From A People Perspective

In this conversation, Angela Payne and Charles Fortier discuss their journey in founding LeedHR, focusing on the importance of emotional intelligence in leadership. They share personal stories, insights on navigating emotional intelligence assessments, and the transformative experiences they've had with clients. The discussion also touches on the cultural readiness for emotional intelligence work, the role of AI in leadership, and the significance of curiosity and flexibility in personal and professional development.

In this conversation, David Paffenholz, founder of PeopleGPT, shares insights into his journey from education to entrepreneurship, the impact of social media on business growth, and the challenges and opportunities in the recruiting landscape. He discusses the features and functionality of PeopleGPT, the importance of addressing bias in AI, and the evolving role of recruiters in the age of technology. David also highlights the company's growth, market position, and future developments, emphasizing the significance of building a strong company culture in a virtual environment.

BTW for the keen listeners, here's a link to the David's go to album by Peter Fox.

Kai Algar shares her career journey, which has been characterized by adaptability and a diverse range of experiences. She started in business and accounting, then pursued interior design and real estate. She later explored UX and found her passion in applying it to employee experience. Kai has worked in startups, consulting, and recruitment, constantly learning and adapting to new challenges. She emphasizes the need for businesses to future-proof themselves and build equitable models in the changing world of work. In this part of the conversation, Kai and Martin discuss the need for a shift in the way education is done and the importance of self-education and self-reflection. They also explore the limitations of the current system and the need for a more flexible and adaptable approach to work. Kai emphasizes the importance of building small and medium-sized businesses that focus on sustainability and quality rather than infinite growth. They also discuss the need to dissolve hierarchies and empower employees through an employee-owned model. Finally, they touch on the challenges of scaling and pivoting in larger companies and propose a squad model as a solution. The conversation explores the need to hire for the right qualities and create decentralized work environments. It emphasizes the importance of employee ownership and equitable compensation. The discussion also touches on the challenges faced by founders and the potential of generalists in the future of work. The guest shares their vision of building tools and structures to enable a more sustainable and engaging work culture.

In this episode, Martin interviews Dr. Adam Zeman, a researcher who has studied aphantasia for the past 10 years. They discuss the concept of aphantasia, which is the inability to visualize mental images, and its implications for individuals' experiences and creativity. Dr. Zeman shares that aphantasia is not a disability but rather a variation in human experience. They also explore the challenges of understanding and describing different subjective experiences, as well as the potential subtypes and genetic factors associated with aphantasia. Dr. Zeman provides resources for further exploration of the topic.

Marlon shares his entrepreneurial journey and the origin of Michael's Global Trading. He provides insights into the process of managing office furniture and equipment when a business moves or shuts down. Marlon also discusses his biggest project to date, clearing out 13 floors of furniture for a major construction company, and the impact it had on his business. He shares his plans for the future, including exploring import-export opportunities, and offers advice for aspiring entrepreneurs.

Ashley Good, CEO and founder of Fail Forward, discusses the importance of embracing failure and creating a healthy relationship with it. She shares her personal journey and the inspiration behind starting Fail Forward.

Takeaways

• Failure is a natural part of life and should be embraced as a learning opportunity.
• Creating a healthy relationship with failure involves destigmatizing it and having open conversations about it.
• Organizations need to shift their mindset and embrace risk and innovation in order to adapt to a rapidly changing world.
• Embrace failure as a learning opportunity and create a culture that allows for open discussions about what didn't work.
• Focus on the small things that you have control over and gradually build the skill of killing low-value work.
• Challenge the bias towards constantly being busy and prioritize the right things over doing things right.
• Develop a healthy relationship with failure by practicing self-compassion and giving yourself grace.

Chapters
(00:00) Introduction and Door Number C

(03:00) Aliens and Favorite Albums

(06:01) The Importance of Failure

(10:11) Grocery Bag Indulgences

(13:32) Ashley's Journey and the Birth of Fail Forward

(23:30) Selling Failure as a Business

(27:26) Why Failure is Hard for Us

(31:20) The Importance of Learning from Failure

(35:09) The Momentum Around Failure

(36:37) Saying No to Low-Value Work

(37:39) Embracing Failure as a Learning Opportunity

(41:45) Killing Projects and the Value of Retrospectives

(50:57) Challenges of Work-Life Balance and the Pressure to be Busy

(01:13:31) The Importance of Self-Compassion in the Face of Failure

Sarah Brekelmans shares her journey from working in the car rental industry to founding her own recruitment agency, Brightly. She discusses the frustrations with technology in remote recording, her passion for marketing, and the importance of taking risks on high potential hires. The conversation explores the challenges and misalignment in evaluating and hiring marketers. It emphasizes the importance of finding the right marketing leader and understanding their strengths and areas that need support.

Chapters
(12:55) Background and Early Career
(19:23) Favorite Pizza and Album
(24:16) Transition to Recruitment
(29:00) Realization and Shift to Sales
(34:33) Taking Risks on High Potential Hires
(37:48) Niche Recruitment in Marketing
(40:24) Misalignment in Evaluating Marketers
(44:17) Finding the Right Marketing Leader
(46:51) Hiring Challenges for Founders and CEOs
(49:18) Identifying Strengths and Outsourcing
(53:14) Evaluating Marketing Leaders
(56:06) Changing Landscape of Hiring
(59:24) Pressure Testing the Hiring Manager
(01:02:30) Brightly's Focus and Expertise

I sit across from the latest marvel in AI, the voice chat version GPT-4, developed by OpenAI. We talk about how AI can assist HR and Recruitment professionals, the risks associated and I go full blown hard hitting journalist and ask it some questions about the drama at OpenAI this weekend.

This podcast and The People People Group is made possible by our sponsors, if you're not a member, check out Canada's most engaged HR/Recruitment/Operations community by heading over to www.thepeoplepeoplegroup.com.

• The Leadership Agency is one of North America and the UK's best boutique startup recruitment agencies
• Level up your employee recognition with Chocolate Soup's awesome custom mini-figurines and more
• Singer Steinberg Group Benefits Specialists, if they can't help you they'll intro you to someone awesome who will
• SpringLaw is Canada's first (and best) virtual employment law firm
• Wavy is a culture management platform for flexible teams

This episode format doesn't have a name yet, but they're short, sweet and mini interviews with interesting people who are looking for their next thing.

Meet Vincent Loris! He's looking for interesting Senior Product Designer positions. He's an ex-Founder of a music / e-comm marketplace.

This podcast and The People People Group is made possible by our sponsors, if you're not a member, check out Canada's most engaged HR/Recruitment/Operations community by heading over to www.thepeoplepeoplegroup.com.

- The Leadership Agency is one of North America and the UK's best boutique startup recruitment agencies
- SpringLaw is Canada's first (and best) virtual employment law firm
- Wavy is a culture management platform for flexible teams