure solid connections in the workplace. How to Support this Show: Subscribe on your favorite podcast app (iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, etc.) Review us on iTunes Take our survey and we'll enter you in a drawing for a free book Follow Xenium HR (@XeniumHR) and Brandon Laws (@BrandonLaws) on Twitter and LinkedIn Learn more about Xenium HR at xeniumhr.com Learn More About or Connect With Megan Leatherman

For a long time, running a corporation and doing good have been at odds with each other. But times have changed. Listen in as we chat with Cameron Madill, CEO of Pixelspoke, leader in the B Corp movement and chair of the B Corp Board in Portland, Oregon. We'll be talking about how businesses can be used as a force for good, the benefits of B Corp certification on recruiting, retention and revenue, and what you can expect when making the transition from standard organization to certified B Corp. How to Support this Show: Subscribe on your favorite podcast app (iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, etc.) Review us on iTunes Take our survey and we'll enter you in a drawing for a free book Follow Xenium HR (@XeniumHR) and Brandon Laws (@BrandonLaws) on Twitter and LinkedIn Learn more about Xenium HR at xeniumhr.com About the Guest: Cameron is the owner and founder of PixelSpoke, a digital marketing agency that specializes in credit unions and progressive businesses. His passion for credit unions and their mission also led him to start The Remarkable Credit Union podcast, the only podcast to focus specifically on trends and challenges in the credit union space. PixelSpoke is a B Corp, which means they are committed to creating positive and sustainable work environments, giving back to the community, and caring for the environment. It's a rigorous certification process, and they're proud to be part of the B Corp community. He organized the local B Corp Board for the city of Portland, OR and currently serves as the board's chair. He is deeply passionate about helping entrepreneurs to grow and thrive through volunteer activities promoting education. He has worked on multiple academic papers studying success factors in entrepreneurship and believes deeply in the importance of bringing scientific thinking to small and midsize companies. He launched the Portland Accelerator program, a local incubator for growth-oriented businesses, ran the business education curriculum for a US State Department international leadership program, and served as one of twenty delegates to the 2011 G20 Young Entrepreneur Summit in Nice, France. Social justice plays a large part in his life. He frequently travels to Dilley, TX to volunteer with the CARA Family Detention Pro Bono Project, which works with Central American mothers and their children who are fleeing horrific gang violence and other persecution.

We all know it's important to recruit and hire great talent. But are you doing enough to grow and develop the people you already have? James Sudakow, author and principal of CH Consulting, is back on the podcast with some fresh insights on human capital. We'll be discussing the ins and outs of talent management, including cost-effective ways to develop your people, the risks of holding on to poor performers and the employee trait you should always look for when making a new hire. How to Support this Show: Subscribe on your favorite podcast app (iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, etc.) Review us on iTunes Take our survey and we'll enter you in a drawing for a free book Follow Xenium HR (@XeniumHR) and Brandon Laws (@BrandonLaws) on Twitter and LinkedIn Learn more about Xenium HR at xeniumhr.com About the Guest: James Sudakow is the principal and founder of CH Consulting – a boutique consulting firm specializing in organizational transformation and talent management strategies – where he has led engagements with clients ranging from small, entrepreneurial start-ups to Blue Chip Fortune 100 organizations across various industries including healthcare, medical device, technology, finance, and entertainment. Prior to starting CH Consulting, James began his career at Deloitte Consulting, where he worked for seven years in the Organizational Performance practice. Upon leaving Deloitte, he has held progressively larger roles in multi-billion dollar global technology organizations, most recently serving as the Vice President of Talent Management and Organizational Effectiveness at CareFusion – a medical device and systems organization. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Southern California and his master's degree from the University of Arizona.

Attracting and retaining the right talent is one of the biggest challenges of running a successful business. So, what's the secret? The key, according to Roberta Chinsky Matuson, is magnetic leadership. Listen in as the author of The Magnetic Leader: How Irresistible Leaders Attract Employees, Customers and Profits, reveals what she's learned about humanizing the workplace, the mistakes many leaders make and how magnetic leadership can attract and motivate employees—and new customers. How to Support this Show: Subscribe on your favorite podcast app (iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, etc.) Review us on iTunes Take our survey and we'll enter you in a drawing for a free book Follow Xenium HR (@XeniumHR) and Brandon Laws (@BrandonLaws) on Twitter and LinkedIn Learn more about Xenium HR at xeniumhr.com About the Guest: For more than 25 years, Roberta Matuson, president of Matuson Consulting, has helped leaders in Fortune 500 companies, including Best Buy, New Balance, The Boston Beer Company and small to medium-size businesses, achieve dramatic growth and market leadership through the maximization of talent. The world's largest employment source Monster and retail giant Staples turn to Roberta for advice on matters related to talent. She is known world-wide as "The Talent Maximizer®." Roberta, a leading authority on leadership and the skills and strategies required to earn employee commitment and client loyalty, is the author of the newly released Talent Magnetism (Nicholas Brealey, 2013) and bestseller, Suddenly In Charge: Managing Up, Managing Down, Succeeding All Around (Nicholas Brealey, 2011), a Washington Post Top 5 Business Book For Leaders.

How do you establish yourself as a leader who people want to be around, support, and follow? How do you nourish a thriving, growing, constantly developing culture? Scott Love, author of Why They Follow: How to Lead with Positive Influence joins the podcast for a discussion of his book and how to become the kind of leader no employee ever wants to stop working for. Find out what truly drives people to stay at an organization, an easy development program you can establish for little to know cost at your company, and more! How to Support this Show: Subscribe on your favorite podcast app (iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, etc.) Review us on iTunes Take our survey and we'll enter you in a drawing for a free book Follow Xenium HR (@XeniumHR) and Brandon Laws (@BrandonLaws) on Twitter and LinkedIn Learn more about Xenium HR at xeniumhr.com About the Guest: Scott Love is a published author (Why They Follow: How to Lead with Positive Influence), a business writer, a professional keynote speaker, and has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, The Huffington Post, Selling Power Magazine, and dozens of business trade journals and newspapers around the globe. He is a popular media personality and is a frequent guest on dozens of business and management podcasts. Scott shows managers how to get employees to work hard, stay longer, and care more. As a high-stakes headhunter and former Navy leadership trainer, he gives managers tactical ways to build employee loyalty and tap into employee intrinsic motivation so that companies will accomplish their missions, increase retention, and attract high achievers.

Next Level Leadership course courses.xeniumhr.comEnter promo code "PODCAST" for 25% in August and September 2017 Transcript: Brandon: Hey, Brandon here, and welcome to a special edition of the HR for Small Business podcast. We have a special announcement today. We're rolling out, for the first time ever, a web-based course on Teachable.com's platform called "Next Level Leadership." And I have Suzi Alligood with me, who is the creator of the content to discuss the course. Suzi, why did we build the course? Suzi: We have a workshop that we facilitated for years at Xenium called "Leadership Essentials" and it happens to be one of our highest attended sessions. We wanted to convert that content into an e-learning format—not only because we want to reach more people—but also we have current clients who have employees out of our local area and we wanted them to achieve the same benefits as our live workshop while remaining at their own location. So we decided to leverage Teachable.com's platform, and modify our live workshop to be a great user experience on an e-learning platform. Brandon: What can people expect in this course? Suzi: It is a self-guided course, and it is very comprehensive. It might take the average student two hours to complete the course—but they can complete it at their own pace. It incorporates a couple different mediums, including video and video discussion between leader—where we leveraged some of our subject matter experts and actual senior leaders at Xenium to participate in discussion. Also, we have quizzes and self-guided activities for each section. The self-guided activities are the most beneficial, in my opinion, because it provides the student the opportunity to take the information that they are learning from the course and apply it in their workplace, and test it out and make improvements and ultimately gain confidence in how they might become a better leader. Brandon: Who is this course built for? Suzi: This course is for anyone who is aspiring to be a leader of others or is current a leader of others—particularly new leaders who made the recent shift from individual contributor to leader. Also it's great for people who have been in a leadership position for some time and want to brush up and hone some of those skills. Brandon: This is an exciting time for us as we launch this course in August 2017 for $49. Go to courses.xeniumhr.com to find "Next Level Leadership." For August and September only, we're offering podcast listeners 25% off by entering the promo code PODCAST when you check out.