The HR Hub

"If you've met one person with autism, you've met one person with autism."

It's a saying in the neurodiverse space. Neurodiversity recognizes that all brains work differently, including those with conditions like ADHD, dyslexia and autism spectrum disorder. In this illuminating conversation, Curtis Braun addressed assumptions about neurodivergent individuals and shared how we can create truly inclusive workplaces.

Curtis Braun is an HR instructor, consultant and coach who brings first-hand experience as the father of a neurodivergent son. He has recently started a coaching business focused on men with neurodivergent children so they have the mindset and support they need to help their kids. He discusses:

• Not that we will become diagnosticians, but there are 5 dimensions for assessing neurodivergence: language, perception, sensory skills, motor skills and executive functioning.

• 5 dimensions is a lot of a variety - putting people in boxes is not helpful.

• Common misconceptions include ideas like we need to lower our expectations and they do poorly with change. Not necessarily!

• Fostering psychological safety allows neurodivergent talent to thrive.

Curtis made the case that neurodiversity is a societal reality - and a competitive advantage for inclusive organizations willing to "unlearn" biases.

Find Curtis on Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/curtiswbraun

So you want career growth. But how do you make it happen?

You need to answer the question of 'what do you mean by career growth'. And the answer could be ANYTHING. Time with family. Travelling. Money. Praise. Promotions. Prestige. Specialization. Really it could be anything and an honest, personal answer will help you achieve it.

This was the focus of my conversation with Adam Pekarsky. He's had career growth, but not really of the traditional kind. He started out as a lawyer and now he is a leader and majority shareholder at Humanis Advisory - an executive search firm. He reflects on career growth in his new book (out this month) called "The Ampersand Chronicles Vol 1: Stories of a Small but Mighty Business in a Rough and Tumble Town". He writes the most amazing blog you've read and has organized his best into a book!

So his insights on career growth from his own perspective but also that of the people he helps:

- All motivation is valid, but you have to know what yours are.

- Maybe you want to climb the ladder, but maybe you want something else as well. There may be trade-offs.

- He resists the idea of work life balance because it's limiting, a zero-sum game. For him it's 'work-life integration' and it enables more possibilities.

- Passion is important. Think about what Tiger Woods said in his prime "I'm not the best golfer in the world because I have the most talent. I'm the best golfer in the world because I practice the most." It would be hard to 'practice the most' without passion.

It was wonderful conversation full of good stories and good advice

Find Adam on LinkedIn or at https://humanisadvisory.com/

The future of DEI is murky. So the purpose of this panel discussion was to reflect on the recent developments in DEI and consider how we might evolve our effort to become more effective. We collectively dove into DEI around the murder of George Floyd - often with little to no experience.

You can find me [email protected]

Curious about how Indeed is using AI to help employers and candidates? And how they apply it as an Employer?

Here are just a few insights:

Find out more about Indeed's Approach -

I think we know that "culture is not about ping pong tables and snacks."

Too often, company culture gets reduced to these superficial perks. Or perks like this become the symbols of culture everyone points to. But true culture runs much deeper - it's about your core values and how those get lived out through behavior, communication, leadership and more.

I spoke with HR consultant Tiffany Castagno of CEPHR consulting about culture. She helps her clients with it all the time and breaks down the key dimensions of workplace culture that you need to be intentional about shaping. She says:

📝 Assess your current culture through surveys, conversations, audits - but make sure to take action on the findings.

🏆 Leaders play a crucial role in modeling the values and norms you want to reinforce.

🔍 Look at metrics like engagement, belonging, growth opportunities to measure if you're living your desired culture.

⚠️ Common culture mistakes: Lack of consistency, not listening to employees, and having the wrong hires misaligned with your values.

0️⃣ And none of what we talked about has to do with perks. Although those are nice and we like them!

So want to build a magnetic culture that attracts and retains top talent? Check out this episode!

Mindset is harder than rocket science according to NASA scientists.

Find me, Andrea Adams, at https://thehrhub.ca/

"We (need to) talk to people not about people." Talking about people (unless you're venting with a trusted friend), greatly harms trust.

Building trust within teams is critical for high performance, but it's often an overlooked aspect of team dynamics. It came up recently for me in relation to consulting so I sat down with trust expert Ila Edgar to dive deep into the key behaviours and mindsets needed to foster trust on teams.

Ila is a coach, former recruiter, and co-host of the "Trust on Purpose" podcast. We did a couple episodes year before this one and they were some of the episodes I refer to most often at work. She shares her invaluable wisdom on:

💥 Why distrust can actually be a good thing and how to manage it productively

💥 The 4 key domains of trust (competence, sincerity, reliability, care) and how to cultivate each on your team

💥 The vital role leaders play in modeling trust-building behaviors

💥 Dangerous trust-breaking behaviors to avoid at all costs

Whether you lead a team or are part of one, this episode is packed with practical insights to create an environment of psychological safety where people can do their best work. Don't miss Ila's perspectives on this crucial but often overlooked team dynamic.

Find Ila at https://www.bigchangeinc.com/

This is her podcast: https://trustonpurpose.buzzsprout.com/

Andrea is an HR consultant in Western Canada. Find her at https://thehrhub.ca

"You have to think about [retirement], it doesn't just automatically happen."

'The difference between the skill of job seekers and those who are employed is often significant.'

So, for executive search, you are almost exclusively looking for leaders who are in good jobs that they probably like. So how do you entice them away?

If you think about it, this has many implications to the talent acquisition process.

I had a great conversation with Adam Pekarsky of Humanis Advisory. Adam started out as a lawyer, but has been in executive search for 20+ years. He has one of the best newsletters that I have ever read (the Ampersand) and his own podcast. He has an inspiring way of connecting the details to the big picture and to his values and ethics. It's apparent in everything he says.

For instance:

🫨 Ethics are critical. In addition to personal values, there is no ethical wiggle room especially in smaller communities. Word will get out.

🤔 He defines sourcing differently. I thought it was reaching out directly to potential candidates. He defines it as asking people who might know the candidates.

🎙️ Authentic, honest, story-telling is important: the story of the organization and the story of the candidate.

🌟 The role of the client who wants to fill a job is critical. In executive search they must SELL the job.

... And shouldn't ask "So why do you want the job?"

Adam approaches his work and role with such respect and insight. Watch it. You will learn a lot on many levels!

Find Adam Pekarsky on LinkedIn:

"Without conflict, you don't have innovation. So I want to make sure people use their voices."

You can find Tish at