Hire Power with Kim Frost

A few episodes ago, I talked about upskilling — why the "get a degree, hang it on the wall, call it good" model is dead. After I recorded it, the question I couldn't shake wasn't about my clients or candidates. It was about me.

So I looked back at 25+ years in recruiting — starting before LinkedIn existed, before AI, CRMs, automation, and half the tools I now run my business on — and asked myself honestly: have I been keeping up, or just keeping busy?

This episode is part reflection, part reality check. I get into why I'm so protective of my time, why I skip more conferences than I say yes to, and the one group that's changed how I think more than almost anything else I've invested in. I also hit a milestone birthday recently — the kind that makes you pause — and it forced a bigger question: what am I doing today to stay relevant tomorrow?

The real takeaway isn't about reading more or learning more. It's about what you actually do with what you learn. Because information without implementation is just information — and most of us already know more than we've put into practice.

(And yes — the Diet Coke, lemon, salt, and pepper experiment got postponed again. One more week.)

In this episode:

• The real cost of wasting time (and why I'm ruthless about it)
• Why I skip more conferences than I attend
• The one group that's actually rewired how I think
• The line between learning something and changing something

💬 Connect with Kim: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/frostkim/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

🌐 Learn more: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠frostconnections.com⁠

I can't stand the term Work/Life Balance to be honest. We've been saying it for thirty years and nobody's stopped to ask if it even makes sense anymore.

After a Diet Coke experiment update, I dig into why remote work made the line between work and life blurrier instead of clearer, what a friend's almost-retirement taught me about loving what you do, and why I think "alignment", not "balance", is the real goal.

In this episode:

• Why remote work made things blurrier, not better
• The leadership newsletter line that sparked this whole episode
• My friend Mario's almost-retirement, and what changed his mind
• Why the happiest people I know never mention "balance"
• Leadership as identity, not just a job title
• A better question than "how do I balance work and life?"
• Why "alignment" beats "balance" — and what that actually means
• The hard truth about whose job balance really is

💬 Connect with Kim: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/frostkim/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

🌐 Learn more: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠frostconnections.com⁠

What do AI adoption, leadership alignment, and a surprisingly good Diet Coke cocktail have in common?

More than you'd think.

In this episode of Hire Power, Kim Frost explores why Centers of Excellence (COEs) are making a major comeback and how organizations can build them successfully. As AI tools, processes, and technologies rapidly enter the workplace, many companies are discovering the same challenge: teams are working independently, knowledge is fragmented, and nobody is sure who's driving the strategy.

The solution isn't another committee. It's creating a capability that helps organizations capture, scale, and sustain excellence.

Kim shares a practical framework for building a Center of Excellence that improves consistency, develops leaders, preserves institutional knowledge, and helps organizations adapt faster in a rapidly changing business environment.

In This Episode:

• Why AI is exposing organizational alignment challenges
• What a Center of Excellence really is (and what it isn't)
• The biggest mistakes companies make when launching a COE
• Why successful COEs start with a business problem, not an org chart
• How to identify the experts people already trust
• Ways to capture and scale top-performer behaviors
• Why influence matters more than authority
• Metrics that demonstrate the value of a COE
• How to embed excellence into everyday business operations
• What talent architecture, succession planning, and leadership development have in common

💬 Connect with Kim: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/frostkim/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

🌐 Learn more: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠frostconnections.com⁠

I've worked remotely for almost 20 years. And I'll be honest, I'm torn.

This episode is one I had to sit with longer than most because remote work is genuinely complicated. It's not good or bad. It's a mirror. And what it reflects back on your organization might be the most important thing you hear this year.

In this episode:

• Why remote work amplifies everything — strong leadership gets stronger, weak leadership becomes impossible to ignore
• The CEO who knew every single employee by name (and what that told every candidate who interviewed there)
• What my worst remote work experience in my 30s taught me about managing myself
• The interview question one of my clients uses to immediately spot whether a remote candidate will actually perform
• Why I think early-career professionals should think twice before going fully remote
• What remote workers and remote leaders each need to stop doing — and start doing instead

💬 Connect with Kim: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/frostkim/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

🌐 Learn more: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠frostconnections.com⁠

What do pepper in a Diet Coke and organizational strategy have in common?

More than you might think.

In this episode Kim Frost explores why Centers of Excellence (COEs) are re-emerging as a powerful solution for companies navigating growth, AI adoption, leadership development, and operational consistency. While the old-school COE model often became bogged down in bureaucracy, today's version is focused on something much more valuable: helping organizations move faster without creating chaos.

Kim breaks down what a modern Center of Excellence looks like, why mid-sized companies may benefit from them even more than large enterprises, and how leadership, talent strategy, and AI governance are becoming increasingly connected.

If your organization is struggling with inconsistent processes, siloed knowledge, or uneven leadership practices, this conversation offers a fresh perspective on building alignment and scaling excellence across your business.

In This Episode, You'll Learn:

• What a Center of Excellence actually is
• Why COEs are making a comeback in the age of AI
• The difference between control and enablement
• How inconsistency slows growth and creates organizational drag
• Why leadership development may become the next major Center of Excellence
• The connection between talent architecture and business performance
• Warning signs your organization may need more alignment and structure
• How to scale best practices without creating unnecessary bureaucracy

💬 Connect with Kim: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/frostkim/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

🌐 Learn more: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠frostconnections.com⁠

What if the skills that future-proof your career have nothing to do with AI at all?

In this episode, Kim shares why communication, critical thinking, and emotional intelligence are becoming some of the most valuable skills in today’s workforce. Drawing from real experiences in recruiting and leadership, Kim unpacks the patterns she’s seeing across interviews, hiring, and workplace culture — and why so many professionals are struggling to stand out despite having the right experience on paper.

The conversation explores leadership, adaptability, remote work, problem solving, and the growing importance of human connection in an increasingly technology-driven world.

If you want to become a stronger communicator, a better leader, or simply stay competitive as the workplace continues to evolve, this episode will challenge the way you think about success moving forward.

In this episode:

• Why communication is becoming a major differentiator
• The workplace skills companies are struggling to find
• How AI is changing the value of human connection
• What separates adaptable leaders from everyone else
• Why critical thinking matters more than ever

💬 Connect with Kim: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/frostkim/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

🌐 Learn more: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠frostconnections.com⁠

What actually drives revenue growth inside a company?

In this episode of Higher Power, we’re talking about the leadership habits that quietly shape growth behind the scenes — from alignment and decision-making to collaboration and clarity across teams.

This conversation explores why some companies continue growing while others feel stuck, even when they have talented people and strong products. We also get into the hidden friction that slows teams down, the difference between delegation and true ownership, and why leadership consistency matters more than most people realize.

Inside this episode:

• Why growth problems are often leadership problems
• The hidden cost of misalignment inside teams
• What “empowered leadership” actually looks like
• How internal friction impacts revenue
• Why clarity matters more than doing more
• The leadership habits that create momentum

If your team feels busy but growth still feels harder than it should, this episode will give you a different perspective on what may actually be holding things back. 

💬 Connect with Kim: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/frostkim/⁠⁠⁠⁠

🌐 Learn more: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠frostconnections.com

What actually makes a team perform at a high level — and why do so many organizations struggle to get there?

In this episode, we break down the hidden reasons teams fall short, even when the talent looks great on paper. From leadership blind spots to accountability issues, this conversation explores what separates average teams from truly high-performing ones.

We also dive into the role clarity, communication, and team dynamics play in long-term success — and why building a strong team has less to do with individual talent than most people think.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Why great hires still fail on the wrong team
• The problem with hiring for “culture fit”
• What psychological safety actually means
• Why clarity changes team performance
• The leadership habits that impact company culture
• How accountability affects team success
• Why avoiding hard conversations hurts teams
• The difference between managing and leading 

💬 Connect with Kim: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/frostkim/⁠⁠⁠⁠

🌐 Learn more: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠frostconnections.com

Mergers, acquisitions, and reorgs are supposed to signal growth.

But inside the organization? It often feels like confusion, tension, and uncertainty.

In this episode, we’re getting into what actually happens after the announcement and why so many of these transitions don’t play out the way leaders expect.

Because it’s not just about the deal. It’s about what shifts underneath it.

Roles change. Power changes. Behavior changes.

And if that’s not handled right, things start to unravel fast.

If you’re leading a team through change—or about to—this episode will give you a different lens on what really matters during these moments.

In this episode:

• What starts to break inside teams during major transitions
• The leadership dynamic most people underestimate
• Why “more communication” isn’t always the fix
• What your team is thinking (even if they’re not saying it)
• This isn’t a step-by-step playbook.
• It’s a reality check on what leadership actually looks like when everything is shifting.

💬 Connect with Kim: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/frostkim/⁠⁠⁠

🌐 Learn more: ⁠⁠⁠⁠frostconnections.com

The way most people think about learning is outdated—and it’s quietly holding them back.

In this episode, we’re breaking down what upskilling actually looks like right now… and why simply consuming more information isn’t the same as getting better.

Because the gap isn’t knowledge.

It’s application.

We get into what’s really changing in today’s job market, where people tend to get stuck without realizing it, and how to shift the way you work without adding more to your plate.

This is less about doing more—and more about doing things differently.

What We Cover:

• Why “learning once” doesn’t work anymore
• The difference between knowing and actually improving
• Where most people fall behind without realizing it
• What actually makes someone stand out right now
• A simpler way to approach growth that actually sticks

💬 Connect with Kim: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/frostkim/⁠⁠

🌐 Learn more: ⁠⁠⁠frostconnections.com