This is a special episode of Engaging Leader, featuring part 2 of an excerpt of Jesse’s live interview on TechSmith’s Visual Lounge with Matt Pierce. While part 1 focused on the 5M framework as a comprehensive planning tool for communication, Simple Visual Story (SVS) is a great model for executing the components of the strategy more effectively, especially for remote communication.  SVS increases the effectiveness of videos, graphics, and other types of communication and education...

This is a special episode of Engaging Leader, featuring part 1 of an excerpt of Jesse’s live interview on TechSmith’s Visual Lounge with Matt Pierce to share tips for engaging a remote workforce. How effectively are you communicating with your remote workforce? Remote communication is more widespread than it’s ever been. Many people now have to communicate almost entirely online, using virtual tools such as email, and audio and visual communication like video calls. But remote...

  We’ve entered a new era with more people than ever working remotely, especially from home. This past year, according to author Charlene Walters, women have made up 80% of the people who left the on-site workforce during the pandemic.   In this second of a two-part interview, Jesse is joined again by Charlene to discuss tips from her new book LAUNCH YOUR INNER ENTREPRENEUR: 10 Mindset Shifts for Women to Take Action, Unleash Creativity, and Achieve Financial Success. This conversation...

  Many people say that entrepreneurship is often still a man’s world ― despite the fact that 42 percent of all small business or franchise owners are women, and there are 13 million female-owned businesses contributing to $1.9 trillion in revenue in the US. According to author Charlene Walters, a multitude of research has shown that many women entrepreneurs and leaders struggle more than men with certain issues that may thwart their success. In this interview with Charlene, we discuss tips...

  Us versus Them gaps have always affected the American workplace – Sales versus Marketing, Manufacturing versus Engineering, Human Resources versus Legal. But today there is an urgent need to address a wide range of culture gaps, especially due to the impact of the pandemic, racism and protests in support of Black Lives Matter, and an intensely divisive U.S. presidential election. No matter what your politics, one thing is clear — the old tools just don’t work; a new approach to diversity,...

  Us versus Them gaps have always affected the American workplace – Sales versus Marketing, Manufacturing versus Engineering, Human Resources versus Legal. But today there is an urgent need to address a wide range of culture gaps, especially due to the impact of the pandemic, racism and protests in support of Black Lives Matter, and an intensely divisive U.S. presidential election. No matter what your politics, one thing is clear — the old tools just don’t work; a new approach to diversity,...

  We’ve entered a new era with more people than ever working remotely, especially from home. This past year, according to author Charlene Walters, women have made up 80% of the people who left the on-site workforce during the pandemic.   In this second of a two-part interview, Jesse is joined again by Charlene to discuss tips from her new book LAUNCH YOUR INNER ENTREPRENEUR: 10 Mindset Shifts for Women to Take Action, Unleash Creativity, and Achieve Financial Success. This conversation...

  Many people say that entrepreneurship is often still a man’s world ― despite the fact that 42 percent of all small business or franchise owners are women, and there are 13 million female-owned businesses contributing to $1.9 trillion in revenue in the US. According to author Charlene Walters, a multitude of research has shown that many women entrepreneurs and leaders struggle more than men with certain issues that may thwart their success. In this interview with Charlene, we discuss tips...

  Working remotely isn’t just a new normal that we must learn to live with. It’s an opportunity to work and lead in ways that provide great operational and productivity results for the organization, as well as to be a part of a great team while finding individual meaning and purpose too.  But there is a big difference between working from home … and feeling like and being an effective member of a remote team. How can you be a great teammate and leader while working at a distance from the...

  Interviewing job candidates can feel like wading through a foggy swamp. You’re attempting to discern whether candidates would be successful on your team, while struggling to prevent the massive headache and wasted resources of a poor decision.    Asking the right questions during interviews can bring clarity to the process by giving you a more accurate, complete picture of the person sitting across from you. In this episode, employment expert Paul Falcone shares four interview questions...

Some leaders look at their people, shake their heads, and say, “They can’t get there from here.” Sometimes that’s true. But often the solution is creating a stronger culture, where employees are encouraged and coached to contribute their best thinking. People are different, and these differences can add value. As a leader, you need to figure out the best ways to leverage the strengths of the human beings on your team. In part 2 of this conversation with Karin Hurt about her newest book,...

“Why am I the only one who finds these issues? What’s wrong with my people? Why can’t they see this stuff and fix it?” If these frustrations sound familiar, you’ll love this conversation with Karin Hurt about her newest book, Courageous Cultures. We talk about building teams of micro-innovators, problem-solvers, and customer-advocates working together. In addition, we talk about dealing with three types of people who present a challenge. (In part 2 of this conversation, we talk about five...

What barriers do you face? Whether in our personal lives, at work, or in our communities, we all face challenges that can prevent us from reaching our full potential. And the same is true for those you lead. Dave Shurna joins me to discuss tips from his new book about breaking through barriers of all types, and how to be a servant leader helping break barriers for other people too.  Dave is Executive Director of the nonprofit organization No Barriers, which he co-founded in 2012 along with...

Today I share some reflections about what I’ve been reading, learning, thinking, and practicing over the past few weeks. How can we as imperfect leaders and human beings contribute to helpful solutions, rather than to ongoing conditions of inequality, discrimination, and fear … including the fear of talking honestly about topics like racism? Resources Mentioned in This Episode: Book: How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi * Episode 202 with Michelle King * Episode 204 with Michelle...

Psychological safety is a team member’s sense of confidence that the leader and the rest of the team will not embarrass, reject, or punish them for speaking up. They feel safe to take risks, fully contribute, share ideas, and raise concerns – all of which are necessary for an organization to innovate, solve problems, survive, and thrive in today’s economy. In the absence of psychological safety, what you tend to get is people shutting down, playing it safe, and doing a lot of...

To be a leader who truly engages the hearts, minds, and behaviors of people, you have to authentically connect with them on a human level. You’ve heard the phrase, “People don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.”  In today’s age of connection, in order for people to trust you, be open to your influence, and be fully engaged in the team’s mission, you must earn their trust by consistently proving that you respect them and care about their whole being, including their...

At most organizations today, the work people do tends to hurt their wellbeing, when it should be making them happier and healthier. A major key to turning this around is helping employees make their work more meaningful … which is all about discovering how they can best contribute. And of course, it’s simply smart business. Helping your team identify how they can best contribute will maximize how your organization influences the world and achieves long-term financial success. As a leader,...

Join my conversation with the Deputy Chief Health Officer at IBM, with a 350,000-person global workforce, about measures that major companies are taking during the COVID-19 pandemic, including recommendations for employee mental health. The world’s population is facing considerable social and economic disruption. Millions of employees and employers are adjusting to circumstances not seen for over a century. For many of us the “new normal” is working from home, which may cause additional...

Are you able to stay happy, energized, and productive during all the distractions, changes, and uncertainties of COVID-19? It’s not easy! And it’s hard to be an effective leader for your team if you aren’t maintaining your own mental and physical wellbeing.  Our team at Workforce recently shared with each other what’s been helping us stay sane and productive, and this episode talks about 13 of the actions that have been personally helping me the most … so far.   Subscribe on your favorite...

When men are actively involved in gender diversity efforts, 96% of organizations report progress, compared to only 30% when men are not involved. However, many men don’t feel equipped to play any role in inclusion and equity. For some men, the traditional model of masculinity steers men away from talking about emotional topics (except to rant about sports or politics). And other fears get in the way too, such as the possibility of saying something “wrong,” and being labeled as sexist or...

Due to the coronavirus, the number of people working from home is skyrocketing. Even without a pandemic, working remotely has become a very common arrangement, allowing companies to access top talent without worrying about geography, while offering greater flexibility for workers to do great work on their own terms. And yet over time, dissatisfaction, disconnection, and burnout tend to creep in. What steps can remote workers and their leaders take to keep work fulfilling and productive for...

In recent years, most companies have been trying to advance the representation of women and minorities in leadership positions.  For example, most organizations have diversity recruitment targets as well as Diversity & Inclusion programs, including initiatives like mentoring, networking groups, and unconscious bias training. But despite these efforts, women account for only 4.6% of Fortune 500 CEOs, 8% of top earners, and 17% of Fortune 500 board seats. Only 43% of HR executives think...

Burnout and unhappiness at work are a reality for the vast majority of workers. Fortunately, leaders — and employees themselves — can make work better. In his new book, Bruce Daisley shares hacks from science and his previous experience as Twitter’s VP of Europe to transform work from stressful and soul-sucking to fulfilling and fun. Bruce joins us to discuss four simple practices to improve how your team works together, leading to greater happiness and performance. Bruce Daisley is the...

Great jobs are MADE, not FOUND. If you aren’t loving your current job, how can you turn it into a job you want? Finding fulfillment in our life’s work requires contributing meaningfully to the world around us. We’re pleased to welcome Tom Rath back to the show. Tom is a bestselling author and research scientist who has spent the past two decades studying how work can improve human health and well-being. Tom shares about his new book Life’s Great Question, which follows up on his earlier work...