Punk Rock HR

Robin Schooling is 'America's HR Lady' and has been Laurie's dear friend for quite some time. Despite that, Laurie has been putting off the HR episode because, frankly, HR has a bad reputation for fixing work. It took someone like Robin, who is breaking stereotypes around the globe, to make this episode possible. In today's episode, Laurie and Robin talk about a slew of HR-related issues, from discrimination to whether HR is really needed.

• What does it take to get the title, 'America's HR Lady,' from Laurie? Robin has been in the HR profession for a long time. During her two decades of HR experience, she worked across many fields: healthcare, academia, banking, gaming, and that's just to name a few. In other words, she's pretty much done it all. And when asked how to fix work, Robin's first question was how we would fix HR.
• Robin has a fantastic analogy on the state of work – it's a hemophiliac who has fallen down too often and gotten too many bruises. Work might be broken, but it's in the ER and needs urgent care if it's going to be saved. Robin shares how she thinks we got there, based on her wide breadth of experience. She also dives into the power shift happening between job seekers, employees, and employers. The day of reckoning is at hand.
• Robin admits that HR is certainly part of the problem of work being broken, and the reason she gives is that HR as a department isn't really sure where to place itself in the conversation. It started out as being very insular, and over the years, things have improved. But not enough. While HR departments have come to understand business, the next step is for them to understand the world. And what does that mean exactly? Robin explains.
• There's also a fine line that many HR people must straddle: the needs of the employees and the needs of the business. Sound familiar? Robin says it's a 'cop out' in many ways. Sure, there might be a bit of truth in it, but ultimately, being an advocate for both the business and the employees isn't mutually exclusive. It's not one or the other, and that's where many HR people struggle.
• You've heard it many times – employees are fighting HR to get something they need. So why should anyone care about HR? Robin reminds us all that HR isn't a faceless mass out to get you. They are your co-workers and they are people, too. In fact, Robin's experience with other HR people is that they got into it for the right reasons and with a good heart.
• Recruiting is a huge part of human resources; it's one of the happiest times for both HR and employee. But according to Robin, those good feelings don't carry over. She offers the great idea of doing the same with employees as they navigate within the company, whether it's handling health care, mediating disagreements, or even changing positions within the company. Ultimately, this little-by-little change is fueled by people caring for one another. And equally as important, HR people need to bring the stories of employee realities to leaders.
• Laurie asks if she's naïve for believing that if we fix ourselves, we wouldn't need HR, and Robin's reply is priceless. In truth, HR as we know it will always be there. It has to be to ensure things are done according to legal requirements. Even with the automation that is becoming far more common, and Robin talks about why humans will always be needed in human resources.
• What is the future of HR? Robin sees it splitting into two separate departments or having two divisions within the same department: administration and people. The administration side deals with compliance, payroll, PTO, and the other dry things, while the people department works with employees to help them understand what's happening, as well as growth and development.
• Are businesses and their HR departments ready for the reckoning that is coming? In fact, Robin believes that HR, at least, is poised for the shift. So what positions are in danger? Is the generalist here to stay? What about the firefighter? Robin shares her thoughts on who had better be ready to adapt to new roles and dive into specialties in the near future.
• So what does the future of HR look like? Robin has settled on a phrase: she is an advocate of the workplace revolution. It's time to change – not only should you be an advocate and ally of the people who hired you, you should also be an advocate and ally to those who come to you with their work-related issues. It sounds simple, right? Robin reveals what it actually entails.

The DIY HR Handbook

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Robin Schooling

Website

LinkedIn

Twitter

Carnival of HR

Don MacPherson is an entrepreneur who built a company called Modern Survey, which he successfully sold without laying people off or taking on debt. That's the American Dream. But Don's not resting on his laurels. Growing up in a mining community, Don learned the value of work early and isn't interested in status symbols like cars and clothes. He's soon launching a new venture called 12 Geniuses focused on fixing the future of work for everybody. He's here to talk about his journey in tech, how to be ruthlessly pragmatic with your finances, and how you can set yourself up financially for success. Ultimately, it's about enjoying your work. Don has a unique view of the world that you need to hear, especially if you want to retire early.

• • First things first: Don isn't a Millennial tech bro. He's close to 50 with a wealth of experience in customer service, technology, healthcare, employee engagement, and even truck driving. Don will tell you he isn't a natural entrepreneur, but he is a risk taker. So much so he decided to move to Germany and only bought a one-way ticket. Don shares the story of living in an attic.
  • When he returned from Germany, he took a job with American Express, and that was when Don met his future business partner, a contractor who was living the dream. Don wanted that dream life, so together, he and his partner founded an online survey company, Modern Survey, in 1999. Their startup money was $1,000 each. He took this company through to a successful exit, the American dream.
  • Don could easily rest on his laurels now, but he's starting another company instead. There's a driving force that keeps him moving: yes, he's a risk taker and he loves his work, but deep down, he loves helping people reach their potential. Don believes that EVERYONE can perform at extraordinary levels, and he explains how.
  • One of Don's guiding principles is that he pays himself first. It's enabled him to do everything that he's wanted. Interestingly, the thought was planted by a commercial he saw as a teenager. It was a simple commercial and the gist of it was to get started and begin saving early. Don reveals how he applied this to his life from a young age, and what "you pay you first" really means.
  • For Don, money is freedom. He doesn't come from a family of savers, though, and what he understood from his younger years was that you took the job that paid the most money. It was essential to have an incredible work ethic, too. But taking a job that pays the most cash is how you survived. Don realized, though, that work could be so much more. It can be fulfilling, and having money allowed him to experiment and do things he couldn't have otherwise.
  • There came a time when Don's business almost failed, and he tells the story of how he had to abandon his "you pay you first" philosophy for a time. He and his partners had to each put in a hundred grand to save the company, and it was only because he had been so disciplined in his savings that he was able to do it. And that was how the company pulled through the tough time.
  • We've hinted at how Don's success hasn't encouraged him to be spendy. Quite the opposite, in fact. Don never invested in a brand new car, and the duplex he lived in for 15 years was partly financed by the renters he had living in the second apartment. Don shares some of his other money hacks he used to amass his wealth. He even delayed parenthood until he was nearly 50.
  • If you take Don's advice, he believes you will never have to work at a job you don't like. And that is powerful, especially in this era of work being broken. He talks about how we can do our best work when we have a sense of security and freedom that being financially responsible brings. You might be wondering if it's too late for you. The answer is no, and Don explains why.
  • Have you heard the concept of being a prisoner in a workplace? You're stuck in a job you can't leave because you have so many bills to pay. Don says that as many as 1 in 12 workers are prisoners. They're financially stuck, and they don't believe they can make more money elsewhere. Most of us agree that work is broken, so you can imagine what happens with work prisoners and how they contribute to that. Equally as important, their home life is also negatively affected.
  • Laurie points out that it's often more expensive for women in the workplace than men – they have to buy a lot of things men don't, and as they age, they're expected to do everything they can to look younger. Clothing, makeup, surgery… and then there's the issue of maternity and childcare. Given that women don't make as much as men, can you imagine what it's like for a single mom? Don shares his thoughts on the workplace for women.
  • Don's new company is called 12 Geniuses (coming soon). He shares exactly what it is and what he does, and you might be surprised by his belief that the world is a better place, despite what the news might have you believe. But did you realize that most people aren't ready for positive change?

Don MacPherson

LinkedIn

12 Geniuses — COMING SOON

The DIY HR Handbook

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According to JT O'Donnell, we're pretty bad at job searching. After all, we aren't in the business of finding jobs; our skills sets are DOING them. So, if and when you need to change employers, outside advice is invaluable. Today, Laurie and JT talk about why the old way of job searching is obsolete and how you can compete with other job seekers in a very crowded environment.

• Have you seen the George Clooney movie, Up in the Air, where his job was to lay people off? That was JT's last corporate career. She laid off hundreds of people before leaving corporate America to start her own career coaching practice. JT saw the recession coming, so she was proactive and started a blog in 2008. When the recession hit, people needed an edge in finding jobs, and JT was there to deliver.
• Laurie has seen a lot of discrimination when it comes to landing jobs: ageism, sexism, racism. While it's a common belief that work is broken, JT also believes that the job search is broken. People are going about it the wrong way because the rules changed and they didn't catch on. It's all related to a branding problem for both those hiring and those looking for jobs.
• Do you really need to work through recruiters to find a job? JT has a fresh take on what has happened in the land of recruitment. It's all become very regimented, and often, recruiters get pushed around by their employers to make certain numbers that are next to impossible. And here's the result of that: if you're a job seeker who is doing your part right, you don't NEED a recruiter to land your dream job. In fact, you might want to AVOID recruiters altogether and JT explains why.
• How do you get past the gatekeepers and talk to the hiring managers? It's not really sneaky, but it IS easy. JT shares two of her favorite resources. The first is net. It's a simple search engine for LinkedIn that allows you to search for hiring managers and other titles. The other is Hunter.io, which allows you to search for up to 100 email addresses every month so you can connect.
• As you listen, you might feel like everything has changed. It has, fundamentally. Step one to getting YOUR 'bucket list' job is to forget everything you think you know about job searching. JT shares the story of someone who reached out to her – they thought what she said about cover letters was the 'hokiest' thing ever… until it worked.
• Like many things on the internet, we have erected walls that are supposed to filter out the unnecessary and irrelevant, but often, these walls also filter out the things we want and need. JT shares how this has happened with job boards online. It goes back to what she said about branding and the lack of marketing between employer and employee. You're one of the thousands of people applying. It shouldn't be a surprise you don't get a call if you haven't marketed yourself directly to a potential employer.
• Finding a dream job shouldn't be like shopping a used car lot for your dream car. JT shares a great strategy for how to begin your search. Start with 20 companies you'd love to work for and figure out WHY you want to work for them. We aren't talking benefits – what about what they do is so compelling to you? That's how you target your job search. She shares the next few steps on your path to getting a bucket list job.
• Community is incredibly important. It's how you network, find new opportunities and help others do the same. But it's not always easy to ask for help, especially when free communities tend to be negative. JT shares why her Work it Daily community is so very different – it's an uplifting place for career coaching, even with generational divides. Coaching isn't a sign of weakness; it's the path to greatness.
• If robots and AI are the future of work, where does that leave job seekers? Make no mistake: there is yet another shift coming in the workforce and you need to be prepared for it. And with all the discrimination that exists now, more is on the way in the form of globalization. JT and Laurie discuss what this future looks like for job seekers and what you can do to be ready for the next set of fundamental shifts.

The DIY HR Handbook

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JT O'Donnell

LinkedIn

Work it Daily Website

Work it Daily YouTube

Job Search Tools

RecruitIn.net

Hunter.io

Cy Wakeman is an international keynote speaker, business consultant, New York Times best-selling author, and psychologist. She helps people around the world ditch the drama and turn excuses into results. Naturally, Laurie is a total fangirl. Today, Cy and Laurie talk about how to get the best out of people, whether or not you really NEED leaders, and what the future of work looks like for all of us.

• Cy has a great strategy for getting clients in the door and to help them take all the negative energy at work and turn it around to positive results based on new actions: she gives her stuff away for free. The individuals who learn from her content then turn around and put the pressure on their leaders to bring her in to do work, and she gets great results.
• Cy has an interesting take on work NOT being broken. Work, she says, is our reality, and whether or not we succeed in it is up to us. Cy explains the parts of work that are lacking, from leadership to HR, and it all has to do with the people, not the construct.
• If you're keen on learning about leadership, you've probably noticed there are a million different people speaking and teaching about it. But have you stopped to actually listen to their messages? Sounds a lot like pop psychology, feel-good stuff that, unfortunately, doesn't really address the problems. Cy shares her take on the current trend of 'best practices' and why understanding the human condition is the most important thing you can do, leader or not.
• You've probably heard people talking about the ability to bring your 'whole self' to work. Cy disagrees; instead, she urges you to bring your 'most evolved' self to work. In fact, Cy doesn't think you should bring your whole self anywhere, and she explains why you need to be fit for duty beyond the tasks you undertake.
• Leadership has evolved over the years. In modern times, we're more concerned with purpose and engagement. Cy shares a surprising insight: engagement without accountability creates entitlement. And more importantly, happiness at work isn't up to leaders. Cy's years as a therapist come to bear when she says that a relationship like that is co-dependency and isn't healthy, and you end up losing the best employees.
• You need to be willing to pick favorites when it comes to your employees: there are the high and low accountables. High and low performers, and according to Cy, too much attention has been given to low accountables to try to keep them engaged. Cy explains why this is the opposite of what it should be.
• Can low accountables become high accountables? Sometimes. But is it the responsibility of the organization to make it happen? No. It might seem like a tough choice to make, but Cy believes that a business should instead focus on making themselves a place where high accountables want to work. In fact, there isn't a shortage of talent, and Cy explains why.
• You don't have to harm people and harm the environment to make a profit. That's a load of bologna according to Cy. Instead, we need to focus on 'pure profit.' It's not what you think. Cy reveals exactly what that means and how businesses can be sustainable without hurting the world.
• Community has been a buzzword for a while now, whether you're talking about regionality or groups online. How healthy are the communities in which you find yourself? As a psychologist, Cy has a great message about what makes a healthy community and what makes hers thrive, even with millennials.
• Cy has a vision for the future of work and what you need to remember is this: it's not something that's going to happen TO us. It's something we need to do for ourselves. It's where we go beyond ego, salary, title, and all the other things that seem so important to us now. How and why should we do it? Cy shares what drives her to do the work she does.
• With the future of work being AI and automation, we're left wondering if the future holds any place for heart and for love. Laurie poses the question to Cy, and she's got a very heart-centered answer for you. And it all comes back to people and the concept of ego.

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!

Cy Wakeman

Find her @cywakeman everywhere on the Internet!

Reality-Based Leadership: http://www.realitybasedleadership.com/

Life's Messy Live Happy Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/LifesMessyLiveHappy/

You've heard the saying, opinions are like… armpits, right? So is advice. Everyone has them and most of them stink, especially when it comes to careers. But Alison Green has some advice about advice for you; you've got to separate the good from the bad, and you have to pick your battles. Today, she and Laurie talk about crappy advice, what it takes to be a great leader, and what she wishes all managers knew.

• Bad advice isn't limited to careers. It all stems from a much bigger problem: we think we know what's best for another person and their life. We've all had jobs, and as a result, we all have opinions about how they should be. But the truth is, most of us have trouble acting on the advice we give AND receive. Alison even has a folder full of questions asking for her advice on topics where there IS no great answer, including farting at work. Seriously.
• Not all advice is crappy (pun intended). Every once in a while, we get a gem that can fix a situation or even change the way we think. Alison had one such piece of advice early in her career: pick your battles. Despite it being good advice, Alison had a hard time swallowing it, and she explains why. Twenty-somethings, this is for YOU. Laurie also shares a piece of advice she got that she has patently ignored.
• Great leaders get where they are by filtering the good advice from the bad, and there are some key aspects they share. Drive and commitment are a given if you want to get results. But some of the other things Alison believes are required for good leadership might be a little difficult for you to embrace. While there are some great leaders, there are plenty who are lacking, and Alison shares her theory on why there are so many of them.
• Conflict avoidance is one of the most pervasive issues in management. People don't want to have difficult conversations, and it leads to terrible work cultures. Alison shares a story about a difficult conversation she had to have with an employee, and you should DEFINITELY take notes on how she handled it.
• Do you have to be a people person to manage people? Ask 10 people and you'll get 10 different answers because, you guessed it, we all have our own advice to give. But if you want GOOD advice, Alison wrote the book on it, Ask a Manager. She shares whether you really need to be a people person if you want to lead well. Introverts, according to Alison, you CAN be a great manager.
• As an employee, or even as a manager, you've probably come across the sense of secrecy about management. So what do managers wish you knew? Alison has some great thoughts about that, and first among those is that it's okay for an employee to speak up. She shares when it's appropriate and how much you should divulge.
• Alison's new book, Ask a Manager, isn't just a collection of blog posts she's written over the years. Instead, Alison took all she's learned and created a handbook for managers. Specifically, 'what to say when,' and other things that you can actually learn and apply to your daily interactions with employees. Alison gives you the language to use for awkward and cringey conversations.

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!

Alison Green

Ask a Manager Website

Slate Articles

New York Magazine Articles

Twitter

Facebook

Shawn Madden is made of fun. No, really. His company, Fun Corp, runs 'friend building' parties for small to medium sized teams and companies to help create real social connections and friendships that directly affect culture. Because his business is mostly fun and games, Shawn has a unique perspective on the workforce because he takes employees OUT of their normal habitat. You might be surprised at what he sees as a result.

• There are two 'dirty f-words' at work, fun and friends, and this is where Shawn believes that work is broken. People are almost afraid to be social at work the way they are in life, so they end up with a sharp divide, which Shawn explains as 'Facebook is for friends, LinkedIn is for co-workers.' Now Shawn claims that it's science that it's good to have fun at work, and he reveals why.
• You'll often find that friendships at work can cause trouble, especially when it's between a manager and an employee. But it's really not that different than having falling-outs with your friends in life. Shawn poses the question: is it a matter of touching a hot stove or falling off a bike? He explains why the distinction matters.
• Shawn has a plan for fixing work, even though many leaders are resistant to it. Rather than invading the workplace, he's inviting teams out of the office to connect in different ways: company parties. It's the one box that company managers know they need to check off whether they believe in being social at work or not. Oh, and introverts? Fun Corp hasn't forgotten about you.
• Laurie and Shawn don't necessarily see eye-to-eye on team building. In fact, Laurie owns the domain name teambuildingisforsuckers.com. (For real!) Laurie believes that companies put on events to help themselves, not their employees, and it's all for profit. Shawn doesn't disagree, but he explains why his approach is very different.
• How does Shawn know what he's doing is working? It's from the stories they get back after hosting an event for a company. It's when the employees want to keep the party going at the office. Well, sans alcohol and giant Jenga. But people who used to walk the halls with their heads down now have fun memories in common.
• Despite the fact that Shawn's current strategy is to get teams out of their environments, when he looks at the future of work, he poses the question: do we really need to leave the office to have a party? How would YOU feel if your boss decided that they were going to give you 4 hours off on a Tuesday so that you and your co-workers could party and bond together? Shawn talks about other ways that leaders can bring fun back to work.
• Planning parties isn't easy. And getting leaders to engage is challenging, too. Shawn recommends a simple game that teams can start playing tomorrow: High, Low, Betcha Didn't Know. He and Laurie play it live, and you'll see from Shawn's recommendation of a tour guide for Laurie how effective it can be in making connections. Shawn also shares the ONE metric you should use to see whether or not the party went well.

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!

Shawn Madden at Fun Corp

Website

Facebook

Instagram

LinkedIn

Elisa Camahort Page co-founded BlogHer, later became the CCO at SheKnows Media after they acquired BlogHer, and is now a writer and consultant. Entrepreneur, speaker, conference leader, and blogger, Elisa has the type of bird's-eye view of work the rest of us can only dream of. Laurie and Elisa talk about the disconnected workforce, the gig economy, and the rise of those brave souls who are daring to be their whole selves at work.

• Elisa has a unique view of why work is broken. Have you ever noticed that the higher up someone gets in the management chain, the more disconnected they become from what they did before? That disconnect turns into a fundamental lack of empathy. But here's the kicker – that lack of empathy goes in BOTH directions. Elisa has been at the top of the management chain, and she approached the problem of empathy directly.
• If you're an aspiring entrepreneur who is looking for a partner or co-founder, you know it isn't easy. Elisa has some very practical advice for finding the right person: date them. Not romantically, but work on a project together before you launch a company. You'll thank her later. She shares the story of how she and someone she barely knew founded BlogHer.
• Many of the issues we're discussing in this day and age (wage gaps, family leave, etc.) were front and center for BlogHer in 2008 – a decade ago. That fact alone makes the idea of change seem like a lost cause. But is it? Elisa shares what is disappointing for her, but also, where she has hope for the future. The first one might surprise you: working from home.
• Then, there's the gig economy. With so many people working from home as contractors, what about benefits? How is automation affecting jobs? Why is wealth being concentrated in the hands of so few? Is it possible to outsource and globalize yourself out of having a workforce that is engaged? Elisa and Laurie pick apart what the future of work looks like.
• At BlogHer, Elisa and her crew were looking at how women can be fairly compensated and fairly heard in the workplace, and she brings some happy news. As side hustles become main hustles, there's a lot more hope for marginalized groups to earn what they deserve. And there's a hidden benefit to this as the gig economy allows us to bring our WHOLE selves to work, not the version of us that corporations want.
• Have you ever heard of a 'work-life advocate?' These people are coming from a place of not being politically engaged or familiar with social issues, but in recent years, they've become galvanized. To do what? Elisa explains what work-life advocates are… are you one of them? This is one of those cases where it might do a later generation well to learn from the younger ones.
• There are some companies out there who are doing it right. Take, for example, the company who makes Wordpress. They don't even have a headquarters; they meet regularly, but everything they do is remote. People who can't work in traditional settings flock to companies like this, and the flexibility they provide is incredible.
• We've covered the ideas of living wages, dividends, and universal basic income. Like many of our other guests, Elisa doesn't see another option, especially with automation and globalism. Alaskans get a dividend from oil, but have you thought about the tech industry doing something similar? With automation and outsourcing, there ARE no jobs.
• In closing, Elisa tells the story of a boss who told her she needed to lower the expectations of her employees when they were upset they didn't have the time or resources to do their jobs well. As you can imagine, that didn't go over well with Elisa. You have to hear what she asked HIM to do instead. And the point of the story is this: do you understand the difference between satisfaction and happiness?

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!

Elisa Camahort Page

Website/Speaking

Preorder Book: Road Map for Revolutionaries

LinkedIn

SheKnows Media

Website

LinkedIn

Twitter

Facebook

Robert Sutton is a Professor of Management Science and Engineering and a Professor of Organizational Behavior (by courtesy) at Stanford University. He co-founded the Stanford Technology Ventures Program (STVP) and the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design (which everyone calls "the d.school"). He's also a Ph. D., but he doesn't like to be called Doctor, or even Robert. His latest book is called The Asshole Survival Guide: How to Deal With People Who Treat You Like Dirt, and that's what he and Laurie talk about on today's episode.

• Bob and Laurie both think the management landscape is broken, and according to Bob, managers tend to make two major mistakes. First, they overestimate their own value. In practice, this means that the more they micromanage employees, the more highly they'll rate their employees' performance, whether they actually perform better or not. Second, managers don't know when to back off. It's true: when an authority figure is in the room, it has a stifling effect – and Bob reveals why leaving the room is often the better move.
• What's the solution? Bob argues that we do need some management, but we need as little as we can get away with. Think about it: nowhere in the animal kingdom or in human society does there exist a group without some sort of pecking order. Google tried to get rid of it in the early days, but that blew up in their faces. Bob shares another story about GitHub's dysfunctional lack of management adhocracy which led to every business owner's worst nightmares and a founder getting forced out.
• So where do you land between 'Lord of the Flies' and militaristic management? Laurie and Bob talk about the difference between authority and authoritarian assholes, and between narcissists and guilt-prone leaders.
• What do you do if you've just founded a company and are looking to build strong leadership without being a stifling leader? Bob believes that the best leaders have 'strong opinions that are weakly held.' They also bring in people who offset their own weaknesses. Finally, if you're going to be a leader, you HAVE to be resilient.
• Want some quick and dirty advice on how to deal with assholes when you're stuck in your job and you can't get out? Bob's got some tips for you. In fact, he's the expert on how to deal with assholes; he even wrote the book on it. But the answer is probably going to shock you, and he shares a story of someone who worked at Apple for 25 years and how he avoided Steve Jobs' wrath. You also don't want to miss the technique another of Bob's colleagues uses on assholes – he deals with this problem like a research scientist would!
• On a more poignant note, Bob and Laurie discuss some of the greatest scandals in the past decades, from sexual abuse in the Catholic Church to Bill Cosby to Harvey Weinstein – there is strength in numbers. When you have people around you standing up for the same reason you are, you can no longer be singled out as a crazy person.
• Bob's latest passion project is spearheaded by his podcast, Friction. What is organizational friction? Bob's learned a lot about it – he and his co-host have tracked organizations as they scale, and how great ideas and excellence can spread, but the big obstacle is continuing to do the great things they've been doing all along. Friction, frustration, and fatigue – they bring everyone down. But in his research, Bob has also found good things about friction, such as when friction was a result of a problem that could be fixed.
• Bob gives us a preview of an episode of his podcast that hasn't come out yet, a husband and wife team who run a 7-person restaurant chain in the San Francisco area. From dealing with substance abuse to the rhythm of the typical workday, Bob details some of the areas of friction they deal with. How do they do it? Like it or not: the answer is hierarchy.
• When is friction good or bad? Are there times when you should embrace the friction or you should change the system to eliminate it? Bob shares a wealth of insights on how to deal with friction in the workplace. One of these is 'the cone of friction.' It's a person who, wherever they go, cause friction around them. He also draws in the legendary George Carlin's saying: "Your stuff is shit; my shit is stuff."
• Some of the worst managers and leaders act like children and lick the cookie. Rebecca Hinds was a guest on Bob's podcast, and he shares the DIY sabotage that creates bottlenecks and breakpoints within a company.
• Shifting gears, you have probably noticed the trend of many companies to celebrate failure. Fail forward! Fail fast! But is this the best path? Certainly, we shouldn't run from it, but if we're going to fail, we should be failing in new and interesting ways. Bob and Laurie talk about what healthy failure looks like.

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!

Bob Sutton

Website

Twitter

LinkedIn

Friction Podcast

Asshole Videos

Books

Podcast Appearances

Bob's Favorite Friction Podcast Episodes

Don't Sugar Coat Your Culture with Patty McCord

Friction's Antidote: Radical Candor with Kim Scott

DIY Sabotage: Lick the Cookie with Rebecca Hinds of Dropbox

Sam Weston is attempting the impossible: trying to educate our lawmakers about technology and its effect on the workforce. Okay, maybe it's not impossible, but so far, it's been an uphill battle as automation and artificial intelligence have continued to take jobs from people who need them. There's no support for those people, and Sam's mission is not just to raise awareness; he aims to help those lawmakers by giving them context with awareness, and a plan to make things better.

• Sam was born in New Zealand and began his career in politics there, but it wasn't long before he came to the US to become a political consultant. From there, he stepped into PR and then into an Internet agency where he participated in the early days of the Internet and saw its impact on business.
• The Internet has been great for business. We all know this. But there's a hidden truth that no one wants to talk about. Businesses have been growing but it's at the expense of employees, and the Internet explosion threw fuel on the fire. Consider: Facebook changed the world, but have all the changes been good?
• No doubt you've seen a million different promises that if you fix THIS ONE THING, you'll fix work for yourself. It's the perfect marketing pitch. But according to Sam, fixing one problem won't fix all of work. In fact, a lot of what people say is broken about work isn't really broken at all. Case in point: communication.
• So, if all these problems are just symptoms, then what is the actual problem? It's simple: no one is fixing work for employees. All the consultants, programs, and courses are trying to fix work for the company instead. Most employers are happy with the way things are and Sam reveals what's really on their minds when they think of fixing work. If you're a cynic, you'll agree.
• As always, there's an underlying problem here: the interests of a company are its shareholders. And that interest will always be diametrically opposed to the interest of the employee who asks, 'how can I get paid what I'm worth?' A different sort of problem for those who don't struggle to earn enough to live is finding purpose and meaning in their work. They wonder if they're wasting their lives.
• The amount of change rushing toward the workforce is massive. With the advent of AI and technology, more and more jobs will be disappearing. Importantly, this second rush of automation won't just affect automotive industries and factory workers; it's the white-collar workers who will bear the brunt of this coming change. Laurie asks a scary question, 'is the future of work NOT work?' Sam believes the jury is out on whether the number of jobs AI creates will be more or less than the number of jobs it destroys. But here's the parallel issue: no one is talking about the jobs it will destroy.
• We already don't have a great track record of supporting people whose jobs were either outsourced or taken by robots, and it brings up an interesting discussion around politics (of course) and how the Democratic party has become more about the status quo instead of for the working class. You'll want to hear what Sam and Laurie have to say about political capital and what it means for change. Do you agree?
• With all the gloom and doom of business interests and the AI tidal wave that's about to hit, we have to wonder what's standing in the way of truly fixing the systemic problems of work? Sam's response is so dead-on that you'll be nodding along: our policymakers are technology-illiterate. They don't understand the problem or how to fix it.
• According to Sam, we are drowning in awareness of problems, but we aren't drowning in change. This is what he's dedicated himself to fixing. If we can present the problems that technology brings, give it context, and make it matter to policymakers, that is a HUGE step forward in heading off the issues before they arise.
• Another problem with political leaders is that they're having the same arguments they've been having for nearly 60 years. They lack a real vision for the future, so their policies don't encompass that. Whether you like Elon Musk or not, the man knows how to look toward the future, and both policymakers AND business owners can learn from him.
• It might not only be up to policymakers and business owners to create a vision for the future. In the past, families like the Rockefellers and Carnegies have done amazing work, so where are the new millionaires and billionaires who are creating real, positive change in our world? (If that's you, Sam has some pointed advice that can help you make almost immediate change and why you shouldn't focus on foundations.)

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!

Find Sam Online:

Sam Weston's Website Twitter

LinkedIn

Essence Global on Facebook

Laurie gets emails all the time with the same question: 'Should I quit my job?' She admits right off she might not be the best person to ask; she's not exactly driven to work. Despite that, she's been in the HR world for the past 25 years and she's seen it all. Laurie begins with the first answer she generally gives: Yes. Quit your job. Here's why.

• Let's get one thing straight. You don't write in asking if you should quit your job for no reason. You're asking because you WANT to quit your job and you want permission to do it. But in today's society, we're expected to ask for advice, to get consensus and validation. Consider this your green light. Stop asking and just go for it.
• There's another group of people who actually love what they do but they're embroiled in wage gaps, #MeToo issues, terrible bosses, and bad work environments in general. It doesn't seem fair that they have to quit their jobs, but Laurie has some tough love that you need to hear.
• Maybe your job is craptastic and the only reason you're in it is that you can't find another job. Know this: you are not expected to keep yourself in a toxic environment. If you can't find one job to replace the terrible one, then find two. Do whatever it takes to get yourself out of the toxic situation because it is slowly killing you. It is self-abuse. Stop it! You deserve better.
• Are you angling toward something more entrepreneurial? Maybe a swim school or frozen yogurt stand? Great! If you're determined to be your own boss, then bet on yourself. Get a business plan and get to work. But make sure you're ramping up first. Don't quite a job and THEN start a company; it's a recipe for disaster.
• Are you really struggling with the decision? Then get someone qualified to help you work through it. We're not talking about some sketchy Internet life coach who is using you to self-soothe their own past. Laurie recommends talking with a psychiatrist or psychologist – no, really! If that's not an option, check out The Muse. They have certified career coaches to help you take the right steps when you're ready to quit work.
• Finally, if you're determined to quit your job, make sure you take all your paid time off and exhaust every benefit in your employee handbook. Use your health insurance to make sure you're well; go to the dentist, the eye doctor. While you're doing this, try to remember why you accepted the job in the first place. What made you say yes? Is it worth leaving? Think through it.
• Laurie's final piece of advice is instrumental: expand your network. Talk to smart people. If you truly CAN'T leave your job and it's a toxic environment, then you need good people around you.

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!

Episodes referenced in this podcast:

Eric Barker Episode on being smart about choosing your job

Katrina Kibben Episode on how to ramp up a business

Ben Brooks Episode on democratizing coaching

Scott Stratten Episode on burning down your career

Other links:

The Muse

Unmarketing podcast with Scott Stratten

IF YOU NEED HELP:

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline United States

Call 1-800-273-8255 - Available 24 hours every day

Crisis text line: Text CONNECT to 741741 in the United States.

List of international suicide hotline numbers

Workaholics Anonymous

The Forces Driving Middle-Aged White People's 'Deaths of Despair'