People Business w/ O'Brien McMahon

Dr. Paul Spradley is a Certified Diversity Practitioner and the current Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for Dollar Bank where he supports their ongoing commitment to an inclusive culture across the Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Virginia markets. Prior to joining Dollar Bank, Paul started the Diversity and Inclusion training firm, Care Based Leadership which is now being led by his wife, Dr. Jessica Spradley.  Mentioned in this Episode:Care Based Leadership, LLC.Embarc ChicagoHow Experiences Change Lives w/ Imran KhanTim Ferriss w/ Rabbi Lord Jonathan SacksAffirmative Action PlanningTime Codes:(3:26) - Paul’s background and journey into DE&I(8:13) - What were your preconceived notions about working in the inner-city?(17:44) - Cognitive dissonance in dealing with harsh realities.(21:15) - Does equality have to feel like a takeaway from those who've had it good?(24:19) - The importance of word choice (ex. "white supremacy").(29:25) - How can people of all colors come together and ultimately win?(37:59) - Reversing the growing selfishness of society.(48:08) - Why would a company care about DEI?(50:31) - What is a Diversity Officer’s role?(53:29) - Where are companies making mistakes when implementing this work?(55:11) - What do you believe about people or business that might be contrarian?(57:49) - What are you sick of talking about?(1:01:44) - Is there a country out there that’s a great example of a multicultural society?(1:03:13) - What is the purpose of business?

Jen Alessandra is the Chief People Officer at FrontDoor. Starting in 2019, she guided the company through a rapid and complete transformation into a virtual-first workforce while preserving their strong, adaptable, and action-oriented culture. She is an expert in all aspects of people strategy, including learning, DEI, engagement, and more.  In this conversation, Jen explains how FrontDoor built its people strategy from the ground up (pun intended).  Mentioned in this Episode: Assessing Personalities w/ Erich Kurschat on The People Business PodcastQuote - “Small minds discuss people. Average minds discuss events. Great minds discuss ideas.” - Elanor RooseveltTime Codes: (3:29) - Jen’s origin story in HR Leadership.(4:20) - What initially drew you to Social Work?(6:17) - What did you learn from Social Work about setting emotional boundaries?(8:35) - What is the role of HR?(10:34) - What are the principles you use to keep people motivated?(12:23) - How do you scale individual attention?(14:16) - How did you create a common language across the organization?(17:20) - How do you structure your pulse surveys?(20:17) - What have you learned from studying the future of the workforce?(22:09) - Thoughts on creating a culture. (23:22) - Creating time boundaries when piloting programs.(24:18) - How have you managed the ongoing uncertainty of Covid-19?(26:18) - The importance of slowing down to speed up. (28:39) - Setting boundaries at work during the pandemic.(30:11) - Do you have any rituals for disconnecting?(31:51) - Integrating psychology and behavior science in HR.(34:51) - What have you learned about communication that has surprised you?(36:02) - How do you hold the line when it comes to accountability and performance?(38:21) - How are you communicating OKRs? (Objectives and Key Results)(41:19) - Balancing how much a company defines guidelines and roles.(46:20) - What do you believe about people or business that might be contrarian?(47:12) - Helping people receive hard feedback.(48:44) - What are you sick of talking about?(50:29) - What aren’t people talking about enough?(55:26) - What is the purpose of business?(57:16) - Wrap up and final thoughts.

Jo Marini is the CEO of Mother Superior, a venture foundry focused on bringing VC money and support to underrepresented entrepreneurs. The wheels in her head began turning during her MBA when she found out that 98% of VC investment goes to well-connected white men. Jo quickly realized that women, BIPOC, LGBTQ+, individuals over 60, and disabled people barely figure in the stats. Mother Superior is setting out to share the wealth, be it through knowledge, time, skills, or money. Mentioned in this Episode:Inside Pixar documentaryThe Most Good You Can Do by Peter SingerThe Human Element by Loran NordgrenReducing Friction w/ Loran Nordgren on the People Business PodcastChanging People’s Minds w/ Loran Nordgren on the People Business PodcastBrave New Work by Aaron DignanReyn Skin CareTime Codes:(2:30) - The origin of Mother Superior.(4:41) - What was it about your MBA program that made it non-traditional? (8:42) - What do the people who come to Mother Superior look like?(10:36) - The importance of making things personal.(12:55) - What types of ideas are your clients trying to bring into the world?(15:03) - What is a social impact venture?(15:58) - Do you have any examples of how businesses structure themselves for social impact?(17:48) - What is a common good agreement?(21:13) - How should people be thinking about their impact?(24:12) - What’s the criticism you’re facing in your work?(25:37) - What are the big friction points you see holding people back from investing in Mother Superior?(29:14) - Implementing true systemic change.(33:21) - Do you have any examples of how your operating systems ripples out to create businesses that run in different ways?(36:26) - Working within constraints.(39:01) - Do the founders you work with come to you wanting to work within your constraints or are they just looking for a path to the market?(39:47) - Where Mother Superior is headed in the future.(43:07) - What are you most excited to be talking about?(44:11) - What are you sick of talking about?(45:07) - What do you mean by “accessing the world”?(52:15) - What is the purpose of business?

Laura Aiken is a Consultant and Coach on a mission to end Corporate Trauma. She founded Thrive Leadership to help companies build cultures of resilience and inclusion that help their people thrive. Laura is also a registered yoga teacher and leads transformational retreats around the world where she helps leaders build self-awareness, empathy, and resilience.Mentioned in this Episode:Kaitlyn Lyons on People BusinessErik Korem on People BusinessGary Noesner on People BusinessChet Scott on People BusinessTime Codes:(4:28) -  Origin story for Thrive Leadership.(7:56) - Laura’s personal burnout experience.(10:38) - How do you define stress?(15:59) - What’s the difference between stress and trauma?(22:33) - Power dynamics at work & corporate trauma.(26:49) - Understanding flow.(32:04) - How should we be thinking about resilience?(34:52) - Meditation and mindfulness as resilience tools.(40:23) - What does Thrive help build resilience?(43:15) - What’s the difference between striving and thriving?(46:57) - How do we keep our edge while letting go of the outcome?(55:36) - What are you sick of talking about?(56:08) - What would you like people to know about corporate trauma and corporate burnout?(57:53) - What does a work environment look like when people are thriving?(59:11) - What is the purpose of business?(1:00:28) - Where can people find you?

Danielle Crane is the Vice President of Global HR for  OneStream Software. She has been committed to modernizing the human resources field since her entrance over 15 years ago. Captivated by the art of recruitment early on in her career, Danielle was immediately drawn to how it made her feel – creative, results-focused, and value-added. Since then, she has strived to recreate that feeling in all disciplines of HR, from talent acquisition to compensation and benefits to employee development and retention. Practicing HR in a variety of industries, from tech to financial services to non-profit, Danielle has partnered with leadership to build simplified, high-performing HR functions that fuel organizational growth and success.Mentioned in this Episode:People Business Podcast episode with Dr. Jeff SpencerThe Luma InstituteIDEO U - Foundations in Design ThinkingTime Codes:(3:35) - How did you become an HR professional?(8:18) - When did Design Thinking enter the picture?(10:09) - What is Design Thinking and how can you implement it at work?(13:40) - The importance of slowing down when implementing Design Thinking.(18:09) - What’s your process for testing?(20:34) - The failure rate of changes implemented by teams and committees.(26:23) - Determining the “right” goals.(28:22) - “If you have an hour to solve a problem, you should spend half the time defining the problem.”(30:06) - How did you go about studying Design Thinking?(32:08) - What support or friction did you face bringing these ideas into your role as Chief People Officer?(38:21) - Do you have other examples of how you brought the external in?(42:59) - Where does behavior science come into this process?(48:47) - What is the purpose of business?

Charlie Judy is the Chief People Officer at Intelligent Medical Objects (IMO). He leads a collaborative effort to manage a culture and employee experience that attracts, connects, and advances a world-class workforce. Charlie has over 26 years of experience as an HR executive with some of the world’s most prominent professional services firms, including Baker Tilly, Navigant, and Deloitte. Most recently, he disembarked from an entrepreneurial venture building a successful company around a workplace culture assessment model and analytics platform.Mentioned in this Episode:Intelligent Medical ObjectsWorkXO AcquisitionQuestionProAdmiral William McRaven 2014 University of Texas at Austin Commencement AddressTime Codes:(2:34) - Charlie’s origin story as an HR leader.(4:00) - Stepping off the traditional Corporate America path.(9:15) - How do you define culture?(11:50) - What impact does a good culture have, and what impact does a negative culture have on an organization?(14:59) - Where do leaders start with culture to ensure a solid foundation?(17:47) - How should executives be thinking about their role in setting and maintaining a culture?(27:16) - How do you build the ability to have impactful conversations with your people on the ground?(35:47) - Is there specific training or coaching to build this skill in frontline managers?(40:23) - How do you empower people with the feeling of ownership?(48:36) - What is the purpose of business?(50:26) - Wrap up and final thoughts.

This special episode was previously aired on the Gut + Science Podcast in 2021. In it, host Nikki Lewallen interviews our own O'Brien McMahon on The Hierarchy of Employee Needs and his perspective on what employers can do to meet the needs of their people. In the conversation, O'Brien outlines a basic framework and gives examples of how employers can use it successfully. The Gut+Science Podcast is on a mission to improve employee engagement by inspiring and equipping leaders to help employees thrive at work. They are part of the People Forward Network, a community of thought leaders inspiring ideas and action toward meaningful work and meaningful lives.Mentioned in this Episode:People Forward NetworkMaslow’s Hierarchy of needsDrive by Daniel PinkBooks by Jocko WillinkThe Alchemist by Paulo CoelhoMeditations by Marcus AureliusEssentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeownThe Compound Effect by Darren HardyThe War of Art by Steven PressfieldTime Codes:(2:26) - The Hierarchy of Employee Needs.(5:08) - How does it relate to employee compensation & benefits?(7:33) - What mindset shift do leaders need to take when structuring comp and benefits?(8:56) - Examples of companies with great foundations for their hierarchy.(10:50) - Best practices for making powerful employee incentives.(15:04) - Hierarchy Level 2: Leadership.(17:56) - Mastery, Autonomy & Purpose.(18:57) - How do great leaders ensure these needs are being met?(20:32) - A 5 question survey for checking employee needs.(23:39) - What is your favorite book of all time?(25:18) - What is your favorite hobby?(25:40) - What is your favorite vacation spot?(26:32) - Getting in touch with O’Brien.

Loran Nordgren is the first repeat guest here on People Business. In this conversation, he talks about his book, The Human Element, and the framework he and his co-author have built for helping people reduce the friction that new ideas face when brought to life in the real world. Loran is one-part behavioral scientist, one-part professor, and one-part practitioner. As a behavioral scientist, his research explores the psychological forces that propel and prevent the adoption of new ideas and actions. As a professor, he has twice received Kellogg’s Management Teacher of the Year award. And as a practitioner, he consults with companies and business leaders around the world.Mentioned in this Episode:Loran's First Interview on People BusinessHillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance Time Codes:(3:45) - What was the writing process like for The Human Element?(6:06) - How did you find the stories for the book?(9:48) - What is the book about? (14:33) - What are the Four Frictions?(21:19) - Frictions are hard to spot. How do we draw them out?(23:05) - How do people react when you flip the script on them to draw out their frictions?(28:21) - How do we identify our own frictions?(34:11) - Upward mobility(37:34) - Which of the Four Frictions do you see most present in a sales context?(43:14) - How did you use these principles for your own book launch?(50:02) - Influencing others & Relativity(57:06) - How to use Repetition(1:07:10) - The importance of patience.(1:15:52) - How can people easily buy your book?

Chet Scott is the founder of Built to Lead, a band of coaches that believes creating sustainable high-performance teams is not only possible but also worthy of the effort. Together they awaken, challenge, and transform a few individuals, teams, and leaders. In this conversation, he explains the basic tenets of his work and shares a foundational exercise for understanding who you are and building a strong core. Mentioned in this Episode: CORE Exercise ExplainedBuilt to Lead Blog The Long Walk by Slavomir RawiczSolitary by Giora RommBecoming Built to Lead by Chet Scott  Time Codes(3:47) - What does it mean to have a strong core?(7:21) - Chet’s journey to founding Built to Lead.(11:45) - What’s your process for self-study?(15:01) - What do you do with a book once you're done with it? (18:59) - What is your process for onboarding a new client?(20:55) - Why is writing so important?(26:51) - What’s the process for someone to build out a strong core?(36:45) - O’Brien’s identity(44:40) - Where’s the line between having a growth mindset and being strong in your identity?(47:29) - Principals: I will _____(56:39) - Passions: I love to ____(59:54) - What advice do you have for people when they discover how they are living their life is not truly aligned with who they are?(1:08:24) - Becoming Built to Lead

Nicole Dessain is the Founder and Chief Employee Experience Designer at Talent.Imperative Inc, an employee experience design company. During her 19-year career in human resources, Nicole discovered design thinking while collaborating on a client project. She became a student of the method and got certified by IDEO U and LUMA Institute and is now a SESP Lecturer at Northwestern University’s Masters in Learning and Organizational Change Program which explores how design thinking might be applied to innovation in organizational effectiveness. Nicole runs her own podcast, Talent Tales, where she features leaders who have pioneered design thinking in the field of Human Resources. Time Codes(3:03) - What is Talent Imperative and what do you do?(3:39) - What drew you to this work?(4:20) - Design Thinking(7:48) - What is the process for Design Thinking?(10:35) - Assessing and redefining a problem in Design Thinking(16:04) - Thinking of feedback as data(18:35) - How do you foster the right kind of teamwork going into a Design Thinking project?(21:02) - How do you prime people to get on the same page?(24:46) - The tools people in use in ideation of Design Thinking(27:26) - “Prototyping is NOT piloting”(33:22) - Slowing down is actually speeding up aka Change management 2.0(34:15) - How long does it take for someone to become effective in using these skills?(40:38) - Defining a human experience mindset(41:57) - What have you learned about people in the last 6 years?(43:04) - What does it mean to treat someone as an adult?(44:55) - What are some common mistakes beginners fall victim to when they venture into Design Thinking?(47:10) - What are the misconceptions about Design Thinking?(48:02) - Do you have an example of a group that was apprehensive toward Design Thinking but ended up responding very well to it?(51:52) - Improv & Storytelling(55:28) - What are you sick of talking about?(56:55) - What is the purpose of business?(58:17) - How can people get in touch with you?