Story Time with Mack!

360 surveys are a great tool that enable leaders to get feedback on their performance.  They require great debrief and thick skin for the person getting the results.  You need to know what you're doing before initiating one.  Fortunately, we have an expert on this topic.  Amy Dunn is a coach, facilitator, and speaker who administers the Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI).  This is a great tool and Amy explains what it does and doesn't do as well as the proper way to debrief it.  

Unless you’ve been living on another planet, the past few years have shown that we’re in a time of unimagined and unrelenting change—and we’re not very good at it. According to McKinsey & Company, an alarming 70% of all change initiatives fail, largely because we’re biologically hardwired to return to what’s worked for us before. But to create the future we hope for (and cope with the here and now), we need to embrace the very thing we’re wired to avoid, says Erika Andersen, our guest on this episode.  

Erika is the founding partner of Proteus International, a coaching, consulting, and training firm that focuses on leader readiness. For over three decades, she’s served as a consultant and advisor to top executives at today’s leading organizations, including Amazon, Spotify, Charter/Spectrum, and the Yale School of Public Health. She’s the author of four bestselling books, including Growing Great Employees and Be Bad First; is a popular leadership blogger at Forbes.com; and is the host of The Proteus Leader Show, a business and leadership podcast globally ranked in the top 10%. Her newest book is Change from the Inside Out: Making You, Your Team, and Your Organization Change-Capable (Berrett-Koehler Publishers; October 26, 2021). Learn more at erikaandersen.com.

Most of us know the difference between right and left brain thinking, but there is actually a lot more to it!  Our guest today is an expert in the use of instruments and assessments that explore this idea.  Lei Comerford is a speaker, facilitator, consultant and coach who focuses a large part of her practice to improving communication skills through the use of the Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument (HBDI).  We had a great conversation around this and how individual and team coaching can build on this tool to make you and your team more motivated and effective.  

The challenges of the past few years have had a profound effect on talent management.  What was an employer's market is now candidate-driven.  If you're trying to acquire talent, you know how difficult it is.  Our guest today, Michael Yinger has some great information and a unique tool to share.

Michael Yinger is a high-performance, forward-thinking executive with 20+ years of experience in building teams, managing global organizations, and providing strategic guidance to C-Suite and Board of Directors.  As the CEO of ResumeSieve, an HR tech startup, Michael is responsible for strategic direction and operational oversight in an ever-changing industry.  Michael share some valuable insights with us on what to expect now and in the future.

What do you do if your CEO tells you it's time to put together an "DEI Program?"  Unless you have some expertise in this area, it might seem like a daunting request.  Fortunately, I have an expert in this episode that can help.  Joy Johnson-Carruthers is a DEI expert from the Nashville, TN area.  She has an interesting background which has helped develop her experience and expertise which she shares with us.  Joy also has some advice for those who are considering a career in the DEI space.  

As we wind down the year, there is no better time to begin preparations for a positive New Year.  You're probably interested in becoming a better version of yourself.  But what if you wanted to be your BEST self?  Our guest today is Pachion Moore.  Pachion is a life coach who specializes in helping young adults define and develop their best selves.  Pachion gives us some practical tips and talks about her newest product, the Know Ur Self 30-day journal.

We've heard of emotional intelligence, social intelligence, book-smart intelligence, and some folks have zero intelligence.  What about POSITIVE intelligence?  Our guest today, Rachel Mohr is a consultant, coach, and speaker who is an expert in this topic.  She talks about what PQ is, what it isn't, and how to get better at it.  Lots of practical tips and Rachel is a lot of fun to interview.  You'll enjoy this one!

2021 seemed to be the year of the Great Resignation.  People resigned from their jobs and routines to either retire, move to another company, or in some cases, start their own business.  If you want to be in the latter category, this episode is for you!  Tracy Davison is a business consultant, speaker, and coach who helps entrepreneurs successfully run their own business.  She has an inspirational story to share as well as helpful tips on making this transition for yourself.

As an HR professional, your success is dependent on your ability to communicate.  It's a challenge that's never ending.  Fortunately, our guest on this episode has some practical strategies to share with us. Matt Moseley is the Principal of Ignition Strategy Group, which specializes in public affairs and communications strategy. He has spent his career at the intersection of public policy, business and government and has managed many public affairs projects and campaigns for organizations and companies. He is also an author, speaker and world record adventure swimmer.

How can HR professionals elevate their influence, especially when not in a position of authority?  What are some ways to develop your influence skills?  Our guest today, Vivian Blade, the author of Influence in Talent Development and Resilience Ready - The Leader's Guide to Thriving Through Unrelenting Crises answers these and many other questions that are pertinent to our times.  Vivian is a recognized leadership expert and thought leader. She works with the world’s top brands, equipping leaders with the resilience that inspires teams to recover quickly in the face of ongoing disruption and thrive in spite of insurmountable odds.