
People Business w/ O'Brien McMahon
Every business is in some way a “people business” with success or failure often coming down to how leaders manage the people dynamics of their organization. People Business is a weekly podcast focused on what it takes to build and lead a successful, profitable business by navigating the human element.
Latest episodes

Jan 19, 2021 • 58min
Working With Purpose w/ Elizabeth Lotardo
Elizabeth Lotardo is a Vice President at McLeod & More, Inc, a sales and leadership consulting firm. Her work centers around helping companies, teams, and individuals find the purpose in their work and use it to drive better business results. She is the co-author of the book, Selling with Noble Purpose: How to Drive Revenue and Do Work that Makes You Proud. She has also been featured in The Wall Street Journal and NPR and she is a popular LinkedInLearning author.Mentioned in this EpisodeSimon Sinek: Start With Why - Extreme Ownership - Jocko Willink EY - Is your purpose lectured or lived? Adam Grant - The Office without a**holes Selling with Noble Purpose - Lisa McLeod & Elizabeth Lotardo Leading with Noble Purpose - Lisa McLeodLinchpin - Set Godin Drive - Daniel Pink

Jan 12, 2021 • 1h
Hunting Joy & High Performance w/ Dr. Colleen Hacker
Dr. Colleen Hacker is a Professor of Kinesiology at Pacific Lutheran University as well as Mental Skills Coach to numerous professional and Olympic teams and athletes. She worked with the US Women's National Soccer Team in the late 1990's and early 2000's when they won multiple Olympic and World Cup gold medals. Since 2011, she's served at the Mental Skills coach for the US Women's National Hockey team, helping them achieve Silver in the Sochi Olympics and Gold in PyeongChang. Dr. Hacker is the author of Catch Them Being Good: Everything You Need to Know to Successfully Coach Girls. She has been awarded numerous accolades and awards, including:Named one of “31 women who will change the way sports are played” by ESPNWPresidential Citation from the American Psychology AssociationPathfinder Award from the National Association for Girls & Women in SportProfessor of the Year, Presidents Medal, Faculty Excellence in Teaching Award at Pacific LutheranMentioned in this Episode:Listening with the Whole Body - https://books.google.com/books/about/Listening_with_the_Whole_Body.html?id=zuu-AAAACAAJEpictetus ‘you can't learn anything you think you already know’ - https://lifehacker.com/you-cannot-learn-what-you-think-you-already-know-1796095391Yogi-isms (Yogi Berra) “You can observe a lot by watching” https://yogiberramuseum.org/about-yogi/yogisms/Don’t sweat the small stuff - Richard Carlson https://www.amazon.com/Dont-Sweat-Small-Stuff-Its/dp/0786881852Episode Timestamps:(2:39) - Dr. Hacker's origin story and how she got into her role as a Mental Skills Coach(6:45) - Do you find that you still have the same curiousness and tenaciousness in cross-disciplinary areas or is it focused on the one or two passions in your life? (9:23) - The unique approach of people who create amazing things that they are passionate about(12:25) - Having a Beginner’s Mindset & Seeking Experts(16:26) - Where do you start, what are you looking for, how are you evaluating individuals as a Mental Skills Coach? (22:30) - Are there any patterns that you see as ‘easy fixes’ that people commonly fall into?(26:12) - Can an individual build up their intrinsic motivation and mental toughness? (32:21) - Is there a way to reclaim intrinsic motivation if it’s been stolen? (35:38) - The importance of Joy(42:51) - What are the things you see leaders doing that accidentally steal joy?(50:13) - Separating the good from the great: Attention to Detail

Dec 15, 2020 • 1h
Embrace Pain to Avoid Suffering w/ Brian Bogert
Brian Bogert is a human behavior and performance coach, professional speaker, business strategist, and philanthropic leader. He teaches individuals how to leverage their authenticity and awareness to create the intentional life of their dreams. In this conversation, we discuss Brian's philosophy of embracing pain to avoid suffering. He shares his personal journal (which includes having his arm severed at a young age) and offers tips and resources for people to get started on their own journey. Links for Shownotes: Dr. Brene Brown: Shame is Lethal - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEBjNv5M784Coach Carter "Our Deepest Fear" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_fDhqRk_RoNo Limits Prelude - https://www.nolimitsprelude.com/lead-magnet1588271294366Timestamps: (2:36) - What is the worst advice you hear people giving out today? (4:17) - What is the difference between a coach and a therapist? (6:59) - How do you define your work?(8:37) - What do you see as the top negative feelings or emotions that are holding people back? (10:10) - What is a shame based culture? How does it show up? (12:32) - Unpacking the root of ‘Shame’(17:09) - How do you get through the barriers that are either self imposed or community imposed on dealing with “success”?(23:11) - How do you help people keep something in their conscious awareness so they can be using it in the right way in the moment? (26:52) - Unpacking the concept of ’routine’ (30:51) - The importance of “I am..” statements(35:22) - How do you coach people in dealing with the uncomfortable-ness of making change in their life? (48:15) - How do you help people let go of the things they feel like they should be doing but brings them little value and no joy? (52:14) - Where do you suggest people start with themselves, in the context of the year 2020? (56:16) - What is the purpose of business?

Dec 8, 2020 • 1h 2min
Building a High Performance Culture w/ Brett Walsh
Brett Walsh is the Executive Vice President of Human Resources & Organizational Development for Graycor, a privately held family of companies employing more than 1,200 construction specialists. Brett is a member of the Graycor executive leadership team and is responsible for delivering people programs in the areas of recruitment and selection, talent development, succession planning, retention, total rewards, organizational development, employment branding, and employee engagement. In this conversation, Brett lays out how he and his leadership team transformed the Graycor culture from "command & control" to one of "servant leadership" where "it's not about who is right but what is right". He talks about the conversations that started the process, the hiccups along the way, and how they continue to evolve and build into their people. Mentioned in this Episode: Meyers Briggs: https://www.myersbriggs.org/my-mbti-personality-type/mbti-basics/DISC: https://www.123test.com/disc-personality-test/Predictive Index/Learning Indicator: https://www.assessment-training.com/predictive-index-learning-indicator-pi-liTime Codes(2:28) - Pitching GrayCore(4:02) - What are some of the industries and verticals that you get into?(5:33) - How do these divisions that are based on building types interact with each other? (6:46) - How would you describe the culture of the employees at GrayCore?(8:55) - What was the impetus for the switch away from this ‘Command & Control’ culture? (11:23) - Is it fair to say that there really wasn’t an expert on the people side of the business and they needed to bring someone like you in to change that?(13:42) - What does the process look like to align all of these pieces and get folks on board with basic strategies? (16:24) - What was the forum for these discussions? (20:10) - Do you have an example of an issue where there was disagreement between you and higher-ups?(22:30) - What did the second conversation look like in your job interview after the initial one lead to a heated disagreement?(26:07) - Have you always been more of a ‘listener’ than a ‘talker’?(29:09) - Have you learned your willingness to be self-critical and desire to improve through mentors and others in your life?(34:59) - How are you holding leaders accountable? (35:26) - Are these conversations happening one on one or is it during a management training program?(38:46) - Are there any programs, books or assessments used through the leadership training programs that you’ve found to be effective?(45:02) - What is the hardest thing for folks to grasp when learning servant-leadership?(47:33) - How are you elevating yourself/others while also giving ‘the job’ away at the same time? (54:11) - What are you most excited about right now?(57:38) - What is the purpose of business?

Dec 1, 2020 • 1h 10min
Resilience as a Team Sport w/ Buff Burkel
Buff Burkel is a Retired United States Air Force Colonel and inspirational/motivational speaker. On October 11, 2015, the helicopter she and eight others were flying in crashed inside a NATO compound in Afghanistan. The crash killed five of the passengers and injured four, including Buff, who was left with a severely broken neck (the same injury that paralyzed Christopher Reeve from the neck down). Bolstered by the support of her fellow survivors, her rescuers, and her family and friends, Buff made a full recovery and now travels the country sharing her story and the lessons she learned about resilience. Mentioned in this Episode:Blues Warrior Hockey

Nov 17, 2020 • 1h 2min
Me, Inc. w/ Dr. Ray Sylvester
Dr. Ray Sylvester is an Associate Professor of Marketing & Personal Branding at Anderson University. He was a senior lecturer and leader of two music business programs at Buckinghamshire New University in Wycombe, England outside London and co-wrote the first music business program in Europe in 1996. Ray has presented across both Europe and the US on the topic of personal branding, is published through academic books in both the US and the UK, and is a Chartered Marketer. As a personal branding coach, Ray works with executives, professional athletes, and chart-topping artists/musicians. In this episode, we talk about personal brand, personal identity, and ways to use the two to create value. Ray explains the depths one must go to truly understand themselves before they can harness their identity and create a strong brand. Mentioned In This Episode:Personal Branding Article on the 4 ElementsMind, Self, & Society - George Herbert MeadThe Johari WindowJRE Podcast w/ Mike Tyson (Episode 1 & Episode 2)Ray's Tweet About "Value"The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life: Erving GoffmanContact Dr. Ray Sylvester

Nov 10, 2020 • 56min
Paying Your People w/ Mary Mosqueda
Mary Mosqueda is the Practice Leader for Lockton's Total Rewards & Compensation Practice. With over two decades of experience in compensation, human resources, and work/life programs, she is an expert at designing and implementing compensation, executive compensation, and total rewards programs for both public and private businesses. She is also a national speaker on these subjects and has her finger on the pulse of the shifting market dynamics and generational factors that drive these programs. In this episode, Mary walks through the planning and reflective work needed before a company can build a successful compensation structure. We define a number of terms and talk about motivation, leadership, and the limits of pay on performance. Mentioned In This Episode:Drive by Daniel Pink (plus this video recap)Conjoint AnalysisTerms We Define:Base PayVariable CompensationMerit PaySalary GradePay Equity

Nov 3, 2020 • 1h
From Trauma to Triumph w/ Dr. Sunitha Chandy
Dr. Sunitha Chandy is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist with Artesian Collaborative, LLC. She has been working with diverse people and communities since 2000 to help them tap into their resources during painful and tense situations. Dr. Chandy specializes in developmental psychology, cross-cultural engagement, and high-risk populations. She guides teams - even those with intense conflict - to a place of shared understanding and engagement, helping her clients authentically care for themselves, their families, and communities. In this episode, Dr. Chandy shares her expertise around trauma, resilience, and leadership. Mentioned in this Episode:Health Disparities Based on Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink & Leif Babin

Oct 27, 2020 • 55min
Case Study: Tech in the Midwest w/ Nathan Peirson & Bill Neese
Paycor is a technology company headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio providing Human Capital Management (HCM) software to small and mid-size employers. With over 2,000 employees, they help companies manage their people processes, including everything from recruiting to time & attendance to payroll to reporting. Nathan Pierson, VP of HR, and Bill Neese, SVP of Talent Acquisition, join the show to talk about how the company has grown into a "destination employer" and thrived in a city not known for its tech community. They talk about how they built the employee brand, how they use it in the recruiting process, and how they've used the pandemic to transform their business. Mentioned In This Episode:Interview ToolboxGrit by Angela DuckworthMyers BriggsDISC Personality Assessment

Oct 20, 2020 • 1h
Reputation Design w/ Amy Cheronis
Amy Cheronis co-founded The Scratch Collective in 2020 to bring big brand and ad agency thinking and expertise to the world of startups and innovators. This fast-growing boutique works across industries to deliver specialized, on-call talent focused on helping good people win.Prior to scratching that itch (pun intended), Amy was US Chief Integration Officer at PR firm MSL, where she led high-performing teams for clients such as Allstate, Feeding America, KitchenAid and P&G. Prior to MSL, she spent 10 years building and leading the global communications function at Leo Burnett, one of the world’s most storied and celebrated ad agencies.In this episode, Amy shares her wisdom on branding, marketing, advertising, and PR and the way her new venture brings them all together in what they call "reputation design". Mentioned In This Episode: Embarc"Like a Girl" CampaignTinyPulse Surveys