Leveling Up

Leveling Up

By Leveling UpBusiness
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Leveling Up episodes

  • A Grassroots Approach to Employee Engagement with Jackie Shyman Holt

    Grassroots change requires a lot of trust, and it takes a lot more effort around communication, engagement, and ‘buy-in’ than simply barking out orders! Today’s guest is Jackie Shyman Holt, the Head of Human Resources at 7 For All Mankind. Jackie has more than 20-years’ experience in all aspects of HR, including transformational leadership and change management, organizational design, talent acquisition and retention, diversity and inclusion, and internal and external branding and communications. In this episode, she shares her experience of the last year and a half during the pandemic and the importance of creating both physical and psychological safety for employees. Jackie also emphasizes the value of strong communication in a post-pandemic world and shares her grassroots approach to engagement through employee-led programs, highlighting the importance of executive buy-in for these programs to be successful. We also discuss the role of employee education, reimagining executive structures, and taking a collaborative approach, and Jackie shares some invaluable insights and practical advice for taking a grassroots approach in your organization. Tune in today!

    Key Points From This Episode:

    • An introduction to Jackie and her experience of the last 18 months during COVID-19.
    • How she has approached pulling employees in and ensuring their engagement.
    • Some of the strategies that Jackie hopes to continue implementing, even after COVID, including strong internal communications.
    • Hear about the charitable environment that 7 For All Mankind has cultivated.
    • Jackie shares how she takes a grassroots approach to employee engagement.
    • What sparked her interest in employee-led programs and the importance of executive buy-in.
    • Jackie reflects on the topic of lunch-and-learns and how she made them work.
    • Thinking about the “PR of HR” and how the department is perceived by the company.
    • What role employee education plays in implementing diversity, equity, and inclusion policies.
    • The value of reimagining what executive leadership and marketing structures look like.
    • How a diversity of perspectives contributes to innovation.
    • The power of what Jackie calls a “scrappier” attitude toward employee engagement.
    • Where she suggests organizations start: by hearing the ideas of individual employees at different stages of their careers.
    • Jackie shares some of her favorite resources, including books, podcasts, and her peers.
    • Her advice for her past self: relax, think before you jump in the deep end, and take risks.
    • Why she recommends building robust boundaries between work and life.
      • 30 min
    • Prioritizing Needs in Learning and Development with Sunita Arora

      Learning and development plays a vital part in the efforts of any business to level up. Today we are joined by Sunita Arora, the Head of Learning and Development at GE Digital. Sunita is a learning and development strategist with over 20 years of experience working with Fortune 500 companies in Silicon Valley startups. She is known for her global leadership development, instructional design, workshop facilitation, project management, communication, and organization development skills. Today she joins us to discuss the importance of understanding your business’s main need in learning and development and ruthlessly prioritizing your focus. Tuning in, you’ll hear how to approach leadership buy-in through demonstrating the impact on the business, the types of programs that Sunita’s designed that have been the most effective, and the different ways to measure the success of a program. Find out what ‘built-in nudges’ are and how they can remind people what they have learned long after they have completed a program. With a wealth of experience, Sunita shares some great advice with us and provides helpful examples of how she has implemented these concepts in her own work, so tune in today!

      Key Points From This Episode:

      • An introduction to Sunita Arora and her career in learning and development.
      • The importance of understanding the business’s need and prioritizing it.
      • How to approach leadership buy-in and the importance of it.
      • Sunita’s advice to a new or expanding talent development team: start with the North Star.
      • Sunita shares the success story of how she used this principle to develop a training program and a framework for the leaders of an engineering company.
      • How she incorporated the input of the leaders to develop this framework.
      • How she helps companies ruthlessly prioritize their focus, and how this is especially important when resources are limited.
      • The most effective types of programmes that Sunita has designed for managers and emerging leaders.
      • What ‘built-in nudges’ are and how they can remind people what they have learned long after they have completed a program.
      • The different ways that the success of a program can be measured.
      • How training is different for managers and emerging leaders versus senior executives.
      • Sunita’s views on the challenges posed by the ongoing pandemic as well as some of the opportunities it presents.
      • Sunita’s go-to resources and how her company has been using newsletters.
      • What advice Sunita would give her former self when she started to take on leadership responsibilities.
        • 33 min
      • Coaching Trends: Where today’s managers are focusing their time and energy with Bhavna Chadalavada

        As a Marlow coach, Bhavna Chadalavada has inside information as to what is going on in the minds of company managers at this moment in time. The COVID-19 pandemic has been responsible for a large amount of change in all facets of life and business. In today’s conversation, Bhavna provides us with examples of the challenges that managers are experiencing as a result of these changes, some of the positive outcomes that have occurred, and the common trends that she has noticed in terms of what managers are trying to achieve in their workplaces. We discuss the role that coaching plays in helping people to advance their careers, and how this differs from the way that mentors and advisors work. Through her experience, Bhavna has gained an understanding of what people at all levels of a business want, and she shares what she wishes those people knew about one another.

        Key Points From This Episode:

        • Bhavna’s winding journey to coaching, and what she learned from her previous roles.
        • Marlow’s coaching style, the types of people they generally work with, and where their focus lies.
        • Differences between coaching and mentorship/advising/consulting.
        • Reasons behind the trend of people wanting to advance their careers that Bhavna has seen with her clients recently.
        • Impacts that remote work is having on people.
        • Skills that Bhavna’s clients are wanting to improve, and how coaching helps with this.
        • The importance of defining responsibilities in the workplace.
        • Why hiring is a common topic in coaching sessions with new managers at the moment.
        • An example of what a coaching conversation with a new manager might look like.
        • Building relationships and understanding what people need is always a good starting point for difficult conversations.
        • Changes that Bhavna has seen in how people are dealing with difficult conversations since the start of the pandemic.
        • How coaching helps people to deal with conflict situations in the workplace.
        • Follow-up practices that Bhavna makes use of to keep up to date with her clients.
        • Trends that Bhavna is expecting to see in the coming months, as things open up more.
        • Proactive and reactive calendering and the positive impact this is having on members.
        • 6 competency areas of Marlow: leadership, people management, communication, strategic awareness, career direction, and productivity.
        • An example of actions that companies have taken which their employees have really appreciated.
        • What Bhavna wants companies to know about their employees, and vice versa.
        • Bhavna’s excitement about the future.
          • 27 min
        • Taking an Agile Approach to Employee Experience and Talent Development

          Today’s guest is Amber Russell, joining us from Dutchie. Amber is leading the talent management in programs at Dutchie but has been part of the talent development teams at a few other notable companies, including Pegasystems and Vistaprint. As a key leader in talent and experience, her focus is on enabling innovative and unique employee experiences and, in today’s episode, she shares her insight into enhancing these experiences by designing intentional programs or benefits that meet employees where they are at. Tuning in, you’ll learn how to apply an Agile methodology to employee experience, and the systems and tools you can use to implement an iterative approach. Amber also cautions against the use of buzzwords when it comes to employee experience, and has some practical advice for taking a holistic approach to rewarding and enabling employees appropriately, rather than focusing only on “high achievers” within your organization. Ready to break the rules a little and do what is best for your employees? Well, this is the episode for you! Tune in to find out more!

          Key Points From This Episode:

          • Amber shares how she ended up on her current career path in talent and experience.
          • What employee experience means to her: tending a garden that has already been planted.
          • Applying an Agile methodology to employee experience; breaking work down into the smallest iterative with the highest value.
          • Some of the systems and tools Amber uses to implement this iterative approach.
          • How Agile allows teams the ability to experiment, fail, and pivot quickly.
          • Some examples of how it has played out in internal systems like employee onboarding.
          • The flexibility that Agile provides, especially during the pivot to remote work during COVID.
          • Amber’s predictions for the adoption of Agile in the talent space.
          • Designing great employee experience starts with being intentional rather than throwing buzzwords around.
          • Having a diverse reward and recognition offering doesn’t dilute the offerings; it makes them more meaningful to individual employees.
          • Why trust in leadership to reward employees is key to long-term retentive value.
          • Amber recommends a holistic approach to rewarding and enabling employees appropriately.
          • Advice for personalizing your rewards system: be okay with breaking the rules a little!
          • Why Amber never wants to be a traditional HR leader.
          • What resources she is leaning on right now, including a strong network of peers.
          • The advice she would give her younger self: get comfortable with the uncomfortable!
            • 37 min
          • Creating Space for Sensitive Strivers with Melody Wilding

            In today’s episode, we welcome to the show Melody Wilding, executive coach, human behavior expert, and author of Trust Yourself: Stop Overthinking and Channel Your Emotions for Success at Work. Melody helps sensitive leaders escape self-doubt and overcome impostor syndrome and, in this conversation, she shares that, while being highly attuned to your emotions, your environment, and the behavior of others can be the keys to success, it can also lead to overthinking and burnout, as it does for so many sensitive strivers who have not yet learned how to mange and leverage their unique gifts. As we dive into Melody’s book during the course of the episode, you’ll discover that Trust Yourself offers concrete steps to help you break free from stress and perfectionism so that you can find the confidence to work and lead effectively as well as the mindset and tools to set you on the path to personal and professional fulfillment. Make sure to tune in today for an insightful discussion about identifying sensitive strivers, setting better boundaries, and preventing burnout!

            Key Points From This Episode:

            • How Melody became a coach in this niche space thanks to her personal experience.
            • Learn more about the genetic trait that sensitive strivers possess.
            • How perceptions of sensitivity plays into gender stereotypes, for both women and men.
            • Melody defines a sensitive striver as a high-achiever who is also highly sensitive.
            • Find out what the differences are between introverts and sensitive strivers.
            • How to identify sensitive strivers, including deeply-felt emotions, a strong inner critic, and poorly held boundaries.
            • Signs of burnout to look out for, like heightened emotional reactivity or overcompensation.
            • Types of boundaries, from rigid to porous, and where sensitive strivers tend to struggle most.
            • Where Melody sees leaders acting most effectively in helping teams set better boundaries.
            • The role that self-advocacy plays in helping her clients stop undermining themselves.
            • How Melody suggests leaders can provide extra support, including celebrating small wins.
            • What is means to rebalance your inner drive and how it helps with preventing burnout.
            • The importance of connecting your work to something meaningful.
            • Sharing Melody’s book with sensitive strivers can provide them with a powerful tool.
            • Other resources she recommends, such as the DISC and KOLBE assessments.
              • 37 min
            • Forecasting the Future of Talent Development Beyond the Pandemic with Dropbox Leader, Megan Bickle

              The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in significant talent management challenges, including hiring freezes and layoffs, a sudden shift to remote work, and increased employee stress and burnout. This week, we welcome Megan Bickle, Head of Talent and Performance Management at Dropbox. We discuss how organizations can rethink how work gets done, navigate burnout, and ultimately support employees during these challenging times and in the transition to what will hopefully be less challenging times! Megan joins us with over a decade of talent experience, focused on leveraging people analytics within talent management strategy, leadership development, designing culture, HR technology, and talent assessments. She has held roles at Ubisoft, GE Digital, and Electronic Arts and is passionate about shaping an organization’s culture through talent and organizational development initiatives. Tuning in, you’ll hear Megan emphasize the double-edged sword of challenge and opportunity that companies are facing in their transition to the ‘new normal’ and what they can do to adapt to and support employees in an increasingly virtual work environment. Make sure not to miss this stimulating conversation!

              Key Points From This Episode:

              • Megan shares how she found her way onto her career path and organizational development.
              • How the technology companies she has worked for have approached employee experience differently to more traditional organizations.
              • Defining what employee experience should be by focusing on an employee’s lifecycle.
              • The greatest challenges facing employers during COVID, including navigating and preventing employee burnout.
              • Welcoming employees back to the office now that vaccination programs have started.
              • Why not having a playbook is both an opportunity and a challenge.
              • Megan borrows the phrase ‘retention cliff’ to reflect on employee retention during COVID.
              • The benefits for companies of tapping into different markets to source great talent.
              • How companies are leveraging resources like Modern Health, providing employees access to coaching, and monthly wellness days.
              • Find out how training has changed to adapt to a more virtual work environment.
              • Megan’s predictions for how the idea of work will evolve over the next 24 months.
              • Where companies are falling short, like not ensuring HR is a critical part of future strategy.
              • While there are numerous opportunities to exploit, it also takes a lot of work.
              • The resources Megan recommends: Talent Development Think Tank and Microsoft’s People Analytics data.
              • Her advice for her former self: find a business coach!
                • 52 min
              • Transitioning from an Individual Contributor to a Manager of Managers

                The exciting process of growing a company rapidly can easily become an unmanageable beast if the right systems and values are not in place from the beginning. Today on Leveling Up we are joined by Kristen Wiley, who is the Founder and CEO of Statusphere, a company that has gone from strength to strength in its young lifespan. We hear from Kristen about her experiences at the helm of the ship and what it has felt like becoming the founder of such a successful company. We focus on the importance of responsible management practices and the most notable shifts and transitions that have occurred at Statusphere over this period. Our conversation touches on managing people in a remote environment, different types and styles of management, and how to balance these parts with the demands to grow. Kristen makes a clear point that her biggest role as a leader lies in her responsibilities regarding recruiting and training and all of her reflections are so filled with fresh wisdom, you are not going to want to miss this episode! Join us for a passionate and inspiring conversation with a young leader making waves!


                Key Points From This Episode:

                • Basic information on Statusphere, the services they offer, and their journey thus far.
                • The growth of the company and the important points of the hiring process.
                • Important factors that Kristen kept in mind as she looked for new team members.
                • Kristen's experiences of managing a team and the lessons she learned early on.
                • Letting go of tasks that can stand in the way of the growth of a business.
                • The process of Kristen becoming a leader and reshuffling the way that Statusphere operated.
                • Concepts and values that Kristen prioritized when looking at candidates to hire.
                • Kristen's thoughts on the evolution of her management style before and during the pandemic.
                • The current remote setup at Statusphere and the tentative plans to go back into the office.
                • Challenges that Kristen and Statusphere have encountered through their transitions.
                • The mentors that have helped Kristen on her journey and helpful advice around smooth shifts.
                • Growth and succession planning at Statusphere; the meetings that address this area of sustainability.
                • The project of communicating a vision and goal to an entire team.
                • Advice that Kristen would give her past self: prioritizing a good fit, feedback, and punctual hiring.
                • Enabling team members to supply feedback and ask questions towards the goal of higher efficiency.
                • Kristen's thoughts on facilitating the right type of environment for good communication.
                • The skills that Kristen remains focused on sharpening and the best resources for this.
                • Quick advice from Kristen for anyone needing to rapidly build out a team.
                • Spreading expertise around a team and avoiding the trap of exclusive skills.

                  • Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

                  Leveling Up

                  Marlow

                  Kristen Wiley on LinkedIn

                  Statusphere

                  Kristen Wiley on Twitter

                  Nonviolent Communication

                  37 min
                • Leadership Brand with Chelsea Seid
                  Our Host: Chelsea Seid, Co-Founder and COO of Marlow
                  In this episode, Chelsea Seid, Co-Founder and COO of Marlow, talks about what it means to develop a personal leadership brand and how you can develop a strong brand and truly live by it. Chelsea details steps you can take to shape the external perception of your leadership and leadership strategy, as well as ways to explore what type of leader you want to be. Tune in to learn how to take your leadership to the next level!
                  Conversation Highlights
                  What makes a leader?
                  Factors to consider when developing your leadership brand
                  Exploring what type of leader you want to be
                  How to write your brand and promote it
                  Tips for auditing and reviewing how you work
                  Episode Timeline
                  [00:21] Introducing Marlow and the topic of this episode
                  [01:16] Who really is a leader? Do all leaders have followers?
                  [03:05] What is a personal leadership brand?
                  [04:22] The importance of defining your core values
                  [05:48] Utilizing your strengths and experience
                  [09:45] Define your work style: Interacting with others in the workplace
                  [12:14] How to figure out what type of leader do you want to be
                  [17:48] Writing and promoting your own personal leadership brand
                  [23:20] Audit and review how you work
                  [25:13] The big takeaway: Intentionally make decisions and commit to live by your brand
                  Quotes from our Host
                  “A brand is really an external perception of your leadership style; so how others understand how you are as a leader and what your style is as a leader.”
                  “A personal leadership brand doesn’t need to be as big as mine, it could be highly specific. So if you’re in a specific category of work right now and you’re connecting with a particular brand that’s important to you, that could work very well for you.”
                  About Marlow
                  Marlow is where leading professionals at all stages in their career go to refine the core professional skills and habits that matter most. We combine in-house expert coaches with interactive resources to ensure a personalized coaching experience for each member. Marlow coaches partner with employees at companies of all sizes — from 20 team members to enterprise corporations. We’re coaching people all over the world and have the capacity to scale with your team’s needs.
                  Connect with Marlow
                  We invite you to share this episode with someone who you think could benefit from this information and expertise. Don’t forget to subscribe to Leveling Up for more discussion on and tips and tricks for career navigation, communication, productivity, and more!
                  Podcast: www.levelingup.co
                  Website: www.getmarlow.com
                  Twitter: www.twitter.com/getmarlow
                  Instagram: www.instagram.com/getmarlow
                  Facebook: www.facebook.com/getmarlow
                  LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/getmarlow
                  Connect with Chelsea
                  LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chelseawagen
                  30 min
                • The Changing World of Employee Benefits — with Jordan Peace (CEO of Fringe)
                  In this week's episode, Jordan Peace (Co-Founder and CEO at Fringe) shares the trends his team is seeing when it comes to helping more organizations gain access to flexible employee benefits.
                  About Jordan:
                  Jordan Peace is CEO of Fringe, a lifestyle benefits company. Hailing from the world of financial planning, Jordan co-founded Fringe in 2018 after realizing that most people - especially Millennials - simply don’t understand their company’s corporate benefits. Along with four close college friends, Jordan created Fringe as a way to turn corporate benefits into a language that anyone can speak. He was previously the Founder & Chief Experience Officer of Greenhouse Money, and a Financial Advisor with Northwestern Mutual. Jordan lives in Richmond, Virginia with his wife and 4 kids. His favorite Fringe benefit is Turo.
                  Linkedn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordan-peace-fringe/
                  Twitter: https://twitter.com/jordanpeace
                  About Fringe:
                  Fringe is the world’s first lifestyle benefits marketplace. Fringe benefits are personalized to the individual and self-selected by each employee. Employees who are struggling with financial stress can receive financial planning services while another employee who recently had a child can get organic baby food delivered to their door! An employer simply selects the employees they’d like to enroll and the amount, each month, that they’d like to allocate to each Fringe benefits account. From a 22-year old intern to a 62-year old leader, Fringe has something for everyone.
                  Website: https://www.fringe.us/
                  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fringeus/
                  Twitter: https://twitter.com/fringe_us/
                  What it Means to Be a Remote First CompanyNeela Campbell, Grant...
                  Supercharge Your Team's PerformanceVictoria Reichenberg &...
                  What is Emotional Intelligence and Why... Host: Chelsea Seid
                  Redesigning Learning & Development with... Nathan Knight & Mary...
                  40 min
                • Redesigning Learning & Development with Nathan Knight (Better.com)
                  Our Guest: Nathan Knight, Director of Performance Management & Learning and Development Better.com
                  In this episode, Nathan Knight, Director of Performance Management and Learning & Development at Better.com, speaks on how his team is approaching learning and development, as well as his views on how leaders can incorporate diversity, equity, and inclusion into their existing training programs in order to achieve better results and outcomes. Nathan details how allyship plays a crucial role in a company’s development and what tools and practices you need to implement in designing L&D programs. He then shares powerful advice on judgement, beliefs, and your true feelings about your work that anyone at any stage in their career could benefit from. How do you keep yourself growing?
                  Conversation Highlights
                  The philosophies of their learning and development programs
                  Figuring out what types of training your team would benefit from
                  The importance of reevaluating the value you’re providing during times of change
                  Simple tools you need for designing training programs
                  How L&D fosters a diverse, equitable, and inclusive space
                  Incorporating inclusivity into meetings, presentations, and conversations
                  The role of allyship in the workplace + The best way to improve your allyship
                  Episode Timeline
                  [00:21] Introducing the topic of this episode + What it’s been like living in NYC during the pandemic
                  [01:45] How Nathan got into learning & development
                  [03:24] How have you incorporated your learning experiences from other roles to your role at Better?
                  [04:59] How Better is approaching people development more holistically
                  [08:02] Nathan’s approach to measuring ROI on learning & development courses
                  [11:28] Types of trainings: Quick results vs. long-term impacts + High vs. low investment
                  [14:29] Challenges and opportunities Better is considering in the coming months
                  [17:58] Using technology and tools to meet people where they’re at in development
                  [20:45] Leveraging external resources to your advantage
                  [21:53] How learning & development initiatives foster diversity, equity, and inclusion
                  [26:11] Is inclusivity a part of your conversations and meetings?
                  [28:26] How Nathan thinks organizations should be embedding allyship into training, rather than treating them as add-ons
                  [32:38] Nathan’s go-to resources and tactics for improving allyship
                  [35:29] What do you wish you could have learned sooner?
                  Resources
                  Follow Better.com on Instagram: www.instagram.com/betterdotcom
                  Follow them on Twitter: www.twitter.com/betterdotcom
                  Connect with them on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/betterdotcom
                  Inclusion by Jennifer Brown: www.jenniferbrownconsulting.com/inclusion-the-book
                  Connect with Nathan Knight
                  LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/nathanknight
                  Website: www.better.com
                  About Marlow
                  Marlow is where leading professionals at all stages in their career go to refine the core professional skills and habits that matter most. We combine in-house expert coaches with interactive resources to ensure a personalized coaching experience for each member. Marlow coaches partner with employees at companies of all sizes — from 20 team members to enterprise corporations. We’re coaching people all over the world and have the capacity to scale with your team’s needs.
                  Podcast: www.levelingup.co
                  Website: www.getmarlow.com
                  Twitter: www.twitter.com/getmarlow
                  Instagram: www.instagram.com/getmarlow
                  Facebook: www.facebook.com/getmarlow
                  LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/getmarlow
                  40 min

                About Leveling Up

                From the publisher's feed

                Hosts Mary Fox and Chelsea Seid interview the world's most innovative leaders taking talent development and employee experience to the next level. We cover manager training, employee experience,…