Transform Your Workplace

Ever wonder what the best and brightest recruiters are doing to find top talent? Matt Schwartz, Founder and President of MJS Executive Search offers up his thoughts on recruiting, retention, employer branding, company culture, the job market, and shares his methodology on transformational talent. 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: After nearly two decades in retained executive search, Matt has an instinctive and thorough understanding of what his clients actually want. And time and again, he has been able to meet their challenges. Matt honed his technical knowledge during the 90s dot com boom. He began at Gundersen Partners, LLC, then moved to Heidrick and Struggles, where he became a principal in the Global Consumer Practice. He grew adept at finding key executives in fast-moving consumer goods, retail, fashion and luxury, sports /media and entertainment, and corporate communications.

You've gone to school, done the internships, gotten the certifications, landed the dream job, and spent 10 years establishing yourself in the field...but eventually you burn out and miserable, for myriad reasons. Is it too late to change? What else could you do? How do you continue to support yourself while starting over, especially if that involves going back to school? How do you determine your next career? Wendy Gilbert, HR Account Representative at Xenium, went through this exact experience when shifting out of the mental health counseling field into human resources. Listen in as she shares her story, all its turns and bumps and lifts, and offers up lessons learned and advice to others in the same situation. 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: Wendy Gilbert joined the Xenium team as an HR Account Representative in April 2015. Her prior experience includes recruiting and general HR for companies including Daimler Trucks North America and Banfield Pet Hospital (Mars, Inc.). Before entering into a career in HR, Wendy was a mental health therapist for over 10 years specializing in crisis intervention, EAP, group facilitation and conflict mediation and is a past-president of the Oregon Counseling Association. Wendy earned her Masters degree in Psychology from Lewis & Clark College and has since earned her PHR and SHRM-CP certifications.

It's straightforward stuff: retaining your talented employees is necessary for your organization to grow and thrive. What's less straightforward is where to start with accomplishing that task. What kind of turnover is healthy turnover, and what can you do about the preventable turnover? What kind of data tracking should you be doing, and how do you use those numbers to make improvements? What's an easy way to go about stay and exit interviews to ensure you're getting honest, raw feedback? Jeff Kortes, employee retention speaker and author, joins Brandon Laws in a discussion of all things employee retention. Listen in to hear about practical tips and tools to introduce into your workplace practices as well as the meaning of Jeff's "C.R.A.P." leadership system and what it could do for your company and people. Read the full transcript here. Click here to sign up today for Xenium's 2017 What People Want From Work Survey. 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: Jeff Kortes didn't become an employee retention speaker, author and expert by accident. His early career spanned 25 years as a human resources professional, trainer, and consultant. He has held leadership roles in companies such as ConAgra, Midas International, SPX, and Regal Ware, Inc. Jeff's no-nonsense approach is reflected in his C.R.A.P. Leadership System, which instills positive supervisory and managerial behavior while driving results in the organization. Jeff also works as a "headhunter," finding candidates to fill organizations' talent needs and constantly learning about what drives candidates to choose one employer over another. Jeff speaks and conducts workshops nationwide as an employee retention trainer. He draws on his experiences as a human resources professional, father, coach, martial artist and U.S. Army veteran to provide thought-provoking programs that yield results.

To be a great leader, you must first establish and follow your own life plan. That's the premise of the book Living Forward: A Proven Plan to Stop Drifting and Get the Life You Want, co-written by Daniel Harkavy, founder and CEO of Building Champions. On this week's episode, Angela Perkins of Xenium HR guest hosts the podcast and talks with Daniel on why big-picture life planning is as important as planning for your next vacation. Read the full transcript Click here to sign up today for Xenium's 2017 What People Want From Work Survey. 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: Daniel Harkavy Get the Life Plan Tools

The recruiting and onboarding process allow an employer to set the tone and expectations for a new employee's experience with a company. So how do you ensure that it's a successful process that attracts not only someone with the skills for the job, but someone with the right personality for your company? Jenny Berkedal, Director of Employee Experience at Metal Toad Media, joins the podcast to share how she approaches hiring and to offer tips to hire for cultural alignment within a competitive industry. Click here to sign up today for Xenium's 2017 What People Want From Work Survey. 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: Jenny Berkedal is the Director of Employee Experience (HR + Recruiting) at Metal Toad Media. Jenny's career is anchored in the desire to hire great people and then construct the most effective conditions for each person to thrive. She believes that we thrive when immersed in an atmosphere of trust and in a culture that supports us to play to our strengths. Her passion to grow people is guided by two strengths of her own: strategic thinking that informs decision-making and a drive to learn that helps her constantly improve. She is impassioned to create lean processes and innovate solutions to combat inefficiencies, close skill gaps, promote engagement, and increase performance in the workplace.

Getting your company off the ground to a sustainable place should be the hardest part of starting a company, right? That's what many think, and how the growing pains and problems that occur within larger organizations go unanticipated or considered until it's too late. Rick Thomas, business advisor at Pilot Wealth Management, joins Brandon Laws in a discussion of the common issues companies experience when they go from 10 employees to 20 employees and beyond, and how you can lay the groundwork for a successful organization – no matter its ultimate size. Click here to sign up today for Xenium's 2017 What People Want From Work Survey. 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: Over his thirty year career Rick has leveraged his diverse background and interests in business leadership, culture and communication to create a unique offering of advisory services. Through his work as a trusted advisor, Rick has facilitated success in organizations from small partnerships to multi-billion dollar corporations.

Fear can often be a helpful emotion – it keeps us from ending up in risky, potentially harmful situations. But when does fear hold us back from reaching our full potential either as individuals or organizations? Darrin Murriner, author of Corporate Bravery: Eliminate Fear-Based Decision Making, joins the podcast to discuss how mistrust and being overly cautious can set us back personally as well as how it can impact a company's growth and success. Drawing on personal stories, the current political climate, and more, listen in on the discussion and find out how encouraging people to be comfortable with the potential for failure leads to ultimate success. Click here to sign up today for Xenium's 2017 What People Want From Work Survey. 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: Darrin Murriner has over a decade experience with some of the largest corporations in America. Darrin has worked as an outside consultant, led operations and finance teams and worked in risk management. These experiences has provided the thesis for Corporate Bravery. In addition to his corporate experiences, Darrin has also started businesses as well. He founded BabysitEase with his wife Peggy in 2005 and the local news site Fort Thomas Matters in 2008. In late 2014 he started his latest venture - Stockpilz.com, a marketplace for commercial paper, with the idea that business to business sourcing can be accomplished more efficiently. He is currently the President and Co-Founder of Cloverleaf, a development tool for teams. In addition to his business experiences he lives with his wife Peggy and three children in Fort Thomas, Kentucky - a small suburb located a couple miles from Cincinnati, Ohio.

Time is precious. So why is it so challenging for us to prioritize and effectively manage where our time goes? Are there proven methods that could help us take back control of our time, easing our stress and improve many aspects of our work and personal lives? Bethanne Kronick, owner and CEO of Simplify Northwest, joins Brandon Laws in a discussion of all sorts of time management hacks and tricks, from how to prioritize tasks, get through email more efficiently, ensure meetings are useful and productive for all involved, and the one quick task you should do every morning to better organize your day and set yourself up to get more done. 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:

In this unusual podcast episode, Senior HR Business Partner Molly Kelley opens up about her decision to transition out of her role at Xenium. She and Brandon discuss the ideal process and communication for smooth transitions for key employees, from the angles of both employee and employer. Listen in for recommendations on timelines, employee communication, client communication, as well as how to handle less amicable employee transitions. 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 Molly Kelley

Episode number one started with Lacey Halpern, a Senior Human Resources Business Partner at Xenium HR, so we brought her back to celebrate episode number 100. In this "mailbag" episode, Lacey answers rapid fire questions on everything from defining illegal interview questions to how much time managers should spend with low performers versus high performers to what she believes the future workplace will look like. 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