Human resources or HR: Love it or hate it, it’s the business function that deals with all of the messy “people stuff.” HR people and HR as a function have tremendous potential for making businesses work better and helping people thrive. But there’s this thing, “HR theater,” that’s everywhere. And that’s not good. We discuss what HR theater is, why it exists, and what to do about it. 

The magnitude of problems facing the world can be overwhelming. But we are not helpless. In this episode, we discuss the value of getting involved and volunteering your service for the betterment of society. Specifically, we discuss the inaugural Vincent William Baran Day of Service, which was held on Sept. 25, 2021, and how everyone can contribute to making the world a better place.  Links and Other Information The Vincent William Baran Day of Service: Mighty Vincent The USS Cleveland...

In this update, we provide an update to our prior episode on "How to Deal with Creepy Guys at Work." Kelsey Pytlik, CEO of Gild Collective, joined us to add a valuable perspective.

For the average employee, it probably comes as no surprise that top management teams are out of touch with reality within the organization. But for executives themselves, it likely comes as a surprise--because, well, they’re out of touch. We explore this phenomenon in today’s episode, including key ways in which executives are out of touch currently (and perhaps more broadly), why this is problematic, and what leaders should do about it. 

What value is there in thinking deeply about life’s persistent questions? It’s tremendous, according to Matt Jordan--and we agree. Matt is the Jack, Joseph, and Morton Mandel Dean and Chair for the Humanities at Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland, Ohio, and he joined us to discuss the purpose of higher education, and more specifically, about the value of the humanities. We talked about living the good life, being a thoughtful person, how the humanities can foster civil discourse, and so...

Most of us don’t want to be perceived as “creepy.” And many guys are certainly not creepy. But at the same time, guys frequently act in creepy ways at work, on the web, and in other social situations. That creepiness has a negative effect on flourishing, and so in this episode, we explore what creepiness is, what leaders and organizations might do about it, and we provide some advice for people who are directly targeted by creepy guys--as well as some advice for men in general on this topic. 

The idea of strategy is one that many people get wrong. But Chuck Bamford gets it RIGHT. He’s an author, speaker, consultant, and scholar. In this illuminating and lively conversation with Chuck, we discuss common myths about strategy and much more, including:  - What strategy is and the landscape of strategy formulation implementation - How strategy really works - How leaders can actually get their organizations to think about and do strategy the right way

No one likes to be tricked. But it still happens sometimes, and some of us have friends who are tricked all the time. What’s lacking here is a better way to make decisions and not get tricked. In this episode, we discuss:   - The disinformation and misinformation landscape  - Common practices that trick people - Implications for people, leaders and organizations

Mo Gawdat is the former Chief Business Officer of Google [X] and the author of Scary Smart: The Future of Artificial Intelligence and How You Can Save Our World. In this episode, we had the chance to discuss artificial intelligence--or AI--with Mo, and we covered his view of how AI is rapidly evolving, the risks of AI, and ultimately how we can remain in control of our collective future through a thoughtful approach to our interactions with technology. 

If you’re in the fields of HR or training and development, it’s likely that you’ve heard some about the use of artificial intelligence and gamification in organizations. One of the top experts in this area is Richard Landers, who is a professor at the University of Minnesota. He joined us for a fascinating conversation, in which we discussed:   - Why technology is cool but not magic - Gamification and artificial intelligence - Implications for leaders and organizations 

Learning how to negotiate is an important skill. And one of the more common types of negotiations that we all go through has to do with job offers. So in this episode, we’ll be talking about navigating job offers from the perspective of both the job candidate and from the perspective of the organization doing the hiring. Specifically, we discuss: - Basic approaches toward negotiation - Stages of the negotiation process - Additional guidance for people and hiring teams 

While not all work can be done remotely, we’ve learned that many types of work can be done remotely or with some types of flexible arrangements. This realization isn’t going away, and leaders now need to face this challenge head on. In this episode, we discuss: - What’s actually going on right now - Unpacking the leadership challenge faced by many executives and managers - Implications for people, leaders, organizations

Since early 2019, a group of 12 members of the U.S. House of Representatives--six Democrats and six Republicans--have been on a bold mission to fix Congress. They’re members of the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress, chaired by U.S. Representative Derek Kilmer. He joined us to talk about their efforts, including: - The origins of the committee - Recommendations it has produced - And much more

So many times in business and in life, people and teams mess the same things up, over and over again. But one specific way in which leaders and teams can drive continual learning is through what’s called the “after-action review,” which we explore in this episode.  - What are after-action reviews and what problems might they help address - Important elements of after-action reviews - Best practices in using after-action reviews for team members, leaders, and organizations

Work teams benefit from diverse perspectives. Yet that diversity can increase the probability of tension. In this episode, we discuss:   - The relationships among diversity, conflict, and team performance - How we can think about and manage conflict within diverse teams - Implications for people, leaders, and organizations

If you care about workplace learning and training, this is the episode for you. Kurt Kraiger is one of the world’s top experts in that space, and he joined us for a tremendous conversation about the science of workplace instruction. In this episode, we discussed:  - Kurt’s academic and professional journey - What is the science of workplace instruction and why do we need it - Implications for people, leaders, and organizations

Being the new person can be really tough. And helping newcomers is an important part of how we make teams work and how we get along well in society. In this episode, we discuss:  - What does it mean to feel welcomed - Why it matters in the workplace and in broader society - Tips for all of us

Bosses can be bad for many reasons. One reason is that they were promoted based upon technical expertise yet lack leadership and interpersonal skills. In this episode, we discuss that situation. Specifically, we address: - How being a technical expert who fails at leadership is one of many ways in which a manager can be a bad boss - What we can learn from the research on abusive supervision - Dealing with this particular type of bad boss: Tips if you’re in this situation

Forrest Faison is a retired vice admiral in the United States Navy who served as its 38th Surgeon General. He is now the senior vice president for research and innovation and chief healthcare strategy officer at Cleveland State University. He joined us to talk about the future of health care and much more. We discussed:  - Major trends in the future of health care - Managing health emergencies at a large scale - Lessons learned from being the 38th surgeon general of the U.S. Navy

What would it look like if every time someone wronged us, we responded with our most basic instincts: avoidance or revenge? This is one of the most critical types of situations in which we find ourselves torn between what we want to do and what makes the world a better place. In this episode, we explore the science of forgiveness, including: - What is forgiveness and ways to think about it - How forgiveness develops and its links with well-being - Implications for all of us

Going off to college is an exciting time for both parents and students. It’s a time that marks the end of childhood in some ways and the launch into adulthood in other ways. It’s also a time that’s fraught with uncertainty and ambiguity. So in this episode, we explore how new college students can approach their first year, and how parents can support their child’s new foray into college. 

Cheryl Gray studies unhelpful help, which refers to those times when a supervisor or coworker does something that others perceive as being intended as helpful but actually is unhelpful or even harmful. In this episode, Cheryl joined us to discuss unhelpful help, and we explore:  - What is unhelpful help and why does it matter - Cutting-edge emerging research on unhelpful help - Implications for people, leaders, and organizations

In some workplaces, foul language seems to spew forth from people nonstop. In others, the slightest off-color remark would turn heads and raise eyebrows with astonishment. Given these differences, how should we think about swearing at work? And what research might help guide us? We discuss:   - An introduction to ways to think about swearing at work - A survey of some of the research on swearing at work - Implications for people, leaders, and organizations 

If you ask a person to do something, why would he or she say yes and comply? It has to do with the power you hold and the influence you wield. This holds true regardless of whether you’re working with your boss, your direct reports, your coworkers, or even with friends or members of your family. We discuss: - What is power and what are the primary sources of power  - What is influence and what are the primary different influence tactics - Implications for people, leaders, and organizations

Dave Smith is a professor of sociology in the College of Leadership and Ethics at the U.S. Naval War College. Brad Johnson is a professor of psychology at the U.S. Naval Academy. Their most recent book--and the topic of this episode--is Good Guys: How Men can be Better Allies for Women in the Workplace. In particular, we discuss: - What does it mean to be an “ally” for women at work and why does it matter - Different types of allyship  - Practical steps for leaders and the world of work