HR Mavericks

Can a remarkable leader teach others to be even more remarkable leaders? Can students surpass the teacher? That’s the idea behind Dr. Jonathan Westover's new book, ‘Bluer than Indigo’ Leadership: The Journey of Becoming a Truly Remarkable Leader.

We sat down with Dr. Westover, Chair/Professor of Organizational Leadership at Utah Valley University and Managing Partner and Principal at Human Capital Innovations, to hear how the color indigo—and a servant leadership mentality—inspired the leadership lessons he wrote about in his new book.

We also talked about: 

• What makes the best leaders effective and successful

• How variety makes (or breaks) working in the HR industry

• How to disrupt the cycle of bad leadership principles 

• Tips for how HR can coach and mentor leaders to be ‘Bluer than Indigo’ leaders

• How to build a psychologically safe environment at work (hint: it starts by being people-centric)

Small business HR wears a lot of hats. For Amber Parr, the hat she loves wearing most is being part of the employee experience—and helping managers get the best out of their people.  

We sat down with Amber, HR Manager at Sundance Holdings Group, LLC (more commonly known as Sundance Catalog), to talk about how HR can adopt a growth mindset to meet the needs of managers, and the organization as a whole, in our ever-changing world of work.  

We also talked about: 

• The value of a growth mindset—and why she’s so passionate about it 

• Why HR should be focused on learning, plus the challenges of making it a priority

• Tips for developing a learning and growth mindset (Hint: It starts with curiosity)

• The power of being adaptable when failure happens 

Can HR be an advocate for both the company and the employee experience? Ryan Archibald, Director of Human Resources at Paul Davis Restoration of Utah, thinks so. Over the course of his HR career, he’s seen colleagues fall prey to the dictator trap—when HR alone is the rule maker and enforcer. And how this approach fails every. single. time.  

We sat down with Ryan to hear about how HR professionals can be better partners to their leadership team—and operate as a trusted resource, even when you’re an HR department of one.  

We also talked about: 

• How a friend’s negative experience at work inspired him to get into HR and help people 

• How to avoid the “dictator trap”—and instead, be a caretaker of the employee experience 

• How to align the HR function with the expectations of your leadership team 

• Asking for help, especially when you’re an HR department of one 

• Knowing your values (and communicating them) when others want you to cut corners

Have you heard of the hero’s journey? From Star Wars to Paw Patrol, every hero takes a journey—and one company has nailed the playbook on building their culture around this unique approach. 

We sat down with Jared Olsen, VP of People Experience at JobNimbus, to hear his in-depth take on the hero’s journey and how it’s helped the company attract, retain, and even part ways with employees (when the time is right). 

We also talked about: 

• How he fell into the field of HR—and what inspired him to stay (hint: his dad’s advice on how to make a difference played a major role)

• How he’s helping people in their own hero's journey

• What makes JobNimbus a Maverick in the HR space

• How to build trust with your people so they’ll tell you when they want to move on 

• How JobNimbus turned their candidate experience into a win-win for the company and the candidate

The COVID-19 pandemic impacted a lot of businesses, but maybe none more than those in the restaurant industry. With some of the pandemic-related challenges subsiding, the industry is now facing new obstacles, including an ongoing staffing shortage. 

We sat down with Kyle Wadsworth, Director of Human Resources at Cafe Rio Mexican Grill, to hear how the restaurant industry is dealing with the pervasive staffing drought—and what impact HR can have on supporting businesses with recruitment and retention. 

We also talked about: 

• The biggest obstacles the restaurant industry faced during the height of COVID-19—and the ones it’s facing now.

COVID put a magnifying glass on employee mental health—both on what employees’ needs are, as well as what organizations can do to better support them. 

We sat down with Nick Staley, HR Business Partner at WeLink Communications, to talk about, amongst the many hats HR professionals wear, the need to be an advocate for employee mental health (a need that’s only accelerated since the start of the pandemic).

We also talked about: 

• What’s changing in regards to mental health and well-being in the workplace 

A career in HR isn’t for everyone. Just ask Elisa Garn—she turned down the opportunity to work in HR three times before a change in perspective changed, well, everything. Sixteen years later, she’s grateful to have had the opportunity to influence people's lives—both in and outside the workplace.

We sat down with Elisa, now a Vice President of Digital Brand at GBS Benefits and Executive Director at Utah SHRM, to find out how HR professionals can shape the employee experience—and be a positive driver of engagement.

We also discussed:

• How she defines human experience and how it’s different from employee experience

Fostering a culture of service is one sure-fire way to attract and retain great employees. But what if your small business is just starting out and you don’t have a dedicated resource to help with culture, never mind hiring and other HR processes? 

We spoke with Kaden Heaton, HR Manager at Unforgettable Coatings, to glean his insights on how small businesses can get HR right, even when you’re not ready to hire a full-time HR person (hint: self-serve technology is a game changer). 

We also discussed:

• What attracted him to—and has kept him interested in—a career in HR (and if you work in HR, you know it’s not the reputation of traditional HR departments)

Small business HR leaders know the difficulties of hiring, managing, paying and engaging frontline employees and creating an exceptional employee experience where people can excel.

On this introductory episode of HR Mavericks, the weekly small business HR podcast, host Garrett Jestice, CMO at Eddy, and Travis Hansen, CEO at Eddy, explain how this new podcast will help small businesses streamline their HR processes and improve their employee experience for frontline workers.

What we talked about:

• Why Travis decided to start Eddy and where the name Eddy came from

Ideas for future topics for guests? Reach out to Garrett on LinkedIn and let him know!