Cash Nickerson is chairman of AKKA North America’s Business Unit. He was President, CFO, General Counsel, and the second largest shareholder of PDS Tech prior to its purchase by AKKA Technologies. Prior to that he served as an attorney and marketing executive for Union Pacific Railroad, a partner at Jenner & Block, and chairman and CEO of an internet company. Mr. Nickerson, author of several books including The Seven Tensions of Negotiation, is an avid writer and speaker on the workplace, jobs, and the economy. Mr. Nickerson is the founder and president of the David H. Nickerson Foundation, which supports prostate cancer research.

Mentioned on the Show

Cash's website: https://cashnickerson.com/

Connect with Cash on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevencashnickerson

The Seven Tensions of Negotiations by Cash Nickerson: https://a.co/d/h0PnViR

Getting to Yes, the negotiation classic by Fisher, Ury, and Patton: https://a.co/d/1veJWUs

The War of Art by Steven Pressfield: https://a.co/d/c7ZyKUI

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Connect with O’Brien McMahon on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/obrienmcmahon/

Learn more about O’Brien: https://obrienmcmahon.com/

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Timestamps

(00:00) - Welcome to People Business

(1:58) - Introducing Cash

(2:18) - What is the difference between Positional and Principled negotiation?

(5:20) - What are the Seven Tensions of Negotiation?

(6:42) - Is Power the same as leverage?

(11:08) - What’s the definition of ‘negotiation’?

(12:22) - Is there a type of person who does better with negotiation? What makes a good negotiator?

(21:59) - How do we battle scarcity when negotiating?

(23:30) - Do you have tips for people to reset their expectations in negotiations?

(29:52) - How do you think about Outcome tension?

(33:33) - What does prepping a negotiation look like?

(41:23) - When is it a good idea to use leverage and when is it not?

(45:06) - The role of bluffing in negotiations.

(47:20) - Team negotiations: speed and proximity

(50:18) - Can you have a direct conversation with one person when negotiating with a team?  

(53:18) - How do digital/virtual platforms impact negotiations? 

(54:36) - Have the other party make the hard decision.

Jordan Burton is an executive assessor and interview trainer, working with top VC/PE investors and high-growth startups to hire the best of the best. He has trained over 3,000 executives and investors on hiring and interviewing skills, working with companies like Sequoia Capital, TH Lee, Insight Partners, Twilio, and Scale AI, and over 50 venture-backed startups. He was formerly a Partner at leadership advisory firm ghSMART, a consultant at Bain & Company, and he holds an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Mentioned on the Show

• Connect with Jordan Burton on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordanwburton
• Learn more about Talgo Team Building and Training: https://www.talgo.io/
• Listen to futurist Alexandra Levit on People Business: https://peoplebusinesspodcast.com/alexandralevit/

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• Connect with O’Brien McMahon on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/obrienmcmahon/
• Learn more about O’Brien: https://obrienmcmahon.com/

Timestamps

(1:44) - Welcoming Jordon

(2:17) - How does one become an expert in interviewing?

(3:27) - How should you structure different types of interviews?

(5:03) - What makes a good candidate? 

(10:53) - Are there any counterintuitive aspects of the interview process?

(16:05) - How and What questions vs. Why questions 

(24:34) - When it comes to hard skills, how do we create good problem-solving interviews?

(27:24) - Is there a similar way to test soft skills?

(38:50) - The importance of motivation and will. 

(32:03) - How do we assess the actual skills required in real-time?

(35:14) - What are your thoughts on the statement  "hire for attitude, train for skills"?

(42:12) - Tips for candidates and interview teams to get organized and prepare

(45:13) - How do we decide the best questions to be asked?

(45:07) - How does an individual prepare for an interview?

(46:19) - How do you analyze an interview?

(49:09) - How do we develop our gut instincts? 

(52:32) - What is disciplined decision-making? 

(55:02) - Track, with honesty, which decisions worked out.

(58:46) - Can you share a crazy interview story?

Alexandra Levit is a writer, consultant, speaker, workplace expert, and futurist. She has written ten business and workplace books and is currently a nationally syndicated columnist for the Wall Street Journal. In 2019, she was named to "The Thinkers 50 Radar" List.

Mentioned on the Show

• Connect with Alexandra on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexandralevit
• Learn more about Alexandra and her Inspiration at Work content: https://alexandralevit.com/
• Alexandra’s books: https://alexandralevit.com/books
• Ready Player One (book): https://a.co/d/f4dPAST

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• Connect with O’Brien McMahon on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/obrienmcmahon/
• Learn more about O’Brien: https://obrienmcmahon.com/

Timestamps

(1:48) - Welcoming Alexandra

(2:12) - How did you start doing futurist work?

(5:08) - What were you doing to self-destruct your career?

(7:08) - What were your insights from the Dale Carnegie class?

(8:15) - What is your take on the "bring-your-whole-self-to-work" movement?

(10:33) - Developing skills in forecasting and strategic foresight.

(15:08) - Did you cultivate the ability to see beyond just tomorrow?

(16:55) - How do you recommend building the skill of vigilance?

(19:29) - Balancing an optimistic view of the future with a pessimistic view of the future.

(26:52) - What trends are you seeing people pay too much attention to and why?

(30:15) - How do we effectively make sense of new technologies?

(34:20) - Are there any other trends people are paying too much attention to?

(36:30) - Which trends are not receiving enough attention?

(43:37) - How would you encourage people to think about trends for success?

(47:03) - Why are you buying property in Vermont?

(49:38) - Final thoughts: Don't be scared and see opportunities.

Ashley Elmore is the Vice President of Human Resources at Meow Wolf, an arts production company that creates immersive, multimedia experiences that transport audiences of all ages into fantastic realms. In this conversation, she shares lessons learned from building and perpetuating a creative, collaborative culture.

Mentioned on the Show

• Watch Origin Story, the Meow Wolf Documentary: https://meowwolf.com/about/origin-story (film trailer on YouTube here)
• The Meow Wolf website: https://meowwolf.com/
• Ashley Elmore at Meow Wolf: https://credits.meowwolf.com/people/ashley-elmore/

Timestamps

(1:24) - Welcoming Ashley
(1:53) - What is Meow Wolf?
(4:21) - What is the culture like at Meow Wolf?
(6:03) - How do art and business meet in the organization?
(8:51) - What are Meow Wolf's values?
(10:02) - What does creative collaboration look like and how do you foster it?
(11:37) - Do you have any other examples of what "giving creation space" looks like?
(13:20) - Where did the idea for giving downtime for a week come from?
(15:54) - What is "provocative playfulness"?
(18:43) - How do you navigate the polarity of creativity and profit?
(23:03) - How does the organization approach broader social and/or political topics?
(27:53) - How does leadership communicate with employees?
(30:10) - How often are you talking about your values?
(32:12) - How and what do you celebrate?
(34:43) - Who’s driving the celebrations?
(37:59) - How do you treat and deal with failure?
(42:14) - Is there anything else about Meow Wolf that we didn’t talk about that makes it a special organization?
(43:18) - Does working in a creative organization bring out the creativity of non-creative employees?
(46:52) - What are your personal creative pursuits?

Tricia Sanders is the Founder & Lead Strategist at High Five Strategies. She and her team are the people leaders call when they need help connecting the dots between current- and goal-state. Tricia is an expert at challenging long-standing assumptions and drives creative yet pragmatic results. Prior to this work, she was COO at First Bank in St. Louis and an officer in the United States Army with tours in South Korea, Qatar, and Afghanistan.

Mentioned on the Show

• Connect with Tricia on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patriciaasanders
• High Five Strategies: https://www.highfivestrategies.com/
• Brian Emerson discussing polarities on the People Business podcast: https://peoplebusinesspodcast.com/brianemerson/
• Coach Rachel Hanson on People Business: https://peoplebusinesspodcast.com/rachelhanson/

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Connect with O’Brien McMahon on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/obrienmcmahon/

Learn more about O’Brien: https://obrienmcmahon.com/

Timestamps

(1:50) - Welcoming Tricia
(2:08) - What is the work of High Five Strategies?
(10:17) - Why is setting strategy so uncomfortable?
(15:30) - How do you help clients come up with the right set of goals?
(21:20) - How do you pick one goal without letting the others slip?
(25:42) - The "Even Over" statements exercise
(31:29) - It's good to know the actual culture of a company
(36:23) - Why is clarity so important when it comes to goals as well as knowing your "why" and your "what"?
(42:03) - Why won’t you take on a client for less than an 18-month engagement?
(43:52) - Where are the biggest pitfalls in implementing strategy?
(49:41) - How do you help people become open to change?
(57:04) - Where can people reach you?
(57:42) - Do you have a personal 35 word strategy?

Ben Eubanks is a writer, speaker, and researcher living in Huntsville, Alabama. His work has been featured in numerous industry publications and his books have been cited by some of the world’s most prestigious universities as a method for instructing the next generation of HR professional. Ben spends his days as the Chief Research Officer for Lighthouse Research & Advisory, a firm that examines and delivers groundbreaking insights on the HR technology market as well as workforce trends in hiring, training, retention, and more.

Mentioned on the Show

• Connect with Ben on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/beneubanks 
• Talent Scarcity: How to Hire and Retain a Shrinking Workforce by Ben Eubanks: https://a.co/d/akBprGP
• Lighthouse Research Advisory: https://lhra.io/
• Listen to Loran Nordgren’s return interview on People Business: https://peoplebusinesspodcast.com/lorannordgren2/

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• Connect with O’Brien McMahon on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/obrienmcmahon/
• Learn more about O’Brien: https://obrienmcmahon.com/

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Timestamps

(6:10) - Why did you write Talent Scarcity?
(10:31) - Can you explain what has been happening with the birth rate in America?
(14:59) - What’s the difference between a scarcity and a shortage?
(17:56) - How are companies approaching the people/talent scarcity dilemma?
(26:04) - Where does the gig economy play into the scarcity discussion?
(33:01) - How do you see companies shifting hiring to remain competitive in the coming market?
(37:10) - What is the hidden labor market?
(48:34) - How do you see organizations embracing this as part of the culture?
(51:46) - Leading is reminding/the Forgetting Curve
(56:10) - Do you see organizations doing anything different in how they market themselves to attract qualified applicants?
(1:00:08) - Final thoughts: AI, the creativity killer? 

Rachel Hanson is a Builder with Built to Lead, a band of personal and leadership coaches helping individuals and teams awaken and transform. Prior to joining BTL, Rachel spent 12 years as a Division I Women's Softball head coach at Stanford and Dartmouth.

Mentioned on the Show

• Learn more about Build to Lead: https://builttolead.com/
• Rachel’s profile on the Build to Lead site: https://builttolead.com/rachel-hanson/
• Rachel on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-hanson-48121817
• Meru (film): https://www.merufilm.com/
• Listen to Chet Scott’s interview on People Business: https://peoplebusinesspodcast.com/chetscott/

Timestamps
(2:14) - Welcoming Rachel.
(3:01) - How do you describe Built to Lead and the work you do?
(4:43) - How did you get introduced to Built to Lead in the first place?
(5:37) - How has your coaching changed since starting? 
(13:01) - How do we see clearly the stories we are telling ourselves?
(14:38) - What does discovery look like with a new client? 
(16:16) - What are your favorite discovery questions?
(17:55) - What does the work in those first practices look like?
(19:44) - How can you tell if someone lacks clarity? 
(23:35) - How do we change our beliefs once we’ve discovered them?
(37:23) - Is there anything else we haven’t covered on the concept of changing the stories we tell ourselves?
(46:03) - Where do you recommend people start with the writing/journaling?
(48:55) - How do you help people who won't be honest with themselves because they are scared it will mean having to make a drastic change?
(55:02) - How do you coach your clients when it comes to defining their purpose?
(59:50) - What elements of this work have most influenced your life?
(1:01:15) - What is a story that you changed about yourself?

Gretchen McMahon has had a wide and varied career as a horse show announcer, needlepoint belt maker, and sports photographer, all while raising her three boys full-time (one of whom happens to host this podcast). For our 200th episode, please welcome O'Brien's mom to the show. In this conversation, Gretchen shares how she has repeatedly adapted her work to align with her passions, building several successful businesses along the way. 

Mentioned on the Show

• Gretchen McMahon Photography website: https://www.gretchenmcmahonphotography.com/

Timestamps
(1:07) - Welcoming Gretchen
(1:14) - What was your first job?
(8:40) - What made you a good door-to-door salesperson?
(9:51) - What did you learn from sales?
(14:03) - Why did you not like working for people in the stores but you did like it at the horse shows?
(14:44) - What was the transition like going from doing the thing (riding) to working at the thing (announcing the show)?
(16:11) - What made you a good horse show announcer?
(18:21) - How did you decide to leave your work behind and raise a family?
(19:51) - What was your work like as you continued to build a family?
(22:34) - How did you decide to turn your needlepoint belt hobby into a business?
(33:49) - How did you transition from amateur photograph (giving photos away) to professional (selling them)?
(35:51) - How did you figure out how to price your work?
(37:02) - Why don’t you like the term "side hustle"?
(37:42) - Beyond making money, what does work mean to you?
(40:43) - What was your attitude around learning new things for business?
(45:10) - What have you learned from all the work you've done over the years?

Mag Retelewski is the driving force behind Clarteza, an innovation consultancy dedicated to amplifying growth through deep consumer understanding rooted in psychology and neuroscience. With 20 years of experience as an innovation strategist, she has advised Fortune 500 and mid-sized companies, including brands like Nestlé, Gallo, S.C. Johnson, Honest Company, Purina, and Blue Diamond Growers and many others. Her passion for understanding people fuels her work, delivering insights that inspire impactful solutions across industries and the globe. She has worked in the US, Europe, Asia, South America, and Africa.

Mentioned on the Show

• Mag Retelewski on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mag-retelewski
• Clarteza – website: https://www.clarteza.com/
• Listen to Megan Lally discuss better relationships making better business: https://peoplebusinesspodcast.com/meganlally/

Timestamps

(1:43) - Welcoming Mag.
(2:20) - How would you describe what you do?
(3:43) - How do you define innovation?
(7:22) - How do you begin to organize around a problem?
(8:42) - Can having a hypothesis hurt you in the beginning?
(11:20) - Do you have an example of unexpected outcomes?
(16:09) - How do we ask the right questions?
(17:51) - What are the characteristics of a research good question?
(23:09) - What do you do with the research once you have it?
(29:38) - How do you prime people before brainstorming to break out of their typical patterns?
(32:14) - How do you break through limiting mindsets and corporate personas?
(38:25) - Can you talk about the importance of liking each other?
(43:07) - Does having a large team collaboration lead to better results?
(49:14) - How do we apply all this to employee experience?
(52:15) - Final thoughts.

Brad Englert is the author of Spheres of Influence: How to Create and Nurture Authentic Business Relationships, a practical guide to help emerging and established leaders develop and perfect the critical hard skill of building effective and lasting professional relationships. Brad has over 40 years of experience in the private and public sectors, including 22 years at Accenture and eight as Chief Information Officer at The University of Texas at Austin.

Mentioned on the Show:

• Brad has set up a special link, exclusive for the People Business audience: https://bradenglert.com/peoplebusiness/
• Spheres of Influence, Brad’s book: https://a.co/d/5InNcHV
• Connect with Brad Englert on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradenglert

Timestamps
(1:52) - Welcoming Brad.
(2:08) - Why did you write a book on relationships?
(4:38 ) - How does one begin thinking about building a network for their career?
(6:19) - How do we maximize our everyday relationships at work by being intentional?
(10:10) - How do you recommend people shift their mindset from being all about ‘me’ to caring about others' success?
(12:07 ) - How do you think about providing value to people in your network?
(14:55) - How do you encourage people to take a longer time horizon?
(26:03) - What is the coaching you had to give the most to develop this skill?
(30:11) - How do you share your values with the team and learn theirs?
(39:16) - How do you stay in touch with the external group differently than with the internal group?
(44:15) - How do you advise people to approach helpfulness authentically?
(47:43) - What is dog flooding?
(49:03) - What is power mapping?
(50:18) - Any final thoughts?