Punk Rock HR

Let's Fix Work is underwritten by WorkHuman, sponsored by Globoforce.​ Visit WorkHuman.com and use code WorkHumanLFW for a $100 off discount.

This week on Let's Fix Work, I am happy to introduce you to Hung Lee. Hung is the founder of WorkShape.io - the revolutionary recruiting platform for software engineers. He's also an editor of the leading industry newsletter called Recruiting Brainfood. I love the newsletter, and I know you will too!

Today, Hung and I are talking about the real currency and real truths of business and relationships. Hung and I also have an honest chat about work, mental health, entrepreneurship, and what it takes to actually make a sale. And spoiler alert: it's really hard to sell stuff.

Whether you're an entrepreneur just starting out or a seasoned careerist who's curious about hanging a shingle, know this: business relationships are important. We're talking about that and more, in this episode of Let's Fix Work.

In this episode you'll hear:

1. Hung share his entrepreneurial journey
2. The stereotypes and myths of entrepreneurship
3. Hung's unique take on being an entrepreneur and on role models
4. The risks and downsides of being in business
5. How the steps to customer acquisition differ when you are an employee vs. an entrepreneur
6. Make it easy for people to buy from you: How the hell do you do that?
7. Recruiting Brainfood newsletter, Hung's thoughts and thinking behind creating it
8. The real currency of life, relationships, and how Hung developed his own relationship skills for business

"In a connected world, people need to be very conscious of where the flow of information is and if you're a businessperson or an entrepreneur, you need to be standing at the confluence where that information flows for your particular market or industry. You know you can have flaws in every single thing you're doing. But if you stand in the right place, you're going to be alright." ~ Hung Lee

Resources from this episode:LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/hunglee/

Twitter https://twitter.com/HungLee

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hunglee88

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hung_lee

Website: workshape.io

Recruiting Brainfood is a 3 Course Meal

1. Sunday newsletter
2. Mon-Thurs - group discussion on the shared content
3. Friday - livestream the best thoughts + bringing in the original content creators to share their insight.

How to participate:

1. Join the newsletter here (https://lnkd.in/gPqC6k8)
2. Join the community here ( https://bit.ly/2somDTn )
3. Save your seat for the livecast here ( https://bit.ly/2RIR7xM)

Let's Fix Work is underwritten by WorkHuman, sponsored by Globoforce.​ Visit WorkHuman.com and use code WorkHumanLFW for a $100 off discount.

When I think of today's guest, I think of her as a superb expert in career advice. I am happy to welcome to Let's Fix Work, Kathryn Sollmann. Kathryn is a speaker, coach, and author. In her new book, Ambition Redefined, she encourages independence from "lean-in" and "break the glass ceiling" language. She wants you to find your own brand of ambition and success, take advantage of today's more flexible workplace, and chart alternative career paths that accommodate and fund the life that you want and you deserve.

One of Kathryn's missions is to show women that there is a lot of flexibility to be found in the workforce today. So if you want to find balance but don't know where to start, and if you deal with childcare issues or aging parents and you're sick of the way the rat race doesn't take care of you, then sit back and listen to this episode of Let's Fix Work.

In this episode you'll hear:

1. Kathryn's work as a career coach to women over the last 15 years
2. What the book, Ambition Redefined, is all about
3. Finding flexible work that fits your life
4. How the message around side hustles and aggressive entrepreneurship is hurting the workforce
5. Kathryn shares an example of a client who was told to lean into the system, just couldn't swing it, and eventually found a great mix of flexible work, but rewarding work as well
6. Opting out of Corporate America and the dangers of not working
7. How to broach the topic of work-life balance with a boss
8. The six different kinds of work flexibility

Kathryn said it best when she said, "There are lots of smart, talented, and ambitious women who are looking for a different kind of work paradigm. One that allows them to more capably blend work and life." If you come away with anything from this episode, I hope you come away with knowing that you can find some kind of flexible work that fits your life!

Resources from this episode: Website: https://www.kathrynsollmann.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kathrynsollmann

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/9LivesForWomen/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathrynsollmann/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kathrynsollmann/

Book: Ambition Redefined: Why the Corner Office Doesn't Work for Every Woman & What to Do Instead

Let's Fix Work is underwritten by WorkHuman, sponsored by Globoforce.​ Visit WorkHuman.com and use code WorkHumanLFW for a $100 off discount.

Not everyone knows that I am a daughter of a police officer. My mom is retired from the Chicago Police Department. She has a great benefit plan and pension package. That's because of smart union negotiations. Yes, the union has done right by my family. And speaking of unions, my guest this week is Jason Greer, labor relations expert and founder of Greer Consulting Inc. He is a Gen-Xer with a slightly different take on unions. He believes in protecting the working class and that there is strength in numbers. But yet he also believes a union is the wrong way of protecting your interests. We talk about all of that and more in this week's episode of Let's Fix Work.

In this episode you'll hear:

1. Jason's quick and dirty story of who he is and what he does
2. The reasons many companies fight unions and work to keep them out
3. Jason's thoughts on "getting the union you deserve"
4. Labor relations and why it's really shades of grey (and not just black and white)
5. If employees forgo use of a union, what can they do to protect their benefits and interests?
6. How to bridge the divide and recover a relationship that's broken following a union or employee dispute
7. Unions and the civil rights movement, how the two are connected and whether or not unions have been good for protecting minorities in America
8. Jason shares one horror story about what a union does and doesn't do if you don't play along
9. How can you decertify a union? Jason shares what you can do, what's legal, what's illegal and some next steps you can take

Leaders and employees, if you take anything away from this conversation, take this: You've got to start the conversation early about what you want and voice your expectations. If you do so, maybe you won't need a union or even an intermediary. What you need most is to have a voice, to be brave and to begin the conversation. Jason said it best when he said, "There is strength in being proactive."

If you are interested in the state of unions in 2019 or you want to hear from an African American man who talks about civil rights and busting unions from a different perspective, then give this episode a listen.

Resources from this episode:

Jason's website: https://www.greerconsultinginc.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LaborDiversity

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GreerConsultingInc/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonjgreer/

Danny Ozment's Podcast Supercharger Course: https://dannyozment.com/podcastsupercharger

Are you known as a troublemaker? Do you hate the status quo? Well, on today's show, Dr. Patti Fletcher joins me to discuss what it means to be a disruptive influence at work and how it can work to your advantage. Dr. Patti Fletcher is a global speaker on gender equity, cultural transformation and leadership, and the best selling author of the book, Disrupters: Success Strategies from Women Who Break the Mold.

In addition to talking about disrupting the status quo, we talk about Patti's career journey, how she came to research the topics of unconscious bias and gender equity, plus we talk all about her book. Additionally, we discussed the topic of gender equity and exclusivity. And of course, we covered disruption in the workplace - both the positive effects and negative.

In this episode you'll hear:

• The various stages of Patti's career beginning with enterprise software and on to what she is doing now
• How Patti came to pursue the topic of disrupting HR and gender equity in the workplace
• Patti shares about her book, Disrupters: Success Strategies from Women Who Break the Mold, real-life stories from real women in the workplace
• What Patti thinks about the book Lean In, it's message about gender equity and why, in the words of Michelle Obama, "That shit doesn't work."
• Disruption and disrupters, including negative disruption and positive disruption
• What to do when someone feels threatened when you are disrupting the status quo and how to protect your own interest in a healthy way
• Stories of people who didn't belong and found purpose and meaning elsewhere
• The state of business today as it relates to disruption, unconscious bias and gender equity

In the wise words of Dr. Patti Fletcher, "There is a status quo that's no longer serving the world in which it lives and we have to disrupt it. Disrupting means you unpack it. Some things might be working, let's keep those. But let's disrupt the ones that aren't."

So if you're ready to burn bridges or at least shake up your career, this episode is a MUST listen. Oh and hey, come see us at WorkHuman in March, in Nashville, Tennessee! We are appearing together on a panel and we'd love to meet you.

Resources from this episode:

Today's Sponsor: WorkHuman.com - Use Code WORKHUMANLFW for a $100 discount

Dr. Patti Fletcher's websiteDr. Patti Fletcher's book Patti on Twitter, Instagram, FacebookShe for S.H.E. ConferenceSXSW (South by Southwest)Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg

Thanks to Danny and his team at Emerald City Productions, the producers of Let's Fix Work.

I love it when podcasts are confessional and brave. It inspires me and makes me want to tell you all of my secrets. But what happens when a podcast veers away from being authentic to straight-up marketing that is, well, somewhat jarring? I will tell you what happens (because it did); I become inspired to record a bonus episode to talk all about it.While listening to a marketing podcast, the host shared her experience about a recent weight gain. What was perceived as authentic and vulnerable at first, crescendoed into an affiliate marketing pitch. Okay I understand podcast hosts sell products on their episodes. I get it and can respect it. I may sell products or services on my podcast in the future, as well. But then the host said this, "Everybody needs a life coach," and my respect flew right out the window.

I'm not really sure that everybody needs a life coach. I do know that everybody needs psychological safety, love, food and healthcare. Sometimes we say, "Life coach," when we mean, we need friends (or support) or even therapy.

The work of living an authentic life, where we are happy with ourselves, where we treat our bodies and souls with kindness, that doesn't happen in a mastermind group, with a life coach or even in therapy. It happens in our hearts. And, that is the topic of this bonus New Year's Eve episode - it's about doing the work, being your own life coach and fixing yourself in 2019.

Resources from this episode:

John Hancock Stair Climb - http://bit.ly/LFRHustle19

Snickerdoodles recipe - https://laurieruettimann.com/omahs-snickerdoodles/

This week's guest on Let's Fix Work is Joe Hirsch, TEDx speaker and best-selling author of 'The Feedback Fix' and managing director of Semaca Partners, a boutique communications firm. Joe is also an award-winning educational leader in using applied behavioral science to create more positive and better-performing workplaces.

In this episode, Laurie asks Joe about his philosophy behind creating positive change and his methods of optimizing how you give and receive feedback. He also explains the correct mindset to approach feedback as a manager, do you want to force a change or provoke an insight? Laurie and Joe discuss bypassing resistance to change and how traditional performance management falls short when compared to treating people as agents of change.

Laurie quizzes Joe about when it is appropriate and how to tell someone that their feedback is unwanted, and both then discuss some anecdotes about times they received feedback that was difficult to digest. Joe and Laurie then explore how to avoid recreating family dynamics in a professional environment and why it is important to deputize and delegate feedback as a manager. Laurie and Joe unpack some of the preconceptions about gender roles pertaining to feedback, Joe covers the importance of collaboration and towards the end of the episode, gives his conclusions about the collaborative nature of feedback and a gem of a quote. "Letting go isn't about what you give up, it's about what you give." We'll be using that one in the future.

Twitter: @joemhirsch

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joemhirsch/

Book: "The Feedback Fix: Dump the Past, Embrace the Future, and Lead the Way to Change"

Website: www.joehirsch.me

TEDx Video: "The Joy of Getting Feedback"

For episode two of this season, we welcome Nando Rodriguez and German Marin from Brooklyn New York to the show. Nando Rodriguez is a former recruiter and blogger who now works as a coach, influencer and an advocate. German is a LinkedIn headshot and online dating photographer. Both live their lives openly on social media as entrepreneurs and influencers.

To start the interview Laurie asks Nando and German about their early careers, how they got into their current jobs and what it is like living in the public eye through social media. Nando discusses his time as a blogger and what it is like using social media for dating and business, he and German also talk about how they initially met and how their careers have intertwined with their personal lives.

Next, we delve into how Nando and German support and lift each other up in their daily lives. Nando illustrates that knowing someone's signals and boundaries often come with time, but it is important not to rely on each other for everything. German talks a bit about resisting the urge to control and knowing when to stop and listen. Laurie and the guys then talk about the issues people face when trying to talk about relationships in public and the stigma that often accompanies it.

Laurie then probes into the finer points of Nando and German's social media profiles. She asks how they decide what to post, what not to post and how you can balance presentation with authenticity. German explains how to overcome the fear of being on camera and how to use the venerability you feel to create a genuine post.

In the final segment of this episode, Laurie asks what Nando and German have planned for 2019 and what they each expect from the other, to assist them in accomplishing their goals. The guys talk about some of their own experiences where their work was broken and how they fixed it, which leads into a discussion about the psychology of inferiority and how being an immigrant can play into that. Nando tells some stories about German's adjustment process and his self-perception. Before we say goodbye Nando and German talk a little about their dog and her booming social media career.

Links:

Nando Rodriguez

http://nandoism.com/

http://twitter.com/nandoism

https://www.linkedin.com/in/nandorodriguez/

https://www.instagram.com/nandoism/

www.facebook.com/nandoismtransformationtribe/videos/334345690685935

German Marin

https://www.marinnyc.com/dating

https://www.instagram.com/mrmarinnyc/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/germanmarin/

https://www.facebook.com/marinnycphotography

Leona the Lion

https://www.instagram.com/msleonathelion/

https://www.forbes.com/sites/dinahwisenberg/2018/07/31/immigrant-entrepreneurs-form-25-of-new-u-s-business-researchers/

Let's Fix Work is back for season 2. The first episode has Laurie interviewing a returning audience favorite, Áine Cain. Áine is a reporter in the retail section at Business Insider. She covers Walmart, Target, Home Depot, and Lowe's.

We begin the episode catching up with Áine about her recent trip to Iceland, involving hotdogs, highlands and the famous Blue Lagoon. Laurie asks Áine about the impact of the trends towards online shopping and the current retail situation some have termed the 'retailpocalypse'. Áine unpacks why some stores are moving towards what they call 'omnichannel outlets', in an attempt to become more flexible and pivot to customer's needs.

The next segment starts with a discussion about Amazon's recent pay debacle and their 'gig economy', which leads to some exploration of working conditions at larger companies. Laurie poses the question "is there still room in the market for boutique outlets?" and casts a skeptical eye over the theory that employee happiness directly impacts profitability. Laurie and Áine then discuss to what extent moral judgements play in customer's shopping choices and what on the whole creates brand loyalty.

Áine is in a new role at Business Insider since her last appearance on the podcast, and she gives us some insight into what it was like for her to transition into retail reporting. Laurie comments on how statistically atypical Áine's current career is for her generation. She commutes to work and has a job with a desk. Many GenXers are leaving those jobs, but Áine enjoys her organization's culture.

Then to finish up, Laurie and Áine talk a little about Black Friday's dwindling influence over holiday shopping—and whether or not self-checkout is actually faster than someone doing it for you—before saying goodbye for this week.

Resources:

Áine Caine on Business Insider

Áine Caine on LinkedIn

Áine Caine on Twitter

'We sped like crazy': Amazon delivery drivers say they feel pressure to drive dangerously, urinate in bottles, and sprint on the job

Are we ready for change? Are we prepared to do what it takes to make the American dream come alive again? It would take some drastic reforms to get those much-needed results. Something's got to give, and this administration has to go. Today's guest is Andrew Yang. He's Asian-American, a 2020 Presidential Candidate, a serial entrepreneur, and a man who actually understands people, numbers, and technology. In other words, the complete opposite of Trump. Laurie and Andrew talk about progressive platforms that will spark the change we need to get us back into shape.

• Andrew agrees that work is broken. The times are changing and we need to transform how we think about work to get any real benefit from it. We're going through the greatest economic and technological transition in human history. The problem, now, is that our government doesn't understand this shift. They are stuck working with obsolete concepts that will eventually break the economy - and not in a good way.
• When change isn't happening, you've got to make change happen yourself. Capitalism has worked effectively for corporations but often crushes human welfare. Capitalism prioritizes efficiency and profits over everything else. How do we fix this? Andrew proposes a new form of capitalism that gets the market to work for us and not against us. He calls it "Human Capitalism," which focuses on maximizing human well-being and fulfillment. Andrew further explains the tenets of human-centered capitalism.
• Laurie and Andrew talk about the "Freedom Dividend." A proposed policy wherein every American adult gets $1,000 per month - no questions asked. Andrew believes that if we were to remove the existential threat of poverty, people could focus on finding jobs that better fit their skill sets. The Freedom Dividend is actually an old idea, but a similar policy has been effective in Alaska for almost four decades. Andrew talks about the value of revisiting this idea and how it will benefit US citizens.
• How do we get Value Added Tax into the dividend equation without people worrying about the deficits? Andrew shares how the present mismanagement must not lead us to believe that we lack the resources to progress. Our economy is on a record high, so the fear is based on the current mess the government is in. By using VAT funds to invest in our citizens, several other issues will start toppling down.
• Laurie and Andrew talk about the problems in the work environment. If our economy is doing so well, why can't we do justice to make our citizens' quality of life better? We're not living in the dark ages, and yet, most of the same issues are present. Seriously, how can the world's richest country be so anti-women, anti-family, and anti-poor? It's time we take into consideration what's good for the people versus what makes the most money for companies. After all, since this country's greatest asset is its people, it should be a no-brainer to invest in making their lives more meaningful.

The DIY HR Handbook

Wouldn't you love to get your hands on Laurie's no-holds-barred, honest DIY HR Handbook for employees and pros alike? Download it for free!

Andrew Yang

Website

Twitter

Facebook

LinkedIn

The world is changing, and us with it. We are living our lives 50% in the real world, and the other half in the virtual world. With the internet connecting the two, it's harder than ever to imagine one without the other. While it seems like we're more connected than ever, in truth, our communication has become LESS personal. We're joined today by Dr. Nick Morgan, who discusses the pros and cons of how we connect with people, despite the limitations of virtual communication.

• Dr. Nick Morgan recently wrote a book titled, "Can You Hear Me? How To Connect With People In A Virtual World." He tells us the story that inspired him to write this book, and how it can change your perception of unconscious communication.
• How is technology making communication worse? Believe it or not, it's not auto-correct. Nick reveals one of the biggest problems with online communication: people use the same language pattern they use face-to-face, and due to the lack of emotional subtext, we often misunderstand people's intent. We go on a default "nasty" setting because our brain has filled the gap with negative information to anticipate danger and 'protect' ourselves. This is why we're likely to be less trusting online than we are in the real world.
• What makes for effective virtual communication? Nick talks about how our reaction depends on how we're perceiving the other person - if we default to distrust, our reaction mirrors that. Fortunately, we're becoming more aware of our behavior online. By extending more empathy and understanding, we're becoming better adults.
• What's the benefit of communicating in person? When we meet people in person, it is easier to establish a meaningful connection than we can do online - this takes a lot longer virtually. Nick shares how this is especially useful for first meetings.
• It would seem that despite the ease of communicating online, we are more alone and our relationships have become much harder to maintain. How do we fix this and be better at labeling the emotional undertones in our virtual conversations? It comes down to one thing at a time - a whole bunch of little fixes that focus on being more understanding and a little bit more connected.
• Nick and Laurie talk about how the power of well-placed humor can strengthen online relationships, and the importance of understanding where the overlap lies between the real world and the online world.

The DIY HR Handbook

Wouldn't you love to get your hands on Laurie's no-holds-barred, honest DIY HR Handbook for employees and pros alike? Download it for free!

Dr. Nick Morgan

Public Words

Public Words Facebook

Public Words Twitter

Public Words LinkedIn

Public Words Instagram

Can You Hear Me?

LinkedIn

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram