Geeks, Geezers, and Googlization Show

Working women have made impressive progress. Just 20 years ago, S&P 500 companies claimed only 2 women among the elite CEO club. Today, 41 women are CEOs of companies such as General Motors, Best Buy, Walgreens, The Hershey Company, Oracle, Citigroup, and Clorox. But still, that's only 8 percent of CEOs, while women make up more than half the U.S. population. Women made gains in the C-Suite too but are still outnumbered 17:1. The pandemic took a pronounced toll on women. Some even called it the "shecession." Women left the workforce at 4 times the rate of men. The “mom penalty” added insult to injury. Upon reentry, many professional women over 50 will meet gendered ageism. The United States is facing a reckoning about race, diversity, equality, and inclusion. Ageism and genderism often fall off the radar. What can women over 50 do to overcome the bias in the workplace as well as stop their own internalized bias? What are some of the self-inflicted stereotypes that working women themselves perpetuate? Bonnie Marcus has some advice: Stop Playing Small. Stay Marketable. In her new book “Not Done Yet,” Bonnie shows a generation of women how to avoid self-sabotage and go from sadass to badass.  Our second segment features Professor M.S.Rao, whose passion and vision is to build one million students as global leaders by 2030. He’ll share the importance of soft leadership, from his bestselling book "See the Light in You" for which His Holiness Dalai Lama wrote a foreword and "Strategies to Build Women Leaders Globally."

Have you experienced VirtualReality yet? Are you wondering what the big deal is? Are VR and AR just for gamers? How much different would our jobs and education have been if VR and AR were as common as Zoom? Did the pandemic come too soon for virtual reality? How much better could remote work and education have been if AR and VR had become as popular as Zoom? Video conferencing platforms like Zoom literally saved millions of jobs and probably our economy in 2020. But the 2D experience of staring at Hollywood Square-like screens all day is unnatural. Sharing the same space with co-workers, friends, and family simply offers a more robust and legitimate experience. But what if we had the power to bring places to people; to give us the feeling we’re in the same place but thousands of miles away; to immerse ourselves with others using technology. That is exactly what virtual reality can do. Welcome to a future world where the line between science fiction and reality blur to give us the power to make positive changes in the way we live, work, and play. To explore this fascinating future of virtual reality and other immersive technologies like AR and XR, Senior Virtual Reality Research Scientist at Virtual World Society Dr. Angelina Dayton joins us for this episode of Geeks Geezers Googlization. Then stay tuned for the 2nd segment when co-hosts Ira S Wolfe and Joyce Gioia reveal what's ahead for recruitment, hiring, and employee retention for 2021-2022.

Did you know the average W-2 employee is working 13 hours per week from a side hustle? From the extraordinary growth of workers pursuing side hustles to how people think about their homes and employee activism, the pandemic has altered and accelerated consumer trends … and they will have a long-lasting effect on HR. For example, one of the major findings from Clicksuasion's 2021 Marketing Survey was that 49% of the US population has some kind of Side Hustle. Instead of frowning upon and discouraging the pursuit of alternative sources of income, how can HR nurture and support these side hustle projects?  Tune in to our podcast and learn more about how side hustles and other consumer trends will shape the future of recruitment, retention, and HR. Our featured guest is Dr. Michael Barbera, Chief Behavioral Officer at Clicksuasion Labs. What’s next for networking and conferences? You’ll want to stay tuned for our second guest today, Mike Spremulli, who shares his experience using the Hopin networking app and the HyperFair virtual trade show app. And if you’re interested in more one-to-one networking, don’t miss Ira’s discovery and recommendation.

On the brink of normalcy, many organizations are wrestling with what a return to work looks like. Conversations about the future of remote work and the evolution of hybrid workforces populate our news feeds daily. So what happened to the 4-Day work week? Did it die with the pandemic or is it still a viable option?  Who benefits the most - workers or employers?  Is now a good time to implement it? What are the best practices to follow and pitfalls to avoid? On this episode of Geeks Geezers and Googlization, the Do-Be Associates - Tony Carnesi (Mr. Do) and Brian Gorman (Mr. Be) - join forces to discuss how a 4-Day work week might work for your business and your employees. Our second guest for the day was Kim Bettie, Greater Advantage LLC, exploring the convergence of emotional intelligence and diversity, in what Kim describes as diversity intelligence.

You're probably familiar with the glass ceiling? But have you ever heard about the glass cliff, glass escalator, and sticky floor? Dr. Kate Richmond doesn't believe that all men want to oppress women but masculine norms certainly present a strong argument that it's still a man's world. From birth, boys and men are socialized into a strict code that is difficult to break. The result is a workplace where gender inequity, motherhood wage penalties, sexual harassment, discrimination, and unpaid work persist despite a glaring spotlight shining down on them. Look no further than the impact of the pandemic. Women took a far bigger hit in job loss than men. Women bore the brunt of caregiving and childcare.  During this episode of Geeks Geezers and Googlization, we talk about the future of work, gender diversity, women leadership, and what it will take to ensure equity for men, women, LGBTQ. Our 2nd guest for this episode is Thomas Michael Hogg, author of the new book Profitable Growth Strategy: 7 Proven Best Practices from German Companies.

Tomorrow said NO to today sometime in the year 2020. It refused the handoff to carry business-as-usual into the Future, according to our guest Bill Jensen, author of the new book “The Day Tomorrow Said No.” Jensen’s research suggests that only one in ten of today’s employees can achieve their dreams in their current jobs. Worse, dreams are fading fast for millions of people as up to ½ of all jobs will be gone. 375 million people are at risk of being left behind. Everyone has a 3B* responsibility if you want to join Team Future, to land on the right side of the future, to change the course, and get Tomorrow to say YES. [*What’s 3B? It’s time to listen.] Our 2nd guest is Tom Bradbury, author of the new book, The Culture Project: 30 Days to Reboot Your Organization.

Recruiting top talent is one thing. Getting your best employees to stay is another. But it’s not just about keeping people on your payroll. Employees want—and now expect—meaningful work, supportive bosses, regular recognition, and a chance to learn and grow. What can your organization do to create a culture that helps employees feel valued and heard? It could be as simple as the “Stay Interview.” Our first guest today is “sage on the stage” Bev Kaye, who likely needs no introduction in the world of HR and ATD. Bev is the author of the Love ‘Em or Lose ‘Em series. The 6th edition was just released and, with its timely focus on diversity and inclusion, will no doubt add to the nearly 800,000 books she’s sold since 1999. Bev was recently honored with the ATD Lifetime Achievement Award and Thought Leader Award from ISA (Association of Learning Providers).  Our second guest is Hema Crockett who helps us explore what it takes to design “Exceptional Organizational Cultures” which just happens to be the title of her book. Hema is co-founder of Gig Talent.

The case for gender diversity has never been stronger. An overwhelming 98% of organizations in a recent FairyGodBoss survey say diversity hiring is a focus in 2021. That’s a great start but reaching diversity recruiting and hiring goals takes more than good intentions. A Bloomberg revealed how "White and Male Some U.S. Companies Are!" Only 1 company of 100 largest U.S. corporations exceeded the U.S.population in its percentage of Black and Hispanic female executives and managers. Romy Newman, co-founder of the largest online career community for women, is determined to ensure women get a fair shake in the workplace. In this episode of Geeks Geezers and Googlization we’re going to be talking with Romy about how women search for jobs differently than men, why employer branding and messaging matters, and how to close the gender diversity data black hole. We continued the conversation with Brian Hershey, Head of Enterprise Strategy at Gloat. They too just released a survey that revealed that opportunity for growth is worth more to employees than money. Their data exposed that more than one-third of American workers feel undervalued at work and that number jumps to 46 percent for Black employees, 38 percent for Latinx, and 43 percent for women.  Only 24 percent of men feel underutilized. 

As an investor, Marjorie Radlo-Zandi doesn’t just pay lip service to diversity and social impact. She literally puts her money on the line. Entrepreneurship is in her blood. After a successful career in growing companies and introducing new technologies used throughout the world, she’s turned her attention to expanding entrepreneurial opportunities for women, minorities, and people of color. But that’s not all. She primarily focuses on companies that generate a positive social and environmental impact. Whether you’re a start-up, aspiring entrepreneur, or experienced CEO, you don’t want to miss what Marjorie Radlo-Zandi has to say about opportunities unleashed by investing in diversity and social impact. To learn more about Marjorie, visit her company page or check this excellent interview on ThriveGlobal.

Shhh! Your company culture is speaking. What is it saying? Who is listening? What are they hearing? Is your messaging aligned with the vision of executives working behind their closed doors? Your company culture exists whether you design it or not. Company brand matters. Company culture matters. Aligning the two matters more. How do you get your workforce to walk the talk? To achieve greatness, Al Cini, Managing Partner of BCAT Partners, believes every team and organization has an ideal role that embodies the culture and brand, its vision, values, and best self.  If your company could talk, what words would it use to describe itself, the role model that does its best work on its best day, keeping all its promises and achieving all its goals? Tune in to hear what Al has to share.